United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2018
Weekends Without Hunger Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to public or private nonprofit institutions to provide nutritious food to at-risk children on weekends and during extended school holidays throughout the year (At-risk children are children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2018 This bill establishes procedures for closing a Social Security Administration field office, including by requiring (1) public notices and hearings, and (2) notification to the Senators and members of Congress whose constituents are served by the office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Reverend James Lawson, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Reverend James Morris Lawson, Jr. in recognition of his contributions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2018
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, election as the first African American woman in Congress, and campaign to be the first African American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2018
Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research Act of 2018 This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements relating to liver disease awareness and research.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2018
No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act of 2018 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the proposed rule of the Department of Homeland Security entitled "Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds." The rule makes aliens who are likely at any time to become a public charge and receive public benefits inadmissible.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2018
Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2018 This bill establishes a grant program and requirements for the National Science Foundation and other federal science agencies to expand research on the causes and effects of sexual harassment affecting individuals in the scientific workforce, including students and trainees. The research must also examine policies to reduce the occurrences and negative consequences of such harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Wildlife Disease Emergency Act of 2018 This bill provides support for responding to wildlife disease emergencies, including by authorizing the Department of the Interior to declare and respond to wildlife disease emergencies, requiring Interior to implement a grant program for addressing wildlife disease emergencies, and establishing a Wildlife Disease Emergency Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Ostomy Awareness Day. (Ostomy is type of surgery that creates an opening in the abdomen that allows for the removal of bodily waste when an individual has lost normal functions of the digestive or urinary systems due to birth defects, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and other medical conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Get the Lead Out of Schools Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for schools and day care facilities that: (1) establishes a lead action level (a level of lead in drinking water that triggers additional actions to control lead contamination) of at least 15 parts per billion; (2) directs each public water system to sample for lead in the drinking water at schools and day care facilities if the EPA determines there is a risk that the lead in the drinking water will meet or exceed the action level; and (3) directs public water systems that serve schools or day cares that meet or exceed the action level to notify the local educational agency, the relevant local health agencies, the municipality, and the state as soon as practicable, but no later than five business days after the system receives the sampling results. The EPA must also establish a grant program for: (1) testing drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead contamination, and (2) remediating lead contamination in such drinking water by replacing lead pipes and certain plumbing materials with lead-free material.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
School Security is Homeland Security Grant Act of 2018 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the use of homeland security grants for enhanced school security efforts. The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2019-FY2023 for homeland security grants, of which not less than 5% in each fiscal year shall be for grants relating to securing early childhood education programs, elementary schools, high schools, and secondary schools. Grants awarded under the Urban Areas Security Initiative or the State Homeland Security Grant Program may not be used to purchase firearms or firearm accessories, such as ammunition, including for use by teachers. Such grants relating to securing early childhood education programs, elementary schools, high schools, or secondary schools may be used for: (1) target hardening and other enhancements of the physical security of such programs and schools; and (2) security planning, exercises, and training.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security Act or the CLASS Act of 2018 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security a council to ensure that activities, plans, and policies to enhance the security of an early childhood education program, elementary school, high school, or secondary school against an act of terrorism are coordinated.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Coast Guard Academy Improvement Act This bill addresses matters related to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, including to (1) establish a commission to assess the level of cultural competence within the academy; (2) mandate a recruitment and retention plan for the academy; (3) establish a minority outreach team program to recruit minority students to the academy; (4) establish a rotational research, development, and training program in cybersecurity for academy graduates and faculty; (5) require the Coast Guard to select half of each academy class from a specific pool; and (6) authorize the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative program for certain undergraduate students to enlist and receive a guaranteed commission as an officer in the Coast Guard.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
Health Equity and Access for Returning Troops and Servicemembers Act of 2018 or the HEARTS Act of 2018 This bill (1) exempts certain military retirees who are under 65 years of age, and who no longer receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, from the requirement to enroll in Medicare medical services in order to be eligible for TRICARE; (2) increases funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund; and (3) temporarily provides for Medicare coverage of certain prostate cancer DNA Specimen Provenance Assay tests.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions Act of 2018 This bill permanently extends mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions and increases the authorized funding levels for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
