United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
No Ex-Im Assistance for Terrorism Act This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing, insuring, extending credit, or participating in the extension of credit in connection with the export of U.S. goods or services sought by: the Government of Iran, an entity owned or controlled by it, or an entity created under Iranian law; an entity involving the Government of Iran, owned or controlled by the Government of Iran, or created under Iranian law; or a non-U.S. entity that, in the last five-years, has leased or re-exported aircraft to the Government of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission, which shall: plan, develop, and carry out activities to honor John F. Kennedy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth; and provide advice and assistance to federal, state, and local governmental agencies and civic groups to carry out activities to honor Kennedy on such occasion. The commission shall submit to the President and Congress annual reports on its revenue and expenditures, such interim reports as appropriate, and a final report by August 31, 2017. The commission shall terminate by September 30, 2017. The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior may perform an audit of the commission.
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 · 6 July 2016
Sarah's Law This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to: obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
National Strategy for Combating Terrorist, Underground, and Other Illicit Financing Act This bill directs the President, acting through the Department of the Treasury, to develop a national strategy for combating the financing of terrorism and related forms of illicit finance. The national strategy shall focus upon selected aspects, including: (1) threats, goals, objectives, and priorities; (2) coordination with domestic and international governmental entities; (3) the role of the private financial sector in prevention of illicit finance; (4) project and budget priorities; (5) the use and role of Treasury attaches; (6) illicit finance and cyber crime; and (7) technology.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
No Ex-Im Financing for Iran Act This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing, insuring, extending credit, or participating in the extension of credit in connection with the export of U.S. goods or services to any entity that does business with or provides credit or a guarantee to any other entity in connection with exports involving: the Government of Iran, or an entity in which the Government of Iran participates, an entity created under Iranian law, or an operation in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2016
Combatting Terrorism in Tunisia Emergency Support Act of 2016 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States to assist the government of Tunisia in eliminating terrorist organizations that operate in Tunisia and neighboring Libya and preventing fighters in Syria from returning to Tunisia. This bill expresses the sense of the Congress that: significant reform that protects fundamental human rights is necessary to enable the Tunisian security services to combat terrorism and reinforce the rule of law; expeditious consideration of sales, leases, grants, or transfers of defense articles, services, and equipment is consistent with U.S. policy to assist in eliminating terrorist organizations that threaten Tunisia's national security; Tunisia's peaceful pursuit of democracy should be fully supported by the United States; organizations such as Ansar al-Sharia and the Islamic State have created terrorist sanctuaries in Libya and represent a significant threat to Tunisia's democratic government; and supporting Tunisia's orderly reform of its economic and social sectors should be a U.S. priority. The bill authorizes the Department of State to: provide assistance to strengthen and reform Tunisia's security sector; support Tunisia's efforts to combat terrorism; provide assistance to support Tunisia's democracy and civil society; provide assistance to support Tunisia's border security by enhancing its capabilities to interdict illicit weapons trafficking; reprogram certain funds to support Tunisia's economic reforms; and enter into a memorandum of understanding with Tunisia to increase military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, and enhanced strategic dialogue. The President is authorized to provide defense articles, services, and training to Tunisia to counter terrorist threats. The State Department shall submit a strategic plan within 90 days to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Udall Park Land Exchange Completion Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey, without consideration, to the city of Tucson, Arizona, the reversionary interest of the United States in and to an approximately 172.8-acre parcel of land owned by the city for the purpose of unencumbering the title to such land to enable its economic development.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Agency Accountability Act of 2016 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 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 · 25 May 2016
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Expresses appreciation to the European Union (EU) for the progress made in countering Hizballah since the EU designated Hizballah's military wing as a terrorist organization. Supports cooperation between the United States and the EU in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and terrorist activities. Urges the EU to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on the group, including through: better cross-border cooperation among EU members, issuing arrest warrants against Hizballah members and active supporters, freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe, and prohibiting fund raising activities in support of Hizballah.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Health Savings Account Expansion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs). The bill modifies the requirements to: increase the maximum contribution amounts, permit the use of HSAs to pay health insurance premiums and direct primary care expenses, repeal the restriction on using HSAs for over-the-counter medications, eliminate the requirement that a participant in an HSA be enrolled in a high deductible health care plan, and decrease the additional tax for HSA distributions not used for qualified medical expenses.
