United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of State to submit an annual, publicly-available report to Congress that includes: (1) a list of individuals holding specified senior Chinese leadership positions at the national and subnational levels; and (2) an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China. Such assessment shall include: a comparison with the level of access granted to other areas of China, a comparison between the levels of access granted to Tibetan and non-Tibetan areas in relevant provinces, a comparison of the level of access in the reporting year and the previous year, and a description of the measures that impede the freedom to travel in Tibetan areas. Listed persons shall be ineligible for a visa to enter or to be present in the United States if specified restrictions on foreign travelers entering Tibetan areas remain in effect, subject to a national interests waiver. Expresses the sense of Congress that the State Department, when granting Chinese diplomats access to parts of the United States, should take into account the extent to which China grants U.S. diplomats access to parts of China, including the Tibetan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act This bill designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of land within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
ABLE Age Adjustment Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to qualified ABLE programs, to increase the age threshold for eligibility for such programs from 26 to 46. (Tax-favored ABLE [Achieving a Better Life Experience] accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017 This bill requires a state that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to train law enforcement officers on diversity and sensitivity. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may reduce by up to 20% the JAG allocation of a state that fails to comply. Additionally, the bill requires a state or local government that receives JAG funding to have in effect a law requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate and prosecute an offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury. DOJ must reduce by 20% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill amends equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) restrict the use of the bona fide factor defense to wage discrimination claims, (2) enhance nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) make it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increase civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs shall train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to: (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace is established for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Recognizes the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2017 This bill allows Medicare payment for home health services ordered by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act to prohibit the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) and state regulatory authorities from accepting new self-bonds for coal reclamation. Additionally, any existing self-bonds or corporate bonds utilized for coal reclamation must be converted to surety or collateral bonds. The OSMRE may approve state or federal alternative coal mining bond programs that result in no greater risk of financial liability to the federal government than a surety or collateral bond program. The bill also requires the OSMRE to issue rules establishing limitations on surety bonds to minimize the financial liability to the federal or state government.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions regarding those wildlife species to include: (1) certain entities that hold Class C licenses in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and (2) current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those entities and owners may not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species. A person who knowingly violates the prohibition must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. The bill considers each violation to be a separate offense. The offense must be deemed to have been committed not only in the district where the violation first occurred, but also in any district in which the defendant may have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Congressional Leadership In Mitigating Administration Threats to the Earth Act or the CLIMATE Act This bill nullifies the Executive Order entitled "Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth" that was released on March 28, 2017. No federal funds may be used to implement or enforce the order. The bill takes effect on March 28, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2017 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Veterans Equal Access Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to authorize VA health care providers to: (1) provide veterans with recommendations and opinions regarding participation in their state's marijuana programs, and (2) complete forms reflecting such recommendations and opinions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Small Business Tax Equity Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt a trade or business that conducts marijuana sales in compliance with state law from the prohibition against allowing business-related tax credits or deductions for expenditures in connection with trafficking in controlled substances.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act This bill establishes a comprehensive women's history museum within the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, to provide for: (1) the collection, study, and establishment of programs related to women's contributions that have influenced the direction of the United States; (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian museums and facilities, outside museums, and educational institutions; and (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs that recognize diverse perspectives on women's history and contributions. The bill establishes a council within the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) make recommendations to the Smithsonian's Board of Regents for the construction of the museum; (2) advise and assist the board on the administration and preservation of the museum; (3) recommend annual operating budgets for the museum; and (4) report annually to the board on the acquisition, disposition, and display of objects related to women's art, history, and culture. The council shall have sole authority to: (1) acquire artifacts for the museum's collections, (2) dispose of any part of the collections but only if funds generated are used for additions to the collections, (3) specify criteria for the use of the museum's collections and resources, and (4) preserve and maintain the collections. The museum's director may carry out educational and liaison programs in support of its goals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 201 7 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing or renewing a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