EITC Modernization Act of 2018 This bill modifies the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to: (1) make certain individuals who are college students or have an aged or disabled dependent eligible for the credit, (2) specify minimum credit amounts for the qualifying students and individuals with an aged or disabled dependent, (3) allow certain EITC recipients to elect to receive the credit payments monthly, and (4) decrease from 25 to 18 the minimum age of eligibility for individuals without dependents. The bill also requires the Internal Revenue Service to establish a Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program to provide matching funds for the development, expansion, or continuation of tax preparation programs to assist low-income taxpayers and members of underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
Violence Against Women Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a program to assist veterans who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault access VA benefits. The VA shall establish a national task force to address domestic violence and sexual assault among veterans and conduct a study to determine the scope of the problem.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018 This bill establishes a process under which Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories may terminate certain debts if they meet eligibility criteria. The bill allows territories to terminate their public, unsecured debt if they meet two of three criteria: the population of the territory has decreased by more than 5% over 10 years, the territory received major federal disaster assistance, and the territory's per capita debt exceeds $15,000. The bill also provides funding that a special master must allocate to certain creditors whose debts were discharged under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act or the Pregnant Women in Custody Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery. Additionally, it requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to include, in the National Prison Statistics Program and Annual Survey of Jails, statistics on the health needs of incarcerated pregnant women. A Bureau of Prisons facility must provide appropriate services and programs to address the health and safety needs of women inmates related to pregnancy and childbirth. The Government Accountability Office must study the services and protections for pregnant incarcerated women in state and local correctional settings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of: one Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician; one Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Christine Darden, in recognition of her service to the United States as an aeronautical engineer; two Congressional Gold Medals in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in recognition of their service to the United States during the Space Race; and one Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of all of the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from the 1930s to the 1970s.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Recognizes: (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Domestic Offshore Energy Reinvestment Act of 2018 This bill amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to increase the revenue Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) receive for energy projects and eliminate the revenue sharing cap.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Homeland Security Partnerships Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue a strategy to enhance partnerships with historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Economic Development Act for Distressed Zones of 2018 This bill provides various tax credits related to economically distressed zones, including a tax credit based on the amount of wages paid by an employer to employees in such a zone. The bill also establishes a procedure for state and local governments to apply for designation as an economically distressed zone.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2018
Water Technology Acceleration Act This bill provides support for developing and deploying emerging or innovative water technology, including by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a grant program for accelerating the development of emerging or innovative water technologies that address pressing water challenges.
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2018
Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill instructs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Aretha Franklin in recognition of her outstanding artistic and historical significance to the culture of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2018
This bill makes it unlawful for a person who is not a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm at a gun show. The prohibition does not apply to a transfer to a licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer, or collector. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2023 various programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Among other things, the bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Student Loan Bankruptcy Act of 2018 This bill allows a student loan to be discharged in bankruptcy, without proving undue hardship, if the loan first became due more than five years before the bankruptcy filing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Aim Higher Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise federal financial aid programs for postsecondary education and institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Restoring Tax Credits for Affordable Housing Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to increase: (1) the state housing credit ceiling used to allocate credits to states, and (2) the credit percentage.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Funding Attorneys for Indigent Removal (FAIR) Proceedings Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the appointment of counsel, at government expense, for aliens in immigration proceedings and to automatically provide to such aliens a complete copy of the their immigration file in the possession of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS must also facilitate access to counsel and legal orientation programs for all aliens in DHS detention facilities. The bill also establishes the Immigration Counsel Account to collect fees for providing access to counsel when required or authorized by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Higher Education Dream Act of 2018 This bill prohibits institutions of higher education that receive federal student aid from discriminating or taking adverse action against students based on their immigration status, including charging out-of-state tuition to students who would qualify as a resident of the state.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies regarding prices for drugs covered under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Current law prohibits the CMS from doing so.) The CMS must take certain factors into account during negotiations, including the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of the drug, the financial burden on patients, and unmet patient needs. If the CMS is unable to negotiate the price of a drug, such drug is subject to competitive licensing in order to further its sale under Medicare, notwithstanding existing government-granted exclusivities. Additionally, for one year after a drug is provided under a competitive license, such drug is also subject to specified price limitations; if the drug is not offered at such prices, the drug is subject to additional licensing that furthers its sale under any federal program (e.g., Medicaid).
