United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
National Law Enforcement Museum 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 that are emblematic of the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, and the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers throughout the history of the United States. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be distributed to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc., for educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Inclusive Campuses Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions of higher education to use federal aid provided under title III of the Act to establish resource centers on campus that provide support to and education about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Recovering America's Wildlife Act This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to direct the Department of the Treasury to transfer, beginning in FY2018, revenues from energy and mineral development on federal lands totaling $1.3 billion to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Subaccount of the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund, to be available without further appropriation. The bill revises the requirements governing how the funds from the subaccount may be used, including by requiring funds to be used to develop, revise, and implement state wildlife conservation strategies. The bill expands the allowable uses of the subaccount, including by allowing funds to be used for managing invasive and nuisance species and for law enforcement activities that are directly related to the conservation of species of the greatest conservation need. Funds apportioned from the subaccount may not be conditioned upon the provision of public access to private lands, waters, or holdings. The bill specifies what types of funds and donations states may use to meet matching fund requirements. The bill revises the formula used to determine how funds are distributed to states.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
Supports community-oriented policing and encourages efforts to increase the hiring and retention of diverse law enforcement officers within law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
College Loan Deferment for Recovery Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers to defer student loans while they are enrolled in a drug treatment program and during the 30 days after completing the program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
Recognizes the 69th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of Human Rights Day. Supports the ideals of human rights and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security which can be achieved only through democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2017
Gun Violence Research Act of 2017 This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, with respect to the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) using funds to advocate or promote gun control. The bill declares that this prohibition does not restrict HHS funding for research on mental health, gun violence, and how they intersect. The Surgeon General must report annually on the effects of gun violence on public health, including mental health, and the status of actions taken to address those effects. HHS must report on the effects of gun violence on public health in minority communities.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Intelligence Directors Lobbying Prevention Act This bill amends the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 to prohibit any individual who served as the head of any element of the intelligence community from acting as the agent of a foreign principal, including by engaging in lobbying activity on behalf of a foreign entity. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in coordination with each element of the intelligence community, shall submit annual reports to Congress on the compliance of former heads of such elements with respect to such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collective bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2017
Continuing Community Health and Medical Professional Programs to Improve Our Nation and Keep Insurance Delivery Stable Act of 2017 or the CHAMPION KIDS Act of 2017 This bill extends funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), community health centers, and other specified public health programs, and otherwise modifies provisions related to Medicaid, CHIP, and public health.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2017
Condemns slave auctions of migrants and refugees in Libya. Calls on the government of Libya to: investigate the existence of slave auctions and forced labor involving migrants and refugees; hold smugglers, traffickers, detention center guards, and anyone else involved accountable; manage migration flows in a humane manner; end the violent and inhumane conditions of official migrant detention centers; and register asylum seekers swiftly and process their refugee claims fairly. Calls on the United Nations (U.N.) to investigate allegations of forced labor in Libya, encourage Libya to allow the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to regularly monitor and publicly report on the situation of refugees and migrants in Libya, and impose sanctions against Libya if the country fails to end forced labor. Calls on the African Union to conduct its own investigation, work to assist migrants in Libya who wish to return home, and impose sanctions against Libya if the forced labor does not end. Calls on the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to use funds appropriated for: (1) humanitarian assistance for migrants and refugees in detention centers in Libya, and (2) the development of a holistic strategy for Libya to address the political and security situation that includes issues related to migrants and refugees in detention centers. Calls on the President to ensure that the State Department and the USAID are adequately staffed.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2017
