United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collective bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act This bill expands the boundaries of the Bear Ears National Monument in Utah. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture USDA shall administer the lands under their jurisdictions within the expanded boundaries: (1) as part of the monument; and (2) in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 9558, dated December 28, 2016, which provided for establishment of the monument. Interior and USDA shall promptly carry out the proclamation's provisions, including the provisions requiring them to engage the Bear Ears Commission to: ensure the proper care and management of the objects identified; ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge; and provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the monument. The National Park Service shall administer Natural Bridges National Monument and those portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that are within the expanded boundaries as part of the monument. Interior and USDA may acquire lands, waters, or interests in land that are located within the revised boundaries of the monument by donation, purchase, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Labor to update the salary threshold applicable to bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees for purposes of determining eligibility for overtime pay. The bill adopts rulemaking promulgated by Labor in 2016 that established the threshold for exempting such employees from overtime requirements at the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried employees in the lowest-wage census region. The bill also requires updates to the threshold amount every three years.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Directs the Committee on House Administration to issue regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives to complete a training program on workplace rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, during each congressional session. Requires Members, officers, or employees to certify completion of such training within 90 days after a congressional session begins or within 90 days after beginning service during a session. (Sets forth a special rule requiring such training to be completed within 180 days after the beginning of the second session of the 115th Congress.) Directs the committee to issue regulations requiring that each House employing office post in a prominent location in its office and in each Member's congressional district office a statement of rights and protections provided to House employees under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, including procedures for responding to and adjudicating allegations of violations of such rights and protections.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Urban Indian Health Parity Act This bill applies a Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., the federal matching rate under Medicaid) of 100% with respect to amounts expended as medical assistance for services received through an Urban Indian organization under a grant or contract with the Indian Health Service.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act or the ME TOO Congress Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to revise procedures for reporting, investigating, and resolving allegations of legislative branch employees that their rights and protections under the CAA, such as protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, have been violated.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Act to Sustain the Protection of Immigrant Residents Earned through TPS Act of 2017 or the ASPIRE-TPS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide six-year, renewable protected status for an alien who: (1) as of January 1, 2017, had been granted or was eligible for deferred enforced departure or temporary protected status, (2) has continuously resided in the United States for five years, (3) is admissible as an immigrant, and (4) registers as required. Aliens may work while in protected status. Protected status shall be withdrawn if an alien was not entitled to such status or fails to register with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) every 36 months. Absences from the United States of one year or less shall not break residence continuity. Absences longer than one year shall break residence continuity unless the alien establishes that he or she did not abandon U.S. residency. DHS shall adjust the status of an alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien: (1) meets certain eligibility requirements; (2) establishes that removal would result in extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child; and (3) submits an application.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Condemns the terrorist attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 14, 2017. Honors the memories of Ahmed AbdiKarin Eyow, Mohamoud Elmi, and Abukar Dahie, who were murdered in such attack. Recognizes the efforts to combat terrorism by the government of Somalia, the countries contributing troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia, and U.S. forces in Somalia. Reaffirms U.S. support for that government's efforts to achieve peace, security, and prosperity and to combat terrorism in Somalia. Renews the solidarity between the people and governments of the United States and Somalia.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that veterans treatment courts are a successful program aimed at helping veterans charged with non-violent crimes receive the help and the benefits to which they are entitled. The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall establish a Veteran Treatment Court Program to provide assistance to state circuit court systems that have adopted or filed a notice of intent to establish such a program. The DOJ program shall include veterans treatment court grant programs carried out pursuant to laws establishing other incarceration alternatives programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Wage Adjustment for Veterans Student Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay the higher of the federal, state, or local government minimum wage as a work-study allowance under the educational assistance programs. Currently, the VA must pay the higher of the state or federal minimum wage.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Safeguarding Election Infrastructure Act of 2017 This bill requires voting systems for federal elections to produce paper ballots that the voter may inspect and verify before the vote is cast and counted. The bill also requires (1) the paper ballot to be suitable for manual audits, (2) each state to audit federal election results by administering hand counts of paper ballots at randomly selected precincts, and (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress and the affected state if DHS believes a state's voter-registration database or voting system has been breached.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
This bill prohibits any federal agency funds, resources, or fees from being used to implement or enforce Executive Order 13780 and the presidential proclamation of September 24, 2017. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States. The proclamation revised such order to include entry restrictions on nationals from Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, and remove such restrictions on nationals of Sudan. The proclamation additionally provides for enhanced U.S. vetting capacities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Sugar Policy Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and other agricultural laws to modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sugar program. The bill modifies the sugar program to: reduce the rates for price support loans to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets; require USDA to recover the net cost of the program from domestic sugar processors; extend through 2019 and then terminate the Feedstock Flexibility Program under which USDA purchases surplus sugar from domestic processors for resale to ethanol producers; extend through 2020 and then repeal the flexible marketing allotments which limit the amount of sugar that domestic processing companies may sell for domestic human use; require USDA to administer the program to provide adequate supplies of sugar at reasonable prices; require USDA to adjust sugar tariff-rate quota imports to achieve specified ratios of sugar stocks to total sugar use; and allow the transfer of quotas between countries.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to expand activities related to Alzheimer's disease, including activities involving early detection, support for caregivers, and public awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill modifies various provisions of federal firearms laws. Among other things, it does the following: prohibits certain firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check; and requires states to implement plans to improve the submission of mental health and criminal history records to the national instant criminal background check system.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
