United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Human Trafficking Accountability Act This bill amends the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate: at least one Human Trafficking Coordinator in each federal judicial district to implement the National Strategy for Combatting Human Trafficking and to prosecute cases, conduct outreach, and enforce laws related to human trafficking; and a National Human Trafficking Coordinator within DOJ to coordinate, promote, and support DOJ's work related to human trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Code Like a Girl Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, or nonprofit organizations to accelerate research efforts to increase understanding of the factors that contribute to the willingness or unwillingness of girls under the age of 11 to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) activities. The NSF shall also award competitive grants to such institutions and organizations to enter into partnerships with local educational agencies to develop and evaluate interventions in pre-K and elementary school classrooms that seek to increase participation by such girls in computer science activities. The NSF must: (1) ensure that the materials developed under a program that are demonstrated as being effective in achieving grant goals are made available free of charge to the public on an Internet website, (2) convene an annual meeting of participating partnerships to foster greater national collaboration, and (3) furnish such partnerships with technical assistance in meeting grant program requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2017 This bill modifies the Supplemental Security Income benefits program, including by raising the asset limit and otherwise revising provisions related to program eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Frank Adelmann Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit equal to 75% of the gain from the sale or exchange of real property to a qualified manufactured home community cooperative or corporation if: (1) the property is acquired for use as a manufactured home community, (2) the seller (or any related person) owned the property for at least two years before the sale or exchange, and (3) the property is transferred subject to a binding covenant that the property will be used as a manufactured home community for at least 50 years. A "qualified manufactured home community cooperative or corporation" is a cooperative or a nonprofit corporation established pursuant to the laws of the state in which the property is located. The bill specifies membership and governance requirements for the communities owned by the cooperative or nonprofit corporation. The bill also imposes a tax on buyers who violate the covenant to use the property for manufactured housing for at least 50 years.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
HUBZone Unification and Business Stability Act of 2017 This bill reauthorizes through FY2020 and revises the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program, including by revising criteria for HUBZone area designations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Declares that the House of Representatives has no confidence that President Trump is faithfully executing the office of President. Calls for President Trump to: release his tax returns; place his private business assets in a blind trust or divest from them; donate to the U.S. Treasury any personal profit from foreign patronage of hotels in which he has an ownership interest; refrain from taking any action that results in taxpayer money being spent on goods or services from businesses in which he has an ownership interest; seek congressional consent for any emoluments he has received from foreign countries; refrain from using Twitter inappropriately; support the First Amendment, support freedom of the press, refrain from calling reporting "fake news," refrain from posting video of himself wrestling with a press logo, and stop limiting full electronic press access to White House press briefings; promote democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights in foreign policy; unequivocally acknowledge that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and work to protect our electoral process from future foreign interference; refuse any offer to form a cybersecurity unit with the Russian government to protect the United States from election hacking; respect the independence of our nation's judicial branch; respect Members of Congress and refrain from using derogatory nicknames for them; and conduct foreign policy in a manner that reflects the U.S. traditional role as leader of the free world.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2017
Applauds the United Nations General Assembly for uniting to honor President Mandela's contribution to international peace and freedom. Recognizes the global impact of President Mandela's legacy and commitment to nonviolence, respect, and dialogue. Supports the international community's recognition of United Nations Nelson Mandela International Day. Urges all U.S. citizens to reflect on the importance of peace, tolerance, democracy, human rights, and reconciliation in honor of Nelson Mandela International Day.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
Veteran Education Empowerment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs for the establishment, maintenance, improvement, and operation of veteran student centers. A veteran student center is a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
Federal Employee Pension Fairness Act of 2017 This bill repeals provisions requiring federal employees, including foreign service employees, who began service after 2012 to pay an increased contribution (4.4%, up from 0.8%) toward funding their annuities under the Federal Employees Retirement System.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Requests the President and directs the U.S. Attorney General to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of any document or communication in their possession that refers or relates to: the firing of James B. Comey as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the participation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Comey's removal, the scope or application of Sessions's recusal from investigations of matters related to the presidential campaign and the application of such recusal to Comey's removal, the scope or application of executive privilege as applied to Sessions's testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 13, 2017, President Trump's Twitter statement on May 12, 2017, that "James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!", any system used by the White House to secretly record conversations between the President and Comey, and any contemporaneous account of meetings between such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Water Advanced Technologies for Efficient Resource Use Act of 2017 This bill codifies the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense program, which identifies, labels, and promotes water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, and services. This bill also establishes a program to provide financial incentives for consumers to purchase and install residential water efficient products and services labeled under the WaterSense program. In order to meet procurement requirements for a water consuming product or service, federal agencies must purchase a WaterSense product or service, or a Federal Energy Management Program designated product. Agencies do not have to procure those products or services if they are not cost-effective, or not reasonably available. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of individual taxpayers any amount received under an incentive program for the purchase and installation of residential water efficient products and services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