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 · 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 · 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 · 29 April 2016
Transparent Insurance Standards Act of 2016 This bill specifies U.S. objectives regarding international insurance standards. The United States may not agree to, accept, establish, enter into, or consent to the adoption of a final international insurance standard with an international standard-setting organization or a foreign government, authority, or regulatory entity unless certain publication requirements and capital standards are met. Before U.S. adoption of any such international insurance standard the Department of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in consultation with the state insurance commissioners, shall analyze and report to Congress on the impact of the standard on U.S. consumers and markets and whether any changes in state law will result from such final standard. Congress shall have 90 days to approve or reject the final standard. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is amended to authorize the Independent Member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to: perform specified consultant duties with international insurance supervisors, international financial stability counterparts, as well as Treasury; attend the Financial Stability Board of The Group of Twenty, and arrange for the attendance and participation at the Board of state insurance commissioners on matters related to insurance and financial stability; and attend, with the U.S. delegation, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and observe and participate at the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee on those same matters. Parties representing the United States at the Financial Stability Board of the Group of Twenty on matters, and in meetings, related to insurance and financial stability shall consult with the state insurance commissioners and seek to include them in those meetings.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment stating that: the liberty of parents to direct the education of their children is a fundamental right; neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served; no treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to any of the rights of parents guaranteed by this article, any other provision of the U.S. Constitution, federal law, or any state constitution or law; and the rights guaranteed by this amendment shall not be denied or abridged on account of disability.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act or the OPEN Government Data Act This bill requires government data assets made available by federal agencies (excluding the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Election Commission, and certain other government entities) to be published as machine-readable data. When not otherwise prohibited by law, the data must be available: (1) in an open format that does not impede use or reuse and that has standards maintained by a standards organization; and (2) under open licenses with a legal guarantee that the data be available at no cost to the public with no restrictions on copying, publication, distribution, transmittal, citing, or adaptation. If published government data assets are not available under an open license, the data must be considered part of the worldwide public domain. Agencies may engage with outside organizations and citizens to leverage public data assets for innovation in public and private sectors. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must oversee the completeness and public availability of an enterprise data inventory that agencies must develop to account for any data assets that they create, collect, control, or maintain. Agencies must: (1) make their enterprise data inventories available to the public on Data.gov, and (2) designate a point of contact to assist the public and respond to complaints about adherence to open data requirements. For privacy, security, confidentiality, or regulatory reasons, agencies may maintain a nonpublic portion of their inventories. The OMB's Office of Electronic Government is renamed the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer. Agencies are not required to publish notices in the Federal Register about information collection that is focused on gathering input about the performance of, or public satisfaction with, the agency's service if the collection is: (1) online and electronic, (2) voluntary with no benefit to the provider of the information, and (3) an extremely low burden that is typically completed in five minutes or less. But agencies must publish representative summaries of such information collections. The General Services Administration must maintain a single public interface online as a point of entry dedicated to sharing open government data with the public. The Chief Information Officers Council must work with the Office of Government Information Services and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to promote data interoperability and comparability of data assets across the government. The OMB must assess the extent of each agency's use of data assets to support decisionmaking, cost savings, and performance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reauthorize the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) through FY2020. SCAAP provides payments to state, local, and tribal governments to offset the costs of incarcerating certain undocumented criminal aliens. It expands the definition of “undocumented criminal alien” to include an alien who has been charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Justice to reimburse a state, local, or tribal government for costs to incarcerate a criminal alien whose immigration status cannot be verified by the Department of Homeland Security. (Currently, a criminal alien with lawful immigration status does not meet the criteria for SCAAP reimbursement.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand nonimmigrant employer annual data reporting requirements to include all nonimmigrant worker categories and compensated cultural exchange, training, and business classifications. Expanded reporting requirements include information regarding: (1) the age and gender of admitted nonimmigrants; (2) categories and numbers of visas issued; (3) numbers of persons admitted under each visa classification and subclassification; (4) blanket petitions; (5) the occupation and country of origin of beneficiaries; (6) nonimmigrant worker employers; (7) compensation; and (8) citizens of nations with Compacts of Free Association with the United States who are authorized to reside permanently in the United States as nonimmigrants and their ports of U.S. entry. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) submit such report and post the information along with the corresponding raw data and a searchable database to a public website, and (2) ensure that such posted information does not include information that would identify a specific person with reasonable certainty. Any government official who uses such information shall take steps to: (1) protect individual identities, and (2) prevent the information from being disaggregated into its component parts. The Department of State or the Department of Labor, if requested by DHS, shall share information necessary for Labor to file its annual report regarding employer petitions for H-, P-, O-, and Q-visa nonimmigrant aliens. "Employment" means employment in the United States and includes cultural exchanges, training, or business activities for which the nonimmigrant receives any form of compensation.
