United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Celebrates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. Encourages equitable treatment of Israel in international fora and the diplomatic recognition of Israel from governments worldwide. Reiterates support for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement leading to a two-state solution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Repeated Objectionable Bothering of Consumers on Phones Act or the ROBOCOP Act This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) require providers of text messaging or voice services, for no additional charge, to enable technology that verifies the accuracy of caller ID information; (2) require providers to offer subscribers optional free robocall-technology blocking technology; and (3) provide an exemption process for subscribers originating a call if there is a need to provide misleading or inaccurate information (such as a call to conduct an activity of a domestic violence shelter or medical practice). The bill allows private actions to enjoin or recover damages for violations of the FCC's caller identification technology standards. States may bring civil actions for a pattern or practice of a failure to provide such technology or options. The bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make it unlawful for persons within or outside the United States, with the intent to cause harm, to intentionally interfere with call-blocking technology. The FCC must report on whether the requirements of this bill have reduced unwanted calls to consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018
Special Counsel Transparency Act of 2018 This bill establishes reporting requirements with respect to a special counsel appointed under Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations. Specifically, it establishes these requirements: a special counsel must report periodically on the status of an investigation; a special counsel who is removed from office must report on the status of an investigation, as of the date of dismissal; and DOJ must report on the status of an investigation following the removal of a special counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2018
VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of certain forms of cannabis and cannabis delivery for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system diagnosed with conditions such as chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder. Collected data shall be preserved in a manner that facilitates further research.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Hemp Farming Act of 2018 This bill legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration of no more than 0.3% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. States and Indian tribes may regulate the production of hemp by submitting a plan to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill also makes hemp producers eligible for the federal crop insurance program and certain USDA research grants.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018
Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 This bill extends access to Department of Defense commissaries and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) facilities to Purple Heart recipients, veterans with a service-connected disability, Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war, and veteran caregivers. (Commissaries are grocery/department stores on military installations that sell food and some household items. MWR facilities offer a range of services on bases including libraries, outdoor recreation, dining, golf courses, and sports and fitness centers.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed official: may only be removed by the Attorney General or the most senior Senate-confirmed DOJ official, in certain circumstances; may only be removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause; must be provided written notice that specifies the reason for removal; and may file an action to challenge the removal not later than 10 days after notice was provided.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018
Reduce Unemployment for Veterans of All Ages Act of 2018 This bill makes all veterans with qualifying employment handicaps or service-connected disabilities eligible for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs by eliminating the 12-year period of program eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018
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 · 26 March 2018
Areawide Integrated Pest Management Act of 2018 or the AIPM Act of 2018 This bill amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to expand the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program to include grants to colleges, universities, and other entities for qualified areawide integrated pest management projects to prevent the spread of pests and invasive species. The bill establishes an areawide integrated pest management committee to consider stakeholder feedback and determine priorities for the projects. The projects must be implemented on a landscape scale or larger and include collaboration with specified federal, regional, state, and nongovernmental entities. The projects may prevent the spread of pests and invasive species through: prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression; educational programs; and physical, mechanical, cultural biologically-based, or chemical controls. A qualified project must: provide for significant benefits for the prevention, eradication, or management of pests and invasive species; provide for economic and environmental benefits to agriculture, individuals, wildlife, and the environment; address the annual priorities established by the integrated pest management committee; last no more than five years; establish a regional advisory committee to oversee the project; and involve the cooperative extension services in translating the results of research into practical information and tools to be shared. USDA must transfer to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the authority for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about March 23, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018
Federal Retirement Fairness Act This bill modifies the federal civilian service that is creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Specifically, it allows service as a temporary or intermittent employee performed after December 1, 1988, to be creditable under FERS if an employee or Member deposits a certain amount into the retirement fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2018 This bill prohibits discrimination, under a federally assisted program, against public school students on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. The bill authorizes federal departments and agencies to terminate the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating this prohibition. An aggrieved individual may assert a violation of this bill in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources, and Care Act or the EMPOWER Care Act This bill amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend funding through FY2022 for the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and to otherwise revise the program. (Under this program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must award grants to state Medicaid programs to assist in rebalancing states' long-term care systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act This bill makes veterans who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for any mental illness through the Department of Veterans Affairs, notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the mental illness is attributable to such service.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from requiring a veteran's surviving spouse to return payments of dependent's compensation or of a pension as a married veteran for the month in which the veteran dies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Stemming the Tide of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide Act or the STRESS Act This bill amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, which is a Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to provide grants for programs that provide mental health services to individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations. The bill also sets forth requirements for USDA to review and evaluate the stress assistance programs carried out using the grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere Act or the NURSE Act This bill establishes a competitive demonstration grant program through which the Department of Education (ED) shall award matching funds to increase the number of school nurses in public elementary and secondary schools served by an eligible entity. An eligible entity is a state educational agency or local educational agency (LEA) in which at least 20% of students are eligible to participate in the school lunch program. In awarding grant funds, ED shall give priority to high-need LEAs that demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional nursing services. A high-need LEA is one in which at least 40% and no fewer than 15,000 students are eligible to participate in the school lunch program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2018
