United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Establishes an ad hoc Joint Committee on the Organization of the Congress to study the organization, operations, functions, and relevant interactions of the Members of Congress and to make recommendations to: make such operations and organization more effective and efficient; make Congress and its Members more accountable; and improve the orderly, timely, and effective consideration and disposal of legislation; and improve the relationships between the Houses of Congress, with and among other branches of government, among elected Members and their staffs, and between Members and the citizens. The committee shall also study the role and effectiveness of the standing, select, and special committees in addressing legislative responsibilities, particularly the authorization of federal programs and agencies and the future fiscal impact of entitlement programs. Requires the committee to include in its report to both chambers at the end of a congressional session recommendations for its continuation or for designation of a similar entity to continue the pursuit of improvements in the congressional process.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act of 2017 or the STOP Act of 2017 This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to make the Postmaster General the consignee (i.e., the entity financially responsible for the receipt of a shipment) for merchandise, excluding documents, imported through the mail into the United States. The Postmaster General must designate licensed customs brokers to file required documents or information for such shipments. The bill amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to impose a customs user fee on postal shipments or any other item valued at $2,000 or less arriving at an international mail facility. The bill amends the Trade Act of 2002 to direct the Department of the Treasury to require the Postmaster General to provide for the advanced electronic transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of certain information for all postal shipments made by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), including postal shipments it receives from foreign postal operators. The Postmaster General: shall be liable for civil penalties for postal shipment violations committed by a foreign postal operator or the USPS; may be directly or indirectly responsible for discrepancies resulting from omissions made or false information provided by a foreign postal operator or the USPS; and shall ensure that all costs and penalties associated with complying with this bill are recouped from foreign shippers, foreign postal operators, or U.S. ultimate consignees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Improving Transparency and Accuracy in Medicare Part D Spending Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit Medicare Prescription Drug Plan sponsors from retroactively reducing payment on clean claims submitted by pharmacies. (A "clean claim" is a Medicare claim that is free of defects such as incomplete documentation.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Commerce to issue orders applicable to U.S. manufacturers of concrete masonry products. Any such order must provide for the establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board to carry out a program of generic promotion, research, and education regarding concrete masonry products. An order must also provide that assessments be paid by concrete masonry product manufacturers for concrete masonry products manufactured and marketed in the United States. At least 50% of the assessments paid by a manufacturer must be used to support research, education, and generic promotion programs and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer. During the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, Commerce shall conduct a referendum for order approval among manufacturers. The bill allows petition and review of an order, and order enforcement through U.S. district courts. The bill requires a study and a report by: (1) the Government Accountability Office on how the board spends assessments collected, the impact of board activities, and other matters relating to the demand for concrete masonry products; and (2) Commerce on the appropriateness and effectiveness of applying the commodity check-off program model to a nonagricultural industry.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the Army Corps of Engineers from promulgating or enforcing any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm at a water resources development project administered by the Corps of Engineers if: (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm, and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the state in which the project is located.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2017
English Language Unity Act of 2017 This bill establishes English as the official language of the United States. Naturalization ceremonies and official functions of the U.S. government, subject to exceptions, must be conducted in English. The bill declares that all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of U.S. laws. A person injured by a violation of this bill may obtain relief, including a declaratory judgment, in a civil action. English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws. Any ambiguity in U.S. laws shall be resolved in accordance with the rights retained by the people and the powers reserved to states under the Bill of Rights. The Department of Homeland Security shall issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an order to require: (1) the installation of secondary barriers, other than the cockpit door, to prevent access to the flight deck of each covered aircraft; (2) such barriers on the aircraft with a cockpit door to remain locked while the aircraft is in flight and the cockpit door separating the flight deck and the passenger area is open; and (3) such barriers on the aircraft without a cockpit door to remain locked as determined by the pilot in command. "Covered aircraft" is defined as a commercial aircraft: (1) equipped with more than 75 passenger seats, and (2) with a maximum gross takeoff weight of more than 75,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the definition of stalking to include conduct that causes a person to experience a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to his or her pet. Additionally, an interstate violation of a protection order includes interstate travel with the intent to violate a protection order against a pet that is included within the scope of the protection order. The bill specifies the applicable criminal penalty—a prison term of up to five years, a fine, or both—for a person who commits an interstate violation of a protection order against a pet. With respect to a defendant who commits a domestic violence offense or an interstate violation of a protection order, mandatory restitution in the "full amount of victim's losses" includes costs incurred for veterinary services related to the pet. The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants for shelter and housing assistance and support services for domestic violence victims with pets. Finally, it expresses the sense of Congress that states should include, in domestic violence protection orders, protections against violence or threats against a person's pet.