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 · 23 March 2016
Supports the U.S. Stimson Doctrine to not recognize territorial changes effected by force, and affirms that this policy should continue to guide U.S. foreign policy. Condemns Russia's military intervention and occupation of Georgia and its continuous illegal activities along the occupation line in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia. Calls upon Russia to: (1) withdraw its recognition of Georgia's territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia as independent countries, (2) refrain from acts and policies that undermine Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and (3) take steps to fulfill the August 12, 2008, Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and the Russian Federation. Urges the United States to: (1) declare that it will not recognize Russian de jure or de facto sovereignty over any part of Georgia, including Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia; (2) deepen cooperation with Georgia, including Georgia's advancement towards Euro-Atlantic integration; and (3) enhance Georgia's security through joint military training and the provision of self-defensive capabilities. Affirms that a free, united, democratic, and sovereign Georgia is in the long-term U.S. interest.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Fix Crowdfunding Act This bill amends the Securities Act of 1933 (Act) to increase from $1 million to $5 million the aggregate amount of securities sold to all investors by an issuer that qualify for the crowdfunding exemption from certain prohibitions relating to interstate commerce and the mails. (Crowdfunding is a method of capital formation where groups of people pool money, typically composed of small individual contributions, and often via Internet platforms, either to invest in a company or to support an effort by others to accomplish a specific goal.) The bill amends the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) to declare that a crowdfunding portal shall have a reasonable basis for disqualifying issuers from offering securities through the portal if through a background check it has found that an issuer has made an untrue statement of a material fact, omitted to state a material fact necessary to avoid making misleading statements, or engaged in fraud or deceit. No intermediary (crowdfunding portal) shall be liable for an issuer's material misstatements and omissions unless, in connection with the offer or sale of a security, it knowingly made or omitted such statements or engaged in fraud or deceit. The bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt crowdfunding securities transactions from its registration requirements. The Investment Company Act of 1940 is amended to exempt from the definition of investment company, and so exclude from coverage by that Act, any issuer that, for the purpose of making a crowdfunding offering, holds the securities of not more than one issuer eligible to offer securities (a single-purpose fund). The bill allows single-purpose funds to sell and offer for sale securities according to crowdfunding requirements, and considers them venture capital funds. The Act is further amended to permit an issuer, before commencing a crowdfunding offering, to solicit non-binding indications of interest from potential investors in the prospective offering if: no investor funds are accepted by the issuer, and any material change in the information furnished during the actual offering from the information furnished during the solicitation of interest is highlighted to potential investors in the information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. No enforcement action may be brought before May 16, 2021, against crowdfunding portals established under the JOBS Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Supporting America's Innovators Act of 2016 This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exempt from its coverage any issuer whose outstanding securities with respect to a qualifying venture capital fund (other than short-term paper) are beneficially owned by not more than 500 persons. The bill defines qualifying venture capital fund as one that does not purchase more than $10 million (annually adjusted for inflation) in securities of any one issuer.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to define "criminal gang." An alien who is or was a member of a criminal gang, or who participated in gang activity knowing that such participation will promote the gang's illegal activity, shall be inadmissible and deportable. The Department of Homeland Security may designate a group or association as a criminal gang. Detention shall be mandatory for anyone found inadmissible or deportable for criminal street gang membership. Individuals found inadmissible or deportable for criminal gang membership shall be barred from: asylum; withholding of removal; temporary protected status; special immigrant juvenile status; deferred action; and parole, unless assisting the United States in a law enforcement matter and required by the government to be present with respect to such assistance. An alien found at a U.S. land border or port of entry who is determined to be inadmissible and a threat to public safety (certain criminals, terrorists, street gang members) shall be subject to expedited removal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) increase the allowable amount of such credit from $1,000 to $2,000 for each qualifying child, (2) raise the modified adjusted gross income threshold amount at which the phase-out of the credit begins, and (3) increase such threshold amount by $15,000 for each qualifying child of the taxpayer beyond the first child.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2016
