United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Reaffirms: (1) the bipartisan commitment of the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of refugees; and (2) the goals of World Refugee Day. Recognizes those who have risked their lives to provide life-saving assistance and to help protect people displaced by conflict. Calls upon the U.S. government to: uphold its international leadership role in responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance for, and protection of, the most vulnerable populations; work in partnership with the international community to find solutions to existing conflicts and to prevent new conflicts; continue to support the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to advance the work of nongovernmental organizations to protect refugees regardless of their country of origin or religious beliefs; and continue to mitigate, through humanitarian and development support, the burden placed on frontline refugee host countries that absorb the majority of the world's refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017
Foreign Investment and Economic Security Act of 2017 This bill amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to provide for: (1) national security reviews of transactions involving the construction of a new facility in the United States by any foreign person (currently, national security reviews are conducted only for certain mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers by or with a foreign person); and (2) net U.S. benefit reviews of new construction, mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers by or with a foreign person. The bill makes net benefit reviews mandatory for transactions that meet specified Clayton Act requirements. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) shall consider a transaction's effect on: (1) employment, resource processing, utilization of parts and services produced in or imported into the United States, and exports; (2) industrial efficiency, technological development, technology transfers, and product innovation; (3) domestic or foreign competition; (4) compatibility with national industrial and economic policies; and (5) public health, safety, and the environment. In the case of a net benefit determination concerning a foreign government-influenced transaction, the CFIUS must consider: the governance and commercial orientation of the foreign person engaging in such transaction; the extent to which the foreign person is owned, controlled, or influenced by the foreign government; and adherence to U.S. law and corporate governance standards, engagement of the foreign country with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the likelihood of commercial operation. The bill prohibits transactions that the President determines are not of net U.S. benefit and bars judicial review of such determinations. The bill also revises the composition of the CFIUS for the purpose of carrying out net benefit determinations. The term "foreign government-controlled transaction" is revised to include a person with access to below-market loans or other financing from a foreign government.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017
Expresses strong disapproval of the President's announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Commends the group of states, cities, colleges and universities, businesses, investors, and individuals who have publicly expressed their support for such agreement. Urges the President to reverse his decision and maintain U.S. participation in such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Climate Change National Security Strategy Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Security Advisor and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to jointly establish an interagency Climate and National Security Working Group, which must develop an action plan on current and projected climate-related impacts on national security interests. Specified federal departments and agencies must each develop a plan that ensures that such impacts are identified and considered in the development and implementation of relevant national security doctrine, policies, and plans. The plans must be updated at least annually.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Restore Honor to Service Members Act This bill requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. The bill prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Each military department shall ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Specified military personnel records and discharge forms must be reissued in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Save Oak Flat Act This bill repeals the provisions under the Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 providing for a land exchange between the Department of Agriculture and Resolution Copper Mining, LLC. Under the provisions of that Act, 2,422 acres of Forest Service land located in Pinal County, Arizona, are to be exchanged for various parcels of land owned by Resolution Copper.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover medically necessary cranial prostheses (e.g., wigs) as durable medical equipment under the Medicare program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Mental Health in Schools Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. A comprehensive school mental health program funded under this bill must assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. The bill makes only certain partnerships that include a state educational agency and one or more educational agencies, with a local agency serving as lead partner, eligible for funding. They include public or private entities that use evidence-based intervention. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including the development of: (1) guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) outcome measures to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, including student and family measures and local educational measures.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
IDEA Full Funding Act This bill amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. The bill sets the amount to be appropriated for each fiscal year from FY2018-FY2026 as the greater of: (1) a specified amount, or (2) a specified percentage of an amount determined pursuant to a formula that multiplies the number of children receiving special education services by the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools. The bill appropriates funds for FY2027 and each subsequent fiscal year equal to the greater of a specified amount or 40% of the amount determined using such formula. Amounts appropriated shall be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
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 · 12 June 2017
Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement Act of 2017 or the COVFEFE Act of 2017 This bill amends provisions governing presidential records to: (1) revise the definition of "documentary material" to include social media; (2) revise the definition of "presidential records" to include any personal and official social media account; and (3) define "social media" as any form of electronic communication (such as a website for social networking and microblogging) through which users create an online community to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2017
