United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2020
Expanding Medical Partnerships with Israel to Lessen Dependence on China Act or the EMPIL-DOC Act This bill authorizes a bilateral grant program with Israel to develop health technologies, with an emphasis on the use of technology, personalized medicine, and data in relation to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Technologies to be developed through this program include, among others, artificial intelligence, respiratory assist devices, and diagnostic tests. In addition, the program conditions funding on a matching contribution from the government of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2020
Improving Telehealth for Underserved Communities Act of 2020 This bill establishes a particular Medicare payment methodology for telehealth services furnished by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires payments to be made in accordance with the same methodology that is used for non-telehealth services, rather than in accordance with a separate methodology determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2020
Rural Health Relief Act This bill expands the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to encompass public hospitals that are owned or operated by a state or local government.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020
Reducing Unnecessary Senior Hospitalizations Act of 2020 or the RUSH Act of 2020 This bill establishes a program through which qualified group practices may provide certain items and services that are normally provided at hospital emergency departments to individuals who (1) are entitled to Medicare hospital services, (2) are enrolled for Medicare medical services, and (3) reside in qualified skilled nursing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2020
Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act This bill revises criminal provisions related to the interstate transportation of firearms and ammunition. An individual may transport a firearm between two places (e.g., states) where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the firearm. During transport, the firearm must be unloaded and secured or securely stored. Additionally, an individual may transport ammunition, or a detachable magazine or feeding device, between two places where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device. During transport, the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device must not be loaded into a firearm and must be securely stored. The term transport includes staying in temporary lodging; stopping for food, fuel, vehicle maintenance, an emergency, or medical treatment; and any other activities that are incidental to the transportation. The bill prohibits the arrest or detention of an individual for a state or local firearm or ammunition violation unless there is probable cause to believe the individual failed to comply with the provisions of this bill, and there is probable cause to believe the individual committed another crime.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2020
Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 This bill makes a series of changes related to health care costs and billing practices. Among other things, the bill applies the in-network cost-sharing amount to certain emergency and related nonemergency services that are provided out-of-network, applies the in-network cost-sharing amount to nonemergency services that are provided out-of-network at an in-network facility unless specified written notice requirements are met, establishes procedures for health insurance plans to negotiate reimbursement amounts paid to out-of-network providers in states without such a process, requires insurance plans to establish publicly available databases that list the contact information for in-network providers and facilities, requires health care providers and insurance plans to provide certain cost estimates for services scheduled at least three days in advance, requires plans to continue benefits for specified long-term care when an insurance plan's contractual relationship with a provider or facility changes or terminates, requires insurance plans to include specified consumer assistance and benefits information on a plan holder's membership card and maintain certain price comparison tools for in-network services, establishes reporting requirements related to air ambulance services, establishes a temporary income tax deduction for specified expenses resulting from out-of-network and emergency services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2020
This bill sets forth special tax rules for determining whether financial guaranty insurance companies are qualifying insurance corporations under the passive foreign investment company rules.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2020
Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act This bill makes a series of changes to requirements for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, including additional testing parameters, procedural steps, and reporting requirements for models.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Closing Loopholes On SafetyNet Exploitation Act or the CLOSE Act This bill revises eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to require each state to implement a financial asset verification program for purposes of determining or redetermining the eligibility of an individual to participate in SNAP. (The financial asset program requires each applicant for or recipient of SNAP benefits to provide authorization for the state to obtain from a financial institution any financial record held by the institution with respect to such applicant or recipient.) The bill only applies to the 50 States and the District of Columbia. The Department of Agriculture must provide states with technical assistance to aid in implementation of a financial asset verification program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce to publish online, subject to privacy or administrative limitations, the best scientific and commercial data available that are the bases for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2020
Working Families Flexibility Act of 2020 This bill revises requirements for the receipt of compensatory time off for private sector employees. Specifically, the bill authorizes private employers to provide compensatory time off to their employees at a rate of one and one-half hours for each hour of employment for which overtime compensation otherwise is required; employees may accrue a maximum of 160 hours of compensatory time. Employers are prohibited from interfering with an employee's right to or not request compensatory time off in lieu of payment of overtime compensation or from requiring an employee to use such compensatory time, and must give their employees 30-days notice before discontinuing a compensatory time policy. Employers are liable to employees for damages from violations of these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