This bill directs the Department of State to: (1) develop a strategy to obtain membership status for India in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, including participation in related meetings, working groups, activities, and mechanisms; and (2) urge APEC member states to support India's membership.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States: should condemn every act of violence against Israeli citizens and those who visit Israel in peace and friendship; believes that any chance at lasting peace will only occur through peaceful, bilateral discussions coupled with sound counsel from peaceful allies; supports individuals and organizations working to encourage cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; calls on Palestinian Authority President Abbas and the international community to join in condemning the current wave of terrorism in Israel; and reaffirms the strong U.S.-Israel relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Use Spending for Congressional Immigration Supervision Act or the USCIS Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that all deposits into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account shall remain available to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (currently, the Department of Justice [DOJ]) for reimbursement of administrative expenses, to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is amended to declare that certain foreign student and exchange program fees that are deposited into the account shall remain available to DHS (currently, DOJ) for reimbursement of administrative expenses (including expenses related to gathering foreign student information), to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
RPPA Commercial Recreation Concessions Pilot Program Act of 2016 This bill amends the Recreation and Public Purposes Act to direct the Department of the Interior to establish a pilot program that authorizes commercial recreation concessions on land patented or leased under the Act. Interior shall enter into at least 10 agreements with parties to whom such land has been patented or leased for the establishment of these concessions. A party to such an agreement may enter into agreements with third parties to establish such concessions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act This bill declares that the proposed or the final rule of the Department of Labor entitled "Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees" shall cease to have any force or effect. The rule revises the "white collar" exemption of executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees from minimum wage and maximum hour, or overtime, requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). If the proposed rule is a final rule on the date of enactment of this bill: Labor shall not enforce it based on conduct occurring before that enactment date, an employee shall not have any right of action against an employer for the employer's failure to comply with the final rule at any time before that enactment date, any regulations that were amended by the final rule shall be restored and revived as if the final rule had never taken effect, and nothing in this bill shall be construed to create a right of action for an employer against an employee for the recoupment of any payments made to the employee before the enactment of this bill that were in compliance with that final rule. Labor may promulgate any substantially similar rule only if it has completed certain required actions; but the rule shall not contain any automatic updates to the salary threshold for purposes of exemptions to minimum wage and maximum hour requirements under the FLSA. The requirement that definitions applicable for such exemptions be defined and delimited from time to time by Labor regulations shall be construed to: require Labor to issue a new rule through notice and comment rulemaking for each change in any salary threshold it has proposed; and exclude any rule that would result in changes to any salary threshold for multiple time periods, including through any automatic updating procedure. Labor may not promulgate any final rule that includes any revision to duties tests for exemption from minimum wage and maximum hours requirements unless specific regulatory text for the provision was proposed in the proposed rule.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2016
Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2016 This bill modifies the scope of judicial review of agency actions to authorize courts reviewing agency actions to decide de novo all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions and rules.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) establish the number of annual refugee admissions at 60,000, (2) authorize the President to submit an adjustment recommendation to Congress for approval based upon humanitarian or national interest concerns, and (3) provide that the President must submit emergency refugee admission recommendations to Congress for approval. The President shall (currently, may) terminate the refugee status of a person not entitled to such status. Refugee status is terminated for an individual who applied for such status because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution in the country from which he or she sought refuge on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, but who has returned to such country absent changed conditions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall, when processing refugee applications from individuals seeking refuge from a "country of particular concern," grant priority to minority religion applicants whose claims are based on persecution because of their religion. DHS may conduct recurrent background security checks of an admitted refugee until the refugee adjusts to permanent resident status. Waiver authorities are limited with respect to refugee inadmissibility and permanent resident status adjustment. With respect to refugee status adjustment to permanent resident: (1) required U.S. residency is increased to three years; (2) an in-person DHS interview is required; (3) five-year reexaminations are required for a refugee whose status adjustment is refused; and (4) deportability grounds, with an exception for public charge grounds, shall be grounds for refusal of status adjustment. Resettlement of any refugee may not be provided for in any state or locality where the governor, chief executive, or legislature has taken action disapproving such resettlement. