United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Opioid Preventing Abuse through Continuing Education Act of 2017 or the Opioid PACE Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to require a practitioner (other than a hospital, pharmacy, pharmacist, or veterinarian) to comply with a training requirement, as a condition of obtaining or renewing a registration to prescribe or dispense opioids for the treatment of pain or pain management.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Defend Israel Act This bill authorizes the President, acting through the Department of Defense and the Department of State, to provide assistance, upon request of the Israeli government, for the development, maintenance, enhancement, sustainment, and procurement of anti-missile defense systems.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity Act This bill establishes in the legislative branch an Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity to determine whether the President is mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of office. The commission: (1) within 72 hours after Congress adopts a concurrent resolution directing it to do so, shall conduct a medical examination to determine if the President is temporarily or permanently impaired by physical illness or disability, mental illness, mental deficiency, or alcohol or drug use to the extent that he or she lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to execute the powers and duties of the office of President; and (2) within 72 hours after completing the examination, shall report its findings and conclusions to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Any refusal by the President to undergo such examination shall be taken into consideration by the commission in reaching a conclusion.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2017 This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to state underground injection programs or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility in the state. The state or the EPA must make the disclosure available to the public. When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in the operations is necessary for medical treatment, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2017 or the FRESHER Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to eliminate a prohibition on the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for discharges of certain collected, uncontaminated stormwater runoff from mining operations or oil and gas operations. The Department of the Interior must study stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination, (2) groundwater resources, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the operations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
CLEANER Act of 2017 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2017 This bill amends the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to eliminate the exemption for waste derived from the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy from regulations governing the disposal of hazardous waste. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: determine whether waste associated with oil, gas, or geothermal energy activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste; identify or list as hazardous waste any of those wastes if they meet the identification or listing criteria; and promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of those wastes. The EPA may modify the regulation of those standards to consider the special characteristics of those wastes so long as the modified regulations protect human health and the environment. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the EPA must promulgate revisions of certain criteria concerning landfills and waste management practices of open dumping for facilities that may receive wastes that are: (1) associated with those activities, and (2) not identified or listed as hazardous waste. Those revisions must: protect human health and the environment, while allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and require groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination; establish criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities; and provide for corrective action and financial assurance as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Equitable Student Aid Access Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements governing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The bill increases the adjusted gross income threshold used to determine whether a student qualifies for an automatic zero expected family contribution (EFC) in the calculation of the student's financial need. A dependent student is eligible for an automatic zero EFC if the student's parents have adjusted gross income up to $30,000. An independent student with non-spouse dependents is eligible for a zero EFC if the student and spouse have adjusted gross income up to $30,000. The bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to allow students to use tax information from the year before the previous one in determining their financial aid eligibility. The Internal Revenue Service and ED must share available data pursuant to taxpayer consent. The bill requires the FAFSA application to be available to students by October 1, which is three months earlier than is currently required.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2017 The bill requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) a U.S. Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement. In carrying out the Network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Fair Housing for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against or regarding survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault in: the sale or rental of housing and related activities, residential real estate-related transactions, and the provision of real estate brokerage services. This bill declares that nothing in the Act shall prohibit federal, state, or local government or other assistance or a preference program designed to assist or benefit domestic violence or sexual assault survivors in seeking, securing, or maintaining dwellings, shelters or any other form of housing. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is amended to prohibit intimidation in fair housing tranactions regarding survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2017 or the REDEEM Act This bill creates a mechanism by which certain eligible individuals may file a petition to seal federal criminal records with respect to covered nonviolent offenses. If an individual is eligible for such a sealing order, the court must notify the person in writing of their potential eligibility. The bill establishes a set of rules and procedures for assessing a sealing petition. If granted, the offense, criminal proceeding, conviction, or sentence shall be treated as if it never occurred. A judge shall issue a sealing order three years after the date on which a person is adjudicated delinquent for a juvenile nonviolent offense if certain conditions are met. The use of room confinement (defined as involuntary placement of a juvenile alone in a cell) for discipline, other than a temporary response to a juvenile's behavior that presents harm to others, is prohibited. The bill removes possession and use of controlled substance as a disqualifying activity under federal welfare laws. Further, the prohibition from access to federal welfare benefits for drug-related offenses shall not apply to persons who, among other things, have completed a certified substance abuse treatment program. When awarding grants under the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, the