United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016
Transit Tax Credit Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for commuting mass transit costs. The credit is equal to 15% of the amount paid or incurred by the taxpayer during the year for a transit pass that the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent uses for travel between the residence and place of employment of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. The credit allowed for transit passes for any individual may not exceed $460 per year (adjusted for inflation after 2017).
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Declares that the House of Representatives supports the Arctic Council's work and remains committed to ensuring that the United States fulfills its responsibilities as an Arctic nation and asserts leadership on issues affecting the Arctic.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should: (1) continue to raise awareness of domestic violence in the United States and its devastating effects on individuals, families, and communities; and (2) support programs designed to end domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Commends the leadership, staff, scholars, designers, construction workers, volunteers, charter members, and donors who worked tirelessly to realize the venerable dream of opening the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution. Encourages all citizens and residents of, and visitors to, the United States to visit the museum when touring the nation's capital.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Recognizes the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Fulbright-Hays Programs. Congratulates Fulbright-Hays award recipients. Calls on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary teachers, scholars, and professionals around the world to seek opportunities to engage with each other and promote international goodwill and global learning.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) designate voting systems used in the United States as critical infrastructure; (2) include threats of compromise, disruption, or destruction of voting systems in national planning scenarios; and (3) conduct a campaign to proactively educate local election officials about the designation of voting systems as critical infrastructure and election officials at all levels of government of voting system threats. In furtherance of local election official preparedness and response, DHS shall conduct research and development to mitigate the consequences of voting systems threats. DHS shall prepare and submit to Congress a comprehensive plan to protect and prepare the critical infrastructure of the voting systems used in the United States against threats, including from acts of terrorism. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall develop standards for ensuring the operational security of the voting systems used in elections for federal office. This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a state, in operating the voting system, to comply with applicable standards for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. The testing and certification of voting systems hardware and software shall test whether voting systems are in compliance with applicable standards developed by NIST for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. NIST shall develop standards for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. States shall comply with applicable standards, in operating the voting system, for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. The National Science Foundation shall establish an election technology innovation research and development program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
Election Integrity Act of 2016 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to: (1) prohibit states or jurisdictions from purchasing or otherwise acquiring for use in an election for federal office a direct recording electronic voting system or other electronic voting system that does not produce a voter-verified paper record; (2) prohibit 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 Director of the National Science Foundation shall make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Each state shall, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a 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. Mandatory response by the Attorney General is required to allegations of voter intimidation or suppression by law enforcement officers and other government officials. The Election Assistance Commission shall study and, on the basis of the findings of the study, issue standards for states to follow in establishing an appropriate number and geographic distribution of voting sites in elections for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Voting Rights Act Mobilization Day should be designated to remind all Americans of the critical role that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 continues to play in protecting the right to vote, and to be an occasion for them to voice their support for this landmark civil rights law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2016
This bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require candidates for nomination or election to the office of President or Vice President to include in financial disclosure reports a statement from the Department of the Treasury indicating whether or not the Internal Revenue Service is in the process of auditing any of the candidates' individual federal income tax returns, and, if so, the year of the tax return involved. Each candidate who won the nomination of a political party for election to the office of President or Vice President in 2016 must comply with this bill by September 26, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2016
Race to the Job Initiative Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish and administer a grant program to provide anchor institution (i.e., a hospital, college, research center, or nonprofit institution) grants and infrastructure grants to eligible low-income communities for community development. Treasury shall select: (1) within the first year after enactment of this bill, 30 of such low-income communities to receive these grants; and (2) within the second year, an additional 20 of these communities. Treasury must award a capital assistance grant to each community development financial institution specified in the grantee's application to make loans to, and invest in, businesses, organizations, or public-private partnerships located in the eligible low-income community. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a new markets tax credit for investment in a partner community development financial institution without regard to allocation limitations on such credit. The bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to limit to $20 million (in the aggregate, during a three-year period) an award from the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to a community development financial institution and its subsidiaries and affiliates receiving a capital assistance grant under this bill. CDFI funds are limited annually for these entities to: (1) $10 million for financial assistance, and (2) $500,000 for technical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2016