North Korea Follow the Money Act This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to coordinate with the Departments of State and the Treasury to produce an estimate of North Korea's revenues. The estimate must include the sources of North Korea's funding, the networks through which North Korea accesses the U.S. and international financial systems, and the global financial institutions that assist North Korea with financial transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Preventing Usurpation Through International Networks Act or the PUTIN Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to establish or support a cybersecurity unit in which the government of the Russian Federation, or any individual acting on behalf of such government, is a participant.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Heroin and Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require manufacturers, producers, and importers of active opioids to pay an excise tax of one cent per milligram of opioid. The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to states for: (1) research on opioids (including heroin), and (2) opioid abuse prevention and treatment. The Department of the Treasury must transfer an amount equal to the revenue collected from the tax to HHS to carry out this bill. The bill makes the funds available without further appropriation and designates the funding as an emergency requirement under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Second Chance for Students Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify federal student aid eligibility for a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession. Under current law, a drug offense conviction involving the sale or possession of a controlled substance triggers a suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a specified period of time. This bill allows a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession, without the intent to distribute, to resume or retain federal student aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2017 This bill requires federal, state, and local governments to directly operate and perform core services at adult prisons and detention centers. It reestablishes parole for eligible federal prisoners sentenced on or after January 1, 2017. (The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 eliminated parole for offenders convicted of federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987.) It requires financial service providers at prisons and detention centers to impose reasonable and proportional fees and charges for money transfer services. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must assess such fees or charges. The Federal Communications Commission must cap prison phone call rates and connection charges, require telecommunications providers to offer collect and debit account call services, restrict commission payments and ancillary charges, and require correctional facility administrators to allow more than one telecommunications provider. The bill eliminates the requirement for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to maintain at least 34,000 detention beds. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must establish alternatives to detention programs and determine detention bed capacity based solely on detention needs. DHS must conduct annual inspections and routine oversight of detention facilities. The bill prohibits family detention; requires alternatives to detention programs for detained family units; and prohibits separating a family to detain a family member, except to detain an alien parent who is dangerous and inadmissible on terrorism grounds. Finally, the bill establishes a private right of action for a person aggrieved by a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Do No Harm Act This bill makes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) inapplicable to federal laws (or implementations of laws) that: protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Executive Order 11246 (concerning equal employment opportunity), the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) rules entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity"; require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. Under current law, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. The bill makes RFRA inapplicable to: (1) terms requiring goods, services, functions, or activities to be performed or provided to beneficiaries of government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or awards; or (2) denials of a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. To assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Public Housing Capital Repair Fund Act This bill reauthorizes the Public Housing Capital Fund Program under the United States Housing Act of 1937 through FY2020. The Department of Housing and Urban Development shall: (1) provide grants to public housing agencies (PHAs) for capital repairs that reduce health hazards in dwelling units, including mold hazards and lead-based paint hazards; and (2) make such grants to address the unmet capital needs of large, mid-size, and small PHAs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Anti-Voter Suppression Act This bill nullifies Executive Order 13799 (titled "Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity") and specifies that no funds shall be made available by any act of Congress to the commission described in the order or to any similar commission established for studying voter fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
No Cyber Cooperation with Russia Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used to establish, support, or promote the formation of, or U.S. participation in, any joint cyber security initiative involving the government of Russia or any entity operating under its direction.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Express support for: (1) the designation of Paralympic and Adaptive Sport Day, and (2) the inclusive goals of the Paralympic Movement. Recognizes: (1) the value of sport for athletes with a disability, and (2) the contribution and sacrifice of members of the Armed Forces who have sustained a traumatic injury and acquired a disability in the service of the United States. Promotes a more inclusive society for all people with a disability through paralympic and adaptive sport.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2017
Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration to establish a program for certifying employees of small business development centers to provide cybersecurity planning assistance to small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
All-American Flag Act This bill requires U.S. flags acquired for use by the federal government to be manufactured entirely in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States. Such requirement shall not apply if: (1) articles, materials, or supplies to be used are not grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and are not of a satisfactory quality; or (2) the President determines a waiver is necessary to comply with a trade agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Restoring Confidence in America's Elections Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to: (1) prohibit the purchase or use in a federal election of an electronic voting system that does not produce a voter-verified paper record; (2) prohibit the imposition of conditions on voting by mail; (3) make mandatory the availability of early voting; and (4) require sufficient polling places, equipment, and resources to facilitate voting. The National Science Foundation shall make grants to: (1) study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy; and (2) research the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Each state shall, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, manually audit federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected. The bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless such official or an immediate family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. The Department of Justice must initiate an investigation of an allegation of voter intimidation or suppression within 30 days of receiving such an allegation. The Election Assistance Commission shall award grants for the development of voting systems that produce a voter-verified paper record of each vote cast, are compatible with commodity accessibility devices, and are fully accessible for the use of individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Transforming Student Debt to Home Equity Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to jointly establish and implement a pilot demonstration program to provide, to eligible applicants with federal student loan debt, assistance in purchasing eligible properties. Specifically, the program may provide for: (1) discounts on the appraised value of eligible properties, (2) flexibility in certain underwriting standards, (3) the development of new mortgage products specifically targeted to eligible applicants, (4) the development of a program that uses actuarial information to determine how the repayment of federal student loans may be integrated into a mortgage repayment schedule to allow eligible applicants to accumulate home equity, and (5) other appropriate assistance. An "eligible property" is a property: (1) that is designed as a dwelling for occupancy by one to four families; (2) that is safe and habitable; (3) the occupancy of which will promote community revitalization; and (4) that is owned by HUD, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to provide grants to local educational agencies to encourage the ongoing development of programs and curricula for girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and prepare those students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Recognizes National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Recognizes the rate at which individuals are affected by eating disorders and the inadequate rate at which such individuals seek treatment. Acknowledges that eating disorders can be successfully treated and that individuals with eating disorders can and do recover.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Condemns the recent attack on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, that resulted in the death of Lt. Richard Collins III and other hate-motivated incidents. Acknowledges the efforts undertaken by university officials in responding to racism, extremism, and hate and creating safer campuses. Recognizes the persistent and growing threat posed by hate speech, efforts by extremist organizations to specifically target young people, and the normalization of these practices. Expresses that the House of Representatives remains committed to offering solutions that promote open, tolerant, and safe learning environments that fully respect diversity on college campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to facilitate increased information sharing about cybersecurity among maritime interests. DHS must: develop, implement, and continually review a maritime cybersecurity risk assessment model to evaluate current and future cybersecurity risks; seek input from at least one information sharing and analysis organization representing maritime interests in the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center; establish voluntary reporting guidelines for maritime-related cybersecurity risks and incidents; and request that the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee report and make recommendations to DHS about methods to enhance cybersecurity and information sharing among security stakeholders from federal, state, local, and tribal governments; public safety and emergency response agencies; law enforcement and security organizations; maritime industry participants; port owners and operators; and maritime terminal owners and operators. Through the Coast Guard, DHS must also: direct each Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee to facilitate the sharing of information about, and development of plans to address, port-specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities; and require that area maritime security plans and facility security plans approved after enactment of this Act include mitigation measures to prevent, manage, and respond to cyber threats and vulnerabilities. The bill amends the federal shipping codes to include cybersecurity in facility and vessel vulnerability assessments.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Calls for the U.S. government to: use all available leverage to achieve lasting, comprehensive cease-fires in cases of conflict in Africa; work with governments to facilitate disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of combatants; use the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction individuals or entities responsible for initiating or prolonging conflict, endangering humanitarian aid workers, or preventing delivery of humanitarian aid; apply all available weather and crop information to more accurately predict incipient drought and to determine the likelihood of famine in conflict areas; collaborate with other donor nations to accelerate the provision of food, clean water, medicine, and shelter to those in need; expand the prepositioning of aid commodities in safe zones close to the famine region; provide assistance to farmers, herders, and fishermen; and use cash transfers to more quickly provide food aid where local markets exist and to support the functioning of local markets. Urges governments in affected African countries to: establish effective cease-fires and use force thereafter only when government forces or facilities or civilians are under attack; identify and take actions against individuals and entities that actively threaten peace and safety; work with civil society to help end conflict at the grassroots level and effect reconciliation; take specifed actions to promote the delivery of food, clean water, medicine, and shelter; protect humanitarian aid workers; and safeguard agricultural areas and farm personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Audit the Pentagon Act of 2017 This bill requires a .5% reduction in Department of Defense (DOD) discretionary budget authority if DOD has not submitted a financial statement by March 2 of a fiscal year for the previous fiscal year or such financial statement has not received an unqualified or qualified audit opinion by an independent auditor. This reduction does not apply to military, reserve, and National Guard personnel accounts or the Defense Health Program account. The bill permits the President to waive any reduction in DOD budget authority if the reduction would harm national security or military personnel deployed in combat zones.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate a program to consolidate and temporarily store commercial spent nuclear fuel during the development, construction, and operation of a permanent nuclear waste repository. The bill addresses federal land withdrawal and related management issues, including the permanent withdrawal of specific federal land for repository use by DOE, updating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process and conditions for the repository, and limiting activities relating to developing a separate defense waste repository used for storing high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel derived from the atomic energy defense activities of DOE. DOE may enter into agreements to provide benefits to state, local, and Tribal governments that might host or be affected by facilities related to storing nuclear waste. The bill revises the method by which DOE funds its nuclear waste management activities though the collection and usage of the Nuclear Waste Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Condemns the persecution of Christians around the world. Calls on: (1) discriminatory regimes to cease their persecution of Christians and religious minorities, and (2) the President and the heads of the governments of all democratic countries to uphold the right to religious freedom and condemn the persecution of Christians.