United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), if the Poly Met Mining Corporation, Inc., offers to convey 6,690 acres of non-federal land within the Superior National Forest in St. Louis County and Lake County in Minnesota, to accept the offer and, in exchange, convey 6,650 acres of National Forest System land within the forest to Poly Met. The United States shall reserve the mineral rights on approximately 181 acres of such federal land parcel. Poly Met shall waive any payment otherwise owed to it by the United States to equalize the values of the exchanged lands. Upon conveyance, the non-federal lands shall become part of the forest and be managed in a manner consistent with the land and resource management plan applicable to adjacent federally owned lands in the forest. Upon conveyance, the federal land shall: (1) become private land and be made available for any lawful use in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that pertain to mining and other uses of land in private ownership; and (2) be withdrawn from appropriation and disposal under public land laws and under laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Army Arsenal Revitalization Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of the Army to maintain its military arsenals with sufficient workloads to ensure affordability and technical competence in all critical capability areas by establishing clear, step-by-step, prescriptive guidance on the process for conducting make-or-buy analyses (i.e., whether to manufacture a product in-house or purchase it from a third party), including the use of the organic industrial base. The bill defines "organic industrial base" as U.S. military facilities that advance a vital national security interest by producing necessary materials, munitions, and hardware, including arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants. The bill also requires the Department of Defense to establish a three-year pilot program to permit arsenals to adjust their labor rates charged to customers based upon changes in workload and other factors.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate a program to consolidate and temporarily store commercial spent nuclear fuel during the development, construction, and operation of a permanent nuclear waste repository. The bill addresses federal land withdrawal and related management issues, including the permanent withdrawal of specific federal land for repository use by DOE, updating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process and conditions for the repository, and limiting activities relating to developing a separate defense waste repository used for storing high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel derived from the atomic energy defense activities of DOE. DOE may enter into agreements to provide benefits to state, local, and Tribal governments that might host or be affected by facilities related to storing nuclear waste. The bill revises the method by which DOE funds its nuclear waste management activities though the collection and usage of the Nuclear Waste Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Aquaculture Risk Reduction Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to revise prohibitions on the trade of protected, invasive, or nonnative fish or wildlife across state lines. Specifically, the bill allows a de minimis amount of such fish or wildlife to be included in interstate commercial shipments from aquaculture operations, unless the inclusion was knowing or intentional.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Justin Smith Morrill Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Justin Smith Morrill, a United States Senator from Vermont, for his lasting contributions to higher education opportunity for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act or the 21st Century AIRR Act This bill reauthorizes and modifies Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs. It also establishes the American Air Navigation Services Corporation as a federally chartered, not-for-profit corporation to assume operational control of FAA air traffic services on October 1, 2020. The bill revises requirements for the pilot program for passenger facility charges at nonhub airports and the airport improvement program. The bill extends the authorization for airport development at Midway Island Airport. The Department of Transportation (DOT): shall carry out an environmental mitigation pilot grant program for sponsors of public-use airports; and may make grants to such sponsors for environmental mitigation projects to reduce or mitigate aviation impacts on noise, air quality, or water quality at the airport or within five miles of the airport. DOT shall establish a Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee. The FAA must establish: the FAA Task Force on Flight Standards Reform, a Regulatory Consistency Communications Board, and a safety workforce training strategy. DOT shall take appropriate actions to promote U.S. aerospace standards, products, and services abroad. DOT shall modify regulations regarding flight duty limitations and rest requirements to ensure that: (1) a flight attendant scheduled for a duty period of 14 hours or less is given a scheduled rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours, and (2) the rest period is not reduced under any circumstances. The bill prescribes certain requirements for improving passenger air service. The bill also reauthorizes the essential air service program and the small community air service development program. DOT shall: develop a comprehensive plan to accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems (drones) into the national airspace system, establish a regional air transportation pilot program to provide operating assistance and grants to provide and maintain air service to communities not receiving sufficient air service, and establish a remote air traffic control tower pilot program for rural or small communities. The FAA shall initiate a review of its strategic aviation cybersecurity plan.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to modify the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) work requirements that apply to able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). The bill modifies the work requirements to: terminate the authority of the Department of Agriculture to waive the requirements, upon the request of a state agency, for individuals residing in an area that has an unemployment rate of over 10% or does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment for the individuals; shorten from three months to one month the time limit for receiving benefits in a three-year period without meeting the requirements; decrease from 15% to 5% the portion of ABAWDs that a state may exempt from the requirements; allow participation in a supervised job search to satisfy the requirements; require states receiving SNAP funds to provide ABAWDs with opportunities to participate in a work program, a workfare program, or a supervised job search; and reduce SNAP allotments for states that fail to comply with requirements regarding eligibility disqualifications. The bill also modifies the congressional declaration of policy to specify that the purpose of SNAP is to increase employment, to encourage healthy marriage, and to promote prosperous self-sufficiency (maintaining an income above the poverty level without services and benefits from the federal government).