Department of Justice (DOJ) may give preference to states that have laws similar to this bill's provisions. DOJ shall establish and enforce procedures to ensure the prompt release of accurate records exchanged for employment-related purposes through the records system created by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2017 or the Fair Chance Act This bill prohibits federal agencies and federal contractors from requesting that applicants for employment disclose criminal history record information before receiving a conditional offer (an offer of employment conditioned upon the results of a criminal history inquiry). The bill sets forth positions to which such prohibition shall not apply, such as positions for which prior consideration of criminal history record information is otherwise required by law, positions with law enforcement and national security duties, and positions requiring access to classified information. The bill prohibits agencies from requiring an individual or sole proprietor who submits a bid for a contract to disclose criminal history record information regarding that individual or sole proprietor before determining the apparent awardee. The Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Compliance, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the General Services Administration, and the Department of Defense must: (1) establish procedures for submitting complaints about, and taking actions against, agency employees and contractors for violating such prohibitions and for appealing such an action; and (2) issue regulations to implement this bill. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the requirements of this bill. The Bureau of Justice Statistics, in coordination with the Bureau of the Census, must: (1) design and initiate a study on the employment of individuals who are released from federal prison after completing a term of imprisonment for a federal criminal offense, and (2) report to Congress at specified intervals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Social Security 2100 Act This bill increases various Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits and related taxes. The bill increases the primary insurance amount (e.g., the amount a Social Security beneficiary receives if the beneficiary begins receiving benefits at normal retirement age) by increasing the percentage of the beneficiary's average indexed monthly earnings used to calculate the amount. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall publish a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, which the Social Security Administration (SSA) shall use to calculate cost-of-living adjustments to benefits. Currently, the SSA uses a price index for wage earners to make such adjustments. The bill increases the minimum benefit amount for individuals who worked for more than 10 years by creating an alternative minimum benefit. A qualifying beneficiary shall receive that alternative minimum if it is higher than the standard calculated benefit amount. The bill increases the income threshold that a beneficiary must reach before Social Security benefits are taxable. Increased benefits from this bill shall not count as income when determining an individual's eligibility or benefit amounts for (1) Medicaid, (2) the Children's Health Insurance Program, or (3) the Supplemental Security Income program. Income above $400,000 shall be included when calculating Social Security benefits and taxes. The bill also increases rates for the payroll and self-employment taxes that fund OASDI. The bill establishes the Social Security Trust Fund, which replaces the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Better Drive Act This bill repeals provisions requiring the Department of Transportation to withhold a certain amount of a state's apportionment of federal-aid highway funds if the state fails to enact and enforce a law that requires the revocation or suspension of drivers' licenses of individuals convicted of drug offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects students' education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act This bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to impose restrictions on foreign jurisdictions or financial institutions to counter money laundering and efforts to significantly impede U.S. tax enforcement. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: expand reporting requirements for certain foreign investments and accounts held by U.S. persons, establish a rebuttable presumption against the validity of transactions by institutions that do not comply with reporting requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, treat certain foreign corporations managed and controlled primarily in the United States as domestic corporations for tax purposes, treat swap payments sent offshore as taxable U.S. source income, impose additional requirements for third party summonses used to obtain information in tax investigations that do not identify the person with respect to whose liability the summons is issued (i.e., John Doe summons), and modify the rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States). The bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to: (1) require corporations to disclose certain financial information on a country-by-country basis, and (2) impose penalties for failing to disclose offshore holdings. The bill makes investment advisers and persons engaged in forming new business entities subject to anti-money laundering requirements. The bill imposes new restrictions on U.S. corporations and other entities with foreign income with respect to: (1) tax deductions allocable to deferred foreign income, (2) the recalculation of foreign income taxes, (3) intangible property transferred overseas, (4) tax evasion activities by U.S. corporations reincorporating in a foreign country, and (5) the interest expense tax deduction of certain subsidiaries of foreign corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
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 January 4, 2017, 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 · 5 April 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: President Trump, his family, his business associates, his campaign associates, and members of his Administration should cooperate fully with all investigations examining the Russian Federation's attack during the 2016 U.S. elections, ties between President Trump's campaign officials and the Russian Federation, and possible coordination between these officials and the Russian Federation as part of its attack; until the conclusion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's criminal and counterintelligence investigation, the Trump Administration is acting under the appearance of a conflict of interest and should refrain from taking any actions or making any changes to U.S. policy that could be seen as benefitting President Putin or his inner circle; and the appearance of any conflict of interest concerning a foreign adversary and U.S. government institutions primarily responsible for national defense and the conduct of foreign policy weakens U.S. national security and erodes confidence between the United States and its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of State to submit an annual, publicly-available report to Congress that includes: (1) a list of individuals holding specified senior Chinese leadership positions at the national and subnational levels; and (2) an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China. Such assessment shall include: a comparison with the level of access granted to other areas of China, a comparison between the levels of access granted