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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 · 9 June 2016
SNAP Healthy Incentives Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide a financial incentive for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) participants to purchase fruits and vegetables.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016
Protecting America's Health Measures Act This bill amends the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 to revise the principal U.S. negotiating objectives regarding foreign investment to require any trade agreement between the United States and a foreign country to include a stipulation that, if the United States elects to deny the benefits of any dispute settlement claim relating to a U.S. law or other measure considered appropriate to ensure that investment activity in its territory is undertaken in a manner sensitive to U.S. human health objectives, then that claim shall be dismissible in any arbitration proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016
This bill directs the President to issue a proclamation that designates National First Responders Day as a legal public holiday.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016
Expresses support for recognizing National Orca Protection Month. Orcas are commonly known as killer whales.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016
SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot program, to be known as Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR to Health and Wellness Training), to train health care providers and other related providers to: identify potential human trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims, refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances, and consider integrating this training with existing training programs. The pilot program must include the functions of the training program with the same name that was operating before this bill's enactment and the following initiatives: engaging stakeholders to develop a flexible training module, supporting training in diverse health care sites, providing technical assistance to health education programs, developing a strategy to incentivize the use of training materials developed under this bill and the implementation of a nationwide health care protocol, and developing a methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims served in health care settings or other related provider settings. The pilot program is authorized through FY2022. HHS must report on the number of facilities operating under the pilot program, the number of providers trained through the pilot program, and these numbers for the program operating before the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016
Terminates the Select Investigative Panel of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any candidate of a major party for the office of President to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a copy of the candidate's income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years for which such a return has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service as of the date of the nomination. In any case in which such a candidate has not filed with the FEC such income tax returns within 30 days after the nomination date, the FEC shall request the Department of the Treasury to furnish the returns. A tax return furnished to the FEC by a candidate or by Treasury shall be treated in the same manner as a report filed by the candidate and, except for the appropriate redaction of certain information, shall be made publicly available at the same time and in the same manner as other reports and statements. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the FEC to disclose to the public the applicable tax returns of any person who has been nominated as a candidate of a major party. Treasury shall furnish the FEC with copies of any requested returns.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Honors the life, accomplishments, and contributions to humanity made by Muhammad Ali.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start for Infants program for FY2017-FY2022. (The purpose of this program is to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plays an indispensable role in strengthening global nuclear security. Reaffirms that the United States has a vital interest in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and securing nuclear materials. Encourages the United States and other IAEA member states to ensure that the IAEA has the necessary resources carry out its duties.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should be a global leader in promoting the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts. The President, not later than October 1 of 2017, 2022, and 2027, shall submit to Congress and make public a Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, which shall: be aligned with other nations' plans to improve the participation of women in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace building, and decision-making institutions in conflict-affected environments; and include goals and evaluation plans to ensure strategy effectiveness. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to direct the Department of State to ensure that personnel responsible for, or deploying to, countries or regions considered to be at risk of undergoing, or emerging from, violent conflict obtain training in the following areas, each of which shall include a focus on ensuring participation by women: conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution; protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons; and international human rights law. The Department of Defense shall ensure that personnel responsible for, or deploying to, countries or regions considered to be at risk of undergoing, or emerging from, violent conflict obtain training in: conflict prevention, peace processes, mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that addresses the importance of participation by women; and gender considerations and meaningful participation by women, including training regarding international human rights law and protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development shall establish guidelines for overseas U.S. personnel to consult with stakeholders regarding U.S. efforts to: prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and enhance the success of mediation and negotiation processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
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 · 25 May 2016
Expresses support for the designation of June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month and June 2, 2016, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Calls on the people of the United States to: promote greater awareness of gun violence and gun safety; wear orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day; concentrate heightened attention on gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make the communities safer.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2016
Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2016 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 that income to the fund. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must allocate funds from the trust fund to specified clean water programs and drinking water programs, including the grant programs authorized or established by this bill. The bill amends Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) by authorizing 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 revises requirements concerning the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) and the drinking water SRF. The bill revises the Safe Drinking Water Act by requiring the EPA to establish a program to make grants to local educational agencies for: (1) installing, repairing, or replacing the infrastructure necessary for drinking water coolers, drinking water fountains, or bottle filling station; and (2) testing the quality of drinking water at schools in such local education agency.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2016
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula to significantly raise awareness and intensify actions towards ending obstetric fistula (a childbirth injury).