Condemns: (1) the killing of peaceful protesters and excessive use of force by Ethiopian security forces; (2) the detention of journalists, students, activists and political leaders who exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression through peaceful protests; and (3) the abuse of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to stifle political and civil dissent and journalistic freedoms. Urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from violence. Calls on the government of Ethiopia to: end the use of excessive force by security forces; investigate the killings and excessive use of force that took place as a result of protests in the Oromia and Amhara regions; release dissidents, activists, and journalists who have been imprisoned for exercising constitutional rights; respect the right to peaceful assembly and guarantee freedom of the press; engage in open consultations with citizens regarding its development strategy; allow a United Nations rapporteur to conduct an independent examination of the state of human rights in Ethiopia; and investigate and report on the circumstances surrounding the September 3, 2016, shootings and fire at Qilinto Prison. Calls on such government to repeal proclamations that: can be used to harass or prohibit funding for organizations that investigate human rights violations, engage in peaceful political dissent, or advocate for greater political freedoms; prohibit those displaced from their land from seeking judicial redress; permit the detention of peaceful protesters and political opponents who legally exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association; and limit peaceful nonprofit operations in Ethiopia. Calls on: (1) the Department of State to review security assistance, and improve oversight of U.S. assistance, to Ethiopia; and (2) the U.S. Agency for International Development to lead efforts to develop a strategy to support improved democracy and governance in Ethiopia. Supports the peaceful efforts of the Ethiopian people to exercise their constitutional rights.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2016
Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1980, as radiation exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2016
Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act This bill establishes within the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Office of the Staff Director the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to make a systemic study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys in America.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Eliminate So-Called Right-to-Work Legislation Nationwide Act of 2016 This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to repeal the disclaimer that nothing in the law shall be construed as authorizing the execution or application of agreements requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment in any state or territory in which such execution or application is prohibited by state or territorial law. (The bill preempts contrary state or territorial law to allow the execution or application of agreements requiring union membership.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Intimate Privacy Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful to knowingly distribute a photograph, film, or video of a person engaging in sexually explicit conduct or of a person's naked genitals or post-pubescent female nipple with reckless disregard for the person's lack of consent if the person is identifiable from the image itself or from information displayed in connection with the image. The bill establishes exceptions to the ban.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
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 · 14 July 2016
Bank Service Company Examination Coordination Act of 2016 This bill amends the Bank Service Company Act to allow the appropriate federal banking agency with respect to the principal shareholder or principal member of a bank service company to authorize a state banking agency (in addition to any other federal banking agency, as under current law) that supervises any other shareholder or member to make an examination of the bank service company.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Birth Control Privacy Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit wellness programs from sharing with an employer information related to an individual's use of contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 This bill declares that it is U.S. policy that all diplomatic and coercive economic means should be used to compel the government of Bashir al-Assad to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and actively work toward transition to a democratic government. This bill directs the President to impose specified entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against a foreign person that knowingly provides significant financial, material, or technological support: (1) to the government of Syria and the Central Bank of Syria, including Syria's intelligence and security services or its armed forces, including through money laundering or with respect to Syria's gas or petroleum production or civilian aircraft services; and (2) that materially contributes to Syria's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. The Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 is amended to direct the President to impose entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against persons responsible for or complicit in: (1) directing the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Syria or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Syria; or (2) transferring to Syria certain military items or goods or technologies that may be used to commit human rights abuses. The Department of State and the Agency for International Development shall report on the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing assistance programs in Syria and to the Syrian people. The bill requires the President to: (1) submit an updated list of Syrian officials who are responsible for or complicit in the commission of serious human rights abuses against Syrian citizens, and (2) assess the potential effectiveness of a no-fly zone over Syria. The State Department shall provide assistance to entities taking criminal and evidence gathering actions for prosection of individuals who have committed crimes against humanity or war crimes in Syria since March 2011. The President may suspend sanctions against Syria under specified conditions. The bill: (1) expresses the sense of Congress with respect to a transitional government in Syria, and (2) sets forth activities and transactions that are exempt from sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Calls on the Gabonese government to: hold orderly, peaceful, free, and fair presidential elections in August 2016 in order to ensure stability and long-term growth of Gabon; guarantee fair and open participation of opposition parties; and guarantee the freedom of speech and assembly of all Gabonese citizens. Encourages continued efforts toward the consolidation of democracy through increased dialogue and concrete actions to address the constitutional and legal framework of electoral systems. Expresses support for Gabonese organizations that work to further strengthen democratic processes. Calls on: (1) the citizens of Gabon to fully and peacefully participate in the presidential elections; and (2) the United States and other international partners to help create an environment that facilitates open communication, guarantees free and fair elections, encourages voter participation, and fosters a robust civil society.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that governments should: assure that travelers are informed about the mosquito transmission of the Zika virus, assure that athletes traveling to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil are informed about the presence of the Zika virus and that Brazil has taken appropriate protective measures, urge travelers to take steps to reduce the chances of contracting the illness, and urge travelers returning from an area where mosquito transmission is actively occurring to take precautions to protect others from Zika virus exposure and to seek medical advice should disease symptoms occur.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Honors the life, work, and legacy of Elie Wiesel. Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the members of Wiesel's family. Reaffirms Wiesel's efforts to preserve the memory of those who perished and prevent the recurrence of another Holocaust, to combat hate and intolerance, and to never forget and also learn from the lessons of history.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Urban Progress Act of 2016 This bill provides support (e.g. grant programs or tax credits) for: the Rental Assistance Demonstration program that improves public housing, qualified ex-felons and employers who hire them, economically disadvantaged communities, a training program for workers, a program for providing eligible youth with summer employment opportunities, a plan to reduce the number of children living in poverty, benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for children who attend summer school, families that have children and are under 150% of the poverty line, a process to expunge and seal certain youth criminal records, an effort in preventing juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and a program for increasing the racial diversity of law enforcement agencies. The bill also addresses gun violence, including by: (1) making trafficking in firearms a crime, (2) establishing firearm prohibitions for certain high-risk individuals, (3) establishing background check requirements, and (4) requiring gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm to Department of Justice and local law enforcement authorities within 48 hours of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
This bill revises the authority of the Department of the Treasury to issue an order imposing recordkeeping and reporting requirements upon financial institutions and nonfinancial trade or business groups in certain geographic areas regarding transactions for the payment, receipt, or transfer of U.S. coins or currency (or other monetary instruments as Treasury may describe in an order). A Treasury order for recordkeeping and reporting may include all funds (not just U.S. coins or currency) involved in such transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Enhancing Treasury's Anti-Terror Tools Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to report to certain congressional committees on the employment by U.S embassies of full-time and temporary Treasury attaches and their role in advancing U.S. anti-terrorism financing interests, including money laundering and related illicit finance. The bill revises Treasury's authority to issue an order imposing recordkeeping and reporting requirements upon financial institutions and nonfinancial trade or business groups in certain geographic areas regarding transactions for the payment, receipt, or transfer of U.S. coins or currency (or other monetary instruments as Treasury may describe). Such an order may include all funds, not just U.S. coins or currency, involved in such transactions. Treasury shall study: the advisability and implications of transforming the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence into a standalone bureau, the potential efficacy of requiring banking regulators to establish a pilot technical assistance program for depository institutions and credit unions that furnish account services to money services businesses serving individuals in Somalia, and the potential impact of allowing money services businesses to share their state examinations with depository institutions and credit unions. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that, to better integrate the intelligence community with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing efforts, Treasury should work with finance ministry counterparts worldwide to spur the development of entities similar to its Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Treasury shall collect and make available electronically to federal agencies a unified stream of import and export data and similar currently collected information that would help federal detection and prevention of illicit finance. The National Security Act of 1947 is amended to add the Secretary of the Treasury to the National Security Council.