Supports the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day and recognizes its 29th anniversary. Commends the President and state and local governments for recognizing such day and encouraging individuals to undergo testing for HIV. Supports: the goal of ending HIV/AIDS; continued funding for prevention, care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States; the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States: Updated to 2020 (NHAS) and achieving the goals within the NHAS Federal Action Plan; continued funding for the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the goal of improving access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support programs; the goal of protecting human rights for all people; and efforts to address the factors that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by combatting poverty and hunger, expanding educational opportunities for children, and empowering women and girls.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Stop Harmful and Abusive Telecommunications Expression Act of 2017 or the Stop HATE Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to report about the role of telecommunications in violent acts and the commission of crimes of hate against individuals or groups of individuals on the basis of race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, color, or national origin. The report must analyze information about the use of telecommunications to advocate and encourage violent acts and the commission of crimes of hate, including: (1) the role that such telecommunications are playing in giving groups that advocate and commit such crimes a platform to spread their messages and to organize; (2) how such use and the role of telecommunications have changed with new forms of communication on the Internet and other electronic media; and (3) any recommendations, consistent with the First Amendment, necessary to address such use and such role of telecommunications.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act This bill expands the boundaries of the Bear Ears National Monument in Utah. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture USDA shall administer the lands under their jurisdictions within the expanded boundaries: (1) as part of the monument; and (2) in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 9558, dated December 28, 2016, which provided for establishment of the monument. Interior and USDA shall promptly carry out the proclamation's provisions, including the provisions requiring them to engage the Bear Ears Commission to: ensure the proper care and management of the objects identified; ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge; and provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the monument. The National Park Service shall administer Natural Bridges National Monument and those portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that are within the expanded boundaries as part of the monument. Interior and USDA may acquire lands, waters, or interests in land that are located within the revised boundaries of the monument by donation, purchase, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Celebrates and honors Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, for its 150-year legacy, for its service to the African-American community, and for its contributions to the United States and the world.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2017
Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics to establish and maintain a new higher education data system. The Center must use the system to calculate student education, debt-related, and earning metrics (e.g., student graduation rates, transfer rates, rates of continuation to subsequent levels of education, dropout rates, loan debt amounts, loan repayment rates, and debt-to-earnings ratios) for each institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. The metrics must be disaggregated and separately provided on the basis of specified categories. The system must meet requirements for minimizing privacy and security risks. The bill provides for the transition from the existing Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to the new higher education data system. The Department of Education (ED) must publish the metrics and post the metrics on its website. Within five years, an IHE that participates in federal student aid programs must display links on its website to ED's website that provides metrics data.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Surface Transportation and Public Area Security Act of 2017 This bill reauthorizes for FY2018-FY2022 (1) the public transportation security grant program, (2) the law enforcement reimbursement agreement program, (3) visible intermodal prevention and response teams, (4) explosives detection canine teams, and (5) surface transportation security inspectors. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall (1) establish a law enforcement officer reimbursement agreement program, and (2) increase by at least 200 the number of state and local law enforcement-led explosives detection canine teams trained and certified by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) dedicated to surface transportation security. DHS shall annually develop risk-based priorities based on risk assessments that consider threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences. The TSA may establish a task force to identify and develop an innovative technology or capability with the potential to enhance transportation security. DHS shall (1) prioritize the assignment of officers and intelligence analysts from the TSA and DHS to locations with participating fusion centers in jurisdictions with a high-risk surface transportation asset, (2) ensure there exists a national mechanism for an individual to report suspicious activity in a transportation facility, and (3) submit an assessment of threats to the transportation sector. A "fusion center" is a collaborative effort of two or more agencies that provide resources, expertise and information to the center with the goal of maximizing their ability to detect, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal and terrorist activity. DHS shall (1) establish a working group to promote collaborative engagement between DHS and stakeholders to develop non-binding recommendations for enhancing security in public areas of transportation facilities, and (2) disseminate best practices to enhance security against the threat of a vehicle-based terrorist attack.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
