United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2019 or the JOBS Act of 2019 This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by establishing the Job Training Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to award a job training Pell Grant to a student who does not have a degree; attends an institution of higher education (IHE); is enrolled in a career and technical education program at an IHE that provides 150 to 600 clock hours of instructional time over a period of 8 to 15 weeks and provides training aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors (i.e., job training programs); and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Pell Grant. It also specifies that any period during which a student receives a job training Pell Grant counts toward that student's Pell Grant eligibility period.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Covert Testing and Risk Mitigation Improvement Act of 2019 This bill establishes standards for the covert testing process that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses to evaluate its aviation security operations. Specifically, the TSA must implement an internal, risk-informed covert testing process for aviation security operations that can yield statistically valid results; execute at least three covert testing projects each year that are designed to identify systemic vulnerabilities in the transportation security system; establish a system to address and mitigate the vulnerabilities identified and assessed pursuant to the testing process; compile a list of the vulnerabilities, including a brief description of the nature of each vulnerability; and report the status of the vulnerabilities to Congress as part of its annual budget submission.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Department of Homeland Security Rotational Cybersecurity Program Act of 2019 or the DHS Rotational Cybersecurity Program Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a rotational cybersecurity research, development, and training program. Under such program, DHS shall detail to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (including the national cybersecurity and communications integration center) Coast Guard Academy graduates and faculty. DHS shall detail to the Coast Guard Academy, as faculty, individuals with expertise and experience in cybersecurity who are employed by (1) CISA; (2) the Directorate of Science and Technology; or (3) institutions that have been designated by DHS as a Center of Excellence for Cyber Defense, or the equivalent.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act This bill concerns matters related to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Among other things, the bill establishes a commission to assess the level of cultural competence within the academy; mandates a recruitment and retention plan for the academy; provides statutory authority for a minority outreach team program to recruit minority students to the academy; requires the Coast Guard to select half of each academy class from a pool of applicants with congressional nominations; and provides statutory authority for and expands the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, which allows certain undergraduate students to enlist and receive a guaranteed commission as an officer in the Coast Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Integration of Baseball Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in recognition and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the integration of the game of baseball. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges. All surcharges received by Treasury shall be distributed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with the understanding that the Hall of Fame shall work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to develop and operate education programs about the integration of the game of baseball and to preserve artifacts related to the integration of the game.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill (1) converts the Corporation for National and Community Service into the National and Community Service Administration; (2) reauthorizes programs carried out by the administration; (3) establishes a National Service Foundation to accept and administer gifts on behalf of the administration; and (4) modifies the calculation of national service educational awards. Furthermore, the bill creates a 21st Century American Service Outreach Program to notify individuals age 17 and not more than age 30 about their eligibility to participate in national service programs,; increases living stipends for such volunteers and the cap on such full-time positions; provides a living allowance to members of the National Civilian Community Corps, under specified conditions; and provides an exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, for such educational awards and living allowances.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2019 This bill prohibits strikes by certain individuals and requires the issuance of rules that provide for federal minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) shall determine for each state whether the laws of such state substantially provide for each of the minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures specified by this bill, including the right of public employees and supervisory employees to self-organize, form or join a labor organization, or collectively bargain. The FLRA must issue rules and take actions to establish and administer bargaining rights and procedures for those states that do not substantially provide for them. No employers, emergency services employees, or law enforcement officers may engage in a lockout, strike, or any other organized job action that would probably result in a measurable disruption of the delivery of emergency or public safety services. Furthermore, no labor organization may be the cause of a violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
SHELTER Act This bill allows a tax credit to individuals and businesses for disaster mitigation expenditures. The allowable amount of such credit is 25% of the mitigation expenditures, up to $5,000 in any taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
This resolution recognizes the contributions of African Americans to the musical heritage of the United States. The resolution also recognizes Black History Month and African-American Music Appreciation Month as important times to celebrate this impact and to encourage greater access to music education.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
Local Public Health And Safety Protection Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants to states that allow local governments to impose firearms laws that are more restrictive than state firearms laws. A state that receives a grant must award subgrants to localities to help implement the more restrictive firearms laws.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
National Commission on Scleroderma and Fibrotic Diseases Act of 2019 This bill temporarily establishes a National Commission on Fibrotic Diseases within the National Institutes of Health that must recommend improvements regarding fibrosis and fibrotic disease research.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
Student Debt Cancellation Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Education to (1) forgive the outstanding balance of interest and principal due on all Federal Family Education Loans, Federal Direct Loans, and Perkins Loans, including parent loans, consolidation loans, and certain grants treated as loans; and (2) purchase and forgive the outstanding balance of interest and principal due on private student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for hospitals that have addiction or pain medicine programs, with an aggregate increase of 1,000 positions over a five-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act This bill addresses dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking incidents on college campuses, including by expanding requirements governing the disclosure of such incidents and efforts to prevent them. The bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to develop a biennial sexual violence climate survey. Statistics from the survey must be included in the annual campus security report provided by institutions of higher education (IHEs) to current and prospective students and employees. The bill permits ED to impose civil penalties on IHEs that have violated a law under the jurisdiction of its Office for Civil Rights. It also directs ED, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice to create a campus sexual violence task force.