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Recognizes the contribution of the Greensboro Four to the civil rights movement and their significance as a catalyst for the mobilization of college students coalescing in the formation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Recognizes that ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation. Encourages states to include the history and contributions of the Greensboro Four in their year-round educational curriculum.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2017
Vietnam Helicopter Crew Monument Act This bill directs the Department of the Army to place in Arlington National Cemetery a monument honoring helicopter pilots and crew members who were killed while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, subject to an agreement with the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association under which the association shall pay all site preparation, construction, installation, and maintenance costs for the memorial. The Army shall remove the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Memorial Tree and place the monument where the tree stood.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2017
Flood Insurance Integrity Act of 2017 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review every four years the rate tables established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for implementing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and determine whether: (1) the chargeable premium rates for flood insurance coverage are actuarially sound, based on standard actuarial practices used in the private sector; and (2) such chargeable premium rates are sufficient to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of NFIP. The bill also directs the GAO to review annually the process for establishing and updating flood insurance rate maps and determine the degree of accuracy of the mapping process.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to terminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Under PPACA, the IPAB is tasked with developing proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Agency Accountability Act of 2017 This bill requires any agency that receives a fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement to deposit the amount in the general fund of the Treasury. The funds may not be used unless the funding is provided in advance in an appropriations bill. Any amounts deposited during the fiscal year in which this bill is enacted may not be obligated during the fiscal year and must be used for deficit reduction. The bill includes an exception for funds to be paid to an individual entitled to receive the funds as a whistle-blower, including funds received as a percentage of amounts received by the government pursuant to a judgment or settlement agreement. The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require offsetting receipts and collections to be treated as revenue. (Offsetting receipts and collections are funds collected by agencies from other government accounts or from the public in businesslike or market-oriented transactions. Under current law, the collections are treated as negative budget authority and outlays rather than revenue and may be used to offset spending for budget enforcement purposes.) The requirements of the bill do not apply to the U.S. Postal Service or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO must submit annually to Congress a report describing any fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement collected by the USPTO during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill: (1) repeals certain provisions that require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age, (2) prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund, and (3) requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. The Secretary concerned shall restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to the surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Farm Regulatory Certainty Act This bill amends the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 to specify that animal waste, manure, and fertilizer are excluded from the Act's requirements if the waste, manure, or fertilizer originates from or is utilized by an agricultural operation. Citizen suits may not be brought under the Act against an agricultural operation if federal or state legal and enforcement actions are already underway.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2017 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with selected cancers that have the least effective treatments in order to achieve a better understanding of these cancers and the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2022 and revised to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to state cancer registries to improve tracking of childhood cancers. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) establish a task force to develop and test standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (3) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. HHS must convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors. The NIH may support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Investing in Opportunity Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the designation of opportunity zones in low-income communities and to provide tax incentives for investments in the zones, including deferring the recognition of capital gains that are reinvested in the zones. Governors may submit nominations for a limited number of opportunity zones to the Department of the Treasury for certification and designation. Governors must give particular consideration to areas that: are currently the focus of mutually reinforcing state, local, or private economic development initiatives to attract investment and foster startup activity; have demonstrated success in geographically targeted development programs such as promise zones, the new markets tax credit, empowerment zones, and renewal communities; and have recently experienced significant layoffs due to business closures or relocations. Treasury must designate zones if a governor fails to submit nominations within a specified period of time. An "opportunity fund" is any investment vehicle organized as a corporation or a partnership to invest in opportunity zones that holds at least 90% of its assets in opportunity zone assets. Taxpayers may temporarily defer the recognition of capital gains that are invested in opportunity zones. Investments in opportunity zones or opportunity funds that are held for at least five years are eligible for capital gains tax reductions or exemptions, depending on how long the investment is held. Treasury must report to Congress on the opportunity zone incentives enacted in this bill, including an assessment of opportunity fund investments at the national and state levels.