United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act This bill authorizes the military department concerned to reimburse a member of the Armed Forces who is reassigned for a permanent change of station or assignment from one state to another for qualified relicensing costs of the member's spouse. Reimbursement may not exceed $500 for each change of station or assignment. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) shall work with states to improve license portability. "Qualified relicensing costs" are the costs, including exam and registration fees, needed to secure a license or certification to engage in the same profession in the new state.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill prohibits the payment of any pay to any Member of Congress (excluding the Vice President): (1) if both houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by such date, or (2) until both houses of Congress approve such a budget resolution and pass all such appropriations bills. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to establish a prohibition on the use of exotic or wild animals in performances (e.g., circus, ride, carnival, or parade) of a traveling animal act. The prohibition does not apply to the use of animals in: (1) zoos; (2) aquariums; (3) research facilities; (4) film, television, or advertising, if the performance is not before a public studio audience; or (5) rodeos. The prohibition also does not apply to domestic animals or farm animals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2017 This bill directs the Drug Enforcement Administration to update schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to include certain synthetic substances. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that: has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. The bill exempts from treatment as a controlled substance any such synthetic substance that is manufactured, distributed, and used exclusively for research.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The President shall report to Congress regarding the foreign and domestic supply chain in Iran that supports Iran's ballistic missile program. The report shall identify individuals and companies involved in such activities. The President shall submit to Congress a determination of whether any Iranian ballistic missile test violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. Such resolution endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and sets out a mechanism to monitor Iranian compliance. The President shall impose sanctions against: (1) Iranian government agencies involved in ballistic missile development; (2) foreign entities that supply material for, or otherwise facilitate or finance, such efforts; (3) foreign persons or foreign government agencies that import, export, or re-export prohibited arms or related material to or from Iran; and (4) foreign persons or entities that transfer goods or technologies contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, including launch technology, and destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. The President shall investigate potential violations of ballistic missile and conventional weapons sanctions against Iran. The President shall report to Congress regarding credible information about Iran's violations of arms restrictions and attempts to pursue sanctionable activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act of 2017 This bill amends title VII (Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize through FY2018 the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program. The bill also authorizes new grants under the FIPSE program. Specifically, the Department of Education may award grants to institutions of higher education for dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs that allow high school students to earn college credits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) support advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish a Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund; (2) modify the definition of subpart F income (i.e., income of a controlled foreign corporation earned outside the United States that is not tax-deferred) to include income of a controlled foreign corporation derived from a foreign country; and (3) transfer to the fund revenues from the newly included subpart F income. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture must allocate funds from the trust fund to specified clean water programs, drinking water programs, and water well systems. The bill amends Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the EPA to make grants for providing technical assistance concerning water and sanitation infrastructure and drinking water systems to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments. The EPA must establish a grant program for repairing, replacing, or upgrading septic tanks and drainage fields. The bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make permanent a grant program for household water well systems in rural areas. The bill revises requirements concerning the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) and the drinking water SRF. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the EPA to make grants to local educational agencies for: (1) infrastructure to ensure that drinking water in schools is lead free, and (2) testing drinking water in schools for lead.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to furnish fertility treatment and counseling, including through the use of assisted reproductive technology, to a severely wounded, ill, or injured member of the Armed Forces who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty (covered member) or to the spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate of such member. DOD shall: establish procedures for gamete retrieval from a member of the Armed Forces in cases in which the fertility of such member is potentially jeopardized as a result of an injury or illness incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty; and give members of the Armed Forces on active duty the opportunity to cryopreserve and store their gametes prior to a combat zone deployment at no cost to the member. Fertility counseling and treatment are included within authorized Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical services. The VA shall furnish such treatment and services to a jointly applying covered veteran and his or her spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate. The VA may pay the adoption expenses (for up to three adoptions) for a covered member who is enrolled in the VA health care system. The VA shall facilitate research conducted collaboratively by DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the VA's ability to meet the reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty that affects the