United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016
This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to eliminate the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to waive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) work requirements for individuals who reside in areas with an unemployment rate above 10% or an insufficient number of jobs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act This bill postpones from December 1, 2016, until June 1, 2017, the effective date of a final rule of the Department of Labor revising income thresholds for determining overtime pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer ("white collar") employees exempt from regular minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
IDENT Fingerprint Digitization Completion Act of 2016 This bill requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, within 90 days after this bill's enactment, to complete the digitization of all remaining paper-based fingerprint records for inclusion in the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) of the Department of Homeland Security.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
Protecting Religious Expression Against Censorship and Harassment Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches may not be denied treatment as an entity organized and operated exclusively for a religious purpose 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 because of the content, preparation, or presentation of any homily, sermon, teaching, dialectic, or other presentation made during religious services or gatherings. The bill also: (1) repeals the authority of the Internal Revenue Service to seek an injunction related to flagrant political expenditures of section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, (2) specifies that a member or leader of a religious organization may express personal views on political matters or elections for public office during a regular religious service as long as the views are not disseminated beyond the members and guests assembled together at the service, and (3) specifies that it does not permit any disbursements for electioneering communications or expenditures prohibited by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2016
Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act This bill allows the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation to establish the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial as a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism. No federal funds may be used to pay any expense to establish the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2016
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Amendments Act of 2016 This bill makes several changes to the U.S. Coast Guard major acquisition system. The changes are designed to establish a customer-oriented acquisition system. The bill expands the acquisition responsibilities of the Coast Guard's Chief Acquisition Officer and Vice Commandant. Additionally, the bill limits the Coast Guard's authority to procure unmanned aerial systems (drones). The Coast Guard may extend an acquisition contract without competition if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approves. DHS must study the effects that multi-year contracting has on Coast Guard acquisition programs. The bill also requires the Coast Guard to make payment based on a predetermined fixed amount to the Department of Defense (DOD) for medical care of current or former members of the Coast Guard and their dependents at DOD facilities. The bill revises the deadline for when certain fishing vessels must be in compliance with the alternative safety compliance program. National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2016 The Coast Guard must also develop a land-based system to backup its Global Positioning System (GPS). The Coast Guard is authorized to reimburse private entities for costs incurred to construct projects that facilitate safe and efficient marine transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2016
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 · 8 September 2016
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives to initiate or intervene in civil actions in a federal court of competent jurisdiction to seek appropriate relief regarding the failure of the President, any department or agency head, or any other executive branch officer or employee to act in a manner consistent with that official's duties with respect to the implementation of provisions of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016, or any related provision, regarding the relinquishment of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's responsibility with respect to Internet domain name system functions. The Speaker shall notify the House of any decision to initiate or intervene in any such civil action. The House's Office of the General Counsel, at the direction of the Speaker, shall represent the House in any such civil action and may employ the services of outside counsel and other experts. The chair of the Committee on House Administration shall publish in the Congressional Record a statement setting forth the aggregate amounts expended by the Office on outside counsel and other experts for each calendar quarter.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2016
Keep Taxpayer Dollars Safe from Terrorists Act of 2016 This bill prohibits an executive agency from transferring funds to a state sponsor of terrorism without prior written notice to Congress (with an exception for humanitarian assistance). An intended transfer shall not take effect if Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving the transfer. An intended transfer shall not take effect until the latest of: the date occurring 60 days after Congress receives such written notice; in the case of a presidential veto of a joint resolution of disapproval, the earlier of the date on which either chamber fails to override the veto or the date occurring 30 session days after Congress received the veto; or the date the transfer otherwise would have taken effect (unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted). The bill provides a special rule for a written notice of transfer submitted within 60 legislative days before Congress adjourns. The bill sets forth congressional procedures for such a joint resolution of disapproval.