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Do No Harm Act This bill makes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) inapplicable to federal laws (or implementations of laws) that: protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Executive Order 11246 (concerning equal employment opportunity), the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) rules entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity"; require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. Under current law, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. The bill makes RFRA inapplicable to: (1) terms requiring goods, services, functions, or activities to be performed or provided to beneficiaries of government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or awards; or (2) denials of a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. To assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Senate's Court Obligations Trump Unconstitutional Stalling Resolution or the SCOTUS Resolution Prohibits the House of Representatives or Senate from adjourning, remaining adjourned, or convening solely in a pro forma session for a period of more than two days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, except when the House or Senate is in session on such a day) during the remainder of the 114th Congress unless, at the time the period of adjournment begins, the Senate has taken action on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by: (1) holding a hearing on the nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee, or (2) holding a vote on the nomination in the Senate. Requires such prohibition to take effect July 19, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2016
This joint resolution confers honorary U.S. citizenship upon Staff Sergeant Laszlo Holovits, Jr., posthumously.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Supports designation of National Foster Care Month, and recognizes it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Cambodia. Condemns political violence in Cambodia and urges cessation of human rights violations. Calls on the government of Cambodia to respect freedom of the press and the rights of its citizens to freely assemble and protest against the government. Supports electoral reform efforts in Cambodia and free and fair elections in 2018. Urges Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party to: (1) end harassment of Cambodia's opposition, (2) drop politically motivated charges against opposition lawmakers and allow them to return and freely participate in the political process, and (3) foster a democratic environment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2016 This bill appropriates funding for the activities in the bill. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to enter into cooperative agreements with states to expand opioid treatment capacity, make services more affordable to those who cannot afford them, and help individuals seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and certain pain medications.) Funding must be allocated to states based on the severity of the opioid epidemic in the state and the strength of the state's strategy to respond. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must expand efforts to support prescription drug monitoring programs and health information technology interoperability. The Bureau of Prisons must support drug treatment programs. The bill amends the Second Chance Act to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help justice-involved individuals successfully reintegrate into the community. The bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to permit DOJ to support the development of residential and aftercare services for substance-involved inmates. DOJ must establish new heroin enforcement groups within the Drug Enforcement Administration to target, disrupt, and dismantle heroin trafficking organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to revise the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of: a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires the amounts to be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by: (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses. The bill exempts from SNAP work requirements able-bodied adults without dependents who are not offered a position in a SNAP Employment and Training Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2016 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Such a plan may not: (1) restrict benefits for any medically necessary hospital stay to less than 48 hours for a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or less than 24 hours for a lymph node dissection, or (2) require that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such hospital stay. Such a plan must: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this bill, and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Health plans are prohibited from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this bill. Health insurers that provide individual health insurance coverage may discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to a condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
Overdraft Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a depository institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with overdraft coverage, or in acts designed to evade the provisions of this Act. Each depository institution that offers or provides overdraft coverage for transaction accounts held at the institution shall clearly and conspicuously disclose overdraft coverage fees. It must also disclose that, if a consumer does not opt-in to such overdraft coverage: the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related transaction account, and the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. A depository institution may charge overdraft coverage fees in connection with use of an automatic teller machine (ATM) or point of sale transaction only if the consumer has consented in writing, in electronic form, or in another form permitted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A depository institution must provide specified consumer disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including: periodic statements for any transaction account that has an overdraft coverage program feature; prompt notification of the account's overdraft status; and the overdraft coverage fee as an annual percentage rate, permitting consumers to compare meaningfully the overdraft coverage to alternative forms of overdraft options and other sources of credit. The bill prescribes overdraft coverage fee limits. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. A depository institution shall provide consumers who have not consented to participate in an overdraft coverage program transaction accounts with the same terms as those provided to consumers who have consented to participate in such program. The bill prohibits a depository institution from: charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any ATM or debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2016 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for disability insurance benefits for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and require their payment starting the first month during all of which the individual is under a disability and in which the individual becomes entitled to the benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) federal employees should be commended for their tireless work and extensive efforts on behalf of the people of the United States and for the benefits they bring to the public welfare, the progress of democracy, and the United States as a whole; and (2) federal employees' salaries and benefits should not be uniquely targeted for deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2016
Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide an accredited, permanent congressional employee with read-only remote access to the electronic Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) claims records system of a represented veteran, regardless of whether the employee is acting under a power of attorney executed by the veteran. The VA shall ensure that access does not allow the employee to modify system data. An employee must complete the VA certification process required of agents or attorneys in order to have system access. Each Member of Congress who elects to have an employee participate in the system shall bear the certification cost, which shall be paid from the Member's representational allowance. Information access by an employee shall be deemed: (1) a covered disclosure requiring prior consent, with specified exceptions; and (2) a permitted disclosure relating to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The VA may not recognize an employee for purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA claims by reason of such system access. "Accredited, permanent congressional employee" means an employee of a Member of Congress who assists constituents with issues regarding federal departments or agencies. "Electronic VBA claims records system" means the VA system that provides claim status information, including information about medical records, compensation and pension exams records, rating decisions, a statement of the case and a supplementary statement of the case, a notice of disagreement, and Form-9.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2016
Medical Leave for Disabled Veterans Act This bill amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to provide eligibility for specified medical/hospital care for an employee who: (1) has a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability rating of between 30% and 50% and at least 833 hours of service with the employer (from whom leave is requested) during the previous eight-month period, or (2) has a VA disability rating of 60% or higher and at least 625 hours of service with such employer during the previous 6-month period. Medical/hospital leave shall also be provided to an employee who is not covered by the above provision but who retired from the Armed Forces by reason of a service-connected disability: (1) rated at between 30% and 50% at retirement and who has at least 833 hours of service with such employer during the previous eight-month period, or (2) rated at 60% or higher at retirement and who has at least 625 hours of service with such employer during the previous 6-month period. (Under current law, employees of an FMLA-covered employer become eligible for medical leave after 12 months on the job and at least 1,250 hours of service with such employer during the previous 12-month period.) A employee must submit a certification to the employer from the VA or the Department of Defense, as appropriate, to be eligible for such adjustment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Recognizes the special ties between Ireland and the United States and the importance of nurturing the unique relationship between the the two countries. Welcomes the program of commemorations in the United States marking the 100th anniversary of Ireland's 1916 Rising, including the events taking place in Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Stop Infant Mortality And Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016 or the SIMARRA Act This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons to establish a pilot program to allow incarcerated women who give birth and children born during such incarceration to reside together in a separate prison housing unit. It sets forth inmate eligibility criteria and program participation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Corporate EXpatriates and Inverters Tax Fairness Act or the Corporate EXIT Fairness Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth rules governing corporate inversions (i.e., the practice of relocating a domestic corporation's legal domicile to a lower-tax nation while retaining its business activities in the higher-tax country of origin) and corporate expatriations. Specifically, the bill requires payment of tax on the deferred overseas profits of U.S. multinational corporations or partnerships before they reincorporate or organize in a foreign country. Additionally, any stock of a controlled foreign corporation in connection with a corporate expatriation would be treated as sold for its fair market value as of the date of expatriation and be subject to U.S. taxation. The bill expands the definitions of "corporate inversion" and "corporate expatriation" and revises rules relating to the taxation of inverted corporations. A foreign corporation that acquires the assets of a U.S. corporation or partnership after April 29, 2016, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) the expanded affiliated group which includes the foreign corporation does not have substantial business activities in the foreign country in which the corporation is created or organized, when compared to the total business activities of such expanded affiliated group; and (2) more than 50% of the foreign corporation is held by former shareholders or partners of the domestic corporation or partnership, or the management or control of the expanded affiliated group occurs primarily within the United States, and such expanded affiliated group has significant domestic business activities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
This bill bars the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit, or an exemption from certain economic regulations, to furnish foreign air transportation under the United States-European Union-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement of June 21, 2011, unless DOT: finds that issuing the permit or exemption would be consistent with the intent of the parties, set forth in article 17 bis of the agreement, that opportunities created by the agreement do not undermine labor standards or the labor-related rights and principles contained in the parties' respective laws; and imposes conditions on the permit or exemption necessary to ensure that the foreign air transportation furnished complies with the intent of article 17 bis .