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Deferment for Active Cancer Treatment Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers to defer student loans while they are receiving cancer treatment and during the six months after treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 This bill shall apply whenever the Department concerned, either the Department of Agriculture for National Forest System (NFS) lands or the Department of the Interior for public lands, prepares an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for specified forest management activities, including those that: will occur on lands identified as suitable for timber production; or will occur on a landscape-scale area designated by the Department concerned as part of an insect and disease treatment program on NSF land pursuant to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, notwithstanding whether such activity is initiated before September 30, 2018. In such an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, the Department concerned shall study, develop, and describe only these two alternatives: the forest management activity, and the alternative of no action. In the case of the alternative of no action, the Department concerned shall evaluate: the effect of no action on forest health, habitat diversity, wildfire potential, insect and disease potential, and timber production; and the implications of a resulting decline in forest health, loss of habitat diversity, wildfire, or insect or disease infestation on domestic water supply in the project area, wildlife habitat loss, and other economic and social factors. The bill establishes categorical exclusions regarding certain other forest management actions. A process is established for declaration of a major disaster for wildfire on federal lands managed by specified federal land management agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Water Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from: conditioning the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement (permit) on the transfer of any water right to the United States or on any impairment of title or interest granted or otherwise recognized under state law by federal or state action; or requiring any water user (including a federally recognized Indian tribe) to apply for or acquire a water right in the name of the United States under state law as a condition of the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of such a permit. In developing any rule or similar federal action relating to the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, such departments: (1) shall recognize the longstanding water use authority of the states and coordinate with the states to ensure that any federal action is consistent with applicable state water law; and (2) shall not adversely affect the authority of a state in permitting the beneficial use of water or adjudicating water rights.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Parental Notification and Intervention Act of 2017 This bill prohibits a person or organization from performing, facilitating, or assisting in the performance of an abortion on an unemancipated minor under age 18 without first complying with parental notification requirements, subject to exceptions. It establishes penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both—for each willful violation. A parent who is required to be notified of an abortion of an unemancipated minor may bring an action in federal district court to prohibit the abortion.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2017
RAC Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to change the official who shall establish, maintain, and appoint the members of resource advisory committees from: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture to the the applicable Regional Forester for land within the National Forest System; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to the applicable Bureau of Land Management State Director for such portions of the revested Oregon and California Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant land under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior classified as timberlands and power-site land valuable for timber that shall be managed for permanent forest production. Any year of a member's service on such a committee, the majority of which was served during a fiscal year in which the committee's budget was less than $1 million, shall not count as a year of such member's term for purposes of the four-year term limit. The bill reduces the number of members of each committee, as well as the number representing each specified community interest category.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act This bill requires the President to include in the annual budget proposal the total level of means-tested welfare spending by the federal, state, and local governments for the most recent fiscal year for which such data is available, and estimated levels for the current and 10 ensuing fiscal years. For each of FY2018-FY2028 each state that receives means-tested welfare spending by the federal government shall report annually to the Congressional Budget Office on the total amount of such spending by the state for the fiscal year. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to define means-tested welfare spending as spending for any federal program designed specifically to give assistance or benefits exclusively to low-income Americans. The refundable portion of certain tax credits shall also be means-tested welfare spending, as well as the refundable portion of the premium and out-of-pocket health care subsidies to be paid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. The bill revises work eligibility requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to create the work preparation program for TANF families. The bill eliminates separate participation rate requirements for two-parent families. No federal funds shall be made available to carry out any means-tested housing program, but states may receive grants to fund their own housing programs. The bill prohibits funding for abortions and for health benefits that cover abortion, including certain tax credits, except where the pregnancy results from rape or incest or in certain other health cases.