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Technical and Clarifying Amendments to the Packers and Stockyards Act of 2016 This bill amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to expand the definition of "marketing agency" to include any person engaged in the business of buying or selling livestock in commerce through online, video, or other electronic methods on a commission or other fee basis when handling or providing a means to handle receivables or proceeds from the sale of that livestock. The bill also specifies that funds for purchasing livestock may be transferred to the account of the seller by electronic funds transfer or any other expeditious method that the Department of Agriculture determines to be appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Taxpayers Before Insurers Act This bill rescinds specified departmental management funds from the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) unless HHS deposits into the Treasury specified funds derived from contributions collected under the Transitional Reinsurance Program. The rescission is required unless HHS deposits into the Treasury: (1) $2 billion for each of calendar years 2014 and 2015 within 45 days of enactment of this bill, and (2) $1 billion for 2016 by March 1, 2017. (The Transitional Reinsurance Program was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA] to stabilize premiums in the individual health insurance market by partially reimbursing insurers for high-cost enrollees. Health insurance issuers and certain group health plans make contributions to the program, and reinsurance payments are made to issuers for enrollees in certain individual market plans with claim costs within a specified level. Portions of the reinsurance contributions are allocated for the reinsurance payment pool, administrative expenses, and the Treasury.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Agriculture Delivering Vastly Improved Science at the EPA Now Act or the ADVISE Now Act This bill amends the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to require the Environmental Protection Agency and its Science Advisory Board to establish a standing agriculture-related committee (as the Act currently requires without a deadline) within 30 days of enactment of this bill. If an agriculture committee is not established by this deadline, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall establish and appoint members to such a committee within 15 days. If such a contingent establishment occurs, USDA shall have the continuing authority to appoint members to it.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the admission of covered aliens into the United States for four years unless Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to admit them. No covered alien may be admitted into the United States after such four-year period. "Covered alien" means an alien applying for refugee admission to the United States who: (1) is a national of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen; or (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. The Government Accountability Office shall report on: (1) the national security impact of refugee admissions; and (2) specified costs of providing refugees with benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Second Amendment protects the individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense and that such right is fully applicable to the states.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Overtime Reform and Enhancement Act This bill directs the Department of Labor, by December 1, 2016, to revise the rule published in the Federal Register on May 23, 2016, relating to exemptions (from the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act) regarding the rates of pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees. Labor shall revise specified regulations to increase the defining rates of pay of exempted employees from $455 per week to: $692 per week for executive employees effective December 1, 2016; $765 per week for administrative employees effective December 1, 2017; $839 per week for professional employees effective December 1, 2018; and $913 per week for computer employees effective December 1, 2019; and Such revisions shall also nullify the automatic updates to the amounts of salary and compensation required for such exemptions. Labor may only update any rate of pay related to these exemptions in accordance with federal rulemaking requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Recognizes: the significance of the 25th anniversary of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program; the value of having current science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers directly engaged in the policymaking process; the sacrifices made by teachers who interrupt their careers to serve as Einstein Fellows; and the contributions of Einstein Fellows. Expresses support for the continuation of the program. Encourages federal agencies and congressional offices to host Einstein Fellows and to leverage the expertise of former Einstein Fellows.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) provide for an operation on a live donor to carry out a transplant procedure for an eligible veteran notwithstanding that the live donor may not be eligible for VA health care, and (2) provide for such an operation at a VA or a non-VA facility. The VA shall furnish to such a donor any care or services that may be required before and after conducting with such procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Taking Responsibility Using Secured Technologies Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should have any security clearance she holds revoked and should be denied access to classified information unless she earns the legal right to such access, and (2) any of her colleagues who demonstrated extreme carelessness in their handling of classified information should no longer have access to that information. The bill prohibits granting a security clearance to, and requires revocation of the security clearance of, any federal officer or employee who has exercised extreme carelessness in the handling of classified information. The bill also amends a provision of the federal criminal code that subjects to criminal penalties anyone entrusted with, or having lawful possession or control of, national defense information who, through gross negligence, permits that information to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone or to be lost, stolen, abstracted, or destroyed. The bill explicitly states that "gross negligence," for these purposes, includes extreme or reckless carelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Stop Taxing the Second Amendment Act of 2016 This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing a tax on a firearm or ammunition sale that affects interstate commerce. Additionally, it prohibits a state or local government from imposing a new tax or increasing an existing tax on a background check incident to a firearm or ammunition sale.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act This bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under certain Economic Development Assistance Programs and the Community Development Block Grant Program. A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or political subdivision that has a statute, policy, or practice in effect that prohibits or restricts: (1) information sharing about an individual's immigration status, or (2) compliance with a lawfully issued detainer request or notification of release request. A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and is authorized to take actions to comply with the detainer. The bill limits the liability of a state or political subdivision, or an officer or employee of such state or political subdivision, for actions in compliance with the detainer.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to 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 · 5 July 2016
Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Protecting Veterans Credit Act of 2016 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude from a consumer report: (1) for one year, information related to a veteran's choice medical program (program) debt; and (2) information related to a fully paid or settled program debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection. The Consumer Credit Protection Act is amended to provide a mechanism for veterans to dispute the inclusion of program debt already on a credit report. A consumer reporting agency shall, within 30 days after receiving notice of such dispute, delete such information from the veteran's file and notify the furnisher and the veteran. Within five days after the initial communication with a veteran, a debt collector shall, unless the appropriate information is contained in the initial communication or the veteran has paid the debt, send the veteran a written notice containing specified debt-related information, including information concerning debt amount, creditors, the insurance company involved, and the hospital or medical care provider. If a veteran notifies the debt collector within such one-year period that the program debt is disputed or that the veteran requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection until debt verification or the name and address of the original creditor is obtained.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow energy tax credits through 2020 for investments in: (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. The bill also permits new clean renewable energy bonds to be used for such properties. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that: (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane; and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2016
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 · 9 June 2016
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit certain regulated companies to elect out of the limitation on the tax credit for investments in energy property with respect to public utility property that uses solar energy and is placed in service after December 31, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
This bill prohibits U.S. agency funds from being used until the earlier of the enactment date of an Act authorizing FY2017 appropriations for military activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) or January 1, 2017, for the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions or to any foreign country or entity of an individual detained at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "Individual detained at Guantanamo" means an individual located at Guantanamo as of October 1, 2009, who: (1) is not a U.S. national or a member of the Armed Forces, and (2) is in the custody or under the control of DOD or otherwise detained at Guantanamo.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2016
Article I Regulatory Budget Act This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and other laws to establish and enforce a federal regulatory budget. The President's annual budget submission must include an analysis of the cost of compliance with current and proposed federal regulations and proposals for complying with the levels and allocations established pursuant to this bill. The bill amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require agencies to provide additional analysis of the private sector costs for compliance with new regulations. An agency may not issue certain guidance documents setting forth policies or interpretations regarding statutory, regulatory, or technical issues unless it has provided notice and an opportunity for comment. A concurrent resolution on the budget must include levels for the federal regulatory cost for at least five years. The bill establishes a process for allocating the totals among congressional committees, agencies, programs, and major functional categories. The bill establishes procedures for enforcing the requirements, including: points of order which may be raised against legislation to enforce the allocations, subject to a waiver by Congress; private rights of action in federal court; and a requirement for appropriations legislation to include enforcement provisions. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) must submit: (1) a baseline projecting the federal regulatory cost over at least five years, (2) analysis of the federal regulatory cost of legislation reported by congressional committees, and (3) look-back reviews comparing CBO estimates with actual costs. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the CBO must submit jointly to the President and Congress an analysis of the cost and economic effects of federal regulations, including recommendations for improvements to the regulatory budgeting process. Federal agencies and the Government Accountability Office must provide reports and cost estimates for specified regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Student Privacy Protection and Safety Act of 2016 This bill invalidates the Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, dated May 13, 2016, that was issued by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to provide guidance to schools receiving federal financial assistance about the treatment of transgender students under the prohibitions against sex discrimination in title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The invalidation applies until superseded by an Act of Congress that directs federal departments to issue guidance on transgender issues.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
No Bailouts for State, Territory, and Local Governments Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase or guarantee obligations of, issue lines of credit to, or provide direct or indirect grants-in-aid to any state (defined to include the District of Columbia and any U.S. territory or possession), municipal, local, or county government that, on or after January 1, 2013, has filed for bankruptcy, has defaulted on its obligations, is at risk of defaulting, or is likely to default, without such federal assistance, if such purchase, guarantee, extension of credit, or grant is made to assist the government in: (1) avoiding defaulting on the payment of principal or interest due on an obligation of the government, or (2) curing such a default. The Departrment of the Treasury is prohibited from using general fund revenues or borrowed funds to purchase or guarantee, for the same purposes, any asset or obligation of any such state, municipal, local, or county government. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is prohibited from: (1) providing or extending to, or authorizing with respect to, such a state, municipal, local, or county government, or other entity with taxing authority or bonding authority, for the same purposes, any funds, loan guarantees, credits, or any other financial instrument or other authority, including bond purchases; or (2) otherwise assisting such a government entity, for the same purposes, under any Board authority. Such prohibitions shall not apply to federal assistance provided in response to a natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Prohibiting the Usurpation of Bathroom Laws through Independent Choice School Act (PUBLIC School Act) of 2016 This bill declares that it shall not be unlawful under federal law for a state or local government to enact or enforce a policy regarding the use of sex-segregated bathrooms or locker rooms of educational institutions on the basis of gender identity. The bill prohibits the reduction or denial of federal financial assistance on the basis that a state or local government enacts or enforces such a policy.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2016
Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal judicial code to reauthorize the independent counsel law (currently expired) for a five-year period. It extends to eight years after leaving office the period during which individuals who have held the following positions are still subject to preliminary investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine whether to apply to a division of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia for the appointment of an independent counsel for further investigation and possible prosecution: the President or the Vice President; the Attorney General or the Secretaries of State, the Treasury, Defense, the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, or Homeland Security; the U.S. Trade Representative, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Commissioner of Social Security, the Director of National Drug Control Policy, the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the Director of National Intelligence; individuals working in the Executive Office of the President compensated at or above level II of the Executive Schedule; Assistant Attorneys General and DOJ employees compensated at or above level III of the Executive Schedule; or the Director of Central Intelligence, the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, or the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2016
Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2016 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Veterans Choice Program permanent. Program eligibility is expanded to include veterans with a 50% service-connected disability. The VA shall contract with a national chain of walk-in clinics to provide hospital care and medical services in such clinics to veterans who are in the annual patient enrollment system. A veteran shall not be required to: (1) obtain pre-authorization for such care, or (2) pay a copayment to the clinic or to the VA. Such national chain shall establish an automated system to provide the VA with weekly information on veterans receiving hospital care or medical services. A covered health care professional may practice his or her health care profession at any location in any state, regardless of where such health care professional or the patient is located, if the health care professional is using telemedicine to treat an individual. Such treatment is permitted regardless of whether the professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility. "Covered health care professional" means a health care professional who is: (1) authorized by the VA to provide health care, including a private health care professional who provides such care under a VA contract or agreement; and (2) licensed, registered, or certified in a state to practice his or her health care profession. The VA shall: extend the operating hours for each VA pharmacy to include weekday evenings until until 8:00 p.m., weekends, and federal holidays; and contract with qualifying physicians and nurses to work at VA medical facilities during nights and weekends. The VA may: (1) hire support staff in connection with such extended operating hours, and (2) provide for a a nongovernmental hospital organization best-practices peer review of each VA medical center.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Reaffirms: that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner, that it is U.S. policy and law to ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge and self-defense capacity, and support of an Israeli tiered missile defense program. Urges finalization of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel. Supports a long-term Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel that increases the amount of aid from previous agreements and enhances Israel's military capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit financial assistance to a foreign country that refuses or unreasonably delays the acceptance of an alien who: (1) is a citizen, subject, national, or resident of such country; and (2) has received a final order of removal from the United States. A country shall be deemed to have refused or unreasonably delayed acceptance of an alien if it does not accept such alien within 90 days of receiving an authorized repatriation request. The Department of Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress every three months that: (1) lists the countries that refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation; and (2) includes the total number of aliens who were refused repatriation, organized by country, detention status, and criminal status. A listed country shall be subject to U.S. entry and financial assistance prohibitions unless it issues appropriate travel documents: (1) within 100 days after such report's submission for aliens convicted of a crime committed in the United States, and (2) within 200 days after such report's submission for all other aliens. A victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal shall have standing in federal district court to enforce entry and financial prohibitions. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to: (1) discontinue granting visas to a subject, national, or resident of a listed country unless the country has issued the appropriate travel documents pursuant to this bill; and (2) grant standing to enforce such provision in federal district court to a victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or the PADME Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the renewable fuel program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must cap the total volume of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply at 9.7% of projected gasoline demand as determined by the Energy Information Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Research and Experimentation Advances Competitiveness at Home Act of 2016 or the REACH Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the alternative simplified tax credit for research expenses to 20% from the existing rate of 14% (12% for years ending before January 1, 2009).
