United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Expresses the ongoing concern of the House of Representatives regarding the deportation of Jose Escobar to El Salvador and his separation from his wife and two children. Encourages: (1) the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to jointly investigate and consider all reasonable solutions to reunite Jose Escobar with his family, and (2) the Trump administration and Congress to work together to pass comprehensive immigration reform to prevent the inhumane deportation and tragic separation of families.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Modernization of Medical Records Access for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out in at least one Veterans Integrated Services Network a pilot program for at least a 12-month period during which veterans enrolled in the VA's patient enrollment system will use a portable medical records storage system to store and share with VA health care providers and community health care providers records of their individual medical histories. The VA shall seek to enter into a contract, using competitive procedures, with an appropriate entity to furnish such storage system. The bill specifies system requirements, including: (1) the capability to store at least four gigabytes of electronic health records on a physical device no larger than a credit card, and (2) the capability to be used by substantially all electronic health records systems certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT on or before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Save Local Business Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide that a person may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee only if such person directly, actually, and immediately, and not in a limited and routine manner, exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment (including hiring employees, discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Reduce Barriers to College Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that the implemented authentication processes used for all current and future online applications provide the level of assurance required by National Institute of Standards and Technology standards for the determined level of authentication risk. Within 90 days of the enactment of this bill, the IRS must establish an online portal for individuals to request that a verification of nonfiling for any taxable year be submitted to the Department of Education as part of the process of completing the individual's Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The portal must authenticate an individual's identity using a valid Social Security number and any one of several documents specified in the bill. The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to permit certain independent students applying for federal student aid using the simplified needs test to obtain a verification of nonfiling from the IRS in lieu of certifying that the student (and the student's spouse, if any) is not required to file a federal income tax return.
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 · 26 July 2017
Recognizes the role of Latinos in protecting and preserving U.S. land, water, and wildlife. Supports the engagement of Latinos in environmental protection and conservation efforts.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Second Chance for Service Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an applicant for citizenship who served honorably in the Armed Forces is not barred from becoming a U.S. citizen on the grounds of not being a person of good moral character based upon specified behaviors or having committed certain crimes, excluding crimes relating to murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, child pornography, prostitution, trafficking in persons, and national security. In determining whether an applicant is of good moral character, the applicant's honorable service shall be weighed against any finding of having committed such behaviors or crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business in an underserved community. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. To be eligible for the credit, the small business must (1) be owned and controlled by one or more veterans or spouses of veterans, and (2) have a principal place of business in an underserved community. An "underserved community" is any area located within: (1) a HUBZone (as defined by the Small Business Act), (2) an empowerment zone or an enterprise community, (3) an area of low income or moderate income (as recognized by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council), or (4) a county with persistent poverty (as classified by the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Honors the patriotism of, and contributions to the United States by, generations of veterans service organizations. Commends members of such organizations for their dedicated service to, and support of, members of the Armed Forces. Calls on the people of the United States to follow the example of such organizations by volunteering support and services to those who have served this country.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Honors the patriotism of, and contributions to the United States by, generations of veterans service organizations. Commends members of such organizations for their dedicated service to, and support of, members of the Armed Forces. Calls on the people of the United States to follow the example of such organizations by volunteering support and services to those who have served this country.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Urges that Tom Flores, one of only two people in National Football League history to win multiple Super Bowls as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Act This bill establishes and provides funds for an individual market stabilization reinsurance program to be administered in each state by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under the program, HHS shall make reinsurance payments to health insurance issuers with respect to high-cost individuals enrolled in certain qualified health plans offered by the issuers. HHS shall award grants to states or nonprofit community-based organizations to raise awareness of, and encourage enrollment in, qualified health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Supports public and private partnerships and collaboration across industry, government, and the academic community to provide students with cybersecurity skills.
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
President John F. Kennedy Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of President John F. Kennedy. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin, which shall be paid by Treasury to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to support the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
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 · 14 July 2017
Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of any DHS document or communication that refers or relates to: a payment to a business owned or controlled by Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization or any of its subsidiaries, or any member of the Trump family in the past three years; an expenditure by DHS for services or goods from a business owned or controlled by Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization or any of its subsidiaries, or any member of the Trump family; costs to DHS associated with the protection of Donald J. Trump or any member of his family or the Trump Organization while on international travel that has not been documented by DHS as in furtherance of the U.S. government; and costs to DHS associated with Eric Trump's trips to Uruguay in January 2017, the Dominican Republic in February 2017, or the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in April 2017 or with trips by Donald Trump, Jr., and Eric Trump to the United Arab Emirates in February 2017or Canada in February 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Marketplace Certainty Act This bill expands eligibility for additional cost-sharing reductions that apply to certain enrollees of qualified health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies.
