United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act This bill expands the boundaries of the Bear Ears National Monument in Utah. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture USDA shall administer the lands under their jurisdictions within the expanded boundaries: (1) as part of the monument; and (2) in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 9558, dated December 28, 2016, which provided for establishment of the monument. Interior and USDA shall promptly carry out the proclamation's provisions, including the provisions requiring them to engage the Bear Ears Commission to: ensure the proper care and management of the objects identified; ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge; and provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the monument. The National Park Service shall administer Natural Bridges National Monument and those portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that are within the expanded boundaries as part of the monument. Interior and USDA may acquire lands, waters, or interests in land that are located within the revised boundaries of the monument by donation, purchase, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 99 Macombs Place in New York, New York, as the "Tuskegee Airman Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4558 Broadway in New York, New York, as the "Stanley Michaels Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Act to Sustain the Protection of Immigrant Residents Earned through TPS Act of 2017 or the ASPIRE-TPS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide six-year, renewable protected status for an alien who: (1) as of January 1, 2017, had been granted or was eligible for deferred enforced departure or temporary protected status, (2) has continuously resided in the United States for five years, (3) is admissible as an immigrant, and (4) registers as required. Aliens may work while in protected status. Protected status shall be withdrawn if an alien was not entitled to such status or fails to register with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) every 36 months. Absences from the United States of one year or less shall not break residence continuity. Absences longer than one year shall break residence continuity unless the alien establishes that he or she did not abandon U.S. residency. DHS shall adjust the status of an alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien: (1) meets certain eligibility requirements; (2) establishes that removal would result in extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child; and (3) submits an application.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Grand Jury Reform Act of 2017 This bill conditions a state or local government's receipt of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program on the state's compliance with certain requirements following an incident involving the use of deadly force by a local law enforcement officer that results in a person's death. Specifically, the governor must appoint a special prosecutor to present evidence before a judge to determine whether probable cause exists to criminally charge the law enforcement officer. The hearing must be open to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Blast Exposure Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes a Department of Veterans Affairs' presumption of service-connection for a veteran's injury or illness associated with a blast exposure during active military, naval, or air service in spite of there being no record of the injury or illness during a period of service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Hear Our Heroes Act of 2017 This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for veterans with permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, or both, who served on active duty in combat or in a military occupational specialty in which they were exposed to a high level of acoustic trauma.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill modifies various provisions of federal firearms laws. Among other things, it does the following: prohibits certain firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check; and requires states to implement plans to improve the submission of mental health and criminal history records to the national instant criminal background check system.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
American Promise Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit an alien who is in temporary protected status (TPS) or deferred enforced departure (DED) status to apply for legal permanent resident status if such alien: is eligible for permanent resident status, applies for adjustment within three years, was granted or was eligible for TPS or DED status on or before October 1, 2017, and has been continuously physically present in the U.S. for at least three years. (TPS designations permit eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. DED designations permit eligible nationals of presidentially-designated counties to be temporarily not subject to removal from the United States.) The bill: waives certain grounds of inadmissibility; authorizes the waiver of the continuous physical presence requirement if an alien's removal would cause extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's spouse, children, parents, or domestic partner; authorizes an alien who has applied for status adjustment to work; and authorizes an alien who has been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure to apply for status adjustment. An alien's spouse, parent, or unmarried child shall have his or her status adjusted to legal permanent resident if such person is eligible for status adjustment and applies within three years. Aliens from countries that no longer have valid TPS designation and aliens who no longer have valid DED status are not included in this bill unless such TSP or DED status expires on or after January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Congressional Sexual Harassment Training Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require each employing office under the Act to ensure that its covered employees enroll in the Office of Compliance's program of education that informs employees of the rights provided under the Act against sexual harassment: (1) within 60 days after first becoming an employee; (2) for existing employees, within 90 days after enactment of this bill; and (3) every two years.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Uniting and Strengthening America by Reforming and Improving the Government's High-Tech Surveillance Act or the USA RIGHTS Act This bill amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to: require a warrant to collect communications of or about a U.S. person or a person inside the United States; require a warrant when a significant purpose of targeting foreigners is to collect communications of persons in the United States; prohibit the use of communications to or from, or information about, U.S. persons or persons in the United States in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or investigation, with the exception of national security-related crimes; allow individuals who have a reasonable basis to believe their communications will be acquired and who have taken reasonable steps to avoid surveillance to challenge the constitutionality of surveillance in court; and require that all forms of technical assistance demanded by the government of electronic communications service providers be approved by a FISA court. The bill expands the mandate of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to include review of all foreign intelligence activities and whistle-blower complaints. The bill extends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to September 30, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
