United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2017 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration of members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides that are registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants, trees, and cereals until the EPA determines that the insecticides will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators. The determination must be based on: an evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses of those neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators, including native bees, honeybees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial insects; and a completed field study that meets the criteria required by the EPA and evaluates residues, chronic low-dose exposure, and cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures. The EPA may not issue new registrations of the neonicotinoid pesticides for any seed treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants, trees, and cereals under FIFRA until it has made the determination with respect to the insecticide. For purposes of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native bees and other pollinators, the Department of the Interior must: (1) regularly monitor the health and population status of native bees, (2) identify the scope and likely causes of unusual native bee mortality, and (3) submit to Congress and make public an annual report on the health and population status of native bees.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Justin Smith Morrill Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Justin Smith Morrill, a United States Senator from Vermont, for his lasting contributions to higher education opportunity for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Voter Empowerment Act of 2017 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states to make available online voter registration. The federal criminal code is amended to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 is amended to require states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must support pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register and vote at their residences. The bill reauthorizes support for state and local governments to ensure voting access for individuals with disabilities. States must notify individuals convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release or upon sentence to probation, of their right to vote in federal elections. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2017 This bill revises auditing requirements for voting systems. Voting systems must use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots. The National Science Foundation must support the study and development of accessible ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting for certain individuals. With exceptions, states must audit federal election results. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. The EAC must support poll-worker recruitment and training and develop materials for a model program. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is amended to prohibit a chief state election administration official, unless the official or a family member is a candidate, from taking part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which the official has supervisory authority. The EAC is reauthorized and its exemption from certain contracting requirements is repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Fostering Unity Against Russian Aggression Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Russian Federation should return to verifiable compliance with the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF) Treaty, (2) concerns persist over the growing sophistication of unconventional and hybrid state-sponsored Russian threats, and (3) maritime capabilities should be enhanced. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall: (1) develop a strategy to counter Russian threats; (2) develop a strategy to increase conventional precision strike weapon stockpiles in the U.S. European Command's areas of responsibility, including increases to enhance deterrence and fighting capability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; (3) develop a plan to counter Russian military capabilities; (4) develop a plan to train the national security forces of U.S. allies and partners to counter Russian cyberspace and information operations; (5) report to Congress regarding DOD's strategy to expand the forward presence of U.S. military forces in Europe; (6) submit a plan to Congress that includes options to reduce the risk of miscalculation and unintended consequences that could precipitate a nuclear war; and (7) report to Congress regarding the location and capacities of training areas in the European Command's areas of responsibility. The President shall submit a plan to Congress to impose sanctions against Russia for non-compliance with the INF Treaty. Such sanctions should include expanding asset freezes and travel bans and prohibiting financial transactions and government-to-government contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to certain requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unlessas specified. This bill prescribes transparency requirements regarding any changes to specified matters. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
This bill directs the United States Postal Service to issue and sell an Alzheimer's Disease Research Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred to the National Institutes of Health. The stamp must be made available to the public for six years.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant Program Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program under which Interior may award grants to eligible entities (the states, their political subdivisions, special purpose districts, and Indian Tribes) for projects to: (1) acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes, and (2) develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities. As a condition for receiving a grant, an eligible entity shall provide matching funds in cash or in kind equal to 100% of the amounts available under the grant. A grant recipient may use the grant to acquire land or water providing outdoor recreation opportunities to the public. A grant may also be used to develop or renovate outdoor recreational facilities, with priority given to projects that: create or significantly enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban neighborhood or community; engage and empower underserved communities and youth; provide opportunities for youth employment or job training; establish or expand public-private partnerships; take advantage of coordination among various levels of government. Grant funds may not be used for specified costs, facilities, and activities, including the acquisition of lands or interests that restrict access to particular persons.