veterans' reproductive ability. The VA shall enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans contact center to: (1) respond to assistance requests, and (2) refer such veterans to federal or community resources. The pilot program of group retreat reintegration and readjustment counseling for women veterans recently separated from service is enlarged and extended. The bill provides child care assistance to qualified veterans for: (1) mental health care services, and (2) readjustment counseling and related mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act This bill reauthorizes the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study, the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006, the Long Island Sound Grants, and Long Island Sound Stewardship Grants through FY2023. The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study to include in studies on strengthening the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound: (1) environmental impacts on the sound watershed; and (2) planning initiatives that identify areas most suitable for various activities in order to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce adverse environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, or preserve critical ecosystem services. The office must: (1) develop and implement strategies to increase education and awareness about the ecological health and water quality of the sound; and (2) monitor progress toward meeting the goals, actions, and schedules of the plan. The limit on the federal share for certain grants for projects and studies to help implement the plan is revised by increasing the limit for grants other than citizen involvement and education grants. A federal agency that owns or occupies real property, or carries out activities, within the sound watershed must: (1) participate in regional and subwatershed planning, protection, and restoration activities; and (2) ensure that the property and activities are consistent with the plan to the maximum extent practicable.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to help finance the construction of a new building and renovation of existing National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to rename the credit "the affordable housing credit" and make several modifications to the credit. The bill revises tenant eligibility requirements, with respect to: the average income test, income eligibility for rural projects, increased tenant income, student occupancy rules, and tenant voucher payments that are taken into account as rent. The bill revises various requirements to: establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain projects, permit relocation costs to be taken into account as rehabilitation expenditures, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, require housing credit agencies to make certain determinations regarding community revitalization plans, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, increase the population cap for difficult development areas, and eliminate the basis reduction for a property that receives the tax credit for investments in energy property if the affordable housing credit is allowed for the property. The bill also modifies requirements regarding the reconstruction or replacement period after a casualty loss, rights related to building purchases, the prohibition on claiming acquisition credits for properties placed in service in the previous 10 years, foreclosures, and projects that assist Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. The bill makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 This bill makes it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies DOJ of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. The bill makes it unlawful for a person not licensed under this bill to transfer possession of a firearm at a gun show to another person not licensed unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has, among other conditions, recorded the transfer with DOJ. Additionally, the licensed dealer must notify the prospective transferor and transferee of the firearm that the national instant criminal background check system has provided the dealer with a unique identification number indicating that the receipt of the firearm would not violate certain federal or state firearm laws. The bill grants DOJ authority to enter, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, any place where a gun show is held or where a gun show operator is required to maintain records to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Servicemember Intimate Privacy Protection Act This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prohibit the nonconsensual distribution of private sexual images. To be guilty of such offense, a person must have: knowingly broadcast or distributed a visual image of another person who is at least 18 years of age, who is identifiable from the image itself or from information displayed in connection with the image, and who is engaged in a sexual act or exposes a private area; obtained the image under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private; and known, or reasonably should have known, that the person depicted in the image has not consented to its broadcast or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States reaffirms its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the foundation of transatlantic security and defense, (2) NATO serves as a critical coalition in preserving transatlantic peace and stability, and (3) NATO's continuing development of new capabilities and technologies to combat terrorism and a changing international security environment are crucial to enhancing national security and strengthening the ability of the United States to combat security threats. Encourages each NATO member country to meet or exceed the commitment to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity policy that clearly defines acts of aggression, acts of war, and other related events in cyberspace, including any commensurate responses to any such act or event.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or the HELLPP Act This bill adds podiatrists as covered physicians under the Medicaid program. Documentation requirements related to Medicare coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes are revised. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier to a continuing levy for federal taxes owed by the provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2017
Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal judicial code to prohibit the exclusion of citizens from service as a grand or petit juror in U.S. district courts or the Court of International Trade on account of sexual orientation or gender identity (thereby expanding the current prohibition against exclusion on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status).