This bill amends provisions of various laws relating to prescription-drug pricing and affordability. Specifically, the bill: expands reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and establishes corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance; adds reporting requirements for certain nonprofit patient-assistance programs; requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on the impact of patient-assistance programs on prescription-drug pricing and expenditures; requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs under the Medicare program; requires the GAO to report to Congress on such negotiations conducted by the CMS; requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the CMS to test specified models for negotiating drug prices; establishes reporting requirements, and corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance, for pharmaceutical companies with respect to spikes in prescription-drug prices; establishes an excise tax on prescription drugs subject to price spikes; lessens prescription-drug cost-sharing requirements under qualified health plans, group health plans, and the Medicare program; modifies provisions related to the importation of prescription drugs; requires drug manufacturers to provide drug rebates for drugs dispensed to certain low-income individuals under the Medicare program; establishes a prize fund for new and more effective treatments of bacterial infections; establishes a Center for Clinical Research within the National Institutes of Health; modifies provisions related to drug exclusivity; allows the Federal Trade Commission to initiate enforcement proceedings against parties to an agreement resolving or settling a patent-infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug product; requires the Food and Drug Administration to establish a database of generic drugs; and modifies other provisions related to generic drugs, prescription-drug advertising, and product hopping.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 or the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions on public health and on affected people, families, and communities. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV. DOJ must transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. DOJ and HHS must: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. DOJ, HHS, and DOD must transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. This bill shall not be construed to discourage the prosecution of individuals who intentionally transmit or attempt to transmit HIV to another individual.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Walter Patterson and Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act This bill directs the President to report annually to Congress regarding: (1) the number of fugitives and others residing in other countries for whom the United States is seeking extradition or rendition, together with a list of those countries; (2) U.S. diplomatic and other efforts to secure such fugitives' return; (3) the average length of time these cases have been outstanding; (4) the number of satisfactorily resolved cases; (5) factors that have been barriers to case resolution; and (6) information on the number of U.S. citizens whose extradition has been sought by other countries during the past five years, a list of those countries seeking extradition, and the outcomes of those requests.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act or the MAR-A-LAGO Act This bill directs the President to establish and update, every 90 days, a publicly available database that contains records of: the name of each visitor at the White House, residence of the Vice-President, or any other location at which the President or Vice President regularly conducts official business (covered location); the name of each individual with whom the visitor met at the covered location; and the purpose of the visit. The President shall not include in the database any such record: (1) the posting of which would implicate personal privacy or law enforcement concerns or threaten national security, or (2) relating to a purely personal guest at a covered location. For a particularly sensitive meeting, the President shall: (1) include in the database the number of visitors at the covered location, and (2) post the applicable records in the database when their release is no longer sensitive.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) support advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish a Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund; (2) modify the definition of subpart F income (i.e., income of a controlled foreign corporation earned outside the United States that is not tax-deferred) to include income of a controlled foreign corporation derived from a foreign country; and (3) transfer to the fund revenues from the newly included subpart F income. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture must allocate funds from the trust fund to specified clean water programs, drinking water programs, and water well systems. The bill amends Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the EPA to make grants for providing technical assistance concerning water and sanitation infrastructure and drinking water systems to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments. The EPA must establish a grant program for repairing, replacing, or upgrading septic tanks and drainage fields. The bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make permanent a grant program for household water well systems in rural areas. The bill revises requirements concerning the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) and the drinking water SRF. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the EPA to make grants to local educational agencies for: (1) infrastructure to ensure that drinking water in schools is lead free, and (2) testing drinking water in schools for lead.