Bills Introduced – 9-20-23

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 66 bills introduced. One of those bills may receive additional attention in this blog:

HR 5604 To require original equipment manufacturers to make available certain documentation, parts, software, and tools with respect to electronics-enabled implements of agriculture, and for other purposes. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [Rep.-D-WA-3]

I will be watching this bill for language and definitions that include cybersecurity tools and updates in the right-to-repair coverage of the legislation.

Mention in Passing

I would like to mention another bill that was introduced yesterday in passing (future coverage is not expected here):

HR 5612 To change the calendar period of the Federal fiscal year. Turner, Michael R. [Rep.-R-OH-10] 

The last time that the dates of the fiscal year were changed was in 1974 (I know ancient history) when the start of the fiscal year was changed from July 1^st to October 1^st, as part of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (PL 93-344). This was done as part of a larger move to give Congress more control over federal spending. I suspect that the aim here is to give Congress more time to pass spending bills without having to resort to continuing resolutions. If that is the case, the end of the fiscal year would be moved to later in the calendar year (FY 2023 to end on October 31^st for example).