Policy provisions

The $410 billion spending bill also includes several policy provisions:

Cuba sanctions: Permits US citizens to visit family members in Cuba once a year instead of once every three years, and eases financing rules for imports of food and medicine.

Offshore oil drilling: Continues to lift the quarter-century congressional ban on oil and natural gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts; the Obama administration has said it will not immediately issue drilling leases.

Judicial pay: Gives federal judges a cost-of-living pay increase.

Real estate: Prohibits banks from acting as real estate agents.

Endangered species: Allows the Interior and Commerce secretaries to withdraw Bush administration regulations that reduce scientific input into endangered species decisions.

D.C. school vouchers: Funds a private school voucher program for District of Columbia students but requires the plan be renewed by Congress and approved by the city government to be eligible for further funds.

Mexican trucks: Effectively shuts down a Bush administration initiative to allow Mexican-licensed trucks to operate outside commercial border zones.

Chinese chicken: Continues a ban on imports of Chinese chicken.