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![Official portrait of Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/117_rp_ma_2_mcgovern_james_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
12,354 records where Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020
This resolution expresses support for the enactment of the Older Americans Bill of Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2020
Language Equity in Social Security Act of 2020 This bill requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to take into account an individual's linguistic limitations, including any lack of facility with the English language, when determining if the individual has a disability for purposes of eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income. SSA regulations scheduled to take effect on April 27, 2020, eliminate an individual's inability to communicate in English as an educational factor for purposes of determining whether the individual can make an adjustment to perform other work.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2020
Gender Inclusive Passport Act This bill requires the Department of State to permit an applicant for a passport, passport card, or Consular Report of Birth Abroad to use an unspecified (X) gender designation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2020
K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020 This bill addresses toxic exposure of members of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi-Khanabad (K-2) Air Base in Uzbekistan between October 1, 2001, and December 31, 2005. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct a study and report on such exposure. Based on the results of the study, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must determine (1) whether a positive association exists between such exposure and the occurrence of a diagnosed illness in humans, and (2) whether a presumption of service-connection is warranted. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. If the VA determines a presumption of service-connection is not warranted, notice must be published and include an explanation of the basis for the determination. The bill also requires the VA to remove previous presumptions if evidence indicates such presumption is not warranted. The bill requires the VA to establish and maintain a registry for individuals who were deployed to K-2 during the specified time frame. Finally, DOD must provide access to information upon request by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for purposes of a study regarding the effects of exposure to toxic substances at K-2.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2020
This resolution supports the designation of Public Schools Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2020
Securing Consumers Against Misrepresented Debt Act of 2020 or the SCAM Debt Act This bill provides additional requirements for debt collectors when taking legal action to collect a debt. Among other things, debt collectors must provide advance notice to the consumer of the intent to take legal action, and provide in the initial pleading certain evidence regarding the debt and a sworn affidavit stating that the statute of limitations has not expired. The bill also sets forth additional information a debt collector must provide to a consumer regarding the debt.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2020
Leave No Americans Behind Act of 2020 This bill eliminates the loan repatriation program, which requires persons who need to be evacuated from foreign countries during situations such as war or natural disasters to reimburse the U.S. government for certain evacuation costs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2020
Nutrition Education Act This bill requires a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2020
Agriculture Resilience Act This bill addresses national greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts in the U.S. agriculture sector, including a national goal to achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2040. Among other things, the bill expands the purposes of federally supported agricultural research, extension, and education to include accelerating the ability of agriculture and the food system of the United States to first achieve net zero carbon emissions and then go further to be carbon positive by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a national network of regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change; creates a soil health grant program for state and tribal governments; revises the agricultural conservation easement program to require owners that receive cost-share assistance to have a conservation plan in place that addresses applicable resource concerns for the land subject to the easement, including soil health and greenhouse gas emissions reduction; establishes an alternative manure management program to support non-digester dairy and livestock methane management strategies to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to maximize environmental benefits; directs USDA to study dual-use renewable energy systems, including an assessment on the compatibility of different species of livestock and crop types with dual-use renewable energy system designs; and provides competitive grants and technical assistance for local educational agencies to implement food waste measurement and reporting, prevention, education, and reduction projects.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2020
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' opposition to kleptocracy and grand corruption and its support for U.S. efforts to engage in the development of an International Anti-Corruption Court.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2020
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to Project Legacy in Brooklyn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing its mission.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 This bill sets forth requirements related to waste and recycling collection systems for a variety of products and materials, including plastics. The bill makes certain producers of products (e.g., packaging, paper, single-use products, beverage containers, or food service products) fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use. In addition, the bill establishes (1) minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted; and (2) an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be contained in beverage containers. Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill phases out a variety of single-use products, such as plastic utensils. The bill also sets forth provisions to encourage the reduction of single-use products, including by establishing programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and by establishing a tax on carryout bags. The bill creates a temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for facilities that manufacture plastics until regulations are updated to address pollution from the facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency must publish guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers must include labels on their products that are easy to read and indicate whether the products are recyclable, compostable, or reusable. Finally, the bill establishes limitations on the export of plastic waste to other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020
This resolution recognizes the importance of, and encourages, international education and exchange programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020
This concurrent resolution supports the continued enforcement of environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2020
No Public Charge Deportation Act of 2019 This bill repeals the provision generally providing for the deportability of an alien who becomes a public charge (an alien who has received certain public benefits for a certain amount of time) within five years of entering the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2020
Truth in Buffalo Labeling Act This bill prohibits the sale of food that contains water buffalo and is labeled as buffalo unless the specific term used in the labeling is water buffalo .
