United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 This bill includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the President and certain candidates for President to disclose federal income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years in reports filed with either the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) or the Federal Election Commission (FEC), in the case of a candidate. The OGE or the FEC must make the disclosed tax returns publicly available after making appropriate redactions. If the income tax returns are not disclosed as required by this bill, the OGE or the FEC must request the returns from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the IRS, upon receiving a written request from the FEC or the OGE, to provide any income tax return that is required to be disclosed under this bill. The bill also establishes civil and criminal penalties for failing to file or falsifying income tax returns that are required to be disclosed pursuant to this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act This bill amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase-in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate a phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of State shall provide assistance: (1) to address the health care needs of covered individuals, (2) to institutions in Vietnam that provide health care to such individuals, (3) to repair and rebuild substandard homes in Vietnam for covered individuals and their families, and (4) to remediate geographic areas of Vietnam that contain high levels of Agent Orange. A "covered individual" is defined as an individual who is a Vietnam resident and who: (1) is affected by health issues related to Agent Orange exposure which took place between January 1, 1961, and May 7, 1975; (2) lives or had lived in or near geographic areas in Vietnam that continue to contain high levels of Agent Orange; or (3) is the child or descendant of such an individual and is affected by such health issues. State and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall provide assistance to support research relating to health issues of individuals affected by Agent Orange. The Department of Health and Human Services shall: (1) make grants to appropriate public health organizations and Vietnamese-American organizations to conduct a broad health assessment of Vietnamese-Americans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange and their children or descendants; and (2) establish centers in U.S. locations where large populations of Vietnamese-Americans reside to provide assessment, counseling, and treatment for conditions related to Agent Orange exposure. The bill amends veterans benefits provisions to provide benefits to the children of male (currently only female) Vietnam veterans who are affected by certain birth defects. The VA shall require any health care provider with whom the VA enters into a contract for the provision of health care to such children to provide the VA access to the medical records of such children for research into the intergenerational effects of Agent Orange exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Peace Corps Stamp Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Peace Corps Semipostal Stamp for 10 years to afford the public with a convenient way to help fund the Peace Corps' Global Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Declares that a viable and sustainable two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Calls for the United States to continue to: support a durable and sustainable two-state solution; oppose, and if necessary, veto future United Nations Security Council resolutions that seek to impose solutions to final status issues or that are one-sided and anti-Israel; and work with Israelis and Palestinians to create the conditions for successful final-status peace negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2017 This bill redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the state of Georgia as the "Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park." The bill replaces the current boundary map with a map of a proposed boundary revision dated June 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Calls upon President-elect Donald J. Trump to: (1) follow the precedent established by prior Presidents and convert his assets to conflict-free holdings, adopt blind trusts, or take other equivalent measures to ensure compliance with the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution; and (2) not use the powers or opportunities of his position as President-elect or President of the United States for any purpose related to the Trump Organization. Declares that in the absence of such actions or specific authorization by Congress, Congress regards dealings that Donald Trump, as President, may have through his companies with foreign governments or entities owned or controlled by foreign governments to be potential violations of such clause.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safe Freight Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Summer Meals Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to redefine "areas in which poor economic conditions exist," where the summer food service program for children may operate, as areas in which at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children have been determined to be eligible for free or reduced price school meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs. The bill reimburses service institutions (other than school food authorities) for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar. (Currently, such institutions are reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children over the summer months or to children who are on vacation under a continuous school calendar.) The Department of Agriculture may award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation in the summer food service program for children at congregate feeding sites through innovative approaches to limited transportation and mobile meal trucks. Service institutions that are participating in the summer food service program for children may serve up to three meals, or two meals and one snack, during each day of operation. (Currently, this option is reserved for camps and service institutions that serve meals primarily to migrant children.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that gender specific services are continuously available at every VA medical center and community based outpatient clinic. The VA is authorized to employ such personnel and enter into such contracts as may be necessary to provide such services based on the standards of the VA and the demand for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Miners Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to provide health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families. The bill expands the group whose retiree health benefits are taken into account in determining the amount that the Department of the Treasury must transfer from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan. A voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) established as a result of certain bankruptcy proceedings must transfer to the plan any amounts received as a result of the bankruptcy proceeding, reduced by the amount of the VEBA's administrative costs. Transfers by Treasury are reduced by the amount of the VEBA transfers. Treasury must also transfer additional funds to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill also: (1) prohibits the pension plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received, and (2) establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan. The bill repeals requirements for current and former signatories to labor agreements with the UMWA to pay unassigned beneficiaries premiums or backstop premiums if transfers under SMCRA are less than the amount required to be transferred.