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Combating BDS Act of 2017 This bill allows a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, prohibit investment of its assets in, or restrict contracting with: (1) an entity that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel; or (2) an entity that owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with such an entity. Such measures are not preempted by federal law. A state or local government that seeks to adopt or enforce such measures shall comply with specified requirements related to notice, timing, and opportunity for comment. In addition, the bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to prohibit a person from bringing any civil, criminal, or administrative action against a registered investment company based solely upon that company's divestment from securities issued by a person that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act or the HOT CARS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue a final rule to require that all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds be equipped with a system for rear seating positions to alert (by an auditory and visual alert that may be combined with a haptic alert) the motor vehicle operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle motor is deactivated. A state shall use a portion of its highway safety program funds to educate the public on the risks of leaving a child or unattended passenger in a vehicle after the vehicle motor is deactivated.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Employee Rights Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to: (1) make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization to interfere (currently, restrain or coerce) with the rights of employees to organize and collectively bargain; (2) require union recertification after a turnover in the workforce exceeding 50% of the bargaining unit; (3) require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing investigating an election petition; and (4) require an employer to provide the NLRB with a list consisting only of employee names and addresses of all eligible voters within seven days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate bargaining unit or an agreement on eligible voters. The bill: (1) grants union and nonunion employees the right to vote by secret ballot on whether to ratify a collective bargaining agreement or engage in a strike, (2) prohibits the use of union dues for any purpose not directly related to collective bargaining, (3) prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all represented employees determined by secret ballot, and (4) prohibits the use or threat of force or violence to obtain the right to represent employees. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Economic Growth and Development Act This bill requires the President to establish a primary interagency mechanism to coordinate U.S. development assistance programs carried out by federal agencies overseas with private sector investment activities. The mechanism shall: streamline the private-sector liaison, coordination, and investment promotion functions of such agencies; facilitate the use of development and finance tools across such agencies to attract greater participation in development activities by the private sector; and establish a single point of contact for U.S. private sector entities pursuing partnership opportunities with such agencies. Federal agencies planning or providing U.S. development assistance overseas shall ensure that: (1) a rigorous analysis of the constraints to economic growth and investment within a recipient country guides any U.S. development strategy, and (2) U.S. development strategies are coordinated with private sector activities in such countries. Each analysis shall identify and analyze: (1) the constraints posed by inadequacies in critical infrastructure, the education system, the rule of law, the tax and investment codes, or the customs or regulatory regimes in the recipient country; and (2) the particular economic sectors that are central to achieving economic growth in the recipient country. The results of each analysis shall be: (1) incorporated into any relevant development strategy, and (2) used to guide the allocation of resources by federal agencies planning or providing U.S. development assistance overseas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Assigning Proper Placement of Executive Action Lawsuits Act or the APPEAL Act This bill provides exclusive original jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for cases regarding an executive order, action, or memorandum.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act This bill modifies the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to: (1) include a projectile that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer for use in a handgun; (2) exclude a projectile that is primarily intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used in a rifle or shotgun and a handgun projectile that is designed for hunting, recreational, or competitive shooting. This bill repeals a prohibition on assembling from imported parts a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that is identical to one prohibited from importation as not being suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. This bill repeals the condition that the Attorney General must approve, as suitable for sporting purposes, the shipment of firearms or ammunition to members of the Armed Forces. The following categories of firearms or ammunition may be authorized for importation into the United States by the Attorney General: (1) ammunition that is not armor piercing; (2) a firearm or ammunition that is being brought in for the use of a federal, state, or local government agency; and (3) a firearm or ammunition that is being imported for the purpose of exportation. The definition of "destructive device" for purposes of federal firearms provisions excludes: (1) a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Department of the Treasury finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for lawful purposes, and (2) an antique or a rifle which the owner intends to use for sporting purposes. The bill authorizes certain temporary interstate transfers of firearms for lawful purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Saving America’s Endangered Species Act or the SAVES Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to limit the scope of the Act to native species. Species that are not native to the United States may not be treated as endangered or threatened species.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act This bill adjusts the boundary of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in Arkansas to include the 7 residences on South Park Street in Little Rock, which consist of 1.47 acres of specified land. The Department of the Interior may enter into separate cooperative agreements with the owners of such residences to mark, interpret, improve, restore, and provide technical assistance for the preservation and interpretation of their properties. Such an agreement must include a provision specifying that no changes or alterations shall be made to the exterior of the properties except by mutual agreement.