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act This bill reaffirms the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reservation as trust land in Massachusetts. In addition, the bill requires actions, including actions pending in federal court, relating to the land to be dismissed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2018
Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by a U.S. citizen parent. (Currently, an adopted child must have been under 18 years old as of February 27, 2001, in order to qualify for automatic citizenship.) An individual born outside of the United States who was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent shall automatically become a U.S. citizen when the following conditions have been fulfilled: the individual was adopted by a U.S. citizen before the individual reached age 18, the individual was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant to a lawful admission before the individual reached age 18, the individual never acquired U.S. citizenship before the enactment of this bill, and the individual was lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this bill. An individual who meets such criteria, except for lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this bill, shall automatically become a U.S. citizen on the date on which the individual is physically present in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission. A visa may not be issued to such an individual unless: the individual was subjected to a criminal background check, and the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State coordinated with law enforcement agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken regarding any unresolved criminal activity. Automatic citizenship may not be granted to an individual who was deported for an offense that involved the use of physical force against another person.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2018
Clean and Efficient Cars Act of 2018 This bill provides statutory authority for rules concerning corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for automobiles with model years 2021 through 2025 and greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles (e.g., trucks) with model years 2017 through 2025. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for rules issued in 2012 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the CAFE standards and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the greenhouse gas emission standards. NHTSA and the EPA may not take actions that could reduce the stringency of the standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2018
Directing Implementation of Sanctions and Accountability for Russian Mischief Act or the DISARM Act This bill directs the President to impose property-blocking and U.S. entry sanctions against certain senior Russian foreign political figures or oligarchs and parastatal entities (and associated individuals) not currently subject to sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2018
Ski Area Fee Retention Act This bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to establish the Ski Area Fee Retention Account. A specified portion of rental charges for ski area permits on a Forest Service unit shall be deposited in such account, and a specified portion of such amounts shall be available to such unit for ski area administration, improvements, and visitor services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2018
Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act of 2018 This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment of cancer care planning and coordination services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2018
Undo Sabotage and Expand Affordability of Health Insurance Act of 2018 This bill makes a series of changes relating to health insurance coverage, costs, and funding mechanisms. Among other things, the bill expands requirements relating to coverage of preexisting conditions to include short-term, limited-duration insurance and also establishes a national reinsurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2018
This bill requires the Surgeon General to report annually to Congress on the effects of gun violence on public health and the status of actions taken to address those effects.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Global Food Security Act of 2016 to revise policy objectives and to: (1) extend through FY2021 the program to carry out those portions of the global food security strategy that relate to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and (2) expand requirements for reporting by the President regarding strategy implementation. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to extend through FY2021 the assistance program for international disaster relief and rehabilitation, including the set-aside for the emergency food security program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled "Restoring Internet Freedom." The rule published on February 22, 2018: (1) restores the classification of broadband Internet access service as a lightly-regulated "information service"; (2) reinstates private mobile service classification of mobile broadband Internet access service; (3) requires Internet service providers to disclose information about their network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of service; and (4) eliminates the Internet Conduct Standard and the bright-line rules.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
This bill removes the prohibition on TRICARE Standard eligibility for members of the Selected Reserve of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the federal health benefits program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2018
Raise the Age Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for a licensed gun dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector to sell or deliver a semiautomatic center-fire rifle that has the capacity to accept more than five rounds to an individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21. The prohibition does not apply if the individual under age 21 is a full-time law enforcement officer or active-duty member of the Armed Forces. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation must report to Congress on the operation of its public access line, including the protocols and procedures with respect to information sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2018
Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is: (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The legislation amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to require law enforcement agencies to be notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a grandfathered SAW. It also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a Financing Energy Efficient Manufacturing Program that provides grants for projects that: (1) improve the energy efficiency of small- or medium-sized manufacturers that employ no more than 750 employees, and (2) develop technologies to reduce electricity or natural gas use by the manufacturers. The bill establishes labor requirements for projects that receive grant funding under this bill. In addition, the bill establishes a requirement that grant projects only use iron and steel products that are produced in the United States, unless DOE grants a waiver of the requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Safe Staffing for Nurse and Patient Safety Act of 2018 This bill requires hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, to develop staffing plans for nursing services in accordance with specified criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Shellfish Aquaculture Improvement Act of 2018 This bill limits recovery for certain injuries sustained by an aquaculture worker if state workers' compensation is available to such individual. (An aquaculture worker is an individual employed by commercial enterprises involved in the controlled cultivation and harvest of aquatic plants and animals, including the cleaning, processing or canning of fish and fish products, the cultivation and harvesting of shellfish, and the controlled growing and harvesting of other aquatic species.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Protect America's Secrets Act This bill amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to prevent a federal employee, including an employee in the Executive Office of the President, from being granted access to information on highly sensitive programs unless the employee: (1) has been determined to be eligible for access by the head of an agency or designated official based upon a full personnel security investigation and a favorable adjudication, (2) has a demonstrated need-to-know, and (3) has signed an approved nondisclosure agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