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Prescriber Support Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for systems that help prescribers: (1) treat and manage patient pain; and (2) prevent, identify, and respond to patient substance misuse and substance abuse disorders. In awarding grants, HHS must give priority to states with the greatest need.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2016
Supports immigration legislation that: acknowledges that immigrants and their families have inherent dignity and are deserving of human rights; restores immigration system fairness by updating the definition of "aggravated felony"; restores discretion to immigration judges to waive grounds of inadmissibility and deportability based on family and community equities, humanitarian considerations, other individualized circumstances, or because it is in the public interest; restores judicial review of case decisions to protect due process; eliminates mandatory detention and prolonged detention for immigrants and preserves the Department of Homeland Security's authority to exercise detention discretion; repeals programs that permit local law authorities to enforce federal immigration laws; and repeals the 3-year, 10-year, and permanent bars and other unnecessary barriers to legal immigration.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill permanently reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 (Emmett Till Act) and expands the responsibilities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights statutes violations that resulted in a death, regardless of when the violations occurred. (Currently, the Emmett Till Act is scheduled to expire at the end of FY2017 and such investigations are limited to violations that occurred before 1970.) The bill expresses the sense of Congress that all authorities with jurisdiction should: (1) coordinate information sharing; (2) hold accountable individuals who were perpetrators of, or accomplices in, unsolved civil rights murders; and (3) comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. In investigating a complaint, DOJ may coordinate activities with entities that DOJ determines to be appropriate. DOJ shall reopen and review cases closed without an in-person investigation conducted by DOJ or the FBI. DOJ must establish a task force to conduct a thorough investigation of Emmett Till Act cases. In an annual report to Congress, DOJ must indicate: (1) the number of cases referred by a civil rights organization, an institution of higher education, or a state or local law enforcement agency; (2) the number of such cases that resulted in federal charges; (3) the date any such charges were filed; (4) whether DOJ has declined to prosecute or participate in an investigation of a referred case; and (5) any activity on reopened cases. DOJ may award grants to civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities for expenses associated with investigating offenses under the Emmett Till Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Expresses support for the designation of Men's Cancer Awareness Month. Urges public and private sector efforts to promote awareness, invest in research, and improve treatments for cancers disproportionately affecting men.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides appropriations to HHS for: the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.) The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for: the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Expresses gratitude and support for accredited schools and colleges of veterinary medicine.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
2016 Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act This bill makes supplemental appropriations for FY2016 for the Army Corps of Engineers for construction for flood control and storm damage reduction projects in areas affected by flooding in Houston, Texas, that have received a major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Appropriated funds shall remain available through FY2026 and shall be designated as being for disaster relief under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic Lending Act of 2016 or the SAFE Lending Act of 2016 This bill amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to declare that a remotely created check may only be issued by a person specifically designated in writing by the consumer to the insured depository institution at which the consumer maintains the account from which the check is drawn. A remotely created check is a paper or electronic check that: is not created by the financial institution that holds the customer account from which the check is to be paid; and does not bear a signature applied, or purported to be applied, by the account holder. A consumer may revoke authorization for remotely created checks at any time. The bill prohibits issuance of any payment order in response to a consumer's exercise of federal consumer financial rights. Any voluntary electronic fund transfer to repay a small-dollar consumer credit transaction shall be treated as preauthorized under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The TILA is amended to require registration with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by any small-dollar lender that facilitates, brokers, arranges, or gathers applications for small-dollar consumer credit (of up to $5,000, adjusted for inflation) extended pursuant to an open-end, non-open-end, or other CFPB-determined credit plan meeting specified criteria. Small-dollar consumer credit transactions must comply with state law where the consumer resides. The EFTA is amended to: declare unlawful overdraft fees charged on a general-use prepaid card, and authorize the CFPB to prohibit fees for declined transactions involving such a card. The TILA is further amended to prohibit a person from certain activities, including distributing sensitive personal financial information, in connection with a small-dollar consumer credit transaction, if that person ("lead generator") does not itself grant the credit directly to the consumer. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall study: (1) the availability of capital on Indian reservations, and (2) the impact on tribal economic opportunity and wealth of small-dollar consumer credit extensions to tribal members through Internet and non-Internet means.