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 This bill repeals existing caps on Medicare payment for certain outpatient physical-therapy services and speech-language pathology services. Under current law, annual payment for such services is capped at $1,980 in 2017, with specified percentage increases to that limit in subsequent years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Fighting for Orange-Stricken Territories in the Eastern Region Act This bill provides presumptive service connection to herbicide exposure, for purposes of eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs health benefits, for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa during the Vietnam War and who show symptoms of medical conditions associated with such exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans by an employer to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
National Right-to-Work Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers or labor organizations, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Family Care Savings Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the amount of the tax exclusion for employer-provided dependent care assistance to $10,000 in a taxable year and to provide for an inflation adjustment to such increased amount after 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Free Speech Fairness Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax-exempt organization to make certain statements related to a political campaign without losing its tax-exempt status. An organization may not lose its tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) or be deemed to have participated in, or intervened in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, solely because of the content of any statement that: (1) is made in the ordinary course of the organization's regular and customary activities in carrying out its exempt purpose, and (2) results in the organization incurring not more than de minimis incremental expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Anwar Sadat in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions to attain comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. The nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board must include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole menu item; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per common unit of the item, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Nutritional information may be provided solely by a remote-access menu (e.g., an Internet menu) for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises. Establishments with self-serve food may comply with the requirements for restaurants or place signs with nutritional information adjacent to each food item. An establishment's nutrient content disclosures may vary from actual nutrient content if the disclosures comply with current standards for reasonable basis. Establishments with standard menu items that come in different flavors, varieties, or combinations, that are listed as a single menu item may determine and disclose nutritional information using specified methods or methods allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Regulations pursuant to this bill or the clause amended by this bill may not take effect earlier than two years after final regulations are promulgated. The FDA may not exempt states from nutrition labeling requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
This joint resolution initiates the process to terminate the Independent Medicare Advisory Board, which issues annual recommendations for reducing growth in Medicare expenditures. Under current law, the enactment of a such a joint resolution is required in order to terminate the board.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management titled "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation." The rule published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2016, addresses waste generated during oil and gas production.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Health and Human Services rule regarding subrecipients of family planning grants. (Under the rule, grant recipients may prohibit an entity from receiving a subaward only for reasons related to the entity's ability to provide family planning services.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule finalized by the Department of Labor on August 1, 2016, relating to establishing, for state unemployment compensation program purposes, occupations that regularly conduct drug testing.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the “Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 ” rule finalized by the Social Security Administration on December 19, 2016. The rule implements a plan to provide to the National Instant Criminal History Background Check System the name of an individual who meets certain criteria, including that benefit payments are made through a representative payee because the individual is determined to be mentally incapable of managing them. (Current law prohibits firearm sale or transfer to and purchase or possession by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Health and Human Services rule regarding subrecipients of family planning grants. (Under the rule, grant recipients may prohibit an entity from receiving a subaward only for reasons related to the entity's ability to provide family planning services.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages, to: exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; modify the small wine producer tax credit to increase the amount of the credit, expand the producers that are covered, and specify an adjustment for hard cider; modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes; specify definitions for "mead" and "low alcohol by volume wine;" modify requirements for records, statements, and returns for certain breweries; and permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act or the BRACE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2017