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 · 17 May 2017
Expanding Veterans' Access to Choice Act This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to provide that a veteran who lives within 40 miles (calculated on distance traveled) of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, remains eligible to receive Veterans Choice program services through an approved private health care center if: (1) the VA cannot assign a full-time primary care physician to the veteran at any VA facility within such distance, or (2) no VA facility within such distance provides the needed hospital care or medical treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Veterans Equal Treatment Ensures Relief and Access Now Act or the VETERAN Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that, for the purpose of determining eligibility for the premium assistance tax credit, an individual may not be treated as eligible for coverage under certain Department of Veterans Affairs health insurance programs unless the individual is enrolled in the program. The bill applies to the premium assistance credit under current law beginning after 2017 and, if the American Health Care Act of 2017 is enacted, the modified premium assistance credit that would take effect under that bill after 2019. (Under current law, the premium assistance tax credit is a refundable tax credit provided to eligible individuals and families to subsidize the purchase of health insurance plans through an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Individuals eligible for minimum essential health coverage from certain sources other than the individual insurance market are not eligible for the credit.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 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 in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 through FY2017, including provisions concerning secure payments to eligible states, territories, and counties containing federal land. The bill: (1) sets forth special rules for state and county payments for FY2016, and (2) requires all FY2016 payments to be made within 45 days of enactment of this bill. No funds made available to eligible counties under such Act may be used in lieu of, or to otherwise offset, a state funding source for a local school, facility, or educational purpose. The merchantable timber contracting pilot program is repealed. The bill extends through FY2019 the authority under such Act to initiate special projects on such federal lands and certain county activities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, if the American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628) is enacted, to make plans made available by the federal government to Members of Congress and congressional staff subject to state waivers of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requirement for health insurance to cover the essential health benefits and PPACA restrictions on premium variation by age and health status.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Citizens' Right to Know Act of 2017 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funds under a Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program and uses such funds for a pretrial services program to annually report the amount of funds received by the pretrial services program and certain information about participating defendants. DOJ must publish the information. Additionally, DOJ must reduce the grant allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Outer Continental Shelf Energy Access Now Act or the OCEAN Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit the President's authority to prohibit oil and gas leasing on the outer Continental Shelf. The President may prohibit oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf located in a national marine sanctuary designated in accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act or by statute or rule. Any suspension of operations under a lease arising from a state of war or declaration of national emergency shall be for 90 days and may be renewed. The bill rescinds existing moratoriums on oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf other than marine sanctuaries and national monuments. The President may not declare or reserve any ocean waters or lands beneath ocean waters as a national monument.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act of 2017 This bill establishes a three-year budgetary level reduction schedule with respect to unauthorized programs funded through the annual appropriations process. The term "budgetary level" refers to an allocation provided to the congressional appropriations committees under section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by a congressional budget resolution or a deeming resolution. The schedule applies to programs included in the Congressional Budget Office's annual report listing programs that are funded through the appropriations process and have an authorization of appropriations that has either expired or will expire during the year. For the first year after a program's authorization has expired, the bill requires the budgetary level to be reduced by 10% of the funds appropriated for the program in the expiring fiscal year. The bill then requires reductions of 15% in the second and third years before terminating the program at the end of the third unauthorized year. Programs that are reauthorized during the three-year period are exempt from the budgetary level reductions if the reauthorization contains a sunset provision limiting the authorization of appropriations period to no more than three years. The bill establishes the Spending and Accountability Commission to review all mandatory spending programs and submit to Congress a legislative proposal to establish an authorization cycle for discretionary spending programs. The commission may recommend legislation to replace the budgetary level reductions required by this bill with reductions in mandatory spending. The commission's reauthorization schedule must limit reauthorizations to three years, include the budgetary level reductions established by this bill, and establish a mechanism for replacing the budgetary level reductions with reductions to mandatory spending programs. The House of Representatives must consider the commission's proposal using specified expedited legislative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