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2020
Pathway to Stable and Affordable Housing for All Act This bill provides appropriations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for several housing programs, including (1) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, (2) the Housing Trust Fund, (3) the Continuum of Care Program, and (4) the Emergency Solutions Grants Program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2020
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' support for the recognition and observation of International Parental Child Abduction Month to raise awareness of and opposition to this occurrence.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
This resolution reaffirms the longstanding alliance between the United States and Europe and recognizes the need for these entities to cooperatively combat anti-Semitism. The resolution encourages European governments and organizations to employ all necessary measures to address anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with adjacent wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
This resolution urges the federal government to establish a goal of conserving at least 30% of the land and 30% of the ocean within its territory by 2030.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2020
Eritrean Nationals' Safety from Unjust Removal or Expulsion Act or the ENSURE Act of 2020 This bill defers the removal of qualified Eritrean nationals for 24 months starting from this bill's enactment. To qualify, a Eritrean national must have been (1) ordered removed to Eritrea before this bill's enactment, and (2) continuously present in the United States since this bill's enactment. The Department of Homeland Security may not detain a qualified individual for immigration status reasons or because the individual moved to reopen certain immigration proceedings. Generally, a qualified individual shall have work authorization unless the individual is subject to extradition. An extradition based on a not-credible accusation that the individual committed crimes against humanity shall not disqualify the individual from receiving work authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
This resolution reaffirms support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The resolution urges the United States to continue to be a leader in promoting nonproliferation through specified measures.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act of 2020 This bill makes various changes to the federal framework governing the sale, transfer, and possession of firearms and ammunition. Among other things, the bill does the following: generally requires individuals to obtain a license to purchase, acquire, or possess a firearm or ammunition; raises the minimum age—from 18 years to 21 years—to purchase firearms and ammunition; establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties; requires law enforcement agencies to be notified following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial; creates a statutory process for a family or household member to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to remove firearms from an individual who poses a risk of committing violence; restricts the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices; restricts the manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, or receipt of ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers); makes trafficking in firearms a stand-alone criminal offense; requires federally licensed gun dealers to submit and annually certify compliance with a security plan to detect and deter firearm theft; removes limitations on the civil liability of gun manufacturers; allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue safety standards for firearms and firearm components; establishes a community violence intervention grant program; and promotes research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Blast Exposure Protection Act of 2020 This bill establishes a Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for a veteran's injury or illness associated with a blast exposure during active military, naval, or air service in spite of there being no record of the injury or illness during a period of service. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
This resolution supports the designation of a National Citizenship Month. The resolution also honors the contributions our immigrant community makes to our nation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2020
Nationwide Right To Unionize Act This bill provides authorization for labor agreements to require membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment regardless of state law (thus preempting state laws that prohibit such agreements).
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill increases by 3.5% the rates of basic pay for federal employees under the statutory pay systems (i.e., the General Schedule, the Foreign Service Schedule, and various schedules related to the Veterans Health Administration) for calendar year 2021. Additionally, it increases by 3.5% the rates of basic pay for prevailing rate employees for FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
This resolution supports the preservation of Minor League Baseball in 160 American communities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2020
This resolution commemorates the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and honors survivors of the Holocaust, as well as members of the Allied forces who liberated Auschwitz. The resolution urges the United States to improve efforts to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry and intolerance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2020
This resolution recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the Lunar New Year. The resolution expresses, in observance of this Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, the deepest respect of the House of Representatives for Asian Americans and all individuals throughout the world who celebrate this significant occasion. The resolution wishes Asian Americans and all individuals who observe this holiday a happy and prosperous new year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2020
Protecting Community Television Act This bill revises the definition of a franchise fee that is paid by a cable operator or cable subscriber to encompass only a tax, fee, or other monetary assessment that is imposed by a franchising authority or other governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020
Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for Parkinsonism, bladder cancer, hypertension, and hypothyroidism for veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act This bill withdraws approximately 234,328 acres of federal land and waters in a specified area in the Rainy River Watershed of Superior National Forest in Minnesota from entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. The area is adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Mining Protection Area. Land or interest in land within such area that is acquired by the United States shall be immediately withdrawn in accordance with this bill. The Forest Service is authorized to permit the removal of sand, granite, iron ore, and taconite from national forest system lands within such area if the removal is not detrimental to the water quality, air quality, and health of forest habitat within the Rainy River Watershed.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020 This bill establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism, as well as the relationship between domestic terrorism and hate crimes. It authorizes domestic terrorism components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor, analyze, investigate, and prosecute domestic terrorism. The domestic terrorism components of DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must jointly report on domestic terrorism, including white-supremacist-related incidents or attempted incidents. DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must review the anti-terrorism training and resource programs of their agencies that are provided to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. It creates an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies. Finally, it directs the FBI to assign a special agent or hate crimes liaison to each field office to investigate hate crimes incidents with a nexus to domestic terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