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
Anti-terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength Act This bill amends the USA PATRIOT Act to allow two or more financial institutions and any association of financial institutions, upon notice provided to the Department of the Treasury, to share information with one another regarding individuals, entities, organizations, and countries suspected of the unlawful activity the proceeds of which form the basis of a money laundering offense. A financial institution or association that transmits, receives, or shares such information to identify and report this activity shall not be liable to any person for such disclosure or for any failure to provide notice of it to the subject, or any other person identified in the disclosure, except where the transmission, receipt, or sharing violates the Act or regulations promulgated under it. The bill expresses the sense of Congress concerning the need for federal law enforcement agencies and regulators, as well as financial institutions, to share information about terrorist activities, money laundering activities, and unlawful activities to the fullest extent possible and in a timely fashion.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Act This bill establishes in the Department of the Treasury a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program for the payment of rewards to support U.S. government programs and investigations aimed at eliminating from accounts at U.S. financial institutions any stolen assets linked to foreign government corruption and the proceeds of such corruption. Treasury may pay a reward to any individual who furnishes information leading to the restraining, seizure, forfeiture, or repatriation of stolen assets in an account at a U.S. financial institution, that come within the United States, or that come within the possession or control of any U.S. person linked to foreign government corruption. U.S. or foreign government employees are not eligible for such a reward. Treasury shall: (1) establish procedures for the offering, administration, and payment of such rewards in order to ensure that the payment of rewards pursuant to this bill does not duplicate or interfere with any other payment authorized by the Department of Justice (DOJ) or other federal law enforcement agencies for the obtaining of information or other evidence; and (2) obtain the written concurrence of DOJ before making such a reward under this bill in a matter over which there is federal criminal jurisdiction. Such rewards shall be paid from the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. The total amount of rewards paid may not exceed $25 million in any calendar year. The President may waive such limitation after providing prior notice to Congress. No single reward may exceed $5 million, except as Treasury determines necessary in exceptional cases. Treasury may reduce or deny awards to individuals claiming awards who were involved in actions leading to the misappropriation or diversion of stolen assets or other foreign government corruption. Treasury shall: (1) report annually regarding stolen assets, and (2) report describing policy choices for the disposition of recovered stolen assets.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the landing and settlement of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, and the role of the indigenous Wampanoag tribes in the realization of the settlement. These coins may be issued only during a two-year period beginning January 1, 2020. Sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury as follows: 50% to Plymouth 400, Inc., to support the its work to develop, implement, and provide oversight for the commemorations surrounding the events of 2020-2021 and to be distributed, at the organization's discretion, to local historical preservation and cultural organizations to support their work in educating the public about the settlement of 1620 and their continued existence for the benefit of future generations; 15% to Plimoth Plantation to support its effort to maintain the replica of the 1627 Plantation, the Mayflower II, and the replica of the Wampanoag Village; 15% to a Wampanoag tribal organization to continue programs to educate people about the life of the Wampanoag people prior to the Plymouth settlement and their interactions with the settlers; 10% to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants to support the continued restoration of the main facility in Plymouth, to provide funding for its research library at that site, and for educational purposes; and 10% to the Pilgrim Society to continue its work in displaying the story of the settlement and settlement artifacts.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2016
Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish statutory rights for sexual assault survivors, including the right to: (1) not be prevented from receiving a forensic medical examination and not be charged for an examination; (2) have a sexual assault evidence collection kit (i.e., a rape kit) preserved for 20 years or the maximum applicable statute of limitations, whichever is shorter; (3) receive written notification prior to destruction or disposal of a rape kit; and (4) be informed of these rights and policies. Additionally, it makes statutory crime victims' rights applicable to sexual assault survivors. The term "sexual assault" means any nonconsensual sexual act prohibited by federal, state, or tribal law, including when a victim lacks capacity to consent. Funds made available to the Crime Victims Fund under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 must be used to carry out the requirements concerning these rights, subject to specified exceptions. The bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to authorize the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states to develop sexual assault survivors' rights and policies and to disseminate written notice of such rights and policies to medical centers, hospitals, forensic examiners, sexual assault service providers, law enforcement agencies, and other state entities. DOJ must establish a working group to develop, coordinate, and disseminate best practices regarding the care and treatment of sexual assault survivors and the preservation of forensic evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2016
Student Loan Interest Rate Parity Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce the interest rates on Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Direct PLUS Loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2016