VA Billing Accountability Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the requirement that a veteran make copayments for medications, hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services if: an error committed by the VA or a VA employee was the cause of delaying copayment notification to the veteran, and the veteran received such notification later than 120 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. In requiring a veteran to make a copayment for care or services provided at a VA or a non-VA medical facility, the VA shall notify the veteran not later than 120 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. If the VA does not provide notification by such date, it may not collect the payment, including through a third-party entity, unless the veteran is provided with: information about applying for a waiver and establishing a payment plan with the VA, and an opportunity to make a waiver or establish a payment plan. The VA shall review and improve its copayment billing internal controls and notification procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico mixed-use fisheries. The bill authorizes a regional fishery management council to use alternative fishery management measures in developing a fishery management plan for a recreational fishery or the recreational component of a mixed-use fishery. The bill establishes a moratorium on any new limited access privilege programs (programs whereby limited access privileges to harvest a quantity of total allowable catch in a fishery are issued by federal permit) in mixed-use fisheries under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. Additionally, the bill establishes exemptions from annual catch limit requirements for certain fisheries. NOAA must follow certain guidelines before issuing a new exempted fishing permit. NOAA must develop a report on facilitating greater incorporation of data, analysis, stock assessments, and surveys from state agencies and nongovernmental sources into fisheries management decisions. NOAA must also establish partnerships with states and make grants to improve recreational fisheries data collection.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Strengthen Employment And Seasonal Opportunities Now (SEASON) Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide, effective as if enacted on January 1, 2017, that a returning H-2B visa alien (temporary nonagricultural worker) who has already been counted toward the applicable numerical limitation during a fiscal year: (1) shall not again be counted toward such limitation during each succeeding consecutive fiscal year in which the alien is issued an H-2B visa or otherwise provided such status, but (2) shall be considered a returning worker. "Other temporary service or labor" for H-2B purposes means that an employer's need for labor will not exceed 1 year and is a seasonal (not to exceed 10 months), peak load, or intermittent need, unless it is a one-time occurrence not exceeding 3 years. An H-2B employer shall file an employee petition with the Department of Homeland Security. Additional filings with the Department of Labor are not required. H-2B employer requirements are set forth regarding: (1) petitions, (2) admissions and maximum stay in status, (3) housing, (4) enforcement, (5) transportation, (6) recruitment, (7) U.S. worker protections, and (8) wages. An H-2B worker shall not be entitled to: (1) tax credit assistance for a qualified health plan, and shall be subject to plan rules applicable to individuals not lawfully present in the United States; (2) the child tax credit; and (3) the earned income tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017 This bill permanently extends the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program (which provides increased payments to certain smaller, rural hospitals that serve a proportionally high number of Medicare patients) and the program for increased payments under Medicare for low-volume hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2017 This bill allows coverage, under Medicare, of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by providers other than primary care physicians and practitioners. Additionally, it allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017 This bill modifies requirements regarding access to preferred pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies that provide reduced enrollee cost sharing for prescription drugs) under a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP). Specifically, if a Medicare PDP has, in its pharmacy network, one or more preferred pharmacies located in a health shortage or medically underserved area, then the PDP sponsor must allow any pharmacy in the health shortage or medically underserved area to join the preferred pharmacy network under comparable terms and conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to shield a health care professional from liability under federal or state law for harm caused by any act or omission if: (1) the professional is serving as a volunteer in response to a disaster; and (2) the act or omission occurs during the period of the disaster, in the professional's capacity as a volunteer, and in a good faith belief that the individual being treated is in need of health care services. This protection from liability does not apply if: (1) the harm was caused by an act or omission constituting willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; or (2) the professional rendered the health care services under the influence of alcohol or an intoxicating drug.