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to furnish fertility treatment and counseling, including through the use of assisted reproductive technology, to a severely wounded, ill, or injured member of the Armed Forces who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty (covered member) or to the spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate of such member. DOD shall: establish procedures for gamete retrieval from a member of the Armed Forces in cases in which the fertility of such member is potentially jeopardized as a result of an injury or illness incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty; and give members of the Armed Forces on active duty the opportunity to cryopreserve and store their gametes prior to a combat zone deployment at no cost to the member. Fertility counseling and treatment are included within authorized Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical services. The VA shall furnish such treatment and services to a jointly applying covered veteran and his or her spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate. The VA may pay the adoption expenses (for up to three adoptions) for a covered member who is enrolled in the VA health care system. The VA shall facilitate research conducted collaboratively by DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the VA's ability to meet the reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty that affects the veterans' reproductive ability. The VA shall enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans contact center to: (1) respond to assistance requests, and (2) refer such veterans to federal or community resources. The pilot program of group retreat reintegration and readjustment counseling for women veterans recently separated from service is enlarged and extended. The bill provides child care assistance to qualified veterans for: (1) mental health care services, and (2) readjustment counseling and related mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Celebrates, during Women's History Month, the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks. Honors Lacks as a hero of modern medicine for contributions to the medical discoveries resulting from her HeLa cells, which helped make possible some of the most important medical advances of the last century. Recognizes her legacy, which has contributed to developments in bioethics and patient rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Infrastructure 2.0 Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of earnings and profits of a deferred foreign income corporation, to: (1) make such earnings and profits subject to taxation in the last year that ends before the enactment of this bill; (2) reduce the tax rate on such earnings and profits by allowing an exemption of 75% (equal to a tax of 8.75% of repatriated earnings and profits); and (3) allow corporations to pay the tax in installments. The bill also: establishes and provides appropriations for a fund to assist various public and private entities in investing in public infrastructure projects, appropriates revenues from this bill to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), establishes a commission to make recommendations to achieve long-term solvency of the HTF and requires Congress to consider the proposed legislation using expedited procedures, and directs the Department of Transportation to establish a regional infrastructure accelerator pilot program to assist public entities in developing infrastructure projects. The bill establishes a deadline of 18 months after the enactment of this bill for the enactment of legislation to reform the international tax system by eliminating the incentive to hold earnings in low-tax foreign jurisdictions. If the legislation is not enacted by the deadline, a specified reform proposal takes effect, which includes provisions relating to subpart F income and insurance income, the taxation of repatriated offshore corporate earnings, gains and losses from the sale or exchange of stock in controlled foreign corporations, limitations on the foreign tax credit, and the tax treatment of previously deferred foreign income.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor 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 emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to help finance the construction of a new building and renovation of existing National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, in seeking to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against religious and ethnic groups in the Middle East, should draw upon relevant lessons of the U.S. government, civil society, and humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide, Seyfo, and the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. The bill makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Student Agriculture Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of a student farmer up to $5,000 of the gain from the sale or exchange of personal property (including livestock, crops, and agricultural mechanics or shop products) produced or raised by the student farmer. A student farmer is an individual who is under 19 years of age and is enrolled in: (1) a program established by the National FFA Organization; (2) a 4-H Club or other program established by 4-H; or (3) a student agriculture program that is under the direction or guidance of an agricultural educator, advisor, or club leader. To qualify for the exclusion, the production and sale or exchange of the property must be supervised by one of the specified agriculture programs. The sale or exchange must also occur during qualified public entertainment or convention and trade show activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 This bill makes it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies DOJ of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. The bill makes it unlawful for a person not licensed under this bill to transfer possession of a firearm at a gun show to another person not licensed unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has, among other conditions, recorded the transfer with DOJ. Additionally, the licensed dealer must notify the prospective transferor and transferee of the firearm that the national instant criminal background check system has provided the dealer with a unique identification number indicating that the receipt of the firearm would not violate certain federal or state firearm laws. The bill grants DOJ authority to enter, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, any place where a gun show is held or where a gun show operator is required to maintain records to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Student Loan Refinancing Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow a borrower of a Federal Direct Loan program loan to modify the interest rate on such a loan to the current applicable rate. That interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan, unless the borrower elects to modify it again.