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require states to charge in-state tuition rates to refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders if they are lawfully in the United States. This requirement only applies to the first state where the individual lives after being admitted into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Schedules That Work Act This bill grants an employee the right to request that the employee's employer change the terms and conditions of employment relating to: the number of hours or times the employee is required to work or be on call; the location; the amount of notification the employee receives of work schedule assignments; and minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The employer, if the request is made, shall engage in a timely, good faith interactive process with the employee that includes a discussion of potential schedule changes that would meet the employee's needs. The bill outlines the process for either granting or denying a change. The employer shall grant a request, unless there is a bona fide business reason for denying it, if the request is made because of the employee's serious health condition, the employee's responsibilities as a caregiver, or enrollment in a career-related educational or training program, or if a part-time employee requests such a change for a reason related to a second job. An employer, if an employee requests a change for any other reason, may deny it for any reason that is not unlawful. The employer shall give the employee the reason for the denial, including whether it was a bona fide business reason. The bill outlines employer requirements for paying reporting time and split shift pay and for giving advance notice of work schedules to retail, food service, or cleaning employees, or the Department of Labor's designated employees, except for those in bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacities. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer or other person to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right of an employee specified in this bill; (2) retaliate against an employee for exercising the rights granted employees by this bill; or (3) interfere with proceedings or inquiries with respect to violation of an individual's rights under this bill. The bill sets forth administrative enforcement procedures and civil remedies for violation of these prohibitions. Labor must give information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning compliance with this bill. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census shall: (1) include in the Current Population Survey questions on, among other things, the amount of fluctuation in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis; and (2) conduct at regular intervals the Contingent Worker Supplement, the Work Schedules and Work at Home Supplement, and other relevant supplements to the Current Population Survey. This bill is inapplicable to any employee covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement if its terms govern work scheduling practices.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Reaffirms: (1) the bipartisan commitment of the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of refugees; and (2) the goals of World Refugee Day. Recognizes those who have risked their lives to provide life-saving assistance and to help protect people displaced by conflict. Calls upon the U.S. government to: uphold its international leadership role in responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance for, and protection of, the most vulnerable populations; work in partnership with the international community to find solutions to existing conflicts and to prevent new conflicts; continue to support the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to advance the work of nongovernmental organizations to protect refugees regardless of their country of origin or religious beliefs; and continue to mitigate, through humanitarian and development support, the burden placed on frontline refugee host countries that absorb the majority of the world's refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017
Expresses strong disapproval of the President's announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Commends the group of states, cities, colleges and universities, businesses, investors, and individuals who have publicly expressed their support for such agreement. Urges the President to reverse his decision and maintain U.S. participation in such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Recognizes the historical significance and supports the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2017
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: revise and reauthorize grant programs for offender reentry demonstration projects; family-based substance abuse treatment; and evaluating and improving educational methods at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; and repeal grant programs for offender reentry courts and drug treatment alternatives to incarceration. Additionally, the legislation amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to: rename, revise, and reauthorize grant programs for technology career training demonstration projects and reentry mentoring services, reauthorize offender reentry research and the grant program for offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration, reauthorize and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program, and repeal grant programs for the responsible reintegration of offenders and the study of Depot Naltrexone to treat heroin addiction. It amends the federal criminal code to establish partnerships between prisons and faith- or community-based nonprofit organizations to conduct activities to reduce recidivism. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General must conduct annual audits of selected grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds. The bill prohibits grants to nonprofit organizations that hold money in an offshore account to avoid tax liability. It also prohibits a grantee from using grant funds to lobby DOJ or a state, local, or tribal government regarding the award of grant funding. DOJ, in collaboration with interested persons, providers, and organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments, must coordinate and report to Congress on federal reentry programs, policies, and practices. The bill limits the use of grants for conferences that use more than $20,000 in DOJ funds.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2026 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