State Public Option Act This bill allows residents not already eligible for Medicaid who are not concurrently enrolled in other health insurance coverage to buy into a state Medicaid plan beginning January 1, 2018. The bill makes such buy-in coverage eligible for premium subsidies and reduced cost sharing under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shall develop standardized, state-level metrics of access to, and satisfaction with, providers for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans. Primary care services furnished under Medicaid by certain providers must be paid at a rate that is not less than the rate under Medicare part B. Beginning in FY2019, the Department of Health and Human Services may award grants to states for the purpose of improving access to services for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans. The bill provides the enhanced federal medical assistance percentage to every state that expands Medicaid coverage for individuals who are newly eligible under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, regardless of when such expansion takes place.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Creating Accountability Measures Protecting University Students Historically Abused, Threatened, and Exposed to Crimes Act or the CAMPUS HATE Crimes Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish measures to hold institutions of higher education accountable for hate crimes that occur on their campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Digital Coast Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a constituent-driven Digital Coast program. (This program currently exists under NOAA to provide data, tools, and training that communities use to manage their coastal resources.) The program must: (1) provide an online resource that integrates geospatial data, decision-support tools, training, and best practices to address coastal management issues and needs, and to enhance resilient communities, ecosystem values, and coastal economic growth and development; and (2) provide for the documentation, dissemination, and archiving of the data. NOAA must focus on filling data needs and gaps for critical coastal management issues and support continued improvement in existing efforts to coordinate the acquisition and integration of key data sets needed for coastal management, and other purposes. NOAA may enter into financial agreements to carry out the program. NOAA may enter into contracts with private sector entities as may be necessary to collect, process, and provide remote sensing and other geospatial data and products. Additionally, NOAA may establish public tools that are capable of tracking ocean and Great Lakes economy data for each coastal state.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Food Bank Assistance Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide additional funding to the Department of Agriculture for carrying out the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). (TEFAP helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance. The program provides food and administrative funds to states to supplement the diets of these groups.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise the quorum requirement for the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to require the lesser of three members or the number of members holding office on the board (currently, at least three members) for there to be a quorum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Keep America's Refuges Operational Act This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize through FY2022: (1) the volunteer services, community partnerships, and national wildlife refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System; and (2) provisions authorizing the Department of the Interior to accept and use gifts, devises, or bequests of real and personal property for the benefit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the performance of its activities and services. The bill eliminates the prohibition on the use for the operation or administration of any nonfederal entity of any federal funds that are used for a project or program for a national wildlife refuge or a complex of geographically related refuges under a cooperative agreement between Interior and a partner organization, academic institution, state or local government agency, or other person under the community partnerships program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017 or the CASE Act of 2017 This bill creates the Copyright Claims Board, a body within the U.S. Copyright Office to decide copyright disputes. Damages awarded by the board are capped at $30,000. Participation in board proceedings is voluntary, and parties may choose instead to have a claim or defense heard in court. If the parties agree to have their dispute heard by the board, they shall forego the right to be heard before a court and the right to a jury trial. The board shall be authorized to hear copyright infringement claims, actions for a declaration of noninfringement, claims that a party knowingly sent false takedown notices, and related counterclaims. The bill provides for various procedures, requests for information from the other party and requests for the board to reconsider a decision. The board may issue monetary awards based on actual or statutory damages. The parties shall bear their own attorneys' fees and costs except where there is bad faith misconduct, and such awards shall be limited to $5,000. A board's final determination precludes relitigating the claims in court or at the board, but parties may apply to a federal district court for review of the decision.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish detention standards for each facility at which aliens in DHS custody are detained. Such standards shall provide for at least the level of detainee protections described in the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. A detained individual who is injured as a result of a violation of such standards may file a claim in U.S. district court. The bill: (1) provides for facility oversight and transparency, (2) phases out the use of private detention facilities and jails for such aliens, and (3) revises procedures for detaining aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2017
9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor Act of 2017 This bill makes eligible for the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor a public safety officer who: (1) participated in the response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and (2) died because of such participation as a result of a WTC-related health condition (i.e., a World Trade Center-related health condition).