United States-Israel PTSD Collaborative Research Act This bill establishes a grant program for collaborative efforts between the United States and Israel to advance research on post-traumatic stress disorders. The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of State, shall award grants to eligible academic institutions or nonprofit entities in the United States. Work shall be conducted by the eligible entity and an entity in Israel under a joint research agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2019 This bill allows a physical therapist to receive payment under Medicare for services provided to the physical therapist's patients by another physical therapist through a qualifying temporary arrangement, regardless of the geographic area or population served. Currently, physical therapists may only receive payment with respect to such arrangements for services provided in medically underserved, rural, or health professional shortage areas.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2019
Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 or the RPM Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls for vehicles that are not legal for operation on a street or highway and are used solely for competition.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2019
This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of Taco John's and celebrates the contributions of the company and its franchises to local communities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2019
Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2019 This bill establishes and modifies several requirements to address prescription drug prices under Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs. The bill generally limits payment amounts for drugs and biologics under Medicare medical services, reduces cost-sharing under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, modifies certain authorities and requirements under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, revises provisions relating to regulatory approval and commercial availability of generics and biosimilars, and establishes several reporting requirements for drug manufacturers with respect to drug prices.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should continue to lead reform efforts and urge member cooperation at the World Trade Organization in order to address barriers to trade, improve living standards across the world, and enhance accountability and dispute settlement mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act This bill revises requirements concerning (1) citizen suits under the Clean Water Act, (2) permits for wetlands, and (3) wetland mitigation. Litigation costs (including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees) must be awarded to the prevailing party, thus the bill removes a court's discretion to award the fees. A prevailing party is defined as the party that prevails on more than half of the claims at issue. In addition, the bill repeals the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny or restrict the use of any area as a disposal site for dredged or fill material when the discharge of those materials would have an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, or recreational areas. Finally, the bill revises mitigation requirements. Current law requires compensatory mitigation to replace the loss of aquatic resource functions in a watershed when a permit to discharge dredged or fill materials into navigable waters has unavoidable impacts on aquatic resources. This bill prohibits government entities from carrying out compensatory mitigation in excess of existing regulatory requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
This resolution urges the Senate to amend its rules to require a sitting Senator actively seeking election to the presidency of the United States to recuse himself or herself from the impeachment trial of an incumbent President who is serving his or her first term in office.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019
Endangered Species Accountability Reform Act This bill directs the Department of Interior to remove a species from the list of endangered and threatened species five years after the species was added to the list.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2019
Western Expanded In-State Television Access Act of 2019 or the WEST Access Act This bill expands the authority of satellite carriers to make secondary transmissions of local television programming to subscribers in certain counties.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019
Paid Family Leave Pilot Extension Act This bill extends through 2022 the tax credit for employers who provide employees with paid family and medical leave. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to (1) examine the effectiveness of the tax credit for paid family and medical leave, (2) recommend ways to modify or enhance the tax credit to further promote access to paid family and medical leave for qualifying employees, and (3) suggest alternative policies that federal and state governments could implement to increase access to paid family and medical leave.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019
Private Foundation Excise Tax Simplification Act of 2019 This bill reduces the excise tax on the net investment income of private foundations from 2% to 1.39%.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2019 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2019 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other things, the bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive certain restrictions, such as geographic restrictions, for services provided in high-need health professional shortage areas; excludes mental health and emergency medical services, as well as services provided at rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and Indian Health Service facilities, from such geographic restrictions; and allows the CMS to generally waive coverage restrictions during national emergencies. Additionally, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission must report on information relating to the access of Medicare beneficiaries to telehealth services at home. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may also test alternative payment models relating to expanded telehealth services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
