United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2019
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2019 or the PHIT Act of 201 9 This bill allows a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for a joint return or a head of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses per year. The bill defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid exclusively for the sole purpose of participating in a physical activity, including (1) fitness facility memberships, (2) physical exercise or activity programs, and (3) equipment for a physical exercise or activity program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2019
Returning Essential Rural Veterinary Animal Care Act or the RE-VAC Act This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide certain loans and grants for the establishment or expansion of animal care facilities or veterinary practices in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2019
National Nurse Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to designate the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service as the National Nurse for Public Health. The position includes the authority to (1) provide leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Public Health Service, (2) conduct outreach and education, and (3) provide guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. The National Nurse for Public Health must (1) participate in identification of national health priorities, (2) encourage volunteerism of nurses and strengthen the relationship between government agencies and health-related national organizations, and (3) promote the dissemination of evidence-based practice in educating the public on health promotion and disease prevention activities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2019
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2019 This bill waives Medicare coinsurance requirements with respect to colorectal cancer screening tests, regardless of the code billed for a resulting diagnosis or procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Coordinating Assistance for TANF Recipients Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for state demonstration projects that provide coordinated case management to help TANF recipients increase their employment and self-sufficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Focusing State Efforts to Expand Opportunity Act This bill prohibits states from using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grants to provide assistance or services to families whose monthly incomes exceed twice the poverty line. Under current law, families must be financially needy and have a minor child to qualify for assistance; however, individual states determine the financial eligibility requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Import Tax Relief Act of 2019 This bill requires the President to establish a process by which certain articles imported from China may be excluded from duties. Specifically, the bill requires the creation of a process whereby U.S. entities may request that articles imported from China be excluded from duties imposed under the Trade Act of 1974. Such an exclusion must be based on a determination that the article can easily be excluded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and that (1) the article is not commercially available outside of China or produced at a cost-competitive price, (2) a duty on the article would increase consumer prices for everyday items consumed by low- or middle-income families in the United States, or (3) the article does not directly benefit from nonmarket-based policies of China. Further, this exclusion applies retroactively to recently imported articles that would have been subject to a lower rate under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act This bill allows individual and corporate taxpayers a tax credit for cash contributions to tax-exempt scholarship-granting organizations for elementary and secondary education expenses. It imposes a cap of $5 billion on the amount of contributions that qualify for a tax credit. The bill directs the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department of the Treasury, to establish, host, and maintain a web portal that (1) lists all eligible scholarship-granting organizations; (2) enables contributions to such organizations; (3) provides information about the benefits of this bill; and (4) enables a state to submit and update information about its programs and scholarship-granting organizations, including information on student eligibility and allowable educational expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019 This bill delays reimposition of the annual fee on health insurers until 2022. Under current law, the annual fee for a health insurer is calculated based on the insurer's share of total premiums from the preceding year. The fee is suspended for 2019 (i.e., there is no fee based on premiums from 2018); reimposition is scheduled for 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Workforce Opportunity Realignment Kickstart Act or the WORK Act This bill modifies requirements for states with respect to the administration of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Specifically, the bill (1) establishes new performance indicators related to employment and educational outcomes for states receiving TANF funds; (2) increases the percentage of TANF funds, from 30% to 50%, that may be used to support other state programs; and (3) allows states to use TANF funds to carry out certain workforce development programs. Under current law, states may use TANF funds to support other state programs only if they are related to Child Care and Development Block Grants or Social Services Block Grants. States must negotiate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a level of performance for each indicator, taking into account certain economic, demographic, and other factors. HHS must periodically revise levels of performance for states to reflect economic and other conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Provide Accurate Information Directly Act or PAID Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify, in response to an inquiry from certain non-group health plans (e.g., liability insurers), whether an individual was enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or the Medicare prescription drug benefit during the preceding three-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment services for congenital anomalies and birth defects, such as reconstructive services and prosthetics. Coverage must include services that functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part that is medically necessary for normal bodily functions or appearance, as determined by the treating physician.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act or the DRIVE-Safe Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 2019
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2019
Mental Health Telemedicine Expansion Act This bill excludes certain mental health telehealth services from specified requirements under Medicare, including originating site requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act This bill repeals certain restrictions under Medicare and Medicaid that prohibit the approval of nurse-aide training and competency evaluation programs in skilled nursing facilities that have been subject to specified regulatory actions (e.g., civil penalties) for substandard quality of care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may still disapprove such programs; however, the CMS must rescind the disapproval upon completion of corrective action.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Improving Access to Work Act This bill requires states to use at least 25% of grant funds received under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for assistance, case management, supportive services, nonrecurring short-term benefits, and certain activities related to work and wages.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Improving Access to Child Care Act This bill eliminates certain funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and increases certain funding for child care assistance. Specifically, the bill (1) eliminates the TANF Contingency Fund, which provides additional funds to states in economic distress; and (2) increases and extends child care assistance provided to states and tribes through the Child Care Entitlement to States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