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand nonimmigrant employer annual data reporting requirements to include all nonimmigrant worker categories and compensated cultural exchange, training, and business classifications. Expanded reporting requirements include information regarding: (1) the age and gender of admitted nonimmigrants; (2) categories and numbers of visas issued; (3) numbers of persons admitted under each visa classification and subclassification; (4) blanket petitions; (5) the occupation and country of origin of beneficiaries; (6) nonimmigrant worker employers; (7) compensation; and (8) citizens of nations with Compacts of Free Association with the United States who are authorized to reside permanently in the United States as nonimmigrants and their ports of U.S. entry. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) submit such report and post the information along with the corresponding raw data and a searchable database to a public website, and (2) ensure that such posted information does not include information that would identify a specific person with reasonable certainty. Any government official who uses such information shall take steps to: (1) protect individual identities, and (2) prevent the information from being disaggregated into its component parts. The Department of State or the Department of Labor, if requested by DHS, shall share information necessary for Labor to file its annual report regarding employer petitions for H-, P-, O-, and Q-visa nonimmigrant aliens. "Employment" means employment in the United States and includes cultural exchanges, training, or business activities for which the nonimmigrant receives any form of compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Philanthropic Enterprise Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the holdings of a private foundation in any business enterprise that meet specified requirements relating to exclusive ownership, minimum distribution of net operating income for the charitable purpose (all profits to charity distribution requirement), and independent operation (not controlled by a substantial contributor or family members) from the excise taxes on excess business holdings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
This joint resolution expresses the sense of Congress that no transfer to Saudi Arabia of U.S. air-to-ground munitions should occur until the President certifies that Saudi Arabia: (1) demonstrates an ongoing effort to combat the mutual threat our nations face from foreign terrorist organizations, and (2) takes all feasible precautions to reduce the risk of civilian harm in the course of military actions. No transfer of U.S. air-to-ground munitions may occur until the President certifies to Congress that Saudi Arabia: is not providing funding, material support, or lethal aid to foreign terrorist organizations; is, with its coalition partners, taking all feasible precautions to reduce the risk of civilian harm and exercising proportional use of force in the course of military actions; is, with its coalition partners, making demonstrable efforts to facilitate the flow of critical humanitarian aid and commercial goods; and is taking necessary measures to target designated foreign terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as part of its military operations in Yemen.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Declares that, whenever a moment of silence related to a tragedy involving gun violence occurs on the floor of the House, the Speaker shall announce on the next legislative day the standing committee (or subcommittee) designated to hold a hearing on the event.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2016
Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2016 This bill exempts the following payments from annual income determinations with respect to pensions for veterans and surviving spouses and children of veterans: (1) reimbursements, including insurance settlement payments, for medical expenses related to an accident, theft, loss, or casualty, up to the costs of medical care provided to the victim of such event; and (2) payments for pain and suffering, including insurance settlement payments and general damages awarded by a court related to an accident, theft, loss, or casualty loss up to an amount determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs on a case-by-case basis.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2016
Prevent Retaliation and Open up Transparency to Expand Care for Troops Act of 2016 or the PROTECT Act This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to establish the offense of retaliation. Retaliation provisions require that any person subject to the code who, with the intent to retaliate against any person for reporting or planning to report a criminal offense, or with the intent to discourage any person from reporting a criminal offense, wrongfully takes or threatens to take an adverse personnel action against any person, or wrongfully withholds or threatens to withhold a favorable personnel action with respect to any person, shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall prescribe uniform standards for conduct of each of the following functions at all stages of the military justice system, including pretrial, trial, post-trial, and appellate processes: collection and analysis of data concerning substantive offenses and procedural matters in a manner that facilitates case management and decision making and enhances the quality of periodic reviews; case processing and management; timely and accurate production and distribution of trial records; and facilitation of access to docket information, filings, and records. Each military department shall ensure that any individual investigating an allegation of retaliation against a person who has made a protected communication must have training in the definition and characteristics of retaliation. If the investigation involves alleged retaliation in response to a communication regarding rape, sexual assault, or other sexual misconduct, the training shall include specific instruction regarding such violations. It is the sense of Congress that DOD should ensure that its medical and mental health providers are adequately trained to meet the needs of male survivors of military sexual trauma.