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2017
Expresses support for the designation of National Kinship Care Month. Honors the commitment and dedication of kinship caregivers and advocates. Encourages Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress and the states should consider a constitutional amendment to reform the Electoral College and establish a process for electing the President and Vice President by a national popular vote, and (2) Congress should encourage the states to continue to reform the Electoral College process through such steps as the formation of an interstate compact to award the majority of Electoral College votes to the national popular vote winner.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Recognizes: (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make publicly available a National Family Caregiving Strategy that identifies recommended actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. The council shall terminate after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the community health centers program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Grow American Incomes Now Act of 2017 or the GAIN Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the earned income tax credit (EITC), to: (1) increase specified credit and phaseout percentages, (2) increase the earned income amounts and the phaseout amounts, (3) decrease from 25 to 21 the minimum eligibility age for individuals without qualifying children, and (4) allow employees to elect to receive advance payments of the EITC from employers when wages are paid.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
SNAP Standard Medical Expense Deduction Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow households containing an elderly or disabled member to use a standard medical expense deduction for calculating income to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. If the amount of actual costs of allowable medical expenses incurred by the elderly or disabled member for a month, exclusive of special diets, is equal to or greater than $35, the standard medical deduction for each month is: (1) $140 for FY2018, and (2) the preceding year's amount with a specified adjustment for inflation for FY2019 and each subsequent year. If the monthly costs are greater than the sum of the standard medical deduction and $35, the household may deduct the actual costs. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may approve a standard medical deduction that is higher than the amount required by this bill. USDA must submit specified studies and reports to Congress regarding: (1) state performance in enrolling disabled and elderly individuals in SNAP and specified Medicare programs, (2) disability and food insecurity, and (3) the effectiveness of the standard medical deduction.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing Act This bill amends the Fair Housing Act to specify that the following unwelcome conduct in or around a dwelling shall be considered sufficiently severe or pervasive as to constitute a discriminatory housing practice: (1) unwelcome touching of a sexual nature or groping; or (2) any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is intended to be coercive, threatening, or intimidating.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2017
International Communications Privacy Act This bill establishes a framework governing law enforcement access to electronic communications data, regardless of where the data is stored.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Confederate Monument Removal Act This bill amends the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit statues of certain persons who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from being displayed in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol shall identify all such statues and, subject to the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, arrange for their removal from the Capitol within 120 days. States may substitute statues in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the Revised Statutes and the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001. The bill makes appropriations for the activities in the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Urban Agriculture Production Act of 201 7 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an urban agriculture outreach program to award grants for: (1) infrastructure; (2) land acquisition, land conversion, and soil and growing mechanism assistance; (3) education and training; (4) technical and financial assistance to farmers, producers, or ranchers in urban areas; and (5) other activities that support urban agriculture. USDA must give preference to grants for activities in historically underserved communities. USDA must establish the position of Urban Agricultural Liaison. USDA must award grants for scientific and community-based participatory research related to urban agriculture. The bill provides specified funds for the grants and requires USDA to give priority to outreach activities to be carried out in historically underserved communities. The bill amends the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to: (1) establish a program to provide loans and loan guarantees for projects or activities to establish, expand, and promote direct producer-to-consumer marketing and assist in the development of local food business enterprises; and (2) extend and provide additional funding for the Farmers' Market Promotion Program. The bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and provide additional funding. The bill amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to require additional USDA reporting on farmers' markets and agricultural production in urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2017
Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act This bill transitions away from fossil fuel sources of energy to clean energy sources (e.g., energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy). By 2027: (1) 80% of electricity sold must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 80% of new vehicle sales from manufacturers must be sales of zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 80% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. By 2035: (1) 100% of electricity must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 100% of vehicle sales from manufacturers must be zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 100% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. The bill establishes a car allowance rebate system within the Department of Transportation to provide economic incentives for consumers to purchase new, clean energy vehicles. No federal permits for new major fossil fuel projects may be issued in 2018 and thereafter. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) terminate specified fossil fuel subsidies, (2) permanently extend renewable electricity production tax credits for electricity generated from wind, and (3) permanently extend a business energy investment tax credit for solar or wind energy technologies. A Community Assistance Fund is established for specified industrial and energy efficiency programs. The bill permanently reauthorizes the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides energy efficiency retrofits of low-income homes. It prohibits exports of domestically produced crude oil and natural gas, including liquefied natural gas. The Center for Clean Energy Workforce Development is established within the Department of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used for the creation, maintenance, or display of any Confederate symbol on federal public land, including any highway, park, subway, federal building, military installation, street, or other federal property. An exception to such prohibition is provided: (1) if the use of such funds is necessary to allow for the removal of the Confederate symbol to address public safety; or (2) in the case of a Confederate symbol created, maintained, or displayed in a museum or educational exhibit. The Department of Defense shall redesignate the following military installations with such designation as it determines appropriate: Fort Rucker, Alabama, Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Gordon, Georgia, Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Hood, Texas, Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Pickett, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
