H.R. 7007 — Governing for the People Act

This section extends the availability of the tax deduction for costs of qualified film, television, and live theatrical productions (i.e., Section 181 expensing) through December 31, 2030 (from December 31, 2025) and modifies its dollar limitations as follows: (1) increases the general limitation to $30 million (from $15 million); (2) increases the higher limitation for productions in certain areas (e.g., low-income communities or rural zones) to $40 million (from $20 million); and (3) provides for inflation adjustment of both limitations for taxable years beginning after 2026, using 2025 as the base year and rounding to the nearest $1,000. The changes apply to productions commencing after enactment.

This section establishes a new federal criminal offense for knowingly executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme or artifice to defraud an individual of veterans' benefits (i.e., any benefit provided by federal law to a veteran or a dependent or survivor of a veteran) or in connection with obtaining such benefits for that individual, punishable by a fine, imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both. It makes a conforming change to the table of sections for 18 U.S.C. Chapter 63 (mail fraud and related offenses).

This section declares the purpose of this title to ensure that parties affected by wildland fires resulting from Department of Agriculture management activities on National Forest System lands are eligible for 100 percent funding to remediate direct and indirect damages under authorized federal recovery programs.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to waive any matching fund requirement (i.e., covered matching requirement) under USDA wildland fire recovery programs for projects responding to a covered wildland fire (i.e., a wildland fire, including wildfire, prescribed fire, or resulting watershed impairment, determined to result from USDA management activities on National Forest System lands) in the affected area. (Thus, States, Indian Tribes, localities, or individuals receive full federal funding without cash matching for such projects.)

This section directs the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to make awards to eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, or consortiums, to develop, implement, and evaluate local artificial intelligence (AI) literacy programs delivered by trusted community sources. Awards may fund (1) curricula and resources on AI basics, applications, ethics, and societal impacts; (2) education and training prioritized for marginalized communities (e.g., communities of color, low-income populations, rural areas, seniors, people with disabilities, other underserved groups); (3) outreach to raise AI literacy awareness; and (4) program evaluations with best practices shared. The NSF is to prioritize applications demonstrating commitments to such communities (including seniors), experience in local technology education, and innovative, scalable approaches; recipients must submit annual reports detailing programs, individuals served (including demographics), and impacts on AI understanding. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, Commerce, and Education and the Small Business Administration Administrator to submit reports to Congress within one year of enactment detailing strategies to advance AI literacy within their programs—workforce development, business competitiveness (especially small and medium-sized enterprises), small business and entrepreneur support (emphasizing underserved communities), and K–12/higher education curricula—while contributing to U.S. AI competitive advantage and national security. Reports must identify modifiable existing awards, provide adaptation recommendations with examples, follow consultations with stakeholders (e.g., educators, industry, community organizations, AI experts), and be posted publicly on agency websites. Defines "AI," "artificial intelligence" (i.e., engineered systems generating outputs like content, predictions, or decisions to meet human objectives), "AI literacy" (i.e., humans' ability to understand, evaluate, and use AI technologies, including basics, functions, workings, and societal effects), and "ethical artificial intelligence" (i.e., AI design, development, deployment, and use aligned with ethical principles and human values).

This section requires the Director of National Intelligence, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Secretary of the Treasury a report analyzing oil and ballistic missile-related transactions between the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The report must include (1) an assessment of China's purchases of Iranian oil since 2020, including the use of transshipment points and shell companies to evade sanctions; and (2) an assessment of significant financial transactions by Chinese entities related to the sale, supply, or transfer to Iran of chemical precursors and other materials that may support Iran's ballistic missile program.

This section directs the Secretary of the Treasury, not later than six months after submission of the report required by section 2, to determine whether the People's Republic of China is conducting any sanctionable activities and to report that determination to Congress.

This section requires all health insurers—including group health plans, health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage, and applicable federal health programs—to provide full coverage without cost-sharing for annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) or other appropriate lung cancer screening technologies for eligible individuals. Such coverage may not be subject to (1) prior authorization; (2) step-therapy or other utilization controls; (3) frequency limits more restrictive than one screening annually; or (4) documentation requirements beyond those in recent evidence-based clinical guidelines.

This section defines an eligible individual as an adult who—(1) is 50 to 80 years old; and (2) is determined by a treating health care professional to be at increased risk for lung cancer based on personal, environmental, or familial risk factors.

This section requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to issue implementing regulations within 180 days of enactment and ensure program-wide compliance.

This section directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to implement the priority recommendations of the Comptroller General contained in the November 15, 2022, GAO report titled “Disaster Recovery: Actions Needed to Improve the Federal Approach” (GAO–23–104956).

This section modifies the salary payment schedule for the House of Representatives to authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, upon the next upgrade of the House payroll system and if directed by the Committee on House Administration, to pay salaries twice per month or on such other schedule as the committee promulgates by regulation (previously, payments on the last day of each month, or the preceding weekday if that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday).

This section directs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assume responsibility for administering the Next Generation Warning System grant program (i.e., the grant program authorized under specified headings in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103)); disburse, within 180 days of enactment, all obligated FY2022 funds for the program; and begin awarding grants using FY2023 funds (from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328)) and FY2024 funds (from the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47)). Separately, it requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to conduct research and development—within one year of enactment, in consultation with relevant entities—to improve the accessibility, resiliency, and security of emergency warning systems and submit a report on these activities to the House and Senate Homeland Security committees within two years.

This section directs each standing committee of the House of Representatives to hold a hearing on the implementation of this Act within one year of enactment.

This section revises clause 18 of Rule XXIII of the House Rules to prohibit (1) a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from engaging in a sexual relationship with a supervised House employee or a committee employee on which the Member serves, except if married; and (2) unwelcome sexual advances or conduct by any Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee toward another House Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee. The revised clause defines "employee" to include applicants for employment, paid or unpaid interns (including applicants), detailees, and fellowship participants.

This section specifies that the budgetary effects of this Act, for purposes of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled “Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation” submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee prior to the vote on passage.