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shall complete a refugee processing fraud study. DHS shall: (1) establish a program to detect the use of fraudulent documents in refugee admissions applications, which shall include placement of fraud detection officers at screening locations; and (2) use digital recording technology to record USCIS refugee interviews. A person may not be considered a refugee if such person fled from violence in his or her country of nationality (or of last habitual residence for a person with no nationality) if the violence: (1) was not specifically directed at the person; or (2) was specifically directed at the person but not because of that person's race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Prior to U.S. refugee admission, DHS shall ensure that an alien is not a threat to U.S. national security based on a background check that includes a review of the alien's open source Internet interactions, including social media services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2016
Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2016 This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: placed in removal proceedings, eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) The Department of State shall negotiate agreements, in addition to countries contiguous to the United States, between the United States and Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and any other appropriate country regarding the repatriation of children. The requirements of this Act are applied to any UAC apprehended on or after June 15, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year or 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product unless Congress authorizes the excess by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress to levy a new tax, increase the rate of any tax, or increase the debt limit. The amendment provides any Member of Congress with standing and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of this amendment if authorized by a petition signed by one-third of the Members of either house of Congress. Courts are prohibited from ordering any increase in revenue to enforce this amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
SNAP Empowerment and Accountability Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to permit states to use drug test results for determining eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants to states to treat individuals who test positive. The bill increases from $20 to $50 the amount of annual benefits received under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 or a similar energy assistance program which qualifies a SNAP applicant to use a standard utility allowance to document heating and cooling costs for calculating benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Build the Fence Act of 2016 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete the required southwest border fencing by December 31, 2017. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 is amended to direct DHS to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders by the same date. Until such fencing is completed: DHS may not obligate or expend any amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to it for facilities construction or maintenance, vehicle purchases, or other non-essential purchases or acquisitions; and no politically appointed DHS official or senior executive service employee may travel using government aircraft, receive any non-essential training, or receive any bonus pay salary increase.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Resist Executive Amnesty on Defense Installations Act or the READI Act This bill prohibits the use of a military installation to house any alien unlawfully present in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
PLO Accountability Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress concerning the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the peace process and adherence to diplomatic agreements with Israel, PA support for an International Criminal Court investigation of Israel, and the presence of a PLO office in Washington, DC. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 is amended to authorize the President to waive for up to six months the prohibition against establishment or maintenance of a PLO office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities within U.S. jurisdiction, if the President certifies to Congress that the Palestinians have entered into a final negotiated peace agreement with, and have ceased hostilities against, Israel or that: the Palestinians have not, on or after April 1, 2015, obtained state standing in the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof outside an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians; the Palestinians have officially ceased to be members of the ICC and have withdrawn from the Rome Statute; any ICC investigation against Israel initiated by, or on behalf of, the Palestinians has been withdrawn and terminated; the PLO and the PA no longer provide financial awards or salaries to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for terrorist attacks, or to their families; and the PLO and the PA no longer engage in a pattern of incitement against the United States or Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2016