This bill amends the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act to provide that if the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands declines to or does not appoint a member to the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission by the required deadline, such member shall be appointed by the Delegate to the House of Representatives from the Virgin Islands. The commission shall terminate on September 30, 2019 (currently September 30, 2018), or at an earlier date determined by the commission after submitting its final report to Congress. The provision prohibiting federal funds from being authorized or obligated to carry out such Act is repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Safe Emergency Response Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend immigration enforcement operations and initiatives, including initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering and the use of checkpoints within an area for which the President has declared a major disaster or an emergency. State and local immigration enforcement participation, including lawful detentions of non-citizens, shall be suspended except in cases specifically identified by DHS and communicated to the state or locality that pose an urgent and individualized threat to public safety or national security. With respect to persons in state or local detention during a major disaster or an emergency, DHS is urged to support state and local law enforcement agencies to prioritize the safety needs of their communities and individual detainees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Recidivism Reduction Act This bill requires the reinstatement of Medicaid benefits and Social Security disability benefits that were suspended due to a beneficiary's incarceration. Specifically, the bill requires: the post-release reinstatement of a beneficiary's Medicaid benefits without a requirement for the beneficiary to reapply; the post-release reinstatement of a beneficiary's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits without a requirement for the beneficiary to reapply, if the beneficiary received SSI benefits on the basis of blindness or disability; and the establishment of a system for a beneficiary who received Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits on the basis of disability to apply, prior to release, for the resumption of OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act or the ME TOO Congress Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to revise procedures for reporting, investigating, and resolving allegations of legislative branch employees that their rights and protections under the CAA, such as protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, have been violated.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act This bill prohibits U.S. assistance to Israel from being used to support the military detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in violation of international humanitarian law or the use against Palestinian children of: (1) torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment; (2) physical violence or psychological abuse; (3) incommunicado or administrative detention; (4) solitary confinement; (5) denial of parental or legal access during interrogations; or (6) force or coercion to obtain a confession. The Department of State shall annually submit to Congress: (1) a certification that none of the funds obligated or expended in the previous fiscal year for assistance to Israel have been used to support any of such activities; or (2) if the State Department cannot make such certification, a report describing each activity and the amount of funds used by Israel in violation of this bill. The State Department shall include in each annual report on the barring of development assistance to a country that engages in human rights violations a description of the nature and extent of detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli military forces or police in violation of international humanitarian law.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress annually on the access of women veterans to gender-specific medical care (mammograms, maternity care, and gynecological care) provided by contracting non-VA medical providers. Each VA medical facility must report quarterly to the VA on the facility's compliance with the environment of care standards for women veterans, which are standards intended to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of women veterans when they receive medical care. The VA must report to Congress with a plan to strengthen such standards.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that veterans treatment courts are a successful program aimed at helping veterans charged with non-violent crimes receive the help and the benefits to which they are entitled. The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall establish a Veteran Treatment Court Program to provide assistance to state circuit court systems that have adopted or filed a notice of intent to establish such a program. The DOJ program shall include veterans treatment court grant programs carried out pursuant to laws establishing other incarceration alternatives programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Blast Exposure Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes a Department of Veterans Affairs' presumption of service-connection for a veteran's injury or illness associated with a blast exposure during active military, naval, or air service in spite of there being no record of the injury or illness during a period of service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Hear Our Heroes Act of 2017 This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for veterans with permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, or both, who served on active duty in combat or in a military occupational specialty in which they were exposed to a high level of acoustic trauma.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
This bill directs the Department of Justice to study and report to Congress on whether an individual's history of domestic violence can be used to determine the likelihood of that individual committing a mass shooting.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