This resolution reaffirms the importance of the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances in promoting peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to defend both Japan and South Korea. It also states the importance of deepening diplomatic and security cooperation between the three countries.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019 This bill modifies the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages to exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; increase the amount of the small wine producer tax credit and expand the categories of producers covered by such credit; allow an adjustment to the producer credit for hard cider; and modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. The bill also increases funding for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Disaster Certainty Act of 2019 This bill automatically extends tax filing deadlines by 60 days for taxpayers who have a principal residence or place of business located in a disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Employer Participation in Repayment Act of 2019 This bill expands the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans by an employer to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2019 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2019
English Language Unity Act of 2019 This bill establishes English as the official language of the United States. It establishes a framework for implementation and enforcement, including by testing English as part of the naturalization process.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. A health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to another child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) immediately admit the child to a hospital. The bill also requires a health care practitioner or other employee to immediately report any failure to comply with this requirement to law enforcement. A person who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. Additionally, an individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate these provisions, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony. A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2019
Never Again Education Act This bill creates the Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund for the Department of Education (ED) to (1) award grants to eligible entities to carry out Holocaust education programs, and (2) conduct periodic regional workshops to provide teachers with technical assistance on how to incorporate Holocaust education within state and local education standards. The fund may accept donations and in-kind contributions. ED shall (1) create and maintain a Holocaust education program website containing resources for middle grades and high schools; and (2) establish the Holocaust Education Advisory Board to advise on developing application criteria for the fund's grants, to advise on content for the Holocaust education program website, and to lead efforts to solicit donations for the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Medicare Mental Health Access Act This bill expands the definition of "physician," for purposes of the Medicare program, to include a clinical psychologist with respect to the furnishing of qualified psychologist services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Covering Life-saving Investigations Needed in Cancer and Other Life-threatening Conditions through Timely use of Resources for Easy and Affordable Treatment from Medicaid for Enrollees in Need Today Act or the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act This bill requires state Medicaid programs to cover routine patient costs for items and services that are provided in connection with a qualifying clinical trial regarding cancer or other life-threatening conditions. The bill defines "routine patient costs" to include items and services that would otherwise be covered under Medicaid absent the patient's participation in the clinical trial; the term includes items and services relating to trial complications, but excludes those items and services that are the subject of the trial or that are provided solely in relation to data analysis. Additionally, a "qualifying clinical trial" means, among other things, a clinical trial that is approved or funded by specified entities (e.g., the National Institutes of Health) or is an authorized new drug trial.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Merrill's Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), commonly known as Merrill's Marauders, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in the jungles of Burma (Myanmar) during World War II. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be displayed and made available for research.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2019
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2019 This bill allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to serve flavored and unflavored whole milk.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2019
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill allows a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 201 9 This bill repeals the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans). The repeal applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for performing or attempting to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. The bill provides exceptions for an abortion (1) that is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019 This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, abortions. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions. Such restrictions extend to the use of funds in the budget of the District of Columbia. Additionally, abortions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Historically, language has been included in annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions—such language is commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. Similar language is also frequently included in appropriations bills for other federal agencies and the District of Columbia. The bill makes these restrictions permanent and extends the restrictions to all federal funds (rather than specific agencies). The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where a physical disorder, injury, or illness endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Hyde Amendment provides the same exceptions. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions. Currently, qualified health plans may cover abortion, but the portion of the premium attributable to abortion coverage is not eligible for subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act This bill expands TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility to include members of the Selected Reserve who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Student Empowerment Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary school. (Under current law, distributions in connection with an elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school.) The bill allows the distributions to be used for additional educational expenses, including curriculum and curricular materials, books or other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring or educational classes outside the home, testing fees, fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a homeschool (whether treated as a homeschool or a private school under state law).