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2016
Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide an accredited, permanent congressional employee with read-only remote access to the electronic Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) claims records system of a represented veteran, regardless of whether the employee is acting under a power of attorney executed by the veteran. The VA shall ensure that access does not allow the employee to modify system data. An employee must complete the VA certification process required of agents or attorneys in order to have system access. Each Member of Congress who elects to have an employee participate in the system shall bear the certification cost, which shall be paid from the Member's representational allowance. Information access by an employee shall be deemed: (1) a covered disclosure requiring prior consent, with specified exceptions; and (2) a permitted disclosure relating to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The VA may not recognize an employee for purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA claims by reason of such system access. "Accredited, permanent congressional employee" means an employee of a Member of Congress who assists constituents with issues regarding federal departments or agencies. "Electronic VBA claims records system" means the VA system that provides claim status information, including information about medical records, compensation and pension exams records, rating decisions, a statement of the case and a supplementary statement of the case, a notice of disagreement, and Form-9.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
No 2H2O from Iran Act This bill prohibits funds available to any federal department or agency for any fiscal year from being obligated or expended to purchase or issue a license to purchase heavy water produced in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2016
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. The bill defines opportunity funds as 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 or opportunity funds. Investments 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 · 20 April 2016
Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to identify: certain severance payments to veterans with combat-related injuries paid after January 17, 1991, from which DOD withheld amounts for tax purposes, and the individuals to whom such severance payments were made. DOD shall provide each such veteran with: notice of the amount of improperly withheld severance payments, and instructions for filing amended tax returns to recover such amount. The period for filing a related claim with the Internal Revenue Service for a credit or refund is extended beyond the three-year limitation to the date that is one year after DOD provides the veteran with the information required by this Act. DOD shall ensure that amounts are not withheld for tax purposes from DOD severance payments to individuals when such payments are not considered gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
This joint resolution disapproves the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Interpretation of the 'Advice' Exemption in Section 203(c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act." The joint resolution declares that such rule shall have no force or effect. (Under section 203 of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, an employer must report any agreement or arrangement with a third party consultant to persuade employees as to their collective bargaining rights or to obtain certain information concerning the activities of employees or a labor organization in connection with a labor dispute involving the employer. The consultant, also, is required to report concerning such an agreement or arrangement with an employer. Statutory exceptions to these reporting requirements are set forth in LMRDA section 203[c], which provides, in part, that employers and consultants are not required to file a report by reason of the consultant's giving or agreeing to give "advice" to the employer.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
End Executive Overreach Act This bill prohibits, until January 21, 2017, the use of federal funds, fees, or resources to implement an executive order issued on or after the enactment of this bill. The bill prohibits any agency, until such date, from making or finalizing: a major rule (a rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more); a rule that may raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set forth in Executive Order 12866 (which requires that significant regulatory actions be submitted for review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget); or a rule that may create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action taken or planned by another agency.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that: a durable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process can only come through direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians; the U.N. cannot be a truly neutral arbiter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and the United States should veto any U.N. Security Council resolution that inserts the Security Council into the peace process, unilaterally recognizes a Palestinian state, makes declarations concerning Israeli controlled territories, or dictates terms and a time line for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 This bill declares the sense of Congress that it should consider a miscellaneous tariff bill. The U.S. International Trade Commission shall: conduct a process, meeting specified requirements, for the submission and consideration of petitions for duty suspensions and reductions; and report to Congress on the effects of duty suspensions and reductions enacted pursuant to this Act on producers, purchasers, and consumers in the United States. The bill prescribes requirements for publication by specified congressional committees of a list of limited tariff benefits contained in a miscellaneous tariff bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Firearms Transfer Improvement Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the scope of permissible transfers between a licensed gun dealer and an out-of-state resident. Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to sell or transfer a rifle or shotgun to an out-of-state resident if the transaction occurs in person and complies with applicable laws of both states. This bill permits a licensed gun dealer to sell or transfer a firearm to an out-of-state resident if the transaction occurs in person and complies with applicable laws of the state in which the gun dealer's place of business is located.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2016 This bill imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent; (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion; (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Violations or attempted violations shall result in fines and/or imprisonment for up to five years. The bill authorizes civil actions (for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages) by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; or (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion. To prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this bill, the bill authorizes injunctive relief to be obtained by: (1) the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, (2) a maternal grandparent of the unborn child if the woman is an unemancipated minor, (3) the father of such an unborn child, or (4) the Department of Justice. Violations of this bill are deemed to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Medical or mental health professionals must report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Criminal penalties are established for a failure to so report. A woman having such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable. Courts must make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. In the absence of such a woman's written consent, any party, other than a public official, who brings an action must use a pseudonym. For purposes of this bill, "abortion" is defined as the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child, unless the act is intended to: (1) save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, (2) remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or (3) remove an ectopic pregnancy.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000603_200.jpg)