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
Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to: state that the term "intimate partner" includes a dating partner and any other person subject to a protection order under state domestic or family violence law; and expand the term "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, by a current or former intimate partner. The bill makes it a crime to knowingly sell or dispose of a firearm to a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. It also makes it a crime for such convicted stalker to receive or possess a firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Investing in Student Achievement Act of 2017 or the ISA Act of 2017 This bill provides for income-share agreements whereby a student agrees to pay a percentage of future income, for a specified period of time, in exchange for funds to pay for educational expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to appoint qualified graduates and post-secondary students to competitive service positions without regard to certain federal civil service employment and retention provisions. The VA shall allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment. The VA may appoint: (1) highly qualified candidates without regard to competitive service provisions if the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determines that the VA has a severe shortage of highly qualified candidates, and (2) former highly qualified federal employees to high-demand VA positions without regard to such provisions. The VA shall: (1) develop a resume-based application method for senior executive appointments comparable to the OPM resume-based application method; (2) establish a single database that lists each vacant position that is critical to the VA's mission, difficult to fill, or both; (3) measure and collect specified information on hiring effectiveness; (4) develop a standardized VA exit survey; (5) publish information on VA nurse staffing levels; (6) develop a tool for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) human resources employees to assess their knowledge relating to how certain VA health care providers are treated differently than other VA employees; (7) include mental health professionals and marriage and family therapists in the VA education and training program; and (8) provide VHA human resources professionals with employee recruitment and retention training. The VA and the Surgeon General shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the assignment of at least 500 commissioned officers of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service to the VA. The bill revises provisions regarding: (1) pay for medical center and veterans integrated service network directors, (2) the hiring preference service requirement, and (3) VA reductions in force.
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
Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to include Indian tribal governments in an annual allocation of a national tax-exempt bond volume cap. The bill repeals provisions that limit an Indian tribal government's eligibility to issue tax-exempt bonds or to be exempt from specified excise taxes to transactions involving the exercise of an essential government function customarily performed by state and local governments. The bill amends the IRC and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to treat employee benefit or pension plans maintained by Indian tribes and domestic relations orders issued pursuant to tribal law in the same manner as plans maintained by states and domestic relations orders issued pursuant to state law. The bill treats tribal charities and foundations in the same manner as charities and foundations funded and controlled by other governmental entities for purposes of the tax-exempt status of, and deduction for contributions to, such organizations. The bill amends the Social Security Act to give Indian tribes or tribal organizations access to the Federal Parent Locator Service if they are eligible for a grant to operate a child support enforcement program. It makes those tribes and tribal organizations eligible to participate in the program that collects past-due support from individual tax refunds. An Indian tribal government may determine whether a child has special needs for the purpose of the tax credit for the adoption of a child with special needs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Defense should review exceptions to citizenship, residency, and disqualification standards for enlistment in the Armed Forces to make a determination regarding the enlistment of aliens who possess an employment authorization document issued under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program established by the Department of Homeland Security on June 15, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal, receipts derived from borrowing, and receipts or outlays of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The amendment requires the President to annually submit to Congress a budget in which total outlays do not exceed total receipts. The balanced budget requirement does not apply if: a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security, or during the fiscal year or preceding fiscal year, the U.S. economy grew by less than 0% in real gross domestic product during two or more consecutive quarters or the unemployment rate was more than 7% during two or more consecutive months. The amendment prohibits a court from enforcing the requirements by ordering cuts to Social Security or Medicare payments unless the funds available to the trust fund for a program are not sufficient to cover the outlays that would occur during the year if the fund were fully solvent.
