The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_il_9_schakowsky_janice_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
10,813 records where Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow 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 · 14 September 2017
Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya civilians, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities. Urges the government of Burma to: (1) allow access to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, and (2) resume delivery of field work and humanitarian aid to help those displaced and injured and to monitor events in Rakhine State. Calls on the government of Burma to implement the August 2017 recommendations of its Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, including to end restrictions on Rohingya movement and to provide the Rohingya with citizenship. Encourages Aung San Suu Kyi to live up to her inspiring words upon receiving the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize with respect to ethnic reconciliation in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Mandatory Minimum Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to eliminate most drug offense mandatory minimum prison terms imposed on a defendant who imports, exports, manufactures, distributes, or possesses with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Additionally, it eliminates drug offense mandatory minimum prison terms for simple possession, distribution to an individual under age 21 by an individual at least age 18, distribution or manufacture in a school zone, and use of an individual under age 18 to distribute. Finally, the bill requires prior written approval of the Attorney General to prosecute a defendant for certain drug offenses that involve low-level drug quantities (e.g., less than one kilogram of heroin or less than 500 grams of cocaine-based substances).
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish and implement a strategic action plan and to establish a climate and health program to ensure the public health and health care systems in the United States and other nations are prepared for, and can respond to, the impacts of climate change on health. The bill directs HHS to revise the plan periodically to reflect new scientific developments and information. HHS must establish a permanent science advisory board to provide: (1) scientific and technical recommendations on the impacts of climate change on public health, and (2) advice for purposes of issuing the plan and conducting the program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Common Sense Opportunities Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to inform each entity operating programs under the federal TRIO programs (programs designed to identify and provide services for students from disadvantaged backgrounds) of the status of their application for continued funding at least four months (currently eight) prior to the expiration of the funding. The bill establishes a process for applicants to resubmit an application for a grant or contract for higher education resources or student assistance when the application contains a technical error. The bill prohibits ED from rejecting an application solely because it contains a technical error, unless ED notifies the applicant of the error and the applicant does not correct it by the resubmission deadline. ED must submit an annual report that: (1) identifies each entity that received a grant or contract for higher education resources or student assistance and indicates the amount of the grant or contract; and (2) identifies each entity that applied for, but did not receive, such grant or contract and indicates the reason for the rejection of the application. ED must set forth the information separately for each state and local educational agency in the report.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Equal Employment for All Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from furnishing an employer with a consumer credit report containing information on the consumer's creditworthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity if the employer intends to use that information for any decision made for employment purposes. An employer may use such a report in either an employment decision or before taking an adverse employment action with the consumer's authorization under certain circumstances. Specifically, a report may be used if the consumer applies for or holds employment that requires eligibility for access to classified information or such use is otherwise required by law. An employer who has sought such a report may neither deny employment to nor make any other employment decision about a consumer because the consumer has not authorized the employer's procurement of the report.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make publicly available a National Family Caregiving Strategy that identifies recommended actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. The council shall terminate after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs each regional director of a region of the National Park System (NPS) to establish a program to recycle and reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles within each NPS unit located in its region. Regional directors may eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic bottles within their NPS units after having considered several specified factors. Where an NPS unit is not offering water for sale in disposable plastic bottles, the superintendent of the unit may continue that practice, upon submission of an evaluation of those factors. Each regional director who establishes and implements such a program shall develop for each affected NPS unit a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the community health centers program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Supports the designation of Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month. (Pulmonary fibrosis is scarring of the lungs that causes breathing problems.) Expresses continued support for: (1) more robust and accelerated research to develop more effective treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and to ultimately find a cure for the disease, (2) federal efforts to ease administrative burdens on those suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and their families and caregivers, and (3) swift and efficient federal evaluation and approval of new treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. Recognizes the ongoing courage and contributions of individuals with pulmonary fibrosis who participate in clinical trials. Commends the dedication of those working to improve the quality of life of individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and the families and caregivers of those individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%. The bill also sets forth criminal penalties for violations and empowers state Attorneys General to enforce the bill. Credit card billing statements must include the fee and interest rate, displayed as "FAIR," instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Grow American Incomes Now Act of 2017 or the GAIN Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the earned income tax credit (EITC), to: (1) increase specified credit and phaseout percentages, (2) increase the earned income amounts and the phaseout amounts, (3) decrease from 25 to 21 the minimum eligibility age for individuals without qualifying children, and (4) allow employees to elect to receive advance payments of the EITC from employers when wages are paid.