Expresses that the House of Representatives: remembers the victims, their families, the survivors, and the community one year since the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States; acknowledges the scars are still fresh and the community is still recovering from this tragedy; offers support to the brave men and women of the emergency response teams, law enforcement agencies who responded to the scene of the shooting, and the medical personnel who treated victims and survivors; acknowledges the threat of homegrown terrorists and will work together to ensure such a tragedy is not repeated; stands united together against terrorism and hatred, and will not permit prejudice, violence, and fear to diminish the U.S. ideals of compassion, liberty, equality, and freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Methane Emissions Mitigation Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to perform research and develop technology in methane leak detection and mitigation. DOE must also establish a technology clearinghouse for public access to information relating to technologies and best practices for methane leak detection and mitigation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2026 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Automatic Voter Registration Act This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require state motor vehicle authorities, upon receiving certain identifying information with respect to an individual requesting motor vehicle authority services, to transmit the information to the state election official. The state election official shall then notify the individual that unless the individual declines to be registered to vote in federal elections in the state, the individual shall be automatically registered unless the individual does not meet voter registration eligibility requirements or is already registered to vote. A state may not use any identifying information regarding an individual's citizenship status for any purpose other than determining whether the individual is eligible to vote in federal elections.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Voices for Veterans Act This bill: (1) expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and (2) extend the Commission through December 31, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2017
Humane Cosmetics Act This bill prohibits testing cosmetics on animals, effective on the date that is one year after enactment of this bill. No cosmetic may be sold or transported if the final product or any component was developed or manufactured using animal testing after that date, effective three years after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2017
Atomic Veterans Service Medal Act This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to design and produce an Atomic Veterans Service Medal to honor retired and former members of the Armed Forces who are radiation-exposed veterans. DOD may provide for issuance of the Medal to the next-of-kin of a deceased radiation-exposed veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2017
Jobs and Trade Competitiveness Act This bill establishes: (1) an Office of the Congressional Trade Enforcer; (2) an Office of Market Access Assistance; (3) a Trade Enforcement Division within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), headed by a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Enforcement; (4) the Office of Trade Assistance for Small Business; (5) the Chief Manufacturing Negotiator; and (6) the Congressional Advisory Commission on WTO Dispute Settlement to provide advice to Congress on the operation of the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization. The bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 regarding: (1) the imposition of countervailing duties to address subsidies relating to fundamentally undervalued currencies; and (2) the establishment of procedures for the protection of business proprietary information from public disclosure, with respect to the investigation of claims of evasion of antidumping and countervailing duty orders. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit for insourcing expenses and to deny a deduction for outsourcing expenses. The USTR shall identify those foreign country trade practices that cause negative environmental impacts on human, animal, or plant life or health, or exhaustible natural resources in the United States, the foreign country, a third country, or internationally, and periodically report on such practices. The Government Accountability Office shall report assessing progress in: (1) achieving compliance by other countries with commitments made under specified international fora, and (2) ensuring that goods made with child labor do not enter the customs territory of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2017
Recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great world religions. Acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2017
Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) of the Rules of the House of Representatives. Requires the Speaker, whenever a moment of silence related to a tragedy in the United States or its territories involving gun violence occurs on the floor of the House, to announce on the next legislative day the standing committee (or subcommittee) designated to hold a hearing on the event.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2017 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl in recognition of his acts of valor during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct and update at least once every seven years an ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment with a corresponding public report. The assessment must identify: (1) U.S. coastal communities that are most dependent on coastal and ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean acidification; (2) the nature of those communities' social and economic vulnerabilities; (3) impacts from changes in ocean and coastal marine resources that are not managed by the federal government; and (4) key knowledge gaps where research could be devoted to better understand the possible ocean acidification impacts, risks, threats, and possible adaptation strategies for the communities. In carrying out the ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment, NOAA must collaborate with state and local government entities that are conducting or have completed vulnerability assessments, strategic research planning, or other similar activities related to ocean acidification and its impacts on coastal communities. NOAA's ocean acidification program is expanded to include an ongoing mechanism that allows affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, non-federal resource managers, and outside scientific experts not employed by the federal government to provide input on research, data, and monitoring necessary to support on-the-ground management, decision making, and adaptation related to ocean acidification and its impacts. The strategic plan for ocean acidification research and monitoring developed by the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council must make recommendations for research to address the key knowledge gaps identified in the community vulnerability assessment report.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act or the Healthy MOM Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and Internal Revenue Code to require health insurers, health insurance exchanges, and group health plans to offer a special enrollment period to pregnant individuals. The special enrollment period offered by an insurer or exchange must begin when the pregnancy is reported to the insurer or exchange. The special enrollment period offered by a group health plan must begin when the pregnancy is reported to the plan or is confirmed by a health care provider. Coverage offered by a group health plan or health insurer that covers dependents must provide coverage for maternity care to all covered individuals. The Office of Personnel Management must ensure that eligible pregnant women are allowed to enroll in federal employee health benefit plans outside of the open enrollment period. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to revise the range in which a state must establish a maximum level of family income for pregnant women and infants to be eligible for Medicaid. The upper limit of the range is eliminated and the lower limit is set to the level in place, or specified in an amendment to a state plan, on January 1, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017 This bill amends the PROTECT Act to reauthorize the AMBER Alert grant program for FY2018. The bill also modifies the program to: make Indian tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants, permit the use of grant funds to integrate state or regional AMBER Alert communication plans with an Indian tribe, and allow the waiver of the matching funds requirement for grants awarded to Indian tribes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the prohibition on firearm sale or transfer to or purchase or possession by an individual who is subject to a court order that restrains the individual from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of an intimate partner. Specifically, the bill revises the elements of a qualifying court order. It also broadens the definition of "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner. Additionally, the bill expands the categories of prohibited persons (i.e., persons barred from receiving or possessing a firearm) to include persons who have been convicted of: (1) a misdemeanor crime of stalking, or (2) a crime involving conduct that would have been stalking if committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Gun Violence Awareness Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Calls on the people of the United States to: promote greater awareness of gun violence and gun safety; wear orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day; concentrate heightened attention on gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make the communities safer.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 7-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old. The bill sets forth a schedule of annual increases in the federal minimum wage for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Labor shall no longer issue special certificates for the payment of subminimum wages to such individuals after the final wage increase under this bill for such individuals takes effect. Labor shall provide, upon request, technical assistance and information to employers to: (1) help them transition their practices to comply with wage increases and other requirements under this bill for individuals with disabilities, and (2) ensure continuing employment opportunities for such individuals. The bill eliminates the separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees. After a specified period, these employees shall be paid the same minimum wage as regular employees. Labor must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on its website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits adoption or foster care placement entities that receive federal assistance from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance with the requirements of this bill and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. This bill allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act from states that fail to comply with the requirements of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Gun Violence Restraining Order Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the sale, transfer to, receipt of, or possession of a firearm by a person who is subject to a gun violence prevention order. A gun violence prevention order is a court order that prohibits an individual from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm. The bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to make grants to states that have in effect legislation that: (1) authorizes a family member, or a law enforcement officer, to apply for a gun violence prevention order against an individual who may pose a significant risk to themselves or others; (2) authorizes a law enforcement officer to temporarily seize firearms from that individual, subject to a warrant; and (3) requires law enforcement agencies to comply with certain requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to waive, for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. Current law generally applies this waiting period to individuals deemed eligible for OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Healthcare Services Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, a person from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that: (1) such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide such services, or (2) such person is not a provider of abortion services if such person does provide such services. "Abortion services" is defined as providing surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or providing referrals for such procedures. The bill sets forth the enforcement authority of the FTC, including with respect to nonprofit organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Encourages the people of the United States to recognize the contributions of senior volunteers and join in the celebration of National Senior Corps Week. Supports adequately funding and growing the proven Senior Corps programs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2024 funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act of 2017 This bill requires each public building constructed, substantially altered, or acquired by the General Services Administration (GSA) to meet the following standards: at least 90% of the exposed facade material from ground level to 40 feet shall not be composed of glass or shall be composed of glass employing elements that preclude bird collisions without completely obscuring vision, ultraviolet (UV) patterned glass that contains UV-reflective or contrasting patterns that are visible to birds, patterns on glass designed in accordance with a rule that restricts horizontal spaces to less than 2 inches high and vertical spaces to less than 4 inches wide, opaque, etched, stained, frosted, or translucent glass, or any combination of these methods (modified glass); at least 60% of the exposed facade material above 40 feet shall meet such glass standard; there shall not be any transparent passageways or corners; all glass adjacent to atria or courtyards containing water features, plants, and other materials attractive to birds shall meet the modified glass standard; and outside lighting shall be appropriately shielded and minimized. GSA must: (1) ensure that actual bird mortality is monitored at each public building; and (2) reduce exterior building and site lighting for each public building, where practicable. The bill exempts historic buildings of national significance, the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and its grounds, and the U.S. Capitol and its related buildings and grounds from the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend lifespan respite care programs (services for family caregivers of children and adults with special needs) through FY2022. Each state agency awarded a grant or cooperative agreement for lifespan respite care must collect, maintain, and report to the Department of Health and Human Services data and records to enable monitoring and evaluation of the lifespan programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Financial Literacy for Students Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the Department of Education to award matching grants to states to: (1) integrate financial literacy education into public elementary and secondary schools that are eligible for school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA, and (2) train states' secondary school financial literacy or entrepreneurship teachers to teach financial literacy in core academic subjects.