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to lands under their respective jurisdictions, to ensure that all existing and future rights-of-way for electrical transmission and distribution facilities on such lands include requirements for utility vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance activities that: are developed in consultation with the holder of the right-of-way; enable the owner or operator of a facility to operate it in good working order and comply with federal, state, and local electric system reliability and fire safety requirements; and minimize the need for case-by-case or annual approvals, and instead provide for expedited review and approval, for routine vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance activities within existing electrical transmission and distribution rights-of-way, as well as utility vegetation management activities necessary to control hazard trees within or adjacent to electrical transmission and distribution rights-of-way. Interior and the USDA shall give facility owners and operators the option to submit to the appropriate agency a vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plan. Interior and the USDA shall apply its categorical exclusion process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to plans developed under this bill. (A "categorical exclusion" under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Safe Agriculture Production Act of 2017 This bill amends the Plant Protection Act to allow state, local, or tribal governments to use methyl bromide as a fumigant if: (1) the use is required to respond to an emergency concerning a significant economic loss of crops to pests or diseases, and (2) the Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not object to that use within a specified time period. The bill allows this use of methyl bromide during an emergency event regardless of whether the use is registered and included in the label approved for the product by the Environmental Protection Agency under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The bill limits the amount of methyl bromide that may be used per emergency event at a specific location to not more than 20 metric tons. The aggregate amount of methyl bromide used in the United States each year may not exceed the total amount authorized under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The bill gives USDA exclusive authority for determining which species are considered quarantine pests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
Larry Doby 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 in honor of Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Lacey Act and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 by exempting certain water transfers between public water supplies located on, along, or across the boundaries of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana from prohibitions on illegal trade of plants and wildlife. Specifically, the prohibitions do not apply to covered water transfers containing a prohibited species if: (1) the species are present in both public water supplies before the transfer and the water is transferred directly between them; or (2) the water is transferred in a closed conveyance system (a closed system that collects, contains, and transports the flow of water, such as pipe systems) and sent directly to treatment facilities where the species will be destroyed.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) require the payment system for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services to feature certain positive annual adjustments equivalent to those made with respect to hospital outpatient department (OPD) services; (2) revise quality reporting requirements to permit publicly available, side-by-side comparisons of quality measures for ASCs and OPDs in the same geographic area; and (3) require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), when excluding requested procedures from the list of those approved to be performed in ASCs, to cite specified reasons for doing so. With respect to excluding procedures from the approved list for ASCs, HHS may not cite as a basis for exclusion that a procedure can only be reported using an unlisted surgical procedure code. (Physicians sometimes use unlisted codes when performing new procedures or services if no existing code is adequately descriptive.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use the VA's existing authority to furnish health care to veterans at non-VA facilities to provide health care at non-VA facilities to veterans who reside more than 40 miles driving distance from the closest VA medical facility providing the care they seek.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Israel Anti-Boycott Act This bill declares that Congress: (1) opposes the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution of March 24, 2016, which urges countries to pressure companies to divest from, or break contracts with, Israel; and (2) encourages full implementation of the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 through enhanced, governmentwide, coordinated U.S.-Israel scientific and technological cooperation in civilian areas. The bill amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to declare that it shall be U.S. policy to oppose: requests by foreign countries to impose restrictive practices or boycotts against other countries friendly to the United States or against U.S. persons; and restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by an international governmental organization, or requests to impose such practices or boycotts, against Israel. The bill prohibits any U.S. person engaged interstate or foreign commerce from supporting: any request by a foreign country to impose any boycott against a country that is friendly to the United States and that is not itself the object of any form of boycott pursuant to United States law or regulation, or any boycott fostered or imposed by any international governmental organization against Israel or any request by any international governmental organization to impose such a boycott. The bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to include as a reason for the Export-Import Bank to deny credit applications for the export of goods and services between the United States and foreign countries, opposition to policies and actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of Israel, entities organized under the laws of Israel, or the government of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Small Business Assistance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt returning workers from the nonimmigrant H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural services) annual numerical limitations through FY2017. Such amendment shall take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2016.