America Votes Act of 2017 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to permit an individual required to present identification as a condition of voting in a federal election to meet the requirement by presenting a sworn written statement attesting to the individual's identification and that he or she is registered to vote in the election. An individual desiring to vote by mail may submit such a statement with the ballot. States with an identification requirement shall: (1) prepare a pre-printed version of the statement which includes a blank space for an individual to provide a name and signature, (2) make copies of the pre-printed version available at polling places, (3) include a copy of the pre-printed version with each ballot transmitted to an individual who desires to vote by mail, and (4) include the use of a sworn written statement in voting information posted at polling places. A state is prohibited from requiring an individual who presents or submits such a sworn written statement to cast a provisional ballot in the election. This bill does not apply to first-time voters registering by mail.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Automatic Voter Registration Act This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require state motor vehicle authorities, upon receiving certain identifying information with respect to an individual requesting motor vehicle authority services, to transmit the information to the state election official. The state election official shall then notify the individual that unless the individual declines to be registered to vote in federal elections in the state, the individual shall be automatically registered unless the individual does not meet voter registration eligibility requirements or is already registered to vote. A state may not use any identifying information regarding an individual's citizenship status for any purpose other than determining whether the individual is eligible to vote in federal elections.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Voices for Veterans Act This bill: (1) expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and (2) extend the Commission through December 31, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 This bill authorizes FY2018 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation. The bill authorizes appropriations to DOD for: (1) Procurement, including aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding and conversion, space procurement, and other procurement; (2) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; (3) Operation and Maintenance; (4) Working Capital Funds; (5) the Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund; (6) Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction; (7) Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities; (8) the Defense Inspector General; (9) the Defense Health Program; (10) the Armed Forces Retirement Home; (11) Overseas Contingency Operations; and (12) Military Construction. The bill also authorizes the FY2018 personnel strength for active duty and reserve forces and sets forth policies regarding compensation and other personnel benefits, the Ready Reserve Force and Military Sealift Command surge fleet, and matters relating to foreign nations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
This bill instructs the Department of Defense (DOD) to notify the congressional defense committees within 48 hours after any sensitive military cyber operation has been conducted. A sensitive military cyber operation is an offensive cyber operation or a defensive cyber operation outside DOD's information networks to defeat an ongoing or imminent threat that: (1) is carried out by the U.S. Armed Forces or by a foreign partner in coordination with them, and (2) is intended to cause effects outside of a geographic location where the Armed Forces are involved in hostilities. DOD must also notify such committees within 48 hours after: (1) the completion of any review of the legality under international law of a cyber capability that is intended for use as a weapon; and (2) the use as a weapon of any cyber capability that has been approved under international law. Such notification requirements shall not apply to: (1) a training exercise conducted with the consent of all of the nations where its intended effects will occur, or (2) a covert action.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2017
Humane Cosmetics Act This bill prohibits testing cosmetics on animals, effective on the date that is one year after enactment of this bill. No cosmetic may be sold or transported if the final product or any component was developed or manufactured using animal testing after that date, effective three years after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2017 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl in recognition of his acts of valor during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Environmental Protection Agency an Office of Environmental Justice. The office must create an environmental justice grant program that empowers and educates communities that are affected by local environmental or public health issues to understand those issues and identify ways to address them at the local level.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Economic Growth and Development Act This bill requires the President to establish a primary interagency mechanism to coordinate U.S. development assistance programs carried out by federal agencies overseas with private sector investment activities. The mechanism shall: streamline the private-sector liaison, coordination, and investment promotion functions of such agencies; facilitate the use of development and finance tools across such agencies to attract greater participation in development activities by the private sector; and establish a single point of contact for U.S. private sector entities pursuing partnership opportunities with such agencies. Federal agencies planning or providing U.S. development assistance overseas shall ensure that: (1) a rigorous analysis of the constraints to economic growth and investment within a recipient country guides any U.S. development strategy, and (2) U.S. development strategies are coordinated with private sector activities in such countries. Each analysis shall identify and analyze: (1) the constraints posed by inadequacies in critical infrastructure, the education system, the rule of law, the tax and investment codes, or the customs or regulatory regimes in the recipient country; and (2) the particular economic sectors that are central to achieving economic growth in the recipient country. The results of each analysis shall be: (1) incorporated into any relevant development strategy, and (2) used to guide the allocation of resources by federal agencies planning or providing U.S. development assistance overseas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