Funding Unpaid National Debt with Settlements Act or the FUNDS Act This bill requires funds collected by the federal government through legal settlements, fines, and penalties (excluding penalties or interest collected by the Internal Revenue Service under the Internal Revenue Code) to be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury for deficit reduction. (Under current law, federal agencies are permitted to spend funds from certain settlements, fines, and penalties for specified purposes.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Southwest Border Security Threat Assessment Act of 2016 This bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit a southwest border threat analysis that includes an assessment of: terrorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and organized groups seeking to unlawfully enter the United States through the southwest border or seeking to exploit border vulnerabilities along such border; improvements needed at and between ports of entry along such border to prevent terrorists and instruments of terror from entering the United States; gaps in law, policy, cooperation between state, local, or tribal law enforcement, international agreements, or tribal agreements that hinder effective and efficient border security, counterterrorism, anti-human smuggling and trafficking efforts, and the flow of legitimate trade along such border; and the current percentage of situational awareness and of operational control of U.S. borders achieved by DHS of the international land and maritime borders of the United States. The bill requires the Chief of the Border Patrol to issue, by March 1, 2017, and every five years thereafter, a Border Patrol Strategic Plan that includes consideration of: an evaluation of the southwest border threat analysis and an assessment of principal border security threats; efforts to analyze and disseminate border security and border threat information between DHS components and with other federal agencies with missions associated with the border; efforts to increase situational awareness, to detect and prevent terrorists and instruments of terrorism from entering the United States, and to detect, interdict, and disrupt aliens and illicit drugs at the earliest possible point upon entry into the United States; efforts to focus intelligence collection to disrupt transnational criminal organizations outside of U.S. borders; efforts to ensure that any new border security technology can be operationally integrated with existing DHS technologies; technology required to maintain, support, and enhance security and facilitate trade at ports of entry; operational coordination unity of effort initiatives of DHS border security components; lessons learned from Operation Jumpstart and Operation Phalanx; cooperative agreements and information sharing with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction on the northern or southern border; border security information received from consultation with such agencies and from border community stakeholders; staffing requirements for all border security functions; a prioritized list of research and development objectives to enhance the security of U.S. borders; an assessment of training programs for detecting fraudulent documents, understanding the scope of enforcement authorities and the use of force policies, and screening, identifying, and addressing vulnerable populations; and an assessment of how border security operations affect crossing times.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Cottonwood Land Exchange Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), if Yavapai County in Arizona offers to convey to the USDA 369 acres of specified nonfederal land in the county, to accept the offer and convey to Yavapai County 80 acres of specified federal land within the Coconino National Forest in the county. The USDA shall determine the values of the lands to be exchanged through appraisals following specified requirements. The values shall be equal, or if they are not equal, equalized as prescribed by this bill. Lands acquired by the USDA under this bill shall become part of the Coconino National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Federal Employee Rights Act This bill repeals current authority allowing the deduction of labor organization dues from employee pay and prohibits federal agencies, including executive, legislative, and judicial agencies, the U.S. Postal Service, the Postal Regulatory Commission, and the government of the District of Columbia, from deducting any amount from the pay of an employee for the dues of a labor organization. The bill prohibits employee dues collected by a labor organization from being used for any purpose not directly related to the organization's collective bargaining activities without employee authorization. The bill requires a vote of more than 50% of all employees (not just employees who cast ballots) to approve union representation and extends this requirement to postal service employees. An employee may elect, in writing, to withhold personal information from a labor organization during organizing activity. The bill requires that all elections relating to labor representation, including elections involving postal service employees, have secret paper ballots.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2016
Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2016 This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into: (1) a new Ninth Circuit, to be composed of California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands; and (2) a newly established Twelfth Circuit, to be composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. The bill designates locations where the new circuits are to hold regular sessions. The bill distributes active circuit judges of the former Ninth Circuit to the new circuits. Circuit judges and senior circuit judges currently stationed in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, or Nevada may elect their circuit assignment. For each circuit judge in regular service who elects to be assigned to the new Ninth Circuit, the President shall appoint one additional circuit judge for the Twelfth Circuit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2016
