Texas Border Business
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AUSTIN, Texas – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has ranked first among Members of Congress in number of bills sponsored that were enacted into law during the 117th Congress with a total of 34 bills, according to GovTrack.
Legislation Sen. Cornyn sponsored or led on the Republican side that was enacted into law as standalone bills during the 117th Congress include:
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: Increases needed mental health resources and improves school safety and support for students.
- Supreme Court Police Parity Act: Allows the Supreme Court of the United States Police to provide the families of Supreme Court Justices with around-the-clock security protection.
- Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act: Equips law enforcement officers with the tools to effectively and safely respond to people in crisis.
- PROTECT Our Children Act: Reauthorizes the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program to combat child exploitation across the country.
- Abolish Human Trafficking Reauthorization Act:Strengthens key programs supporting survivors of human trafficking and provides resources to law enforcement officials.
- Respect for Child Survivors Act:Improves the treatment of FBI child victim witnesses by requiring trauma-informed experts to be a part of any interview with a victim who reports child abuse or trafficking to the FBI.
- Courthouse Ethics and Transparency Act: Requires online publication of financial disclosure reports for federal judges and mandates they submit periodic transaction reports for certain securities transactions.
- Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act: Reauthorizes critical grants for mental health courts, crisis intervention teams, and other programs that have helped law enforcement assist individuals experiencing mental illness.
- Homicide Family Victims’ Rights Act: Requires federal agencies to revisit cold case murder files and apply new technologies in search of potential breakthroughs.
- Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act: Ensures that individuals who harm or attempt to harm U.S. federal officers and employees serving abroad can be prosecuted in the United States and brought to justice.
- Legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday:Made Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day slaves in Texas were first informed of the news that they were free, a federal holiday. Sen. Cornyn also passed resolutions in 2021 and 2022 designating June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day.
- Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act reauthorization: Promotes public-private partnerships to boost staffing and make infrastructure improvements at U.S. ports of entry without adding to the national deficit. Originally introduced by Sen. Cornyn and signed into law in 2016.
- Servicemember Safety and Security Act:Strengthens the reporting and review policies and procedures for members of the Armed Forces that are reported absent without leave or missing and improves information sharing between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
- Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act: Protects civilians by authorizing the President to enter into lend-lease agreements with Ukraine to provide additional categories of military equipment.
- National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act: Authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work with the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) to help prepare for and respond to cybersecurity risks at the national, state, and local levels.
- Blackwell School National Historic Site Act: Establishes the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas as a National Historic site and part of the National Park System.
In addition, Sen. Cornyn had 17 bills he introduced or co-led substantially incorporated into other legislation that was signed into law, including:
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- Funding for Sen. Cornyn’s CHIPS for America Act: The CHIPS and Science Act provided funding for Sen. Cornyn’s law to help restore semiconductor manufacturing on American soil.
- State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act: Provides additional flexibility for states, tribes, and local governments to utilize their Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
- Texas provisions in the FY23 and FY22 National Defense Authorization Act:
- Texas Coastal Spine Authorization Act: Authorizes the construction of a large-scale coastal storm risk management and coastal barrier protection system.
- Protecting our Servicemembers through Proven Methods Act: Directs the Secretary of Defense to collect comprehensive data on the causes of sexual assault, harassment, and domestic violence in the military.
- DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act: Instructs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to develop and execute a plan to combat the use of tunnels by cartels and other transnational criminal organizations.
- Authorized $677.4 million for military construction projects in Texas.
- Raised troops’ pay by 4.6% in FY23 authorization and 2.7% in FY22 authorization.
- 9/11 Victims Compensation: Provides a catch-up payment for thousands of 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents who were unfairly excluded from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund when it was first established in 2015.
- HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act:Provides a temporary waiver of medical exam requirements so Afghan interpreters and translators who assisted U.S. troops during the War on Terror can quickly immigrate to the United States and avoid persecution in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
- Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Act: Clarifies and improves an existing grant program to train Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), specialized nurses who provide forensic sexual assault examinations to rape victims.
- Behavioral Intervention Guidelines (BIG) Act: Helps identify how educators can best implement behavioral intervention programs to identify and address early signs of potential violence among students.
- El Paso Community Healing Garden National Memorial Act: Designates the Healing Garden commissioned in El Paso after the 2019 mass shooting as the El Paso Community Healing Garden National Memorial.
- Debt Bondage Repair Act: Protects victims of human trafficking as they regain their financial freedom and rebuild their lives after enduring the horrors of abuse, including financial exploitation.
- VITAL Assessment Act: Provides critical mental health care and support to student veterans by improving the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Integration Academic Leadership (VITAL) Program.
Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.
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