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
Dentist and Optometric Care Access Act or the DOC Access Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group health plans and individual health insurance coverage from setting rates for items and services provided by a doctor of optometry, of dental surgery, or of dental medicine for which the plan or insurer does not pay a substantial amount. An agreement between a plan or insurer and such a doctor: (1) may only be changed with the doctor's acknowledgement and acceptance, and (2) may last longer than two years only with the prior acceptance of the doctor for each term extension if the agreement is for limited scope dental or vision benefits. Such a doctor must be allowed to participate in: (1) a plan or coverage without accepting terms for ancillary services or procedures, and (2) a provider network without participating in a specific limited scope dental or vision benefit plan. Plans and insurers may not: (1) directly communicate with an enrolled individual in a manner that interferes with an existing doctor-patient relationship or a state or federal requirement, or (2) restrict such a doctor's choice of laboratories or suppliers. The bill establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by a violation of this bill. The bill is preempted by state laws regarding health insurers and dental or vision benefit plans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Transportation and Logistics Hiring Reform Act of 2017 This bill establishes a national hiring standard for motor carriers. The bill defines an"entity" as a person acting as: a shipper (excluding an individual shipper) or a consignee; a broker, a freight forwarder, or a household goods freight forwarder; a non-vessel-operating common carrier, an ocean freight forwarder, or an ocean transportation intermediary; an indirect air carrier authorized to operate under a Standard Security Program approved by the Transportation Security Administration; a federally licensed customs broker; an interchange motor carrier; or a warehouse. Before tendering a shipment, but not more than 35 days before the pickup of a shipment by the hired motor carrier, an entity shall verify that the carrier: is registered with and authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to operate as a motor carrier or household goods motor carrier, has the minimum insurance coverage required by federal law, and does not have an unsatisfactory safety fitness rating issued by the FMCSA and has not otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations. Only evidence of an entity's compliance with this bill may be admitted as evidence in a civil action for damages resulting from a case or proceeding in which it is alleged that such entity's selection or retention of a motor carrier was negligent. No other motor carrier data created or maintained by the FMCSA, including safety measurement system data or analysis of such data, may be admitted in such case or proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Fair and Open Competition Act or FOCA Act This bill prohibits a federal executive agency that awards any construction contract after the enactment of this bill from requiring or prohibiting a contract bidder from entering into agreements with labor organizations (i.e., Project Labor Agreements [PLAs]) or otherwise discriminating against a bidder or contractor who signs, or refuses to sign, a PLA. Agencies that award grants, provide financial assistance, or enter into cooperative agreements for construction projects after the enactment of this bill must ensure that the bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents for such projects do not contain any requirements or prohibitions relating to PLAs. An agency may exempt a particular project or grant from the prohibition of this bill if it determines that special circumstances exist requiring an exemption to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve the national security.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to work with a consortium, including the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium, to support efforts to address cybersecurity risks and incidents, including threats or acts of terrorism. DHS may work with such a consortium to assist its national cybersecurity and communications integration center to: provide training to state and local first responders and officials, develop curriculums, and provide technical assistance; conduct cross-sector cybersecurity training and simulation exercises for state and local governments, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and private industry; help states and communities develop cybersecurity information sharing programs; and help incorporate cybersecurity risk and incident prevention and response into existing state and local emergency plans and continuity of operations plans. DHS's authority to carry out this bill terminates five years after its enactment.
![Official portrait of Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000821_200.jpg)