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2017
Healthy Families Act This bill requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The bill authorizes small employers with fewer than 15 employees to provide the same paid sick time, but allows them to opt out. Any small employer that opts out shall provide at least 56 hours of unpaid sick time to each employee per calendar year. The bill declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Employees may use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members (including a domestic partner or the domestic partner's parent or child); or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. The Commissioner of Labor Statistics must compile information annually on paid sick time and the Comptroller General shall study related matters. The bill declares that nothing in this bill shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies. The Department of Labor shall exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by this bill, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. The same authority is granted to the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board for employees under their jurisdictions. The bill authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Statue of Liberty Values Act 2.0 of 2017 or the SOLVE Act 2.0 of 2017 This bill states that: (1) beginning on March 6, 2017, Executive Order 13780, entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," is null and void, shall have no force and effect, and may not be implemented or enforced; and (2) no federal funds may be used to implement or enforce any of the policy changes set forth in such order. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from sixcountries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act or the PACT Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise and expand provisions with respect to animal crushing. It retains existing criminal offenses that prohibit knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video using interstate commerce. The bill also adds a new provision to criminalize an intentional act of animal crushing. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. It provides additional exceptions for conduct, or a video of conduct, including conduct that is: (1) medical or scientific research, (2) necessary to protect the life or property of a person, (3) performed as part of euthanizing an animal, or (4) unintentional.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2017 This bill expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Services to caregivers of veterans under such program are expanded to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. The bill terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2022, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2022, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2022. The bill authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. The VA is authorized to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Flexible work schedules or telework are authorized for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. The Public Health Service Act is amended to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. An interagency working group is established in the executive branch to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. The VA shall provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Directs the Department of the Treasury to provide to the House of Representatives the full tax returns of President Donald J. Trump for tax years 2006-2015, financial documentation, and any information in its possession that specifies President Trump's: debts held by foreign governments and foreign companies; investments in foreign countries and foreign enterprises; and use of any tax shelters, corporate structures, tax avoidance maneuvers, abatements, or other loopholes to reduce or eliminate tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Housing Act (FHA) under the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing. (Currently, the FHA prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.) The bill defines: (1) "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. The bill also extends prohibitions against housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, handicap, familial status, or national origin to include discrimination based on: (1) an individual's association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; and (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Gun Violence Research Act This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 to eliminate the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services using federal funds to advocate or promote gun control.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Reclamation of War Powers Act This bill prohibits funds made available for the U.S. Armed Forces from being obligated or expended for their introduction into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, in the absence of a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by an attack or imminent threat of attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Armed Forces. Such funds may be obligated or expended for such introduction by reason of a national emergency created by such an attack or imminent threat only during the 60-day period beginning on such date of their introduction. It shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill or joint resolution that would make funds available in violation of these provisions. The President shall, in the case of a declaration of war or specific authorization for such introduction of the Armed Forces, submit to Congress a report on: an analysis of the threat to be countered by the use of the Armed Forces, the specific objectives and justification for such objectives to be achieved by their use, and a description of the scope and duration, cost, and likelihood of success of their use. The President shall report in the case of an introduction of the Armed Forces by reason of such a national emergency. The bill sets timetables for such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Federal Savings Association Charter Flexibility Act of 2017 This bill amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to permit a federal savings association to elect to operate, subject to supervision by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, with the same rights and duties as a national bank.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act This bill amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to revise requirements for federal and private flood insurance. This bill revises the financial requirements that apply to flood insurance for home loans or loan guarantees by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Private flood insurance must meet any financial strength requirements set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Private flood insurance may include nonadmitted insurers (including surplus lines insurance) as long as the insurer is eligible to provide insurance in the home state of the insured and complies with the laws and regulations of that state. The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is amended to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to consider any period during which a property was continuously covered by private flood insurance to be a period of continuous insurance coverage, including for the purposes of National Flood Insurance Program subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to be an inpatient for purposes of satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital-stay requirement with respect to Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Keeping Our Campaigns Honest Act of 2017 This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to revise its sponsorship identification rules to require the disclosure announcements required for broadcast matter or origination cablecasting matter that is political or that involves the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance to include the names of significant donors to the person whose identity is required to be disclosed in such an announcement.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