This bill prohibits any federal agency funds, resources, or fees from being used to implement or enforce Executive Order 13780 and the presidential proclamation of September 24, 2017. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States. The proclamation revised such order to include entry restrictions on nationals from Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, and remove such restrictions on nationals of Sudan. The proclamation additionally provides for enhanced U.S. vetting capacities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits and grants for activities that provide access to healthy food in food deserts. A food desert must be more than 1 mile away from a grocery store in a metropolitan area or more than 10 miles away outside of a metropolitan area. It must also meet population requirements and have either a poverty rate of at least 20% or a median family income that does not exceed 80% of the median for the state or metropolitan area. For entities that are certified by the Department of the Treasury as special access food providers using specified criteria, the bill allows tax credits for operating a new grocery store or renovating an existing grocery store in a food desert. The bill also authorizes grants for a portion of: (1) the construction costs of building a permanent food bank in a food desert, and (2) the annual operating costs of temporary access merchants (mobile markets, farmers markets, and food banks). Treasury, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (USDA), must annually allocate the tax credits and grants to special access food providers. Grants authorized by this bill are not considered gross income for tax purposes. The bill also amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to require USDA to update the Food Access Research Atlas at least annually to account for food retailers that are placed in service during that year.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to expand activities related to Alzheimer's disease, including activities involving early detection, support for caregivers, and public awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill modifies various provisions of federal firearms laws. Among other things, it does the following: prohibits certain firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check; and requires states to implement plans to improve the submission of mental health and criminal history records to the national instant criminal background check system.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
American Promise Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit an alien who is in temporary protected status (TPS) or deferred enforced departure (DED) status to apply for legal permanent resident status if such alien: is eligible for permanent resident status, applies for adjustment within three years, was granted or was eligible for TPS or DED status on or before October 1, 2017, and has been continuously physically present in the U.S. for at least three years. (TPS designations permit eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. DED designations permit eligible nationals of presidentially-designated counties to be temporarily not subject to removal from the United States.) The bill: waives certain grounds of inadmissibility; authorizes the waiver of the continuous physical presence requirement if an alien's removal would cause extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's spouse, children, parents, or domestic partner; authorizes an alien who has applied for status adjustment to work; and authorizes an alien who has been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure to apply for status adjustment. An alien's spouse, parent, or unmarried child shall have his or her status adjusted to legal permanent resident if such person is eligible for status adjustment and applies within three years. Aliens from countries that no longer have valid TPS designation and aliens who no longer have valid DED status are not included in this bill unless such TSP or DED status expires on or after January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017 Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2017 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise, rename, and reauthorize through FY2022 the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program. It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants: to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities, and to develop tracking technology programs to locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism. DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The bill prohibits the use of data from tracking devices to create a federal database. It also prohibits construing this bill to require a parent or guardian to use a tracking device.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Recognizes and encourages the observance of Small Business Saturday. Supports efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of such businesses on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
America Wins Act The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on the carbon dioxide content of coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and natural gas sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer and require the revenues to be used for infrastructure and other purposes. Refunds or credits for the tax must be issued for carbon substances that are: (1) not emitted due to use as a feedstock or through carbon capture and sequestration, or (2) previously taxed carbon substances used to make another taxable carbon substance. The bill includes border adjustment provisions that require certain fees, credits, or refunds for carbon-intensive goods that are exported or imported. The bill also establishes a Build America Trust Fund and appropriates to the fund amounts equal to the increase in revenues attributable to the tax. Specified amounts of the funds must be used, without further appropriation, for infrastructure, including highways and transit; aviation; passenger rail; harbors, waterways, flood protection, and dams; clean water; Department of Agriculture water and waste disposal programs; and broadband deployment. Specified portions of the funds must also be used for: providing assistance to workers and communities reliant on industries that primarily produce taxable carbon substances or carbon-intensive goods, an energy refund program to provide payments to certain low-income households, and a refundable tax credit for households that meet specified income requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
Medicare Care Coordination Improvement Act of 2017 This bill exempts certain alternative payment models under Medicare from the general prohibition on physician self-referrals (also known as the Stark law).