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require an applicant for approval of a new animal drug that is a medically important antimicrobial to demonstrate that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Medically important antimicrobials are drugs intended for use in food-producing animals that contain: (1) specified antibiotics, or (2) certain drugs on the World Health Organization’s list of critically important antimicrobials. Two years after enactment of this bill, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must withdraw approval of a drug's nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals unless the FDA makes a determination that, based on the application holder's demonstration or an FDA risk analysis, there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. The FDA must rescind an exemption for investigational use of, or approval of a new drug application for, a medically important antimicrobial for its nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals two years after the exemption is granted or the application for approval is submitted unless there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. A medically important antimicrobial cannot be administered (including through animal feed) to a food-producing animal for disease control unless there is a significant risk that a disease or infection present on the premises will be transmitted to the animal.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Donald Payne Sr. Colorectal Cancer Detection Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage and payment, subject to specified frequency limits, of certain colorectal cancer screening blood-based tests.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Mary Jo Lawyer Spano Mesothelioma Patient Registry Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to develop a patient registry to collect data on mesothelioma. The agency must use the registry to: enhance and expand infrastructure and activities for tracking the epidemiology of mesothelioma patients; collect, consolidate, and report on health information on mesothelioma patients; describe the incidence and prevalence of mesothelioma in the United States; facilitate research on mesothelioma; examine factors that may be associated with mesothelioma; outline key demographic factors associated with mesothelioma; and make information available to the public to facilitate and enhance research on, and the prevention and treatment of, mesothelioma.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
This bill exempts the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from any action by the President to prevent federal agencies from creating or filling civilian employee positions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
United States Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs Act of 2017 Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State an Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or the HELLPP Act This bill adds podiatrists as covered physicians under the Medicaid program. Documentation requirements related to Medicare coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes are revised. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier to a continuing levy for federal taxes owed by the provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
American Patriots of WWII through Service with the Canadian and British Armed Forces Gold Medal Act of 2017 This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to all U.S. nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and British armed forces and their supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Native American Indian Education Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Department of Education, for FY2018-FY2022, to pay Native American-serving, nontribal institutions of higher education the tuition of their out-of-state Native American students. This applies only to schools that are required to provide a tuition-free education, with the support of their state, to Native American students as a condition under which the college or state received its original grant of land and facilities from the federal government. Payments are treated as reimbursements to institutions from their states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2017
Healthy Families Act This bill requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The bill authorizes small employers with fewer than 15 employees to provide the same paid sick time, but allows them to opt out. Any small employer that opts out shall provide at least 56 hours of unpaid sick time to each employee per calendar year. The bill declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Employees may use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members (including a domestic partner or the domestic partner's parent or child); or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. The Commissioner of Labor Statistics must compile information annually on paid sick time and the Comptroller General shall study related matters. The bill declares that nothing in this bill shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies. The Department of Labor shall exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by this bill, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. The same authority is granted to the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board for employees under their jurisdictions. The bill authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Statue of Liberty Values Act 2.0 of 2017 or the SOLVE Act 2.0 of 2017 This bill states that: (1) beginning on March 6, 2017, Executive Order 13780, entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," is null and void, shall have no force and effect, and may not be implemented or enforced; and (2) no federal funds may be used to implement or enforce any of the policy changes set forth in such order. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from sixcountries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
ICE Body Camera Act of 2017 This bill directs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure that all deportation officers of its Enforcement and Removal Operations wear body cameras when engaged in field operations or removal proceedings. ICE must establish policies for: when officers should wear, activate, and deactivate such cameras; the effective placement of such cameras; receiving and storing accurate recordings; the proper management and use of such cameras; and the availability of recordings to the subjects of removal proceedings, victims of crime, and the general public and for internal use by law enforcement officials. A recording shall be provided to each party to any administrative proceeding, civil action, or criminal prosecution to which it pertains.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act or the PACT Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise and expand provisions with respect to animal crushing. It retains existing criminal offenses that prohibit knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video using interstate commerce. The bill also adds a new provision to criminalize an intentional act of animal crushing. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. It provides additional exceptions for conduct, or a video of conduct, including conduct that is: (1) medical or scientific research, (2) necessary to protect the life or property of a person, (3) performed as part of euthanizing an animal, or (4) unintentional.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Expresses sympathy and condolences to the families of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, as well as to Alok Madasani, Ian Grillot, and all victims of hate crime throughout the United States. (Kuchibhotla, Madasani, and Grillot were shot in Olathe, Kansas, on February 22, 2017. Kuchibhotla was killed; Madasani and Grillot were injured.) Urges the Department of Justice to carry out a full hate crime investigation into these attacks and ensure that adequate funding and resources are available to carry out other hate crimes investigations, including additional funding for Civil Rights Division prosecutors and Community Relations Service professionals. Calls on the President to end his inflammatory rhetoric and policies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Securing American Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a Non-Profit Security Grant Program in the Department of Homeland Security, under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall make grants to tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations determined to be at risk of a terrorist attack, through the state in which such organizations are located, for target hardening and other security enhancements. A nonprofit organization shall not be ineligible for such a grant solely because it is not located within a jurisdiction receiving funding under the Urban Area Security Initiative. Recipients may use grants for: the acquisition or installation of certain security equipment, including on their real property, specifically to prevent or protect against the risk of a terrorist attack; and fees for training relating to the protection of critical infrastructure key resources, including for physical security and cybersecurity, target hardening, terrorism awareness, and employee awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
No Taxpayer Funding for the Wall Act This bill prohibits: (1) any federal agency from obligating or expending any federal funds to carry out provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 regarding barriers at the border or any related provision of law or to otherwise build a border fence, wall, or related physical barriers along the U.S. southern border; and (2) a state from using federal grant funds for such purpose. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must conduct an audit each fiscal year to assess compliance with such prohibition. If the GAO is unable to confirm compliance, the Office of Management and Budget and federal agencies must take specified actions to reduce funds for federal agencies and states until the GAO is able to confirm compliance. The bill authorizes the President to enter into a treaty, approved by the Senate, with a foreign country to pay for the costs associated with carrying out such border barrier activities. The Inspector General of the federal agency responsible for carrying out such treaty shall oversee the use of funds received and expended pursuant to such treaty. The OMB shall: (1) include a statement of budgetary impact of and related to any executive order or presidential memorandum issued relating to border security during FY2017-FY2021; and (2) establish a publicly available website to track and display funds received from other non-federal sources, including foreign governments, to build a barrier along the souther border.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Requests the President, and directs the Attorney General, to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after adoption of this resolution copies of any document or other communication in their possession that refers or relates to: any meeting or communication between Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and any representative of the Russian government; the Attorney General's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10, 2017, his written response to Senator Patrick Leahy's letter of January 17, 2017, his letter of March 6, 2017, to such committee, his preparation for confirmation hearings before such committee with respect to contact between President Trump's campaign and any Russian government representative, and his recusal from any investigation related to the 2016 presidential election and the implementation of that recusal; the application of provisions regarding grounds for appointing a Special Counsel to any case involving the 2016 presidential election or any related matter; and any meeting between any employee of President Trump's campaign or transition team and any Russian government representative, including any meeting that involved Donald J. Trump, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, Carter Page, J.D. Gordon, Richard Burt, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, or Michael Cohen.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Directs the Department of the Treasury to provide to the House of Representatives the full tax returns of President Donald J. Trump for tax years 2006-2015, financial documentation, and any information in its possession that specifies President Trump's: debts held by foreign governments and foreign companies; investments in foreign countries and foreign enterprises; and use of any tax shelters, corporate structures, tax avoidance maneuvers, abatements, or other loopholes to reduce or eliminate tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make trafficking in firearms a crime. Specifically, it prohibits: purchasing or transferring a firearm with the intent to deliver it to a prohibited person; providing false or misleading material information in connection with a firearm purchase or transfer; and directing, promoting, or facilitating such prohibited conduct. The prohibition does not apply to a firearm lawfully acquired to give as a gift or lawfully received as a gift. A person who commits a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 20 years (or 25 years if such person also acted as an organizer). A person who conspires to commit a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 10 years. The U.S. Sentencing Commission must review and, if appropriate, amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements that apply to persons convicted of trafficking in firearms.
![Official portrait of Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_mn_4_mccollum_betty_200.jpg)