Responsible and Efficient Agriculture Destination Act This bill modifies exemptions from service hour requirements for drivers transporting agricultural commodities who are within a 150 air-mile radius from their destination. The bill allows this exemption to be utilized yearly rather than only during planting and harvesting seasons.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2019
Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act of 2019 or the Real MEAT Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the sale of any imitation meat food product unless its label includes (1) the word imitation , and (2) a statement that clearly indicates the product is not derived from or does not contain meat.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019
SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act This bill allows for payment under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services of certain items and services that are furnished at off-campus outpatient departments. Specifically, the bill allows for payment of items and services for which payments to physician specialists (under the Medicare physician fee schedule) did not exceed $2 million during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019 This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), every fiscal year, to hire, train, and assign 240 new agricultural specialists until the total number of specialists equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model. The CBP may also hire, train, and assign support staff to assist the specialists and specified levels of agricultural canine teams. In calculating the number of specialists needed at each port of entry through the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model, the Office of Field Operations of the CBP must (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other activities conducted at each such port of entry; and (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2019 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved. Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner. The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner to also act as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient. The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to assess the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder through a method where veterans train service dogs for veterans with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro National League, a professional baseball league that was formed in response to African-American players being banned from baseball's major leagues. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its mission to promote tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. All surcharges from sales of these coins shall be paid to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to fund educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
IRA Preservation Act of 2019 This bill modifies requirements for individual retirement accounts (IRAs). It requires the Department of the Treasury to make available to the public an overview of the laws and regulations related to IRAs and examples of common IRA errors and how to avoid them. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to (1) reduce penalties for taxpayers who voluntarily correct certain IRA errors, including excess contributions and failures to take required minimum distributions; (2) eliminate the 10% additional tax on early distributions that are attributable to withdrawal of interest or other income earned on excess contributions to an IRA; (3) repeal the tax disqualification penalty (loss of tax-exempt status) for accounts where employees engage in certain prohibited transactions; and (4) revise the statute of limitations for collecting certain taxes in connection with an IRA. Treasury must expand the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System to allow trustees, custodians, and issuers of IRAs to address inadvertent failures for which an IRA owner was not at fault.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Commonsense Reporting Act of 2019 This bill addresses the eligibility verification process for the premium assistance tax credit and cost-sharing subsidy under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). It requires the Department of the Treasury to develop and implement a reporting system that allows employers to voluntarily report information about their health plans for the current plan year prior to the beginning of open enrollment. The bill also allows electronic transmission of employee and enrollee statements and permits Treasury to accept full names and dates of birth in lieu of dependents' and spouses' Social Security numbers. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate (1) for the period beginning on January 1, 2015, and ending on December 31, 2018, the notification of employers by PPACA exchanges of the eligibility of employees for advance payments of the premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing subsidies; and (2) for calendar year 2020, the functionality of the prospective reporting system established by this bill, including the accuracy of information collected.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2019 This bill accelerates and expands certain changes that are scheduled to take effect relating to the coverage of cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs under Medicare. Currently, such programs require physician supervision. Effective January 1, 2024, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists may also supervise these programs. The bill expedites the effective date of these changes to January 1, 2020, and also allows these practitioners to administer programs in their offices, prepare and sign treatment plans, and prescribe exercise.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2019 This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Laboratory Access for Beneficiaries Act or the LAB Act This bill revises the periods during which laboratories must report clinical diagnostic test information to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for purposes of determining Medicare payment rates. The CMS must also contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to evaluate the methodology used to determine a specified laboratory fee schedule.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants for a period of three years to eligible entities for the provision of suicide prevention services to veterans and their families. Under the bill, eligible entities include tribally designated housing entities, community-based organizations, and other private entities that meet certain requirements. Entities must submit an application to receive financial assistance that includes a description of the services they propose to provide, among other elements. The bill requires the VA to equitably distribute grants across geographic regions and areas with the most need. Additionally, the VA shall give preference to entities that are experienced in providing suicide prevention services. Entities receiving funding must notify service recipients that funding is wholly or partially from the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