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Reaffirms the critical role of frontline health workers in achieving core global health goals. Commends U.S. progress in helping to build local capacity and save lives in the world's most vulnerable communities by training and supporting such workers. Urges greater global attention and support for such workers to ensure their protection and their ability to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health crises and to safeguard the health of the world's most vulnerable populations. Calls on all relevant federal agencies to develop a health workforce strengthening action plan with concrete targets for increasing equitable access to qualified health workers in low- and middle-income countries to support the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Global Respect Act This bill directs the President to submit to Congress, biannually, a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible for or complicit in, or who acted as an agent for a foreign person in a mater relating to, torture, cruel treatment, prolonged detention, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. A listed person: (1) may be removed from the list under specified conditions; (2) is ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States, or (3) if in the United States, shall have his or her visa revoked and be removed. The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security may waive such prohibition if such waiver is in U.S. national security interests or is necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Congressional notification is required prior to any such waiver. The Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor shall designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require the annual country reports on human rights practices to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Child Citizen Protection Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, in the case of an alien subject to removal, deportation, or exclusion and who is the parent of a U.S. citizen child, to authorize an immigration judge to decline to order such removal if the judge determines that action to be against the child's best interests. Such discretion shall not apply to an alien when the judge determines that the alien: (1) is excludable or deportable on security grounds, or (2) has engaged in sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking in persons.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act of 2017 This bill amends the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to expand the categories of prohibited discrimination when extending credit to include discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. (Currently, such discrimination in credit is prohibited only on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age.) The bill defines: (1) "gender identity" as the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. The bill specifies that for purposes of the ECOA's protections against sex discrimination, the term "sex" includes: (1) a sex stereotype; (2) pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; and (3) sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill also extends ECOA's protections against discrimination to include: (1) an association with another person who is a member of a class protected against discrimination; and (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that the individual is a member of such a protected class. Under a current provision of the ECOA, a request for the signature of both parties to a marriage for the purpose of creating a valid lien, passing clear title, waiving inchoate rights to property, or assigning earnings does not constitute discrimination. The bill prohibits this provision from being construed to permit a creditor to take sexual orientation or gender identity into account in connection with the evaluation of creditworthiness of an applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the Federal Perkins Loans program through September 30, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that allows eligible students with loans under the Federal Direct Loan program (a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan) to refinance their loans down to the lower rates offered to new federal borrowers in the 2016-2017 school year under certain circumstances. In addition, the bill allows student borrowers to refinance their private loans into the Federal Direct Loan program. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Disability Integration Act of 2017 This bill prohibits states or local governments that provide institutional placements for individuals with disabilities who need long-term assistance with daily living activities or health-related tasks, and prohibits insurance providers that fund such long-term services, from denying community-based services that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life. States, local governments, or insurance providers may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by: (1) imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, waiting lists, or payment structures; (2) failing to provide a specific community-based service; or (3) requiring an individual to receive a service in a congregate or disability-specific setting. Community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. States, local governments, and public insurance providers must assess: (1) transportation barriers that prevent individuals from receiving services in integrated settings, and (2) the availability of integrated employment opportunities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must issue regulations requiring states, local governments, or insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services to individuals with such disabilities who would otherwise qualify for institutional placement. State and local governments, in conjunction with housing agencies, must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Such regulations must also require states and local governments to begin implementing a transition plan to achieve the requirements of this bill within 12 years after its enactment. For 10 years after issuance of the regulations, HHS must determine annually whether each state is complying with the transition plan. If a state is complying, HHS must increase by five percentage points the federal medical assistance percentage for a state requesting an increase for expenditures on home and community-based services furnished under the state Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, or a waiver of such plan, that are identified as: (1) improvements to ensure accessibility or self-directed receipt of such services, (2) funding shifts from institutional settings to integrated community-based services, or (3) environmental modifications for housing targeted toward the lowest income individuals. The bill provides for DOJ enforcement and allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Fair Accountability and Innovative Research Drug Pricing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require manufacturers of certain drugs and biological products with a wholesale cost of $100 or more per month to report to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) price increases that result in a 10% or more increase in the cost of a drug over a 12-month period or a 25% or more increase over a 36-month period. Reports are required for prescription drugs and drugs commonly administered in hospitals, except vaccines, drugs for rare conditions, and drugs with annual sales for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees of less than $1. Reports must contain specified information including pricing history and a justification for each price increase in the relevant period. Manufacturers that do not submit a required report are subject to a civil penalty. Collected penalty funds must be used to carry out activities related to this reporting requirement and to improve consumer and provider information about drug value and drug price transparency. HHS must publish manufacturer reports, a summary of those reports, and supporting analyses.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_mn_4_mccollum_betty_200.jpg)