Honoring Real Patriots Act of 2017 This bill states that it is the policy of the United States that no military installation or other property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense (DOD) shall be or remain named after any individual who took up arms against the United States during the American Civil War or any individual or entity that supported such efforts. Not later than one year after the enactment of this bill, DOD shall change the name of each military installation and other property under its jurisdiction that is named after any individual who took up arms against the United States during the American Civil War or is named after any individual or entity that supported such efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
Censures and condemns President Trump for his inadequate response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017, for his failure to condemn the White supremacist groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism, for asserting that "both sides" were to blame and excusing the violent behavior of participants in the Unite the Right rally, and for employing people with ties to White supremacist movements in the White House. Urges President Trump to fire all White House advisors who have urged him to cater to the White supremacist movement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Special Counsel Independence Protection Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed individual may be removed only if: (1) the Attorney General files an action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and files a contemporaneous notice of the action with Congress; and (2) the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issues an order finding misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of DOJ policies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Condemns the role of white supremacist groups in inciting violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and denounces the increase in fear-mongering, racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry, and violence by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and other hate groups. Offers condolences to the families of those who died in Charlottesville, and wishes quick recoveries for those injured. Urges President Trump to: (1) disavow any support he has received from hate groups, (2) terminate the employment of any White House staff and administration officials who have supported white supremacists, and (3) use the office of the President and resources of the Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of domestic hate groups.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Overdraft Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a depository institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts in connection with overdraft coverage. Each depository institution that offers overdraft coverage for accounts must disclose overdraft coverage fees. It must also disclose that: the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related transaction account, and the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. A depository institution must provide certain other disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. The bill limits the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged each month and year, and provides that such fees must be reasonable. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. The bill also prohibits a depository institution from: charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
American Hope Act of 2017 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow a state to extend higher-education benefits to state residents regardless of whether they are lawfully present in the United States. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal, and adjust the status, of certain residents who entered the United States as children prior to 2017. An individual whose status has been so adjusted shall be considered to have obtained conditional permanent-resident status, valid for a period of eight years and subject to termination on the basis of specified deportable conduct. In order for an individual's conditional status to become permanent, the individual must timely file with DHS a petition indicating, among other specified information, that the individual has maintained conditional permanent-resident status for at least three years. Any period of time in which the individual was granted deferred action pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy shall count toward this three-year period. Information furnished by an individual in such a petition may not be used by an officer or employee of the United States to initiate removal proceedings. The bill also: (1) allows DHS to establish a competitive grant program for the provision of nonprofit assistance to eligible applicants for conditional permanent-resident status; (2) establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting American Citizenship; (3) allows the Department of Education to develop an open-source, electronic English-learning program; (4) specifies requirements related to federal higher-education assistance for individuals with conditional permanent-resident status; and (5) requires the Government Accountability Office to report on specified data related to the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Background Check Completion Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Dream Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel removal and grant lawful permanent resident status on a conditional basis to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable or is in temporary protected status who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding this bill's enactment; (2) was younger than 18 years of age on the initial date of U.S. entry; (3) is not inadmissible on criminal, security, terrorism, or other grounds; (4) has not participated in persecution; (5) has not been convicted of specified federal or state offenses; and (6) has fulfilled specified educational requirements. DHS shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status unless the alien has engaged in conduct that would make the alien ineligible for DACA. DHS may not: (1) grant conditional permanent resident status without the submission of biometric and background data, and completion of background and medical checks; and (2) disclose or use information provided in applications filed under this bill or in DACA requests for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill prescribes the conditions under which DHS: (1) may terminate a person's conditional permanent resident status, and (2) shall adjust a person's conditional status to permanent resident status. The bill: (1) sets forth documentation requirements for establishing DACA eligibility, and (2) repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: child safety is the first priority of custody and parenting adjudications, and courts should resolve safety risks and claims of family violence before assessing other best interest factors; quasi-scientific evidence should be admitted by courts only when it meets admissibility standards for scientific evidence; evidence from court-affiliated or appointed fee-paid professionals regarding adult or child abuse allegations in custody cases should be considered only when the professional possesses documented expertise and experience in the relevant types of abuse, trauma, and the behaviors of victims and perpetrators; states should define required standards of expertise and experience for appointed fee-paid professionals who provide evidence to the court on behaviors of abuse victims and perpetrators, specify requirements for the contents of such professional reports, and require courts to find that any appointed professionals meet those standards; states should consider models under which court-appointed professionals are paid directly by the courts, with potential reimbursement by the parties after due consideration of the parties' financial circumstances; and Congress should schedule hearings on family courts' practices with regard to children's safety and civil rights.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jeffries, Hakeem S. [D-NY-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000294_200.jpg)