This resolution encourages the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain and strengthen requirements that keep waterways clean. It also encourages the EPA to end or reverse administrative actions that weaken requirements protecting the nation's waters.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2020
Access to Counsel Act of 2020 This bill establishes various protections for aliens in certain immigration-related proceedings or inspections. When an alien is undergoing certain types of inspections or is subject to a removal, exclusion, or deportation proceeding, the alien shall be entitled to representation by counsel of the alien's choice, at no cost to the government. The current statute only states that an alien is entitled to representation in removal proceedings. If such an alien is subject to detention or inspection at a port of entry and cannot meet with counsel, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shall provide for remote communication with counsel. If such an alien has been denied access to counsel, the alien may not submit paperwork to abandon lawful permanent resident status or to withdraw an application for admission. The detention of an individual at a port of entry or a CBP or ICE facility shall (1) be limited to the briefest term and the least restrictive conditions necessary, and (2) include access to food, water, and restrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2020 This bill prohibits the incidental taking (e.g., capturing or killing) of migratory birds by commercial activities unless the activity is authorized under a permit or is identified as posing de minimis risk to migratory birds. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must regulate such incidental taking, including by (1) issuing general permits for certain industries, (2) creating a mitigation fee for any incidental taking of migratory birds, and (3) identifying categories of de minimis risk activities that are exempt from liability for the taking of migratory birds. In addition, the FWS must establish and maintain a research program: (1) to evaluate the impacts of commercial activities on birds, (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of best management practices and technologies to avoid or minimize such impacts, and (3) to develop new or improved best management practices and technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
This concurrent resolution directs the President to terminate the use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against Iran unless (1) Congress has declared war or specifically authorized such use in statute, or (2) such use is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 83) directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2020
No War Against Iran Act This bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress has either declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use. An exception is made for a presidential exercise of power to introduce Armed Forces into hostilities (or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated) when there is a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States. The bill further states that no prior authorizations of military force (e.g., against Iraq) may be construed to authorize the use of military force against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 23 December 2019
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019 This bill indefinitely extends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients for individuals who do not have other coverage. Under current law, Medicare coverage is limited to 36 months following a transplant.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act This bill establishes (1) a professional exchange program between the United States and India with a focus on the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi, (2) a development training initiative based on principles of nonviolence, and (3) a foundation to address development priorities in India. Specifically, the bill establishes a professional exchange program comprised of both an annual educational forum for scholars from the United States and India, as well as an undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate student exchange for students in the United States and India. The bill also establishes a professional development training initiative on conflict resolution tools based on the principles of nonviolence. Further, the bill establishes the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation to identify development priorities in India (e.g., pollution and climate change, education, and tuberculosis) and administer competitively awarded grants to nongovernmental entities to address those priorities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
Affordable Safe Drinking Water Act of 2019 This bill revises the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) program and the drinking water SRF program. Both programs provide financial assistance for water infrastructure. The bill removes the 30-year term limits for loans under the SRF programs. Thus, new loans under the programs may have terms up to the projected useful life of the projects. Loan terms for existing loans may, on agreement of the parties to the loan, be extended. In addition, the bill allows states to use a percentage of SRF funds to replace pipes, plumbing fittings, and fixtures that carry water contaminated with lead or perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly referred to as PFAS) at certain state, municipal, or tribal facilities (e.g., schools, parks, and senior centers) that provide the public or employees with drinking water. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Prevention of Anti-Immigrant Violence Act of 2019 This bill provides protections for noncitizens who are victims of certain crimes. The bill expands eligibility for U visas, which are for victims of certain serious crimes or individuals who are likely helpful to law enforcement in persecuting such a crime, to include victims of hate crimes. The bill raises the annual cap on U visas to 12,000 (from 10,000) and designates the additional visas for victims of hate crimes. (Such caps apply only to the primary visa recipient, not to certain family members who may accompany the primary recipient.) A noncitizen with a pending application for certain immigration benefits, such as for a U visa or a T visa (human trafficking victim), may not be removed from the United States. A noncitizen with such a pending application may only be detained if there is clear and convincing evidence that (1) alternatives to detention would not reasonably ensure the noncitizen's appearance at removal proceedings, or (2) the noncitizen is a threat to the community. The Department of Justice may award grants to entities to assist noncitizen victims of hate crimes or to train law enforcement to identify and protect victims of anti-immigrant violence.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
SESTA/FOSTA Examination of Secondary Effects for Sex Workers Study Act or the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to study the impacts of the reduction in access to client-screening, information-sharing, and harm-reduction websites resulting from the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 on individuals engaged in adult, consensual sex work. The study must utilize community-based nonprofits to conduct surveys and interviews of sex workers to collect information about (1) experiences of violence from clients; (2) interactions with law enforcement; (3) experiences with exploitation; and (4) the impact on housing stability and mental health, among other effects.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 755) impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2019
FAA Family and Medical Leave Act This bill revises the personnel management system of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide FAA employees the same family and medical leave benefits as other federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Travel and Tourism for All Act This bill requires the National Council on Disability, with respect to the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries, to conduct a review and report on the progress of the implementation of standards related to accessibility of public accommodations and commercial facilities for persons with a disability.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Protect Broadband Funding Act This bill prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from implementing a proposed rule that would establish a cap on the Universal Service Fund, the mechanism through which the FCC provides support for the distribution of telecommunications services.