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Education Department Civil Rights Transparency Act This bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education (ED) to include in an annual report to ED, the President, and Congress specified information regarding federal civil rights violations by educational institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Stop the Tax Hike on Charities and Places of Worship Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the requirements for determining the unrelated business taxable income of tax-exempt organizations. The bill repeals a provision that requires unrelated business taxable income to be increased by the amount of expenses paid or incurred by a tax-exempt organization for certain fringe benefits for which a tax deduction is not allowed, including benefits relating to transportation, parking, or an on-premises athletic facility. The bill also increases the corporate tax rate from 21% to 22%.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Authorizes specified committees of the House of Representatives to intervene on behalf of the House in the case of Texas v. United States in order to defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Authorizes the Office of General Counsel of the House, under the supervision of such committees, to represent them in the intervention.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2018
Job Opportunities for All Act This bill directs the Department of Labor to carry out a subsidized employment pilot program and award grants to not more than five entities to carry out a jobs guarantee program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2018
Augmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act or the AG RESEARCH Act This bill amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to provide funding for maintenance at agricultural research facilities. The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to: (1) establish a grant program within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to provide agricultural research facilities with a federal share of the cost for the alteration, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of the research facilities or the equipment necessary for agricultural research; and (2) use specified Commodity Credit Corporation funds to provide direct payments to research facilities of the Agricultural Research Service for addressing deferred maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2018
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 · 23 July 2018
Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Labor to establish a pilot program to provide grants to eligible entities (i.e., political subdivisions of states and Tribal entities with a high unemployment rate) for programs to guarantee employment to individuals residing in the areas served by such entities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
TSA Opportunities to Pursue Expanded Networks for Business Act or the TSA OPEN for Business Act . This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to submit to Congress a strategy to diversify the technology stakeholder marketplace that the TSA relies upon to acquire security screening technologies, including by increased participation of small business innovators.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Directs the Department of Homeland Security to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of U.S. Border Patrol records or communications that relate to the interdiction of families between ports of entry, including: (1) the ages of interdicted children and actions taken with respect to such children; and (2) the number of criminal referrals made, including for trafficking children.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Secure America from Russian Interference Act of 2018 This bill sets forth provisions for countering specified subversive activities by the government of the Russian Federation against the United States and U.S. allies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day. Encourages: (1) clinicians to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services; (2) the media to observe this day by educating clinicians about the important role they play in providing access to HIV/AIDS services and by educating clinicians and the public about the benefits of HIV testing; and (3) individuals to get tested for HIV and educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act of 2018 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restrict procurement of information technology, telecommunications equipment and services, and related products or services (covered articles), if it determines that a vendor of such products and services poses a risk to the DHS supply chain. After determining that such a risk exists, DHS may limit the disclosure of information relating to the basis for restricting a procurement and may exclude a vendor from the procurement process. The bill requires DHS to make certain security-related determinations and provide notifications before it can exercise the authority to restrict procurement of any covered article. The bill defines "supply chain risk" as the risk that a malicious actor may sabotage, maliciously introduce an unwanted function, extract or modify data, or otherwise manipulate the design, integrity, manufacturing, production, distribution, installation, operation, or maintenance of a covered article.
![Official portrait of Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000193_200.jpg)