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. The bill prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts for human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund from which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to make one payment of $25,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Such individuals must: (1) apply for such benefit within one year after the enactment of this Act, and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The VA shall include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training Act or the ENLIST Act This bill authorizes the enlistment in the Armed Forces of aliens unlawfully present in the United States on December 31, 2012, who: (1) have been continuously present in the United States since such date; (2) were younger than 15 years of age when they initially entered the United States; and (3) are otherwise eligible for original enlistment in a regular component of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. The Department of Homeland Security shall adjust the status of an alien enlisted under such authority to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act applicable to aliens who entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972. The bill rescinds such lawful permanent resident status if the alien is separated from the Armed Forces under other than honorable conditions before serving the term of enlistment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2016
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to adjust to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between January 1, 2013, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien. Adjustment applications must be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016
Presidential Tax Disclosure Act of 2016 This bill requires any individual holding the office of President to submit federal tax returns to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). The individual must submit: (1) each return filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for any year ending while the individual is President, and (2) each return filed with the IRS for the three years before the individual assumed office. After receiving the returns, the OGE must: (1) make the returns publicly available on the Internet, and (2) submit the returns to specified congressional committees. No information may be redacted from the disclosed returns except for: (1) Social Security, tax identification, and account identification numbers; and (2) the names of any dependent of the taxpayer. The bill establishes civil and criminal penalties to enforce the disclosure requirements. It also amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the IRS to disclose to the OGE any federal tax return that is required to be disclosed by this bill, but has not been submitted to the OGE within a specified deadline.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016
Recognizes the 68th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of Human Rights Day. Supports the ideals of human rights and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security which can be achieved only through democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to limit increases to monthly premiums under Medicare for 2017. Specifically, an individual's monthly premium shall increase by no more than $4 over the individual's monthly premium for 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016
NIST Plumbing Research Act of 2016 This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to: establish or designate a laboratory to conduct research on premise plumbing in relation to water safety, security, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience; conduct an organizational review of all research and other activities related to premise plumbing conducted by federal entities; and appoint one or more officers or employees of the NIST to liaise with non-federal entities that are conducting research or other activities related to premise plumbing. The bill defines "premise plumbing" as the water distribution system within the property lines of a property, including all buildings and permanent structures on such property. This term also includes building supply and distribution pipes, fixtures, fittings, water heaters, water-treating and water-using equipment, and all respective joints, connections, devices, and appurtenances.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2016
No Religious Registry Act This bill prohibits U.S. government officials from collecting information or utilizing a registry or database to classify on the basis of religious affiliation: (1) U.S. nationals or aliens lawfully present in the United States, or (2) aliens who apply for a visa or seek admission to the United States or on whose behalf a petition under the immigration laws is submitted. The bill also prohibits studies related to the collection of such information or the establishment or utilization of such a registry or database. Nothing in this bill may be construed to prohibit the collection of information that is provided voluntarily, including information relating to the decennial census.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
National Guard Bonus Repayment and Financial Relief Act This bill requires the Army to review all bonuses, incentive pays, or similar benefits received by members of the Army National Guard between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010, to determine if such benefits were issued erroneously and to either: (1) waive repayment of such an erroneous payment if the member concerned fully satisfies any period of service otherwise agreed to or imposed upon the member in connection with receipt of the payment; or (2) repay any such erroneous payment and any interest that was repaid by a member before this bill's enactment if the member fully satisfies any such period of service. The Army may require an Army National Guard member to repay any such erroneous payment upon determining that: (1) the member knowingly received the benefit through fraud or misrepresentation in which the member participated, or (2) repayment is otherwise consistent with provisions governing repayment of unearned pay. For any such member granted relief under this bill, the Army shall: (1) notify all consumer credit reporting agencies that any debt subject to the relief was never valid, and (2) provide assistance to the member facing financial hardship as a result of recoupment actions taken in connection with receipt of the payment. A consumer reporting agency notified of the invalidity of such a debt may not, after the date of notice, make any consumer report containing information relating to the debt.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