STEM Opportunities Act of 2017 This bill provides for guidance, data collection, and grants related to women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at institutions of higher education and at federal science agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017 This bill amends the PROTECT Act to reauthorize the AMBER Alert grant program for FY2018. The bill also modifies the program to: make Indian tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants, permit the use of grant funds to integrate state or regional AMBER Alert communication plans with an Indian tribe, and allow the waiver of the matching funds requirement for grants awarded to Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Reaffirms the importance of clean air, clean water, resource conservation, and other policy goals that led to the enactment of existing environmental and public health protections. Affirms the need to achieve environmental justice so that environmental and public health policies adequately and equally protect all Americans. Commends environmental justice advocates for their work to achieve fairer, healthier, more sustainable policies and outcomes. Acknowledges the prevalence of environmental injustices that directly affect the health and well-being of individuals and communities across the country, especially racial minority, rural, indigenous, and low-income communities. Affirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to ameliorating existing environmental injustices and preventing future injustices.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Vote by Mail Act of 2017 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to allow voting in federal elections to be by mail without additional conditions or requirements, except a deadline for returning the ballot. States must mail ballots to individuals registered to vote in a federal election not later than two weeks before the election. The U.S. Postal Service must carry ballots mailed by a state expeditiously and free of postage. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 is amended to authorize automatic voter registration of individuals through state motor vehicle authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 7-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old. The bill sets forth a schedule of annual increases in the federal minimum wage for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Labor shall no longer issue special certificates for the payment of subminimum wages to such individuals after the final wage increase under this bill for such individuals takes effect. Labor shall provide, upon request, technical assistance and information to employers to: (1) help them transition their practices to comply with wage increases and other requirements under this bill for individuals with disabilities, and (2) ensure continuing employment opportunities for such individuals. The bill eliminates the separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees. After a specified period, these employees shall be paid the same minimum wage as regular employees. Labor must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on its website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits adoption or foster care placement entities that receive federal assistance from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance with the requirements of this bill and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. This bill allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act from states that fail to comply with the requirements of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act This bill requires the Children's Health Insurance Program and state Medicaid programs to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for eligible individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Halting Of Mortgage Exploitation of Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the HOMES Act of 2017 This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to establish a 10-year statute of limitations for civil actions for violations of such Act brought by the Department of Justice or by a private party.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Gun Violence Restraining Order Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the sale, transfer to, receipt of, or possession of a firearm by a person who is subject to a gun violence prevention order. A gun violence prevention order is a court order that prohibits an individual from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm. The bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to make grants to states that have in effect legislation that: (1) authorizes a family member, or a law enforcement officer, to apply for a gun violence prevention order against an individual who may pose a significant risk to themselves or others; (2) authorizes a law enforcement officer to temporarily seize firearms from that individual, subject to a warrant; and (3) requires law enforcement agencies to comply with certain requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
National Park Service Legacy Act of 2017 This bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund, and (2) requires specified amounts of federal mineral revenues that are not otherwise credited, covered, or deposited pursuant to federal law to be deposited into such fund each fiscal year through FY2047. Amounts in the fund shall be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service (NPS) as follows: 20% shall be allocated to transportation-related projects that may be eligible for funding made available to the NPS through the federal lands transportation program or any similar federal land highway program administered by the Department of Transportation; and 80% shall be allocated for the repair and rehabilitation of assets for certain projects that are not eligible for funding under such programs, including historic assets, nonhistoric assets related to visitor access, health and safety, and recreation, and visitor facilities, water and utility systems, and employee housing. No fund amounts may be used by the NPS to acquire land or to supplant discretionary funding made available for annually recurring facility operations and maintenance needs. As part of its annual budget submission, the NPS shall submit a prioritized list of deferred maintenance projects proposed to be funded by such fund during the fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to waive, for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. Current law generally applies this waiting period to individuals deemed eligible for OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Healthcare Services Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, a person from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that: (1) such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide such services, or (2) such person is not a provider of abortion services if such person does provide such services. "Abortion services" is defined as providing surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or providing referrals for such