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 · 19 June 2019
Parent PLUS Loan Improvement Act of 2019 This bill modifies requirements concerning the applicable terms and conditions of Federal Direct PLUS Loans made by parent borrowers (i.e., parent PLUS loans) on behalf of their dependent college students. Specifically, it reduces the interest rate and eliminates the origination fee for a parent PLUS loan disbursed on or after July 1, 2019. The Department of Education must ensure, prior to disbursement, that parent PLUS loan borrowers receive counseling that includes comprehensive information on the terms and conditions of the loans and the responsibilities of the borrowers. The bill makes parent PLUS loans eligible for the income-contingent and income-based repayment plans. Additionally, it makes consolidation loans that repay parent PLUS loans eligible for the income-based repayment plans.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
This resolution recognizes the historical significance and supports the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restrict procurement of information technology, telecommunications equipment and services, and related products or services from a vendor that poses a risk to the DHS supply chain. A vendor poses a risk if a malicious actor may manipulate the design, integrity, manufacturing, production, distribution, installation, operation, or maintenance of a vendor's covered article.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program until May 1, 2025. The CFATS program requires chemical facilities to assess and address their threat vulnerabilities. The bill requires DHS to (1) verify information submitted by a covered chemical facility prior to assigning such facility a lower risk tier or determining that such facility no longer presents a high level of security risk, and (2) develop a voluntary program for chemical facilities to address potential security risks. DHS shall, among other things (1) provide for an annual review of a facility's compliance with its emergency response plan; (2) make available to state, local, and regional fusion centers and state and local government officials such information as it deems necessary to ensure that emergency response providers are prepared and provided with the situational awareness needed to respond to security incidents; and (3) establish a Chemical Security Advisory Committee to advise DHS on the implementation of this bill. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency shall (1) conduct a review of potential effects of attacks on covered chemical facilities or other critical infrastructure; and (2) establish a secure communications and information technology infrastructure or platform that allows facility owners and operators to voluntarily report on emerging threats, including terrorism threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems (i.e., drones) to covered chemical facilities. The Government Accountability Office shall evaluate the effectiveness of DHS risk-based performance standards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Carbon Capture Prize Act The bill directs the Department of Energy to carry out a competition to award prizes for technology that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, including through direct carbon removal and permanent sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to design national strategies and implement programs to address chronic homelessness. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants for permanent supportive-housing services; mental health services; substance use disorder treatment; integrated, coordinated treatment for co-occurring disorders; health education; services designed to help individuals and families make progress toward self-sufficiency; and other supportive services that promote an end to chronic homelessness. Priority for grants is given to applicants that target services to individuals and families who have experienced more homelessness, use more public emergency-care services, or have a history with the criminal justice system.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Student Loan Fairness Act This bill addresses repayment plans, forgiveness, and applicable interest rates for student loans. Among other things, the bill establishes an income-based 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan and specifies the calculation of monthly loan payments under the plan for borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans; establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and Direct Loan forgiveness to borrowers who, over 10 years, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan; caps the interest rate on new Direct Loans at 3.4%; revises the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to forgive the Direct Loans of participants who have made 60 (rather than 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans; includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the PSLF program; allows certain borrowers to consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans; directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue regulations that require private education lenders to sell private education loans to the Department of Education (ED) for consolidation as Direct Consolidation Loans; and requires ED to pay the interest that accrues on certain student loans due to the borrower's lack of full-time employment for an interest-free deferment period of up to three years.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act This bill imposes requirements and standards related to the care of aliens in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. CBP shall conduct an initial health screening of each alien in custody to identify those with acute conditions and high-risk vulnerabilities and to provide appropriate healthcare. CBP shall conduct the screening within 12 hours of each alien's initial detention, and within 3 hours for certain priority individuals such as children, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. The bill imposes various requirements related to the services, personnel, and infrastructure for providing such screenings, such as providing interpreters, chaperones, and mental health treatment when necessary. CBP shall ensure detainees have access to drinking water, toilets, sanitation facilities, hygiene products, food, and shelter. The bill imposes certain standards relating to such requirements, such as the minimum amount of drinking water and space for each detainee. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall enter into memoranda of understanding with various emergency government relief agencies to address instances when surge capacity is necessary. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct unannounced inspections of ports of entry, border patrol stations, and detention facilities and report the results to Congress. The Government Accountability Office shall assess CBP's management of such facilities and whether CBP and DHS processes are in compliance with this bill's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Defending Each and Every Person from False Appearances by Keeping Exploitation Subject to Accountability Act of 2019 or the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act This bill establishes requirements for advanced technological false personation records (i.e., deep fakes) and establishes criminal penalties for related violations. Specifically, it requires producers of deep fakes to generally comply with certain digital watermark and disclosure requirements (e.g., verbal and written statements). It establishes new criminal offenses related to (1) the production of deep fakes which do not comply with related watermark or disclosure requirements, and (2) the alteration of deep fakes to remove or meaningfully obscure such required disclosures. A violator is subject to a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. It also establishes civil penalties and permits individuals to bring civil actions for damages. Additionally, it revises the criminal offense of fraud in connection with certain identification documents to include deep fakes. The bill also directs the Department of Justice to take certain actions, such as publishing a report related to deep fakes that includes a description of the efforts of Russia and China to use technology to impact elections. Software manufacturers who reasonably believe software will be used to produce deep fakes must ensure it has the technical capability to insert watermarks and disclosures. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to establish a task force to, among other things, advance efforts of the federal government to combat the national security implications of deep fakes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the proposed Department of Homeland Security rule entitled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds . The rule makes aliens who are likely at any time to become a public charge and receive certain public benefits inadmissible.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2019 This bill establishes restrictions on businesses that relocate call centers or redirect customer service calls to locations outside the United States. Specifically, a business must notify the Department of Labor that it intends to move its customer service call center overseas and Labor must maintain a publicly available list of such businesses. Subject to narrow exceptions, a business appearing on such list is ineligible to receive federal grants or guaranteed loans for five years after the business is added to the list. Further, agencies must condition the awarding of government contracts on the requirement that any call center activity pursuant to the contract must be performed in the United States. Additionally, the bill requires call center employees to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each call initiated or received, unless all employees of the business participating in the communication are located in the United States, among other exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act This bill makes permanent, beginning in FY2020, funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The President shall annually submit to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress may provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Labor to update the salary threshold applicable to bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees for purposes of determining eligibility for overtime pay. The bill adopts rulemaking promulgated by Labor in 2016 that established the threshold for exempting such employees from overtime requirements at the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried employees in the lowest-wage census region. The bill also requires updates to the threshold amount every three years. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shall publish quarterly on its public website data on the weekly earnings of nonhourly, full-time salaried workers by census region.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
This bill directs the Department of Defense to modernize its forms and surveys that contain terms or classifications that may be considered racially or ethnically insensitive.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Domestic Terrorism Documentation and Analysis of Threats in America Act or the Domestic Terrorism DATA Act This bill establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism, as well as the relationship between international terrorism and domestic terrorism. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to submit joint reports on domestic terrorism. Additionally, the Science and Technology Directorate within DHS must do the following: create a National Center for the Study of Domestic Terrorism to advance research on trends in domestic terrorism, and report on international terrorism that has a nexus to such trends.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to continue to sell the Alzheimer's disease semipostal stamp for an additional six years. The USPS must continue to transfer proceeds from the sale of the stamp to the National Institutes of Health to fund medical research relating to Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 This bill establishes several prohibitions, requirements, and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, the bill prohibits MA plans from instituting additional prior authorization requirements for surgeries (including related items) that are furnished to a patient during other surgeries for which prior authorization was not required or was already received. Additionally, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
"Six Triple Eight" Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (commonly known as the "Six Triple Eight") in recognition of their pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to increase the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater of operations during World War II. The medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution and made available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Ebola Eradication Act of 2019 This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development to immediately provide assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other vulnerable countries to combat the Ebola outbreak that began in August 2018. In November 2018, the President restricted all non-humanitarian and non-trade-related aid to the DRC due to concerns that the country is not taking sufficient steps to combat human trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
STEM K to Career Act This bill provides for loan forgiveness and tax credits related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) education and addresses work-study for students employed in STEM fields. The bill requires the Department of Education to forgive student loan obligations of borrowers employed as full-time teachers of STEM in elementary or secondary schools in which the number of low-income children exceeds a certain percentage. Portions of the student loan debt, including interest, shall be forgiven on the basis of years of service, with 100% forgiven for five years of teacher service. The bill allows (1) an increased tax deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers for STEM education supplies; (2) a tax credit for the employment of STEM interns; and (3) a tax credit for employment of individuals who participated in an apprenticeship program in a STEM field, with the amount determined according to the degree of completion of the program. Beginning with FY2020, an institution of higher education must use at least 7% of federal work-study funds to compensate students employed in STEM fields.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 201 9 This bill modifies the tax deduction for student loan interest to (1) increase the maximum deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on the deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act This bill restricts the authority of the President to assume control of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department during an emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Success in the Middle Act of 201 9 This bill creates a grant program to support middle schools' efforts to identify and implement best practices for improving student outcomes and increasing high school graduation rates. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to (1) allot grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous secondary school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Eligible schools are those where (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to secondary schools with graduation rates below 67%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Funding is provided to ED to, among other things (1) contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education; and (2) create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Woman on the Twenty Act This bill requires that all $20 Federal Reserve notes printed after December 31, 2022, prominently feature a portrait of Harriet Tubman on their front face. The bill also instructs the Department of the Treasury to release to the public by December 31, 2020, the preliminary design of the $20 Federal Reserve note that shall prominently feature a portrait of Harriet Tubman.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Expanding Access to Retirement Savings for Caregivers Act This bill allows an individual to make annual catch up contributions to a retirement account before reaching age 50 if the individual leaves the workforce to provide dependent cares services. Specifically, the individual must have been unemployed, and have had no earned income, as a result of providing care to (1) a dependent under the age of 13, or (2) a spouse physically or mentally incapable of self-care.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2019 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain housing projects, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits, and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, acquisition credits, and foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2019
The College Data Access Act This bill requires the Department of Education to maintain and annually update its online tool allowing users to compare institutions of higher education (i.e., College Scorecard). It also requires an institution of higher education to prominently display, on the institution's website, the most recent version of the institution's College Scorecard.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019 or the HAVEN Act This bill modifies the treatment of certain veterans' benefits in bankruptcy. Specifically, the bill excludes from a debtor's current monthly income certain benefits, including disability benefits, paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
National Security Diversity and Inclusion Workforce Act of 2019 This bill requires each national security agency to report on its diversity and inclusion efforts. The bill defines "diversity" as diversity of persons based on gender, race, ethnicity, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and other demographic categories. It also requires each such agency to develop a system to collect and analyze applicant employment data to identify areas for improvement in attracting diverse talent, with emphasis on senior and management positions; conduct periodic interviews with a representative cross-section of the national security workforce to obtain workplace information; sponsor workforce members to participate in a Senior Executive Service candidate development program or similar program; implement performance and advancement requirements for the workforce; create opportunities for senior personnel to participate in outreach events and to discuss issues relating to diversity and inclusion; and expand training on bias in the workplace and flexible work policies. The bill encourages agencies to expand professional development and career advancement opportunities that support their mission and to seek a diverse and talented pool of employment applicants by reaching out to educational organizations and professional associations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research Act of 2019 This bill expands and coordinates activities related to the research of liver cancer and liver disease, including causes, prevention, detection, and treatment. Specifically, the National Cancer Institute must establish an inter-institute working group to coordinate efforts to cure liver cancer and liver disease, including research into such cases resulting from hepatitis B, and may award grants to develop preventative and diagnostic measures as well as support for experimental treatment options. The bill further establishes grant programs, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support liver disease prevention services, diagnostics, and hepatitis tracking programs and to raise awareness about liver disease within high-risk communities. The renamed National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive, Kidney, and Liver Diseases also must prioritize programs addressing liver disease, including (1) establishing a national clearinghouse for patient data and (2) developing or expanding the centers for research of liver disease.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Women's Health Protection Act of 2019 This bill prohibits state or local governments from imposing certain restrictions on access to abortion services. Specifically, state or local government may not require unnecessary tests or procedures in connection with the provision of abortion services, the same health care provider who provides abortion services to perform such tests or procedures, providers to offer medically inaccurate information to patients before or during abortion services, providers to refrain from prescribing certain drugs, certain hospital facility transfer agreements, one or more medically unnecessary in-person visits, or patients to disclose the reason for seeking abortion services. The bill also prohibits limitations or requirements that both single out and impede access to abortion services based on a number of factors (e.g., restrictions that are reasonably likely to decrease the availability of abortion services in a state). A state or local government also may not prohibit abortions prior to fetal viability nor prohibit abortions after fetal viability in cases where the health care provider determines that continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the patient's life or health. Additionally, the Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to prospectively enjoin a limitation or restriction that is prohibited by this bill. The bill further requires the government defending such a limitation or restriction to show that (1) it significantly advances the safety of abortion services or patient health, and (2) such advancement cannot be met by a less-restrictive measure.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019 This bill eliminates certain criteria that hospitals must meet in order to qualify as critical access hospitals that receive special payment under Medicare. Specifically, the bill eliminates the requirement that a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to partnerships between educational agencies and graduate institutions to increase the number of school-based mental-health services providers employed by low-income local educational agencies (LEAs). Grant funds may be used for specified purposes, including to provide student-loan forgiveness and tuition credits and to support recruitment, hiring, and training. In addition, ED shall establish a program to provide student-loan forgiveness for individuals who (1) are not, and have never been, participants in the grant program established by the bill; and (2) have been employed by low-income LEAs for five or more consecutive school years as mental-health services providers.
![Official portrait of Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000193_200.jpg)