National Observations of Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality Act of 2016 or the NO HATE Act of 2016 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to report hate crime information to the Department of Justice (DOJ). DOJ must reduce the JAG allocation of a state or local government state that fails to comply. The bill directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation to include hate crime information in the Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
Presidential Accountability Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for the President or Vice President to personally and substantially participate in official matters that affect their financial interests, unless the financial interests are held in a blind trust or the President or Vice President discloses the financial interests and receives an exemption. It imposes criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both—on a President or Vice President who commits the offense. It also authorizes civil penalties and injunctions. Additionally, a violation constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor (i.e., grounds for impeachment) under Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. Finally, the bill prohibits the President or Vice President from entering into contracts with the U.S. government.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
Constitutional Amendment Every Vote Counts Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the President and the Vice President to be elected by people of the several states and the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2016
National Guard Pay Integrity Act This bill requires the Department concerned (the Department of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Homeland Security, Commerce, or Health and Human Services) to: (1) absolve any debt resulting from any bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit (including any student loan payment or repayment) that was paid to a member of the California National Guard for recruitment or reenlistment during FY2004-FY2010; and (2) refund any such amount such person already repaid to the United States. Such requirement shall not apply with respect to a debt resulting from any such amount that was paid under circumstances involving fraud or misrepresentation on the part of the California National Guard member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that public health professionals are to be celebrated, commended, and thanked on Public Health Thank You Day for their profoundly important contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2016
Declares that Congress, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: pays tribute to the members of the Armed Forces and civilians who died in the attack; honors the men and women of the Armed Forces who gave their lives in defense of freedom and liberty during World War II; acknowledges the peaceful and mutually beneficial U.S-Japan relationship; appreciates Japan's efforts as one of the most reliable security partners of the United States; and encourages Japan to continue to develop strategic and economic policies, in partnership with the United States, that promote stability throughout Asia and reduce trade barriers between the two nations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Pre-Claims Undermine Seniors' Health Act of 2016 or the PUSH Act of 2016 This bill delays the Medicare demonstration for pre-claim review of home health services and requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to report on such pre-claim review. Specifically, CMS shall delay or suspend the demonstration by the later of: (1) one year after either the bill's enactment or the demonstration's scheduled start-date, as applicable; or (2) six months after CMS submits its report.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Making College More Affordable Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by creating federal interest-free education loans for undergraduate students. The loans must have the same terms and conditions and benefits to borrowers as federal direct Stafford Loans. Interest on these loans may only accrue during periods when a borrower is not earning taxable income due to professional negligence, professional incompetence, or malicious action on the part of the borrower. The Department of Education (ED) must carry out a repayment plan program for the interest-free loans under which loans payments are automatically withheld from the pre-tax income of the borrower. ED must cancel any outstanding balance of principal or interest due on those interest-free loans made to a borrower who has made 300 monthly payments. The borrower must be taxed on the amount canceled. Those taxes must be applied to carry out the federal direct loan program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) it is in the U.S. national interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad; (2) there is a need to ensure the security of European Jewish communities, including synagogues, schools, and cemeteries; and (3) the United States should continue to emphasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 is amended to require the Department of State's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom to include, for each European country in which threats or attacks against Jewish persons, schools, and religious institutions are particularly significant, a description of: the security challenges and needs of European Jewish communities and European law enforcement agencies; U.S. efforts to partner with European law enforcement agencies and civil society groups to combat anti-Semitic incidents; educational programming and public awareness initiatives that impart values of pluralism and tolerance, showcase the positive contributions of Jews, and pay special attention to population segments that exhibit a high degree of anti-Semitic animus; and efforts by European governments to adopt and apply a working definition of anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2016
Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the President from using the Armed Forces to conduct a first-use nuclear strike unless such strike is conducted pursuant to a congressional declaration of war expressly authorizing such strike. "First-use nuclear strike" means a nuclear weapons attack against an enemy that is conducted without the President determining that the enemy has first launched a nuclear strike against the United States or a U.S. ally.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016
Transit Tax Credit Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for commuting mass transit costs. The credit is equal to 15% of the amount paid or incurred by the taxpayer during the year for a transit pass that the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent uses for travel between the residence and place of employment of the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent. The credit allowed for transit passes for any individual may not exceed $460 per year (adjusted for inflation after 2017).