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or the A PLUS Act This bill allows each state to receive federal elementary and secondary education funds on a consolidated basis and manage the funds to advance the educational policy of the state. A declaration of intent must be formulated by a combination of specified state officials or by referendum and must list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. States may use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but must make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged, and use federal funds to supplement rather than supplant state funding. Each declaration state shall: (1) inform the public about its student achievement assessment system, (2) report annually on student progress toward the state's proficiency standards by specified student groups, and (3) provide for the equitable participation of private school children and teachers in the same manner as provided for under current law.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without satisfying a parental involvement law in the minor's resident state. A parental involvement law requires parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization, for a minor to obtain an abortion. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both. The bill provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a minor whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or condition. This bill prohibits an individual who has committed incest with a minor from knowingly transporting the minor across a state line to receive an abortion. Additionally, this bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform or induce an abortion on an out-of-state minor without first complying with parental notification requirements, subject to specified exceptions. A physician violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Stop EPA Overregulation of Rural Americans Act This bill nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency rule titled "Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters, New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces," published on March 16, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
One In, One Out Act This bill prohibits a federal agency from issuing a rule that imposes a cost or responsibility on a nongovernmental person or a state or local government unless: (1) such agency has repealed or revised one or more related rules in a way that reduces costs to the regulated entities, and (2) the cost of the new rule is less than or equal to the cost of the rules being repealed or revised. Any such repealed or revised rule must be published in the Federal Register. This bill is inapplicable to any rule that: (1) relates to procurement by the agency, or (2) is being revised to be less burdensome by decreasing requirements imposed or compliance costs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools Act or the MEND Act This bill lessens the organizational requirements that hospital-based nursing and allied-health education programs must meet in order to be eligible to receive certain Medicare payments for program support.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2017 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride pollution from the scope of that Act. The bill declares that current law does not authorize or require the regulation of climate change or global warming and nullifies certain final rules relating to: (1) greenhouse gas and volatile organic compounds emissions, including methane emissions, from the oil and natural gas sector; and (2) carbon pollution emissions from the utility power sector. Before proposing or finalizing regulations or policies, the Environmental Protection Agency must analyze the net and gross impact of those regulations and policies on employment. Regulations and policies may not take effect if they have a negative impact on employment, unless they are approved by Congress and signed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
This bill revises the requirements for passenger vessels that are exempt from fire-retardant materials standards. Vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, that operate within inland waterways are exempt from the new requirements until December 1, 2028. Exempt vessel operators must follow certain requirements including notifying prospective passengers in writing prior to the sale of any ticket for boarding and making annual structural alterations to at least 10% of areas of the vessel that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials. Additionally, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must conduct an annual inspection of any vessel that is exempted from fire-retardant materials standards. DOT may withdraw a certificate of inspection for any vessel that does not comply with requirements under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
No Tax Dollars for the United Nations' Climate Agenda Act This bill prohibits federal agency funds from being used to make assessed or voluntary contributions to or for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2017
VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The VA may remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. A demoted individual shall not be placed on administrative leave or any other category of paid leave during the appeals period and can receive pay only if he or she reports for duty. The bill: (1) establishes an expedited appeals process by the Merit Systems Protection Board, (2) amends the disability benefits appeals process, (3) prescribes restrictions on the VA's authority to remove or demote an employee, and (4) establishes whistleblower protections. The VA shall reduce the federal annuity of an individual removed from the VA Senior Executive Service (SES) who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position. The VA may reduce the federal annuity of an individual who was convicted of such a felony and was subject to removal or transfer from the SES but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to a VA employee under specified circumstances. The VA may suspend, reprimand or admonish an SES employee for misconduct or performance that does not merit removal. Appeals may be made to the Senior Executive Disciplinary Appeals Board (as provided for by this bill). The bill amends the disability benefits appeals process. The bill prohibits payment of an award or bonus to any SES employee during each of FY2017-FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2017
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that: (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
This bill redesignates as the "Nancy Reagan Memorial Park" the Gravelly Point Park located along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Taiwan Travel Act This bill states that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) allow officials at all levels of the U.S. government to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts; (2) permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, including officials from the Department of State and the Department of Defense; and (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan, to conduct business in the United States.