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Fostering Success in Higher Education Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education to provide formula grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for increasing the number of foster and homeless youth that apply and enroll in institutions of higher education (IHEs). States that receive grants must use at least 70% of the grant funds to award subgrants to IHEs to enable the IHEs to become institutions of excellence by improving college access, retention, and completion rates for foster and homeless youth.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act of 2017 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide additional food (known as commodity assistance) to states participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). (Under current law, USDA provides commodity assistance to states participating in the National School Lunch Program based on the number of lunches served. The food may also be served as part of the SBP or other child nutrition programs.) The bill modifies the requirements to: (1) repeal a provision that prohibits USDA from offering commodity assistance based on the number of school breakfasts served, and (2) require USDA to use a specified formula to provide additional commodity assistance for each school breakfast served.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Denounces and opposes the violence, xenophobia, and bigotry promoted by white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Urges federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to recognize white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2017
Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness Act of 2017 or the EMPOWER Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs that provide education and training for health-related professions. The bill also reauthorizes and modifies several HHS grant programs for geriatrics education and training.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2017
Geriatrics Workforce and Caregiver Enhancement Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and modify Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant programs for geriatrics education and training, including the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and the Geriatric Academic Career Awards Program. Among other modifications, the bill directs HHS to award grants to health professional schools or programs for the establishment or operation of geriatric workforce enhancement programs that meet certain requirements. The programs must support the development of a health care workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement and improves health outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care and other appropriate specialties. Special emphasis must be placed on providing the primary care workforce with the knowledge and skills to care for older adults and collaborating with community partners to address gaps in health care for older adults. The bill also reauthorizes and modifies the Geriatric Academic Career Awards program to provide awards to promote the career development of individuals such as academic geriatricians or other academic geriatrics health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2017
Labor, Human, and Civil Rights Trade Policy Act This bill amends the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 to require trade agreement implementing bills to: (1) achieve the negotiating objectives of adherence by parties to internationally recognized core labor standards; and (2) ensure that parties demonstrate respect for internationally recognized human rights, as indicated through assessments over a period of at least 10 years. For purposes of the meaning of core labor standards, the bill expands the definition of employment discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. The VA shall give grant priority to institutions that have entered into a partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. An "eligible institution" is an educational institution that is either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or that demonstrates an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if it receives a grant. The bill requires the VA to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic research.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to revise the qualifications required for a practitioner to administer, dispense, or prescribe narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment in an office-based opioid treatment program. It increases the maximum patient limit for a qualifying practitioner who meets certain requirements. The maximum patient limit is the maximum number of patients a qualifying practitioner can treat at one time. The bill expands qualifying practitioners to include additional nonphysician practitioners: clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. It makes permanent the authorization for certain nonphysician practitioners to become qualifying practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Confederate Monument Removal Act This bill amends the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit statues of certain persons who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from being displayed in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol shall identify all such statues and, subject to the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, arrange for their removal from the Capitol within 120 days. States may substitute statues in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the Revised Statutes and the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001. The bill makes appropriations for the activities in the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2017
Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 This bill provides emergency supplemental FY2017 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane Harvey. The funding provided by this bill is designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. The bill provides FY2017 appropriations to: the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Legal Services Corporation, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the General Services Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Smithsonian Institution, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill also specifies several requirements and restrictions for the use of funds provided by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2017