American Soda Ash Competitiveness Act This bill sets at 2%, for a five-year period, the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market from federal land.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 201 7 This bill prohibits the wages or other remuneration earned by an employee who performs employment duties in more than one state from being subject to income tax in any state other than: (1) the state of the employee's residence, and (2) the state within which the employee is present and performing employment duties for more than 30 days during the calendar year. The bill exempts employers from state income tax withholding and information reporting requirements for employees not subject to income tax in the state under this bill. For the purposes of determining penalties related to an employer's state income tax withholding or reporting requirements, an employer may rely on an employee's annual determination of the time expected to be spent working in a state in the absence of fraud or collusion by such employee. For the purposes of this bill, the term "employee" excludes: professional athletes; professional entertainers; production employees who perform services in connection with certain film, television, or other commercial video productions; and public figures who are persons of prominence who perform services for wages or other remuneration on a per-event basis.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit people from knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption. In addition, the bill prohibits people from knowingly transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or donating: (1) a dog or cat to be slaughtered for human consumption, or (2) dog or cat parts for human consumption. The bill subjects a violator to imprisonment for up to a year, a fine, or both. The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Cancer Drug Coverage Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require group and individual health plans that cover anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable cost sharing for patient-administered anticancer medications. This requirement applies to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with this requirement, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
TechCorps Act This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management to establish and maintain an electronic database of job vacancies across the government relating to information technology (IT). The database shall be published on the USAJobs website and shall describe such vacancies as TechCorps-eligible positions. The National and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to enter into an agreement with a federal agency to carry out a TechCorps program, under which: individuals apply to service as TechCorps members prior to or after graduating from a program of study at an institution of education leading to a degree or certificate relating to IT, individuals are recruited in their last academic year, TechCorps members commit to employment with the federal agency in an IT-related job for at least two years, and individuals accepting such employment shall be TechCorps members for up to four years. The Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended to provide that a borrower of a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program shall be eligible to defer payments for any period during which the borrower is serving as a TechCorps member. The Department of Education shall carry out a program of canceling a specified amount of the loan obligation amount of borrowers who: (1) serve as a TechCorps member for at least two years, and (2) are not in default. The Government Accountability Office shall study and report to Congress on projected staffing needs for IT-related jobs in the federal government over the next ten years.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program under which HHS may make grants to states for the purpose of: (1) reviewing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths (maternal deaths); (2) establishing and sustaining a maternal mortality review committee to review relevant information; (3) ensuring that the state department of health develops a plan for ongoing health care provider education in order to improve the quality of maternal care, disseminate findings, and implement recommendations; (4) disseminating a case abstraction form to aid information collection for HHS review and preserve its uniformity; and (5) providing for the public disclosure of information included in state reports. The bill defines "pregnancy-associated death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the cause of death. It defines "pregnancy-related death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the pregnancy's duration, from any cause related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy or its management, excluding any accidental or incidental cause. States shall develop procedures for mandatory reporting to their departments of health by health facilities and professionals concerning maternal deaths and for voluntary reporting of such deaths by family members. States shall investigate each case and prepare a case summary for each case, to be reviewed by the committee and included in applicable reports. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct HHS to take specified steps to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Women's Health Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits any government from imposing on abortion services: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or medical procedures; a requirement that the same clinician who performs a patient's abortion also perform additional tests, services or procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs or provide services via telemedicine; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at those facilities; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a patient make medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity; a limitation on medical training for abortion procedures; a prohibition prior to fetal viability, including a prohibition on a particular abortion procedure; a prohibition after fetal viability when continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction on a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; or a restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion. A measure or action that is similar to a requirement or limitation listed above is prohibited if it singles out abortion services or makes abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Internal Revenue Service to disclose certain tax return information to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence or the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, upon receiving a written request from the chairman of the relevant committee. Any return or return information that can be associated with, or otherwise identify, a particular taxpayer may only be furnished to a congressional committee when it is sitting in closed executive session, unless the taxpayer consents in writing to the disclosure.