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
This bill requires the Departments of Defense (DOD) and of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a joint study on aliens who are or were veterans who were removed from the United States between January 1990 and January 2017. DOD and DHS shall then report to Congress on: the number of aliens removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during such period who served on active duty or in a reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces for more than 180 days, the country of origin for each such alien, the number of such aliens who were discharged or released from service under honorable conditions, the grounds for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act for each such alien, whether each such alien appealed the removal order, the length of time each such alien served in the Armed Forces, the number of such aliens who were deployed overseas as members of the Armed Forces, the number who served on active duty in a combat theater of operations, and the number who were awarded service medals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish an Office of Service Member Naturalization to: (1) identify members of the uniformed services who are not citizens and inform them of the availability of naturalization assistance; (2) help such members complete the naturalization process before their separation from the uniformed services; and (3) coordinate points-of-contact at military installations to ensure that personnel who are responsible for assisting members through the naturalization process successfully complete their assignments. DOD shall ensure that each Military Entrance Processing Station provides the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, to new recruits for the uniformed services who are processed at a military entrance processing command center and are not U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
This bill requires the President to develop a strategy to prevent the financing of terrorism. The strategy shall contain: (1) an assessment of present efforts and existing threats, (2) proposed changes and initiatives, (3) a discussion of the role of the private sector and the enhancement of intergovernmental cooperation, (4) an analysis of emerging threats and the use of technological enhancements to stop the financing of terrorism, and (5) a multiyear budget plan .
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are human rights and protected by the U.S. Constitution; (2) LGBTQ Pride Month should be celebrated; and (3) all Americans should be treated equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Supports the designation of American Grown Flower Month. Recognizes that flowers grown in the United States support farmers, small businesses, jobs, and the economy; are a vital part of the U.S. agricultural industry; and enhance the ability of the people of the United States to celebrate holidays and special occasions. Urges all people of the United States to proactively showcase flowers and greens grown in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2017 This bill provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States. The bill: (1) grants such an individual limited immunity under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such firearm before or concurrent with such registration; and (2) extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession. The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall provide clear notice of, and the Department of Veterans Affairs shall carry out an outreach program and develop a communications strategy to provide veterans information regarding, the amnesty and registration period. DOJ shall: (1) transfer each firearm qualifying as a curio or relic that has been forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it, and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm that is available to be transferred to a museum. The bill: (1) prohibits DOJ from destroying any such firearm that has been forfeited until five years after the forfeiture, and (2) requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee. The prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun shall not apply to a transfer to or by, or to possession by, a museum that is open to the public and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under applicable state law.
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
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
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 390 West 5th Street in San Bernardino, California, as the "Jack H. Brown Post Office Building."
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.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require states to charge in-state tuition rates to refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders if they are lawfully in the United States. This requirement only applies to the first state where the individual lives after being admitted into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2017
Expresses strong disapproval of the President's announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Commends the group of states, cities, colleges and universities, businesses, investors, and individuals who have publicly expressed their support for such agreement. Urges the President to reverse his decision and maintain U.S. participation in such agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Permanence Act of 2017 This bill directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to establish a Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program to provide matching funds for the development, expansion, or continuation of tax preparation programs to assist low-income taxpayers and members of underserved populations. Unless otherwise provided by a specific appropriation, the IRS may not allocate more than $30 million per fiscal year (exclusive of costs of administering the program) for the program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Restore Honor to Service Members Act This bill requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. The bill prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Each military department shall ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Specified military personnel records and discharge forms must be reissued in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
National Museum of the American Latino Act This bill establishes the National Museum of the American Latino in the Smithsonian Institution. The purposes of the museum are to: (1) illuminate Latino contributions to the story of the United States; (2) provide for the collection, study, research, publication, and establishment of exhibitions and programs related to Latino life, art, history, and culture; and (3) provide for collaboration with Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers and other museums and educational institutions in the United States and abroad to promote the study and appreciation of Latino life, art, history, culture, and its impact on society in the United States. The bill establishes a Board of Trustees for the museum to advise and assist the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian on all matters related to the administration and preservation of the museum. The Director of the museum shall manage the museum and may carry out educational and liaison programs in support of its goals. The Board of Regents shall designate a site for the museum and is authorized to design and construct it.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2017 or the CARERS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that the Act's regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties do not apply to a person who produces, possesses, distributes, dispenses, administers, tests, recommends, or delivers medical marijuana in compliance with state law. The bill also: excludes "cannabidiol" (CBD) from the definition of "marijuana"; limits the concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in CBD to 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis; and deems marijuana grown or processed to make CBD, in accordance with state law, to comply with the THC concentration limit unless the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) determines state law to be unreasonable. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to terminate the Public Health Service's interdisciplinary review process that is used to evaluate applications for medical marijuana research. The DEA must license manufacturers and distributors of marijuana for medical research; HHS must register practitioners to conduct research; and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must authorize VA health care providers to provide recommendations and opinions to veterans regarding participation in their states' marijuana programs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_ca_46_correa_j_200.jpg)