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that the United Kingdom should enter into negotiations with Greece to facilitate the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
National Trauma Care System Act This bill establishes the Task Force on Eliminating Preventable Deaths or Disabilities due to Traumatic Injuries, which shall: (1) develop a plan to establish a national trauma care system to facilitate the U.S. ability to eliminate preventable deaths related to injuries, eliminate trauma-related disabilities, and respond to mass trauma incidents; and (2) establish specific goals and milestones, and federal responsibilities, to carry out the plan. The task force shall ensure that each budget of the President submitted to Congress requests sufficient funding to develop and support the system, and that the system: includes mechanisms for accountability and a data-driven research agenda, ensures military and civilian trauma systems collect and share common data, is developed and carried out in a manner that reduces regulatory and legal barriers to the full integration of the trauma continuum of care, and is capable of responding domestically to any mass casualty incident. The task force shall develop and implement a national trauma research action plan. The Department of Health and Human Services shall: develop and publish standards for trauma care in pre-hospital and hospital settings; identify, evaluate, and implement policies to ensure coordination between pre-hospital and hospital trauma care; work to facilitate the collection and sharing of data among federal and non-governmental trauma systems; revise and clarify existing regulations to minimize barriers to the use and disclosure of protected health information with respect to trauma care; and ensure the civilian trauma systems participate in a structured trauma quality improvement process. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall: submit and implement a plan to establish a Joint Trauma System within the Defense Health Agency that promotes improved trauma care, seek to contract with a non-governmental entity to conduct a system-wide review of the military trauma system, establish a Joint Trauma Education and Training Directorate to ensure that the military trauma care providers maintain readiness and are able to be rapidly deployed for future armed conflicts, partner with civilian trauma centers, determine the number of military trauma care providers that must be maintained within DOD to meet the requirements of the combatant commands, and report on the activities of the Secretarial Designee Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2016 or the POWER Act This bill requires the U.S. Attorney for a judicial district to lead at least one public event that promotes pro bono legal services as a critical way to: (1) empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (2) engage citizens in assisting those survivors. A special but similar rule applies to districts containing Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Each U.S. Attorney shall: (1) have discretion on the design, organization, and implementation of such public events; and (2) seek to maximize an event's local impact and the access of such survivors to high-quality pro bono legal services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Fruit Labeling Accuracy Act of 2016 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the Food and Drug Administration from requiring the percent daily value of added sugars to appear on the label of dried fruit or vegetables that are naturally low in sugar or juice beverages made from fruit or vegetables that are naturally low in sugar.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Commends the leadership, staff, scholars, designers, construction workers, volunteers, charter members, and donors who worked tirelessly to realize the venerable dream of opening the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution. Encourages all citizens and residents of, and visitors to, the United States to visit the museum when touring the nation's capital.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Immigration Courts Bail Reform Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the minimum bond amount needed to release a detained alien. An immigration judge may review an initial custody determination for an adult alien, subject to specified rules, which include the following: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall, within 72 hours, file the notice to appear or charging document with the appropriate immigration court and serve such notice on the detained alien; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, DHS may continue to detain an alien only if no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the safety of any other person and the community; the Department of Justice shall ensure that an alien has the opportunity to promptly appear before an immigration judge for a custody redetermination hearing; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, an immigration judge shall review the custody determination de novo and may continue to detain the alien only if DHS demonstrates that no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS and an immigration judge shall order an alien's release on personal recognizance or upon an unsecured appearance bond unless such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or the community's safety; if DHS or an immigration judge determines that such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or such safety, DHS or the immigration judge shall order the alien's release under the least restrictive conditions that will assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS or an immigration judge shall consider the alien's financial ability in determining whether to impose a bond as a condition of release; and DHS or an immigration judge may not impose a financial condition that results in an alien's detention.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: identify aliens, when they apply for an immigration benefit or are placed in an immigration enforcement proceeding, who are serving, or have served, as a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces on active duty or as a member of a reserve component in an active status; and annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to an identified alien to reflect such identification and afford an opportunity to track the outcomes for such aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Naturalization at Training Sites Act of 2016 or the NATS Act This bill directs the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard, to establish a naturalization office with trained personnel at each initial military training site of the Armed Forces. The military department concerned shall: (1) identify members of the Armed Forces who are not U.S. citizens and inform them of the availability of naturalization services at such offices; and (2) pending establishment of a naturalization office at all initial military training sites, assign new non-citizen members of the Armed Forces to an initial military training site that has such an office.
![Official portrait of Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/117_rp_ma_2_mcgovern_james_200.jpg)