Pre-Registration Of Voters Everywhere Act or the PROVE Act This bill requires each state to implement a process to allow an individual who has turned 16 years old to register to vote in federal elections that occur after the individual turns 18 years old.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2017
Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act This bill transitions away from fossil fuel sources of energy to clean energy sources (e.g., energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy). By 2027: (1) 80% of electricity sold must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 80% of new vehicle sales from manufacturers must be sales of zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 80% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. By 2035: (1) 100% of electricity must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 100% of vehicle sales from manufacturers must be zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 100% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. The bill establishes a car allowance rebate system within the Department of Transportation to provide economic incentives for consumers to purchase new, clean energy vehicles. No federal permits for new major fossil fuel projects may be issued in 2018 and thereafter. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) terminate specified fossil fuel subsidies, (2) permanently extend renewable electricity production tax credits for electricity generated from wind, and (3) permanently extend a business energy investment tax credit for solar or wind energy technologies. A Community Assistance Fund is established for specified industrial and energy efficiency programs. The bill permanently reauthorizes the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides energy efficiency retrofits of low-income homes. It prohibits exports of domestically produced crude oil and natural gas, including liquefied natural gas. The Center for Clean Energy Workforce Development is established within the Department of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used for the creation, maintenance, or display of any Confederate symbol on federal public land, including any highway, park, subway, federal building, military installation, street, or other federal property. An exception to such prohibition is provided: (1) if the use of such funds is necessary to allow for the removal of the Confederate symbol to address public safety; or (2) in the case of a Confederate symbol created, maintained, or displayed in a museum or educational exhibit. The Department of Defense shall redesignate the following military installations with such designation as it determines appropriate: Fort Rucker, Alabama, Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Gordon, Georgia, Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Hood, Texas, Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Pickett, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
Censures and condemns President Trump for his inadequate response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017, for his failure to condemn the White supremacist groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism, for asserting that "both sides" were to blame and excusing the violent behavior of participants in the Unite the Right rally, and for employing people with ties to White supremacist movements in the White House. Urges President Trump to fire all White House advisors who have urged him to cater to the White supremacist movement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Special Counsel Independence Protection Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed individual may be removed only if: (1) the Attorney General files an action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and files a contemporaneous notice of the action with Congress; and (2) the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issues an order finding misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of DOJ policies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Condemns the role of white supremacist groups in inciting violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and denounces the increase in fear-mongering, racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry, and violence by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and other hate groups. Offers condolences to the families of those who died in Charlottesville, and wishes quick recoveries for those injured. Urges President Trump to: (1) disavow any support he has received from hate groups, (2) terminate the employment of any White House staff and administration officials who have supported white supremacists, and (3) use the office of the President and resources of the Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of domestic hate groups.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Local Coverage Determination Clarification Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the process by which Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) issue and reconsider local coverage determinations (LCDs) that: (1) are new, (2) restrict or substantively revise existing LCDs, or (3) are otherwise specified in regulation. (MACs are private insurers that process Medicare claims within specified geographic areas.) Before such an LCD may take effect, the MAC issuing the determination must, with respect to each geographic area to which the determination applies: publish online a proposed version of the determination and other specified, related information; convene one or more public meetings to review the draft determination, receive comments, and secure the advice of an expert panel; post online a record of the minutes from each such meeting; provide a period for submission of written public comments; and post online specified information related to the rationale for the final determination. Upon the filing of an applicable request by an interested party with regard to the reconsideration of a specified LCD, the MAC that issued the determination shall: provide specified information related to whether the determination failed to correctly apply qualifying relevant evidence, exceeds the scope of its intended purpose, fails to apply as intended, or is otherwise erroneous; preserve the determination, modify the determination, or rescind the determination in part; and make publicly available a written description of such action. An interested party may appeal a reconsideration decision to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS shall appoint a Medicare Reviews and Appeals Ombudsman to carry out specified duties with regard to LCDs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, or gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs. The BJA may distribute smart prepaid cards for use by a state, local government, or gun dealer to compensate individuals who dispose of firearms. Additionally, the bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to use or accept a smart prepaid card in the acquisition or transfer of a firearm or ammunition. A violator is subject to a fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Department of Education, to award grants for: (1) comprehensive sex education for adolescents, (2) comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education, and (3) training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to adolescents. HHS must enter a contract with a nonprofit organization to evaluate and report on these grants. The bill makes appropriations to carry out the the bill. Grants may not be used for health education programs that: withhold health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender or racial stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of certain youth, including survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, or individuals with varying gender identities or sexual orientations; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements and eliminate prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the AIDS prevention program. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for: (1) materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity, and (2) contraceptive distribution in schools. The bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Providing Opportunities for Savings, Transactions, and Lending Act of 2017 or the POSTAL Act of 2017 This bill expands the specific powers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to include the provision of basic financial services, including: (1) small-dollar loans; (2) checking accounts, interest-bearing savings accounts, and services relating to international money transfers, each of which may be provided by the USPS alone or in partnership with depository institutions and credit unions; (3) other basic financial services as appropriate in the public interest; and (4) the creation of a Postal Card that allows users to engage in such financial services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Recognizing the Environmental Gains In Overcoming Negligence Act or the REGION Act This bill prohibits funds made available for any fiscal year from being used to close, consolidate, or eliminate an office of the Environmental Protection Agency, including a regional or program office.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
American Hope Act of 2017 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow a state to extend higher-education benefits to state residents regardless of whether they are lawfully present in the United States. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal, and adjust the status, of certain residents who entered the United States as children prior to 2017. An individual whose status has been so adjusted shall be considered to have obtained conditional permanent-resident status, valid for a period of eight years and subject to termination on the basis of specified deportable conduct. In order for an individual's conditional status to become permanent, the individual must timely file with DHS a petition indicating, among other specified information, that the individual has maintained conditional permanent-resident status for at least three years. Any period of time in which the individual was granted deferred action pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy shall count toward this three-year period. Information furnished by an individual in such a petition may not be used by an officer or employee of the United States to initiate removal proceedings. The bill also: (1) allows DHS to establish a competitive grant program for the provision of nonprofit assistance to eligible applicants for conditional permanent-resident status; (2) establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting American Citizenship; (3) allows the Department of Education to develop an open-source, electronic English-learning program; (4) specifies requirements related to federal higher-education assistance for individuals with conditional permanent-resident status; and (5) requires the Government Accountability Office to report on specified data related to the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make grants to states for the purpose of promoting awareness of the increasing prevalence of heart disease, including its relationship to type 2 diabetes, in South Asian communities in the United States. For the purpose of conducting research and related activities with respect to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other health-related ailments among South Asian communities in the United States, the National Institutes of Health, in coordination with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: (1) may conduct or support, through funding opportunity announcements, grants, or cooperative agreements, basic, clinical, and translational research; and (2) may award grants and cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private entities. The bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize the Department of Agriculture to award research and extension grants for developing and disseminating science-based tools and strategies to promote heart healthy nutrition among South Asian communities in the United States. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that medical schools in the United States that are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education should include as part of their nutrition curriculum a focus on South Asian diet and ways to achieve optimal nutrition in South Asian communities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to support the access of marginalized youth to sexual health services such as sexual health education and contraception. Marginalized youth are disadvantaged individuals under the age of 26. Grants may be awarded to state or local health or education agencies, public schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. Grants may be used to: (1) provide sexual health information to marginalized youth, (2) promote effective communication regarding sexual health among marginalized youth, (3) promote and support opportunities for school-age parents, and (3) train individuals who work with marginalized youth to promote sexual health and the development of safe and supportive environments. Grants may not be used to provide access to health services that: (1) are medically unsound; (2) withhold sexual health-promoting or lifesaving information; (3) promote gender stereotypes; or (4) are insensitive or unresponsive to the needs of young people, including youth with varying gender identities and sexual orientations, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, and survivors of sexual abuse or assault. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available for these grants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
