Lower Energy Costs Act This bill provides for the exploration, development, importation, and exportation of energy resources (e.g., oil, gas, and minerals). For example, it sets forth provisions to (1) expedite energy projects, (2) eliminate or reduce certain fees related to the development of federal energy resources, and (3) eliminate certain funds that provide incentives to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill expedites the development, importation, and exportation of energy resources, including by waiving environmental review requirements and other specified requirements under certain environmental laws, eliminating certain restrictions on the import and export of oil and natural gas, prohibiting the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing (a type of process used to extract underground energy resources), directing the Department of the Interior to conduct sales for the leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters as specified by the bill, and limiting the authority of the President and executive agencies to restrict or delay the development of energy on federal land. In addition, the bill reduces royalties for oil and gas development on federal land and eliminates charges on methane emissions. It also eliminates a variety of funds, such as funds for energy efficiency improvements in buildings as well as the greenhouse gas reduction fund.
Medical Manufacturing, Economic Development, and Sustainability Act of 2023 or the MMEDS Act of 2023 This bill provides incentives for relocating medical manufacturing facilities in the United States and for manufacturing medical products (i.e., drugs and devices) in economically distressed zones. Specifically, the bill allows a income tax credit for 40% of the sum of wages paid in a medical manufacturing economically distressed zone, employee fringe benefit expenses, and depreciation and amortization allowances with respect to qualified medical manufacturing facility property, and a credit for economically distressed zone products and services acquired by domestic medical manufacturers. The bill increases the credit rate for minority businesses.
Facilitating the Reshoring of Energy Grid Component Manufacturing Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a loan program for the production of energy grid products or components. Under the program, DOE may provide loans for activities related to projects that reequip, expand, or establish manufacturing facilities to produce energy grid products or their components. Energy grid products include large power transformers or any other electrical equipment commonly used for the transmission or distribution of electric energy by public electric utilities.
Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act This bill makes the Bureau of Reclamation the lead agency for the purpose of coordinating all permitting and related activities required to construct certain new surface-water storage projects. Specifically, Reclamation must identify, notify, and coordinate all Federal agencies that may have jurisdiction over a review, analysis, opinion, statement, permit, license, approval, or decision for a qualifying project. A state where a project is being considered may also choose to participate as a cooperating agency. Reclamation's coordination responsibilities include (1) preparing a unified environmental review document, and (2) maintaining a consolidated administrative record and project data records. Additionally, Reclamation is authorized to accept and expend funds contributed by a nonfederal public entity to expedite the evaluation of a permit for such a project.
Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish a program to provide children with parents on active duty in the uniformed services with funds to pay educational expenses. Specifically, ED must establish a tax-exempt Military Education Savings Account for dependent children of parents in the uniformed services for the payment of the children's educational expenses. Funds in the savings account may be used for specified purposes, including the cost of attendance at a private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, private tutoring, or costs associated with an apprenticeship or other vocational training program.
Water Rights Protection Act of 2023 This bill addresses issues of water rights with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, including water rights of federally recognized Indian tribes. Specifically, such departments must ensure that federal action imposes no greater restriction or regulatory requirement than under applicable state water law. Further, such departments shall not take actions that adversely affect state authority in permitting water usage or in adjudicating water rights. The bill also prohibits such departments from requiring water users to transfer water rights to the United States or acquire water rights in the name of the United States as a condition of issuing or renewing a land use or occupancy agreement.
Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Education to award grants to high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools, and local governments to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs that assist at-risk students in developing cognitive skills and promoting social-emotional learning to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. Additionally, the bill directs the Institute of Education Sciences to conduct a study to identify successful school-based mentoring programs and evaluate the effectiveness of the grant program established by this bill.
Advanced Aviation Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to redesignate the Office of NextGen as the Office of Advanced Aviation within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The new office duties include the coordination of rulemaking and approval processes on matters relating to advanced aviation systems (e.g., drones, supersonic aircraft technologies, counter-unmanned aircraft systems). The bill also establishes an Office of Advanced Integration within the Office of Advanced Aviation. Additionally, DOT must establish an Advanced Aviation Coordination Unit within the FAA whose responsibilities shall include the promotion of the safe and responsible integration of advanced aviation systems into the national airspace system. Further, DOT must redesignate the William J. Hughes Technical Center as the William J. Hughes Technical Center for Advanced Aviation. The center must establish and manage a program to evaluate new aviation-related technologies proposed to be used in the national airspace system and facilitate the integration of such technologies into the national airspace system.