American Promise Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit an alien who is in temporary protected status (TPS) or deferred enforced departure (DED) status to apply for legal permanent resident status if such alien: is eligible for permanent resident status, applies for adjustment within three years, was granted or was eligible for TPS or DED status on or before October 1, 2017, and has been continuously physically present in the U.S. for at least three years. (TPS designations permit eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. DED designations permit eligible nationals of presidentially-designated counties to be temporarily not subject to removal from the United States.) The bill: waives certain grounds of inadmissibility; authorizes the waiver of the continuous physical presence requirement if an alien's removal would cause extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's spouse, children, parents, or domestic partner; authorizes an alien who has applied for status adjustment to work; and authorizes an alien who has been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure to apply for status adjustment. An alien's spouse, parent, or unmarried child shall have his or her status adjusted to legal permanent resident if such person is eligible for status adjustment and applies within three years. Aliens from countries that no longer have valid TPS designation and aliens who no longer have valid DED status are not included in this bill unless such TSP or DED status expires on or after January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017 Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2017 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise, rename, and reauthorize through FY2022 the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program. It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants: to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities, and to develop tracking technology programs to locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism. DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The bill prohibits the use of data from tracking devices to create a federal database. It also prohibits construing this bill to require a parent or guardian to use a tracking device.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
America Wins Act The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on the carbon dioxide content of coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and natural gas sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer and require the revenues to be used for infrastructure and other purposes. Refunds or credits for the tax must be issued for carbon substances that are: (1) not emitted due to use as a feedstock or through carbon capture and sequestration, or (2) previously taxed carbon substances used to make another taxable carbon substance. The bill includes border adjustment provisions that require certain fees, credits, or refunds for carbon-intensive goods that are exported or imported. The bill also establishes a Build America Trust Fund and appropriates to the fund amounts equal to the increase in revenues attributable to the tax. Specified amounts of the funds must be used, without further appropriation, for infrastructure, including highways and transit; aviation; passenger rail; harbors, waterways, flood protection, and dams; clean water; Department of Agriculture water and waste disposal programs; and broadband deployment. Specified portions of the funds must also be used for: providing assistance to workers and communities reliant on industries that primarily produce taxable carbon substances or carbon-intensive goods, an energy refund program to provide payments to certain low-income households, and a refundable tax credit for households that meet specified income requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act or the PACE Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the sponsoring or exhibiting of animal fights involving live birds (such as cockfights). Under current law, the fights are unlawful only if they take place in states or U.S. territories or possessions that have banned it.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Access to Affordable Housing Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the state allocations for the low-income housing tax credit by specified amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require mammography facilities to include up-to-date information about breast density in both the written report of the results of a mammography examination provided to a patient's physician and the summary of that written report given to the patient. The summary must convey: (1) the effect of breast density in masking the presence of breast cancer on a mammogram, and (2) that individuals with dense breasts should talk with their health care providers about any questions or concerns regarding the summary and whether they would benefit from additional tests. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify research on breast density, the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of supplemental imaging relating to breast density, and best practices concerning mammograms and supplemental screening for those with dense breasts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Recognizes: the growth and importance of minority women-owned businesses; that minority women often work in low-paying jobs in the traditional workforce; that minority women entrepreneurs are paving the way for women-owned businesses and are an important segment to the U.S. domestic and world's global economy; and that, in order to sustain the U.S. economy, we must fully support and encourage the growth of minority women-owned businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Protecting Airport Communities from Particle Emissions Act This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to report on ultrafine particles and their health impacts for communities around the 20 largest U.S. airports. The FAA must coordinate with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and others.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
This bill prohibits the involuntary separation of a member of the Armed Forces, or denial of reenlistment or continuation in the Armed Forces, solely on the basis of the member's gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Keep Americans Safe Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly transfer, possess, import, or bring into the United States a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). It permits the continued possession of a grandfathered LCAFD. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to an LCAFD: manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; transfer or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification that clearly shows the device was manufactured after this bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2017 This bill prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. The bill prescribes civil penalties for knowing violations of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise the quorum requirement for the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to require the lesser of three members or the number of members holding office on the board (currently, at least three members) for there to be a quorum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act This bill amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to repeal provisions that prohibit civil actions against a firearm or ammunition manufacturer, seller, importer, dealer, or trade association for the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm. Additionally, the bill states that firearms trace data maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is not immune from legal process. Such data is subject to discovery; is admissible as evidence; and may be used, relied on, or disclosed in a civil action or administrative proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2017 This bill establishes the United States Commission on Hate Crimes to investigate and report on: whether hate crimes have increased; factors that contributed to an increase in hate crimes, if one is determined to exist; policies or actions by law enforcement agencies to reduce hate crimes; and the impact of underreporting on hate crimes statistics and prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2017 This bill establishes new requirements and restrictions with respect to the sale, purchase, shipment, and transport of ammunition. Among other things, the bill does the following: requires an ammunition dealer to be licensed, requires ammunition sales to be conducted in person, and requires a licensed ammunition importer, manufacturer, or dealer to report on bulk sales of ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine and report on the various health impacts of air traffic noise and pollution.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2017 or the Police CAMERA Act of 2017 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras and to implement body-worn camera programs. A state, local government, or Indian tribe that receives a grant must comply with certain requirements, including to establish policies and procedures for the use of body-worn cameras and to adopt recorded data collection and retention protocols. The BJA must establish and maintain a toolkit to provide training and technical assistance, including best practices for implementation, model policies and procedures, and research materials. The BJA must also study and report to Congress on the efficacy, impact, and effect of using body-worn cameras.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish detention standards for each facility at which aliens in DHS custody are detained. Such standards shall provide for at least the level of detainee protections described in the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. A detained individual who is injured as a result of a violation of such standards may file a claim in U.S. district court. The bill: (1) provides for facility oversight and transparency, (2) phases out the use of private detention facilities and jails for such aliens, and (3) revises procedures for detaining aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2017
Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2017 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure, which is any green stormwater management technique that: (1) uses natural systems or engineered systems that mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture stormwater; and (2) preserves, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology to protect or restore water quality. One of the centers must be the national electronic clearinghouse center and operate a website and a public database on the infrastructure. In addition, the EPA must provide grants to state, tribal, or local governments or entities that manage stormwater, drinking water resources, or wastewater resources for innovative stormwater control infrastructure projects. The EPA must ensure that: (1) EPA's Office of Water, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Office of Research and Development, and Office of Policy promote the use of the infrastructure in, and coordinate the integration of, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) the Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of the infrastructure. The EPA must: (1) direct each EPA regional office to promote and integrate the use of the infrastructure within the region, and (2) promote sharing information about the infrastructure approaches. The EPA must establish the innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard of voluntary, measurable goals to increase the percentage of annual water managed by entities that use the infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Free Credit Freeze Act This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from charging a consumer a fee for placing, temporarily lifting, or fully removing a credit freeze. A consumer reporting agency must place a credit freeze on the consumer's file upon a consumer's request, prohibiting a consumer reporting agency from releasing any credit information without the consumer's permission.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen, except those engaged in operations directed at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, within 30 days after adoption of this concurrent resolution, unless: (1) the President requests and Congress authorizes a later date, or (2) a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of the Armed Forces has been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, or age). The office may award grants to educational entities and partnerships to: train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2017
National Center for the Right to Counsel Act This bill establishes in the District of Columbia a private, nonprofit corporation to be known as the National Center for the Right to Counsel to provide: (1) financial support to supplement funding for public defense systems that provide legal assistance to indigent defendants, and (2) financial and substantive support for training programs to improve delivery of legal services to indigent defendants. The bill requires each state to have a state advisory council to: (1) monitor, receive, and investigate complaints regarding the compliance of public defense systems that receive funding with applicable laws and regulations; (2) notify the center of any apparent violations; and (3) collect data on the delivery of public defense services and facilitate information sharing among the state's public defense systems. The center must make available to the public an online database that includes the contact information for all public defense systems in every state. The bill requires the center to establish regional backup service centers to assist public defense systems with access to investigators, sentencing mitigation specialists, and information about available grants. The Government Accountability Office must complete a study four years after this bill is enacted about the effects of the center on providing public defense services and on the cost of the criminal justice system.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers (covered persons) to develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster. The plan must: identify situations that the covered person might experience that would trigger the need to implement the measures identified in the plan; outline tasks to be carried out in response to emergencies or disasters; establish a chain of command and identify the individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks; and address how response and recovery will be handled in terms of materials, resources, and training needed. Covered persons must review their plan at least annually, train personnel in their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the plan, and provide training when the plan changes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Mandatory Minimum Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate most drug offense mandatory minimum prison terms imposed on a defendant who imports, exports, manufactures, distributes, or possesses with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Additionally, it eliminates drug offense mandatory minimum prison terms for simple possession, distribution to an individual under age 21 by an individual at least age 18, distribution or manufacture in a school zone, and use of an individual under age 18 to distribute. Finally, the bill requires prior written approval of the Attorney General to prosecute a defendant for certain drug offenses that involve low-level drug quantities (e.g., less than one kilogram of heroin or less than 500 grams of cocaine-based substances).
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Recognizes: (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Disapproves of an act by the President to grant to himself or any family member a reprieve, pardon, or commutation of a sentence for an offense against the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_wa_9_smith_adam_200.jpg)