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Expresses support for: (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBT Equality Day on June 26 to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on that day in 2003, 2013, and 2015. Acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make appropriations for and extend indefinitely: (1) enhanced funding for the community health centers program and the National Health Service Corps, and (2) grants for federally qualified health centers and nurse-managed health centers to train family nurse practitioners to become primary care providers. The bill makes appropriations for capital projects under the community health centers program. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to make appropriations for and extend indefinitely a program that pays teaching health centers to establish or expand graduate medical residency training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2017 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to train law enforcement officers on de-escalation techniques. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may reduce by up to 20% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply. DOJ must collect data on the efforts of state and local governments to enhance de-escalation training for law enforcement officers. Additionally, a state or local government that receives JAG program funding must enact a law, policy, or procedure that establishes an affirmative duty on a law enforcement officer to use de-escalation techniques. DOJ must reduce by 15% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to enact such law, policy, or procedure. DOJ must issue guidance on compliance with these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
DD-214 Modernization Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to modify the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214) to include a specific block explicitly identified as the location in which a member of the Armed Forces may provide an email address by which the member may be contacted after discharge or release from active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the maximum tax deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on such deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Time Off to Vote Act This bill entitles an employee to two hours of paid leave on the day of a federal election in order to vote. The employer may determine the two-hour period, excluding any lunch break or other break. Taking such leave shall not result in the employee losing accrued employment benefits. The bill makes it unlawful for an employer to interfere with the right to take such leave or for an employer to discriminate against an employee for taking such leave. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer to retaliate against an employee for: (1) opposing any practice made unlawful by this bill; (2) filing a charge, or instituting or causing to be instituted any proceeding, under or related to this bill; or (3) testifying or preparing to testify in an inquiry or proceeding relating to such leave. The bill specifies penalties for employers who violate these provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Justin Smith Morrill Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Justin Smith Morrill, a United States Senator from Vermont, for his lasting contributions to higher education opportunity for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Voter Empowerment Act of 2017 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require states to make available online voter registration. The federal criminal code is amended to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 is amended to require states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must support pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register and vote at their residences. The bill reauthorizes support for state and local governments to ensure voting access for individuals with disabilities. States must notify individuals convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release or upon sentence to probation, of their right to vote in federal elections. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2017 This bill revises auditing requirements for voting systems. Voting systems must use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots. The National Science Foundation must support the study and development of accessible ballot voting and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting for certain individuals. With exceptions, states must audit federal election results. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is amended to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. The EAC must support poll-worker recruitment and training and develop materials for a model program. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is amended to prohibit a chief state election administration official, unless the official or a family member is a candidate, from taking part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which the official has supervisory authority. The EAC is reauthorized and its exemption from certain contracting requirements is repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017 This bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President shall instruct the Department of State to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force to strengthen State Department efforts and assist other agency efforts at atrocity prevention and response. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to provide for the training of Foreign Service Officers in conflict and atrocity crimes prevention. The Director of National Intelligence is encouraged to include in his or her annual testimony to Congress on threats to U.S. national security: (1) a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes; and (2) specific countries and regions at immediate risk of atrocity crimes, including most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators, and at-risk target groups. The bill establishes the Complex Crises Fund to enable the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes. Fund amounts may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Calls for an end to the dog and cat meat industry. Urges the governments of China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, India, and all other nations to: (1) adopt and enforce laws banning the dog and cat meat trade, (2) increase efforts to prevent any leather or fur byproducts of such trade from entering international markets, and (3) use their food safety laws to crack down on the sale of dog and cat meat. Affirms the U.S. commitment to the protection of animals and to advancing the progress of animal protection around the world. Urges executive branch officials to include the dog and cat meat trade on the agenda for discussion with the officials of countries that have a dog or cat meat industry.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to certain requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unlessas specified. This bill prescribes transparency requirements regarding any changes to specified matters. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
This bill directs the United States Postal Service to issue and sell an Alzheimer's Disease Research Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred to the National Institutes of Health. The stamp must be made available to the public for six years.
![Official portrait of Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_pa_2_evans_dwight_200.jpg)