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Department of Defense Overhead Cost Savings and Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to: (1) submit to specified congressional committees the Defense Business Board study entitled "Transforming Department of Defense's Core Business Processes for Revolutionary Change" and any supporting information used by the board to conduct such study, and (2) make such study publicly available. The bill sets forth House and Senate procedures for the expedited consideration of legislation to implement at least 80% of the DOD cost savings identified in such study.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits funds from being made available to Honduras for the police or military (including for equipment and training), and directs the Department of the Treasury to instruct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against any loans for the police or military of Honduras, until the Department of States certifies that the government of Honduras has: prosecuted members of the military and police for human rights violations and ensured that such violations have ceased; established the rule of law and guaranteed a judicial system capable of bringing to justice members of the police and military who have committed human rights abuses; established that it protects the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, and civil society activists to operate without interference; withdrawn the military from domestic policing; and brought to trial and obtained verdicts against those who ordered and carried out the attack on Felix Molina and the killings of Berta Caceres, Joel Palacios Lino, Elvis Armando Garcia, and over 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Living Donor Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits discrimination based on an individual's status as a living organ donor in the offering, issuance, cancellation, coverage, price, or any other condition of a life insurance policy, disability insurance policy, or long-term care insurance policy. The bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to specifically include living organ donation as a serious health condition that entitles a covered employee to leave under that Act. The Department of Health and Human Services must update public service announcements, websites, and other media regarding live organ donation to educate the public on the benefits of live organ donation and on access to insurance for living organ donors.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for admission into the United States of the state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The Commonwealth shall be admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other states. The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth shall consist of all Washington, DC territory as of enactment of this bill, with specified exclusions for federal buildings and monuments. The Commonwealth may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill applies current DC laws to the Commonwealth and continues pending judicial proceedings. The bill maintains: (1) DC as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. The bill provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution repealing the Twenty-Third Amendment to the Constitution (which provides for the appointment of electors for President and Vice President).
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2017
Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training Practices Act or the BEST Practices Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD), by no later than: (1) October 1, 2020, to complete the development, testing, and validation of human-based training methods for training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of combat trauma injuries, with the goal of replacing live animal-based training methods; and (2) October 1, 2022, to use only use human-based training methods for such purposes. No animals may be used in such training after the latter date. DOD shall submit an annual report to Congress regarding the development and implementation of the human-based training methods.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2017
World Language Advancement and Readiness Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Defense to award three-year competitive grants to state and local educational agencies for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language (e.g., foreign language or American Sign Language) programs in elementary and secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2017
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition and celebration of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The coins shall be in the shape of a dome, and the design on the common reverse of the coins shall depict a basketball. Treasury shall hold a competition to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins, which shall be emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Hall to fund an endowment for increased operations and educational programming.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2017
Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children Act or the RACE for Children Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for sponsors of certain drugs and biological products for adult cancer to assess the use of their medications in pediatric populations. (Currently, applications for FDA approval of new medications or new uses of medications must include pediatric assessments of safety and effectiveness for claimed indications, with exceptions.) The pediatric assessment for medications, including orphan drugs, that are used to treat cancer in adults and target a molecule germane to pediatric cancer must assess the safety and effectiveness of the medication for pediatric cancer. The bill limits waivers of pediatric assessments for medications that target a molecule germane to a pediatric cancer for which there is a need for additional treatment options. The FDA may require the sponsor of an approved medication that targets a molecule germane to pediatric cancer to complete a pediatric assessment if: (1) the medication is used for a substantial number of pediatric cancer patients, or (2) there is reason to believe the medication would have a meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing therapies for pediatric cancer patients. The FDA committee that reviews requests for pediatric studies must implement a plan to achieve earlier submission of pediatric studies. (Currently, completion of pediatric clinical studies requested by the FDA extends the patents or marketing exclusivity period for a medication by six months, with exceptions.) The FDA must act within 120 days on proposed pediatric study requests and proposed amendments to requests.
![Official portrait of Rep. Himes, James A. [D-CT-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001047_200.jpg)