Poll Tax Prohibition Act of 2016 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to prohibit requiring: an individual to present a piece of information that has an associated cost as a condition of voting in a federal election, or an individual wishing to vote by mail to include a piece of identification (or a copy of one) that has an associated cost.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2016
Recognizes the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Fulbright program. Encourages the President and the Department of State to work with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to support the Fulbright program. Congratulates all Fulbright award recipients. Calls on students, scholars, and professionals around the world to seek out opportunities to engage with each other and promote international good will.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
This bill amends the federal criminal code to require a licensed gun dealer to notify the national instant criminal background check system (i.e., the NICS database) of an explosive materials sale and the purchaser's identity. Additionally, it requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to include in the NICS database information about an individual who is or has been under a federal terrorism investigation. A federal department or agency must submit to DOJ information about such individual. If a licensed gun dealer request a background check on a prospective gun buyer or provides notice of an explosive materials purchaser who is or has been under a federal terrorism investigation, then the NICS database must notify the appropriate division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Condemns the June 12, 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed and expresses hope for the recovery of those who were wounded. Applauds the bravery and dedication of the law enforcement officials, emergency medical responders, and others who offered their support and assistance. Declares that the House of Representatives stands together united against terrorism and hatred.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Voting Access Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to comply with national standards established by the Election Assistance Commission for the location and operation of polling places used in elections for federal office. The Commission shall establish such standards and study instances of the misidentification by election officials of the political party registration of individuals attempting to vote in primary elections for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day. Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future, and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016
Stop Mass Killings By Violent Terrorists Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a federally licensed firearms dealer, importer, or manufacturer from transferring, to a person who is a non-licensee, a large capacity ammunition feeding device, unless: (1) the licensee has conducted a criminal background check of the person, and (2) the Department of Justice (DOJ) has verified the truthfulness of certain written responses given by the person with respect to recent contacts by federal law enforcement authorities. In addition, the bill prohibits a federally licensed firearms dealer, importer, or manufacturer from transferring, to a person who is a non-licensee, a semiautomatic weapon (for which a criminal background check is already required under current law), unless DOJ has verified the truthfulness of the person's written responses with respect to recent contacts by federal law enforcement authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016
Honoring Hometown Heroes Act This bill authorizes the governor of a state, territory, or possession of the United States or the Mayor of the District of Columbia to proclaim that the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (public safety officer) working in such jurisdiction who dies while serving in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016
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 · 26 May 2016
Supports the goals and ideals of Caribbean-American Heritage Month (in the month of June). Affirms that: (1) the contributions of Caribbean-Americans are a significant part of the history, progress, and heritage of the United States; and (2) the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation.
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 support for the designation of June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month and June 2, 2016, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Calls on the people of the United States to: promote greater awareness of gun violence and gun safety; wear orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day; concentrate heightened attention on gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make the communities safer.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2016
Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically Act or the Middle Class CHANCE Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify provisions related to the Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, it increases the maximum Federal Pell Grant award for academic year 2017-2018 and adjusts it in subsequent award years to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index. Additionally, the bill increases from one to two the number of Pell Grants an eligible student may receive in a single award year (i.e., it restores year-round Pell Grants). An eligible student is a student who: (1) has already received one Pell Grant for an award year, (2) is enrolled in an eligible program for an additional payment period (e.g., a summer term) during the same award year, (3) is enrolled on at least a part-time basis, and (4) has completed a full-time course load prior to receiving an additional Pell Grant. A student's total amount of Pell Grants must not exceed 150% of the maximum Pell Grant for that award year. Also, any period during which a student receives an additional Pell Grant counts toward that student's lifetime Pell Grant eligibility period. Finally, the bill increases from 12 to 15 semesters a student's lifetime Federal Pell Grant eligibility period.
![Official portrait of Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001137_200.jpg)