This bill prohibits federal agencies and nonprofit entities that conduct federally funded health care research from providing a patent for a drug based on such research until the entity receiving the patent enters into a reasonable pricing agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Home Visiting Works Act of 2017 This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. In addition, the bill increases, from 3% to 6%, the percentage of program funds set aside for Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Finally, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt the program from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month. (PCOS is caused by a hormone imbalance. Symptoms can include infertility, weight gain, excess hair growth, and acne.) Recognizes the need for further research, improved treatment and care options, and a cure for PCOS. Acknowledges the struggles affecting all women and girls afflicted with PCOS.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Transparency in Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination Act This bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights to publish, on its website, the names of institutions of higher education (IHEs) that request and IHEs that receive religious exemptions from title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. (Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities.) Additionally, the bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require an IHE that requests, receives, exercises, or intends to exercise a religious exemption from title IX to publish, on its website, certain information with respect to such exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
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 · 27 July 2017
Background Check Completion Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Customer Non-Discrimination Act This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. It defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. The bill expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. "Establishment" shall not be construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin must include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. The bill prohibits denial of an individual's access to a shared facility (including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room) that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Presidential Pardon Transparency Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Justice, not later than three days after the President grants any reprieve or pardon for an offense against the United States, to publish in the Federal Register and on the President's official website the name of the person pardoned, the full text of the reprieve or pardon, and the date it was issued.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Office of Government Ethics Independence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to specify that the Director of the Office of Government Ethics may be removed only pursuant to a finding by the President of neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Make Identifiable Criminal Rounds Obvious Act or the MICRO Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to require that certain semiautomatic pistols manufactured, imported, or sold by federal firearms licensees be capable of microstamping ammunition. A pistol is capable of microstamping if it can copy certain characters identifying the make, model, and serial number of the firearm onto the cartridge case of the ammunition. This rule only applies to semiautomatic pistols manufactured or imported into the United States after the date of enactment of this bill. The bill establishes fines for violation of the microstamping requirement. It shall also be unlawful to alter the microstamping capability of a firearm that has been transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Violators of this prohibition are subject to fines and suspension or revocation of any firearms license.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2017 This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to make appropriations for FY2019-FY2023 for state grants to address the opioid abuse crisis. States receiving a grant must report on substance abuse services provided to underserved populations, including Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Local and Independent Television Protection Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to amend the National Television Multiple Ownership Rule to eliminate the UHF discount by increasing from 50% to 100% the number of attributed television households in an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) television station's designated market area. (The number of attributed television households in a UHF television station's designated area is used to calculate the total number of television households an entity with a cognizable interest in more than one television station reaches nationally. A broadcast license cannot be granted or transferred if such license would result in the total number of television households reached nationally by an entity exceeds 39%.) This change in the National Television Multiple Ownership Rule does not apply to an entity that had a national television audience exceeding 39% prior to September 26, 2013, if such an entity exceeds the limit only because of the increased number of television households attributed to the entity's UHF television stations.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that the review by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of unreasonable increases in health care coverage premiums does not prohibit a state from imposing on health insurers additional rate requirements that are more protective of consumers. The HHS review, which currently covers only premium increases, is expanded to include all rate increases. HHS or the relevant state agency must ensure that any excessive, unjustified, or unfairly discriminatory rates are corrected before, or as soon as possible after, implementation, including through mechanisms such as denying rates, modifying rates, or requiring rebates to consumers. HHS may apply civil monetary penalties to health insurers that fail to comply with a corrective action taken by HHS and may make the plan involved ineligible for classification as a qualified health plan. (Qualified health plans are sold on health insurance exchanges, are the only plans eligible for premium subsidies, and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.) HHS must determine whether HHS or the state will undertake the corrective actions based on whether the state can adequately undertake the actions. This bill applies to health plans grandfathered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.