This bill extends by three years certain minimum adjustments to the work geographic index with respect to the payment of physician services under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
This bill extends the instruction from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for contractors not to enforce the requirements for direct physician supervision of outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
HEARTS and Rural Relief Act This bill makes a series of changes relating to Medicare coverage and requirements, particularly with respect to military retirees. Specifically, the bill (1) exempts certain military retirees who are under 65 years of age, and who no longer receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, from the requirement to enroll in Medicare medical services in order to be eligible for TRICARE; (2) increases funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund; and (3) temporarily provides for Medicare coverage of certain prostate cancer DNA Specimen Provenance Assay tests. The bill also makes other changes to Medicare payment systems for certain items and services. Among other things, the bill (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to specify the criteria used to exclude certain procedures from the list of covered surgical procedures that may be performed in an ambulatory surgical center under Medicare, and (2) extends the instruction from the CMS for contractors not to enforce the requirements for direct physician supervision of outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Stopping Bad Robocalls Act This bill updates various policies and regulations relating to robocalls. Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect consumer privacy as it relates to robocalls. The FCC must update regulations involving certain robocalls that are exempt from criminal liability to include specific requirements identifying classes of parties who may make such calls, parties who may be called, and how many times they may be called. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that a citation be issued prior to a forfeiture penalty being imposed in cases where violations involving illegal robocalls have been intentional and where inaccurate caller identification information has been provided. The bill also implements a three-year statute of limitation for such violations requiring notice, and a four-year statute of limitation where an intentional violation has occurred. The FCC must promulgate regulations to address requirements for effective call authentication technology as well as to establish a process to streamline the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with FCC information relating to an illegal call or text or for calls with misleading or inaccurate caller identification information. Finally, the bill requires the FCC to ensure robocall blocking services provided on an opt-out basis are provided free of cost with transparency and redress options for consumers and callers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act of 2019 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to use specified data regarding physician wages and office rent when determining certain geographic adjustment factors for the payment of physician services under Medicare. With respect to such payment, the bill also makes permanent certain minimum adjustments to the work geographic index and extends to all localities certain minimum adjustments to the practice expense index.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Platte River Recovery Implementation Program Extension Act This bill revises the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program. The program is a cooperative agreement among Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and the Bureau of Reclamation to protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats in the Central and Lower Platte River Basin. The bill extends Reclamation's authority to implement the first increment of the program through FY2033.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters Act or the FEEDD Act This bill modifies the federal crop insurance program to authorize agricultural producers who harvest second crops as a result of a prevented planting to be eligible for specific crop insurance if certain conditions are met. Specifically, a producer may collect an indemnity that is equal to 100% of the prevented planting guarantee for the acreage of the first crop if (1) the acres planted are in an area with low hay or forage supplies due to widespread excessive moisture, flood, or drought; (2) the second crop will be planted with an intended use of animal feed that is hayed, gazed, or chopped; and (3) the second crop will be donated or used by the producer.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
CECL Consumer Impact and Study Bill of 2019 This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal financial regulators to report on the implementation of the Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) accounting standard and its impact on credit availability, capital requirements, financial institutions, and nonfinancial institutions. Required compliance with the CECL standard is delayed until one year after submission of this report.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Protecting Americans from the Risks of Keyless Ignition Technology Act or the PARK IT Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to finalize regulations relating to automatic shutoff systems for motor vehicles and standards to prevent the movement of vehicles in specific situations. Specifically, DOT must require manufacturers to install technology in each motor vehicle with a keyless ignition device and an internal combustion engine to automatically shut off the motor vehicle after the motor vehicle has idled for a period necessary to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning; and a keyless ignition device and automatic transmission to prevent movement (i.e., rollaway) of the motor vehicle if (1) the transmission of the motor vehicle is not in the park setting, (2) the motor vehicle does not exceed the speed determined by DOT, (3) the door for the operator of the motor vehicle is open, (4) the seat belt of the operator of the motor vehicle is unbuckled, and (5) the service brake of the motor vehicle is not engaged.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001172_200.jpg)