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Removing Barriers to Sexual Assault Victims Compensation Act This bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to require state crime victim compensation programs to eliminate time limits on applying for compensation for victims of sexual assault with backlogged sexual assault evidence collection kits.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Veterans Crisis Line Study Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a study on the outcomes and the efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line during the five-year period beginning January 1, 2014, based on an analysis of national suicide data and data collected from the line. Such study shall address: (1) the efficacy of the line in leading veterans to sustained mental health regimens and suicide prevention; (2) the line's visibility; (3) the role of the line as part of the VA's mental health care services; and (4) whether receiving sustained mental health care affects suicidality, including among veterans who are at high risk for suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Security and Financial Empowerment Act of 2017 This bill sets forth various provisions to promote the safety and security of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, Among other things, the bill does the following: requires employers to provide up to 30 days of safe leave in a 12-month period; and prohibits states from imposing additional restrictions on eligibility for unemployment compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the people of the United States stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and support efforts to help Haiti recover and develop into a prosperous democracy; (2) Haiti has not recovered from the natural and man-made disasters that prompted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate Haiti as a temporary protected status (TPS) country; (3) DHS should extend Haiti's TPS designation; (4) the Department of State should urge the United Nations to fulfill its pledge to treat and eliminate cholera, improve long-term access to clean water and sanitation, and assist victims; and (5) a prosperous and democratic Haiti will be better positioned to provide opportunities for its citizens, address crises, meet its obligations, and advance shared U.S.-Haiti interests and values.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Preventing Foreclosures on Seniors Act of 2017 This bill expands loss mitigation for borrowers and surviving spouses under the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgages program (a reverse-mortgage program) and otherwise revises the program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Congressional Sexual Harassment Training Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require each employing office under the Act to ensure that its covered employees enroll in the Office of Compliance's program of education that informs employees of the rights provided under the Act against sexual harassment: (1) within 60 days after first becoming an employee; (2) for existing employees, within 90 days after enactment of this bill; and (3) every two years.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the people of the United States stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and support efforts to help Haiti recover and develop into a prosperous democracy; (2) Haiti has not recovered from the natural and man-made disasters that prompted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate Haiti as a temporary protected status (TPS) country; (3) DHS should extend Haiti's TPS designation; (4) the Department of State should urge the United Nations to fulfill its pledge to treat and eliminate cholera, improve long-term access to clean water and sanitation, and assist victims; and (5) a prosperous and democratic Haiti will be better positioned to provide opportunities for its citizens, address crises, meet its obligations, and advance shared U.S.-Haiti interests and values.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
State Public Option Act This bill allows residents not already eligible for Medicaid who are not concurrently enrolled in other health insurance coverage to buy into a state Medicaid plan beginning January 1, 2018. The bill makes such buy-in coverage eligible for premium subsidies and reduced cost sharing under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shall develop standardized, state-level metrics of access to, and satisfaction with, providers for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans. Primary care services furnished under Medicaid by certain providers must be paid at a rate that is not less than the rate under Medicare part B. Beginning in FY2019, the Department of Health and Human Services may award grants to states for the purpose of improving access to services for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans. The bill provides the enhanced federal medical assistance percentage to every state that expands Medicaid coverage for individuals who are newly eligible under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, regardless of when such expansion takes place.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Recognizes: the growth and importance of minority women-owned businesses; that minority women often work in low-paying jobs in the traditional workforce; that minority women entrepreneurs are paving the way for women-owned businesses and are an important segment to the U.S. domestic and world's global economy; and that, in order to sustain the U.S. economy, we must fully support and encourage the growth of minority women-owned businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Promoting Apprenticeships through Regional Training Networks for Employers' Required Skills Act of 2017 or the PARTNERS Act This bill establishes a grant program to promote registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs for small and medium-sized businesses within in-demand industry sectors, through the establishment and support of industry or sector partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
Environmental Justice Act of 2017 This bill requires agencies to address the disproportionate impact of environmental and human health hazards on communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities resulting from agencies' programs and policies. This bill provides statutory authority for: the interagency Federal Working Group on Environmental Justice, certain environmental justice requirements established under Executive Order 12898, a guidance titled "Environmental Justice Guidance Under the National Environmental Policy Act," a guidance titled "EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes: Guidance for Discussing Tribal Treaty Rights," the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, and the Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant programs. The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address potential cumulative impacts of pollutant discharges when issuing or renewing permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program. The bill amends the Clean Air Act to require the EPA to address potential cumulative impacts of a major stationary source of air pollutants when issuing or renewing permits for those sources. The bill states that the authorization to bring citizen suits under certain environmental laws does not preclude the right of an individual to bring a civil action for deprivation of implied rights under those laws or common law. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allow a person aggrieved by the failure of a covered entity to comply with the Act to bring an action against the entity in a federal or state court for discriminatory practices.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001072_200.jpg)