State Sanctions Against Iranian Terrorism Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to specify that a state may, in addition to limiting investment in Iran's energy sector, prohibit or limit any person from engaging in specified investment activities in Iran. A state may also enter into interstate compacts to prohibit or limit such financial activities. Enforcement of such measures may include the imposition of disclosure and transparency requirements. The description of "investment activities" is revised to: (1) reduce the threshold for financial involvement from $20 million to $10 million; and (2) include, in addition to the energy sector, involvement in a business enterprise in Iran, including an entity owned or controlled by the Iranian government. The bill declares that a state or local government measure authorized pursuant to the Act is: (1) authorized and not preempted by any federal law or regulation, or any policy, agreement, or exercise of waiver authority of the executive branch; and (2) is consistent with U.S. federal policy, including U.S. foreign policy. A state or local government may enforce a measure adopted before the enactment of this Act that: (1) provides for the divestment of state or local assets from, or prohibits the investment of those assets in, any person that engages in investment activities in Iran or other business activities in Iran identified in the measure; or (2) prohibits or limits any person from engaging in investment activities in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2016
Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2016 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to direct the Drug Enforcement Administration to register an emergency medical services (EMS) agency as an entity authorized to dispense controlled substances, instead of registering the individual practitioners or medical directors of the agency. A registered EMS agency must be overseen by one or more medical directors. The bill specifies that an EMS practitioner who is employed by a registered EMS agency may administer controlled substances under a standing order issued by a medical director. The standing order does not have to be specific to an individual patient.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2016
State Health Flexibility Act of 2016 This bill amends the Social Security Act (SSAct) to replace federal requirements for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) with health care block grants to states. A state may use block grant funds to: (1) provide health care services to indigent individuals; (2) fund risk adjustment mechanisms for the purpose of subsidizing the cost of private health insurance for the high-risk population; and (3) support other welfare-related programs, as specified by the bill. In addition to repealing titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (CHIP) of the SSAct, the bill repeals: (1) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and (2) the Health Care and Educational Reconciliation Act of 2010. With respect to an alien not lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, a state may use grant funds to provide only emergency health care services, as specified by the bill. A state shall contract with an approved auditing entity for annual audits of its grant fund expenditures. The bill limits the authority of any federal agency to supervise a state's use of funds received under the block grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2016
Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to begin an 18-month pilot program in at least three Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) under which veterans use an Internet website to schedule and confirm appointments at VA medical facilities. The pilot program's duration may be extended and the number of VISNs may be increased.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2016
DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act This bill declares that the prohibitions of the District of Columbia Official Code against carrying a pistol within the District either openly or concealed without a license under D.C. law shall not apply to an individual who is: not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm; carrying a valid license or permit for a concealed firearm issued under the law of a state; and carrying a valid identification document containing the individual's photograph. The Metropolitan Police Department, upon application by a person with a bona fide residence or place of business within the United States and a license to carry a concealed pistol under the law of any state or local government, shall issue that person a license to carry a concealed pistol within the District for up to two years from its date of issue, regardless of the applicant's reason for applying for the license. The bill repeals the condition on the permission for a non-D.C. resident who lives in a state that does not require a license to carry a concealed pistol to apply to the Metropolitan Police Department for a license to carry one within the District for up to two years. The condition repealed states that the non-resident may apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon only if the non-resident meets the same reasons and requirements a person must meet who has a bona fide residence or place of business in the District. The Metropolitan Police Department shall enter into reciprocity agreements with each other state that requires such an agreement in order to grant recognition to a license to carry a concealed firearm issued by that state.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001183_200.jpg)