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
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 commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans who have not previously operated a farm or ranch.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act of 2019 or the BRACE Act of 2019 This bill permanently extends the tax credit for railroad track maintenance. The extension applies to expenditures paid or incurred during tax years beginning after 2017. Assignments of miles of railroad track, including related expenditures, for tax years ending after 2017 must be treated as timely if they are made pursuant to a written agreement entered into within 90 days of the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. The design of the coins shall bear an image and the name of Christa McAuliffe on the obverse side and a design on the reverse side that depicts the legacy of McAuliffe as a teacher. Treasury may issue the coins from January 1-December 31, 2020. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be paid to the FIRST robotics program for the purpose of engaging and inspiring young people, through mentor-based programs, to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2019 This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat. It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation to amend regulations on hours of service for commercial drivers who transport live covered animals (i.e., livestock, honey bees, insects, fish, and crawfish) within a 300 air-mile radius from where the on-duty time of the driver begins. The regulations must (1) exclude from the driver's on-duty time certain activities, such as loading or unloading a commercial motor vehicle; (2) change the driving time requirement to a maximum of not less than 15, and not more than 18, hours within a 24-hour period; (3) permit the driver to take one or more rest periods during the trip, which shall not be included in the calculation of the driving time; (4) require the driver, after completion of the trip, to take a rest break for a period that is five hours less than the maximum driving time; (5) exclude from the calculation of the driving time up to two additional hours, if the driver is within 150 air-miles of the point of delivery; and (6) make inapplicable the requirement that the driver take a 10-hour rest period before driving.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Sarah's Law This bill directs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. ICE shall make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted. It shall provide the victim, or the closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 This bill addresses certain health benefit and home loan programs for veterans. Specifically, the bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served (1) offshore of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or (2) in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill extends eligibility for health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance to children with spina bifida who have at least one veteran parent who may have been exposed to an herbicide agent while serving in Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Additionally, the bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan guaranty program to adjust loan fee rates and eliminate the limit on the amount of a loan for which the VA may provide a guaranty of 25%. Under current law, these loan guarantees are subject to a limit on loan size determined by Freddie Mac. The bill also waives loan fees for active duty Purple Heart recipients. The VA shall permit a VA-approved appraiser to make a housing loan appraisal based solely on information gathered by a person with whom the appraiser has entered into an agreement for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 This bill authorizes assistance and weapons transfers to Israel, and extends defense cooperation with Jordan. It establishes additional sanctions related to the conflict in Syria, and allows states to divest from entities boycotting Israel. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2019 The bill reauthorizes through FY2028 Foreign Military Financing to Israel. It extends loan guarantees to Israel through FY2023, and authorizes the President to transfer precision-guided munitions to the country. The bill directs the President to report on steps taken to help Israel secure a strategic trade authorization exception. United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act The bill extends through 2022 arrangements that allow certain defense articles to be transferred to Jordan on an expedited basis. The bill also directs the President to submit a report to Congress assessing the costs and benefits of establishing a fund to support private investment in Jordan. Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 The bill directs the Department of the Treasury to determine whether the Central Bank of Syria is a primary money-laundering concern and, if so, impose special measures on transactions involving the bank. The bill also imposes sanctions on individuals providing support for the Syrian government. Combating BDS Act of 2019 The bill allows a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities using boycotts, divestments, or sanctions to influence Israel's policies. Such measures shall meet various requirements, including those related to written notice and comment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires roll call votes of (1) three-fifths of each chamber of Congress to increase the public debt limit, and (2) a majority of each chamber for legislation increasing revenue. It also requires the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Congress is authorized to waive these requirements when a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001172_200.jpg)