International Violence Against Women Act of 2018 This bill provides for a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the Department of State an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. The Ambassador-at-Large shall: (1) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in foreign policy, and (2) develop or update periodically a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development the position of Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct policies, programs, and funding regarding gender equality and women's empowerment. The bill requires that U.S. assistance made available for humanitarian relief, conflict mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction prevents and responds to violence against women and girls. The Department of State shall also identify incidents that occur during armed conflict and implement emergency responses.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2018
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2018 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration of members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides that are registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act for specified uses. Registration for such uses is suspended until the EPA determines that the insecticides will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators. The determination must be based on: an evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence, and a completed field study that evaluates residues, chronic low-dose exposure, and cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures. For purposes of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native bees and other pollinators, the Department of the Interior must monitor and report on the health and population status of native bees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2018
Election Security Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to establish grant programs to support (1) states' compliance with certain voting system security requirements, including the use of voting systems that require individual paper ballots marked by hand; (2) states' audits of federal election results (i.e., manual counts of paper ballots); and (3) research and development directed at improving the security and reliability of election infrastructure. The bill also (1) requires the President to develop a national strategy to protect against attacks on U.S. democratic institutions, and (2) establishes the National Commission to Protect U.S. Democratic Institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2018
Preparedness Before Parades Act This bill prohibits the President from directing the Department of Defense (DOD) from carrying out a large-scale military parade unless: (1) DOD certifies to Congress that the parade will have no effect on the military readiness or budgetary needs of the Armed Forces, (2) the government of any municipality where the parade will be conducted approves the parade not later than 90 days before the date of the parade, and (3 ) not less than 50% of the costs of the parade are paid for by funds appropriated to the Executive Office of the President.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Forest Recovery Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the deduction for casualty losses, to establish special rules for losses of uncut timber. In the case of the loss of uncut timber from fire, storm, other casualty, or theft, the basis used for determining the amount of the deduction may not be less than the excess of: (1) the fair market value of the uncut timber determined immediately before the loss was sustained, over (2) the salvage value of the timber. The rule applies only if: (1) the timber was held for the purpose of being cut and sold, and (2) the uncut timber subject to the loss is reforested within five years of the loss. The bill also exempts casualty losses from uncut timber from the rule restricting the deduction for personal casualty losses to losses attributable to a federally declared disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about February 8, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Better Access to Technical Training, Learning, and Entrepreneurship for Servicemembers Act or the BATTLE for Servicemembers Act This bill directs the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to waive additional training under the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) under certain circumstances. The TAP provides information and training to service members and their spouses to assist them in the transition to civilian life by pursuing additional education, finding a job in the public or private sector, or starting their own business. Under the bill, service members must participate in TAP training programs unless they choose to opt out of such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Reuniting Families Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to recapture unused employment-based and family-sponsored visas from FY1992-FY2016; reclassify spouses, permanent partners, minor children, and stepchildren of permanent residents as immediate relatives; repeal the per-country immigration limits; repeal specified bars to reentry and allow waivers of inadmissibility to promote family unity; exempt children of naturalized Filipino veterans from immigration limitations; and allow relatives of a deceased alien to maintain visa eligibility. The bill defines "permanent partner" to purposes of applying the INA to LGBT families and individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2018
Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Department of the Treasury to establish a carbon trading program that caps the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from crude oil, coal, and natural gas. Beginning in 2019, crude oil refineries, petroleum importers, coal mines, coal importers, and natural gas suppliers or processors must purchase carbon permits equivalent to the amount of CO2 that would be emitted by covered fuels. Treasury will auction these permits to those entities. This bill establishes a declining cap on the quantity of permits issued to reduce CO2 emissions until 2050 when the permits issued represent an amount 80% below 2005 CO2 emission levels. Treasury must issue permits for carbon capture and sequestration of CO2 from covered fuels. This bill provides for the trading or sale of permits between entities, the banking by entities of permits for future years, and the borrowing by Treasury of permits from future years to stabilize permit prices. Auction proceeds and penalties are returned to U.S. citizens lawfully present in the United States using the Healthy Climate Trust Fund established by this bill. Treasury must impose fees on the import and pay fees for the export of carbon-intensive goods when the export country does not have equivalent measures to regulate greenhouse gases. Carbon-intensive goods are goods with an increased cost due to the regulation of greenhouse gases. The Environmental Protection Agency must regulate within 10 years all sources of greenhouse gases that are anthropogenically emitted. This excludes gases attributable to the production of animals for food.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2018
Safe Coasts, Oceans, And Seaside Towns Act or the Safe COAST Act This bill provides statutory authority for specified safety regulations that govern offshore oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf and provide protections for human, marine, and coastal environments. The Department of the Interior must contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to complete the study titled "Review and Update of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program" within 21 months.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2018
Pay Our Military Act of 2018 This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for military pay and death benefits during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2018 are not in effect. In the event of a government shutdown, the bill provides continuing appropriations for: pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service (including drill) during the period; payments of death benefits for individuals who die during the period; and pay and allowances to civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to members of the Armed Forces and payments in connection with death benefits. The appropriations provided by this bill are available until the earlier of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
SNAP Healthy Incentives Act of 201 8 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide a financial incentive for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) participants to purchase fruits and vegetables.