procedures. The bill sets forth the enforcement authority of the FTC, including with respect to nonprofit organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Quiet Communities Act of 2017 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reestablish an Office of Noise Abatement and Control and reauthorizes the office's activities through FY2022. The responsibilities of the office must include: (1) promoting the development of effective state and local noise control programs, (2) carrying out a national noise control research program, (3) carrying out a national noise environmental assessment program, (4) establishing regional technical assistance centers to assist state and local noise control programs, (5) assessing the effectiveness of the Noise Control Act of 1972, and (6) conducting related outreach and educational activities. The office must emphasize noise abatement approaches that rely on local and state activities, market incentives, and coordination with other agencies. Using funds made available to the office, the EPA must carry out a study of airport noise. The bill amends the Noise Control Act of 1972 to expand the quiet communities grant program to include grants for establishing and implementing training programs on use of noise abatement equipment and implementing noise abatement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Reaffirms the critical role of frontline health workers in achieving core global health goals. Commends U.S. progress in helping to build local capacity and save lives in the world's most vulnerable communities by training and supporting such workers. Urges greater global attention and support for such workers to ensure their protection and their ability to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health crises and to safeguard the health of the world's most vulnerable populations. Calls on all relevant federal agencies to develop a health workforce strengthening action plan with concrete targets for increasing equitable access to qualified health workers in low- and middle-income countries to support the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Affirms that it is in the U.S. national interest to become a formal signatory to the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. Urges the Senate to give its advice and consent to the convention's ratification. Recommends that the ratification remain a top Administration priority.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Global Respect Act This bill directs the President to submit to Congress, biannually, a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible for or complicit in, or who acted as an agent for a foreign person in a mater relating to, torture, cruel treatment, prolonged detention, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. A listed person: (1) may be removed from the list under specified conditions; (2) is ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States, or (3) if in the United States, shall have his or her visa revoked and be removed. The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security may waive such prohibition if such waiver is in U.S. national security interests or is necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Congressional notification is required prior to any such waiver. The Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor shall designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require the annual country reports on human rights practices to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Child Citizen Protection Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, in the case of an alien subject to removal, deportation, or exclusion and who is the parent of a U.S. citizen child, to authorize an immigration judge to decline to order such removal if the judge determines that action to be against the child's best interests. Such discretion shall not apply to an alien when the judge determines that the alien: (1) is excludable or deportable on security grounds, or (2) has engaged in sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Voting Access Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to comply with national standards established by the Election Assistance Commission for the location and operation of polling places used in elections for federal office. The Commission shall establish such standards and study instances of the misidentification by election officials of the political party registration of individuals attempting to vote in primary elections for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2017 This bill amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to expand the categories of prohibited discrimination when extending credit to include discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Currently, such discrimination in credit is prohibited only on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age.) The bill defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. The bill specifies that for purposes of the ECOA's protections against sex discrimination, the term "sex" includes: (1) a sex stereotype; (2) pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; and (3) sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill also extends ECOA's protections against discrimination to include: (1) an association with another person who is a member of a class protected against discrimination; and (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that the individual is a member of such a protected class. Under a current provision of the ECOA, a request for the signature of both parties to a marriage for the purpose of creating a valid lien, passing clear title, waiving inchoate rights to property, or assigning earnings does not constitute discrimination. The bill prohibits this provision from being construed to permit a creditor to take sexual orientation or gender identity into account in connection with the evaluation of creditworthiness of an applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the Federal Perkins Loans program through September 30, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that allows eligible students with loans under the Federal Direct Loan program (a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan) to refinance their loans down to the lower rates offered to new federal borrowers in the 2016-2017 school year under certain circumstances. In addition, the bill allows student borrowers to refinance their private loans into the Federal Direct Loan program. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Organic Agriculture Research Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to increase and make permanent mandatory funding for the organic agriculture research and extension initiative and extend discretionary funding for such initiative through FY2023.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_wa_9_smith_adam_200.jpg)