to Tibetan and non-Tibetan areas in relevant provinces, a comparison of the level of access in the reporting year and the previous year, and a description of the measures that impede the freedom to travel in Tibetan areas. Listed persons shall be ineligible for a visa to enter or to be present in the United States if specified restrictions on foreign travelers entering Tibetan areas remain in effect, subject to a national interests waiver. Expresses the sense of Congress that the State Department, when granting Chinese diplomats access to parts of the United States, should take into account the extent to which China grants U.S. diplomats access to parts of China, including the Tibetan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2017 This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for federal inmates in prison and upon reentry. It amends the federal criminal code: to require an HIV test for each convicted federal offender sentenced to prison for any length of time regardless of risk factors, unless the individual declines; to make the HIV test part of the routine health screening conducted at intake; and to require a pre-release HIV test, unless the individual declines.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act This bill designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of land within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017 This bill requires a state that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to train law enforcement officers on diversity and sensitivity. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may reduce by up to 20% the JAG allocation of a state that fails to comply. Additionally, the bill requires a state or local government that receives JAG funding to have in effect a law requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate and prosecute an offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury. DOJ must reduce by 20% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill amends equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) restrict the use of the bona fide factor defense to wage discrimination claims, (2) enhance nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) make it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increase civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs shall train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to: (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace is established for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Commemorates the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermon titled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence." Encourages the U.S. government to conduct foreign policy in a manner consistent with the vision delineated in that speech.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Congressional Leadership In Mitigating Administration Threats to the Earth Act or the CLIMATE Act This bill nullifies the Executive Order entitled "Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth" that was released on March 28, 2017. No federal funds may be used to implement or enforce the order. The bill takes effect on March 28, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2017 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
This bill authorizes FY2018-FY2023 appropriations for the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Fair Play Fair Pay Act of 2017 This bill amends federal copyright law to extend a sound recording copyright owner's rights to include the exclusive right to perform or authorize the performance of the recording publicly by means of any audio transmission, thereby requiring terrestrial AM/FM broadcast radio stations that play copyrighted sound recordings to pay royalties for the nondigital audio transmissions of the recordings. (Currently, sound recording copyright owners have a performance right that applies only to digital transmissions by cable, satellite, and Internet radio stations.) Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs) must commence a proceeding to determine royalty rates and terms for nonsubscription broadcast transmissions. In determining royalty rates for statutory licensing of such digital or nondigital transmissions, the CRJs must: (1) distinguish among different types of services, and (2) include a minimum fee for each type of service. Differences may be based on the quantity and nature of the use of sound recordings and the degree to which use of the service may substitute for or promote consumer purchases of phonorecords. The CRJs must establish rates that most clearly represent the rates and terms that would have been negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and a willing seller. The decision must be based on economic, competitive, and programming information presented by the parties, including: (1) the sound recording copyright owner's other streams of revenue from the recordings; and (2) the relative creative contribution, technological contribution, capital investment, cost, and risk of the copyright owner and the transmitting entity. The bill caps the annual royalty rate at: (1) $500 for small commercial broadcast stations with less than $1 million in revenues for the calendar year, and (2) $100 for public broadcasting stations. Exemptions are provided for religious service broadcasts or incidental uses of music from royalty payment requirements. Proceeds for direct licenses of transmissions otherwise licensable under the statutory license must be distributed in the same manner as statutory license proceeds. The bill requires payment of 45% to featured artists, 2.5% to nonfeatured musicians, and 2.5% to nonfeatured vocalists. Such payments shall be the sole payments to which featured and nonfeatured artists are entitled under a direct license. Performance royalties for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, must be paid in the same manner as royalties for sound recordings fixed after such date. A collective designated by the CRJs must implement a policy to accept instructions (referred to as a "letter of direction") from a sound recording copyright owner, or from a recording artist, to distribute a portion of performance royalty payments to a producer, mixer, or sound engineer who was part of the creative process behind the sound recording. The collective must adopt special procedures for a producer, mixer, or sound engineer to receive a portion of royalties for recordings fixed before November 1, 1995, by certifying that a reasonable effort has been made to obtain a letter of direction from an artist who owns the right to receipts payable with respect to the sound recording.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Protecting Sensitive Locations Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an immigration enforcement action by the Department of Homeland Security or an individual designated to perform immigration enforcement functions may not take place at a sensitive location, except: (1) under exigent circumstances, and (2) with prior approval. A "sensitive location" includes all of the physical space located within 1,000 feet of: medical treatment or health care facilities; public and private schools; scholastic or education-related activities; school bus or school bus stops during periods when school children are present; emergency shelter or food locations; any organization that assists children, pregnant women, victims of crime or abuse, or individuals with significant mental or physical disabilities or that provides disaster or emergency social services; places of worship; funerals, weddings, or other public religious ceremonies; public demonstrations; federal, state, or local courthouses; congressional district offices; public assistance or social security offices; or motor vehicles departments. The bill shall not apply to the transportation of an individual apprehended at or near a land or sea border to a hospital or health care provider for the purpose of providing such individual with medical care. If an enforcement action is carried out in violation of this bill: (1) no information resulting from the action may be entered into the record or received into evidence in a resulting removal proceeding, and (2) the affected alien may file a motion for such proceeding's immediate termination. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall provide training to officers and report to Congress on any enforcement activity occurring at sensitive locations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act This bill establishes a comprehensive women's history museum within the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, to provide for: (1) the collection, study, and establishment of programs related to women's contributions that have influenced the direction of the United States; (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian museums and facilities, outside museums, and educational institutions; and (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs that recognize diverse perspectives on women's history and contributions. The bill establishes a council within the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) make recommendations to the Smithsonian's Board of Regents for the construction of the museum; (2) advise and assist the board on the administration and preservation of the museum; (3) recommend annual operating budgets for the museum; and (4) report annually to the board on the acquisition, disposition, and display of objects related to women's art, history, and culture. The council shall have sole authority to: (1) acquire artifacts for the museum's collections, (2) dispose of any part of the collections but only if funds generated are used for additions to the collections, (3) specify criteria for the use of the museum's collections and resources, and (4) preserve and maintain the collections. The museum's director may carry out educational and liaison programs in support of its goals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
DUE PROCESS Act of 2017 or the Deterring Undue Enforcement by Protecting Rights O f Citizens from Excessive Searches and Seizures Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions related to federal civil forfeiture cases. Specifically, the bill: raises the evidentiary standard in such cases from preponderance of the evidence to clear and convincing evidence; with respect to property owners who are indigent, provides for the appointment of counsel; provides for recovery of attorney's fees with respect to settled claims in which the claimant prevails; adds notice requirements; and expedites and otherwise modifies certain procedures. The Department of Justice (DOJ) must: (1) annually audit federal civil forfeiture cases, and (2) establish a publicly available database with respect to seizures in such cases. Finally, the bill amends the federal judicial code to authorize DOJ to use amounts from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs associated with a seized animal, including transportation, shelter, care, veterinary services, and humane euthanasia.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 201 7 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing or renewing a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify prohibitions with respect to intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying religious real property. Specifically, the bill broadens the scope of prohibited conduct to also criminalize threats to deface, damage, or destroy religious real property. Additionally, it establishes a criminal penalty—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both—for a violation that results in damage or destruction to religious property. Finally, the bill broadens the definition of "religious real property" to include real property owned or leased by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated organization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 or the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions on public health and on affected people, families, and communities. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV. DOJ must transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. DOJ and HHS must: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. DOJ, HHS, and DOD must transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. This bill shall not be construed to discourage the prosecution of individuals who intentionally transmit or attempt to transmit HIV to another individual.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2017
End of Debtors Prison Act of 2017 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to prohibit the Department of Justice from allocating Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program funding to a state or local government that has a contract with a person (e.g., a private probation company) who: (1) collects unpaid debt (i.e., state- or court-imposed fines or fees) from an individual placed on probation for failing to pay such debt; and (2) charges separate fees (e.g., monthly fees) to the probationer with respect to the collection.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017 This bill amends federal copyright law to require the Register of Copyrights to be a U.S. citizen with a professional background and experience in copyright law who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. (Currently, the Register of Copyrights is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.) The term of office for the Register of Copyrights is limited to 10 years, but the individual may be reappointed subject to the same Senate advice and consent requirement. The President may remove the Register of Copyrights from office and must notify both chambers of Congress of any such removal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The President shall report to Congress regarding the foreign and domestic supply chain in Iran that supports Iran's ballistic missile program. The report shall identify individuals and companies involved in such activities. The President shall submit to Congress a determination of whether any Iranian ballistic missile test violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. Such resolution endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and sets out a mechanism to monitor Iranian compliance. The President shall impose sanctions against: (1) Iranian government agencies involved in ballistic missile development; (2) foreign entities that supply material for, or otherwise facilitate or finance, such efforts; (3) foreign persons or foreign government agencies that import, export, or re-export prohibited arms or related material to or from Iran; and (4) foreign persons or entities that transfer goods or technologies contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, including launch technology, and destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. The President shall investigate potential violations of ballistic missile and conventional weapons sanctions against Iran. The President shall report to Congress regarding credible information about Iran's violations of arms restrictions and attempts to pursue sanctionable activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act or the MAR-A-LAGO Act This bill directs the President to establish and update, every 90 days, a publicly available database that contains records of: the name of each visitor at the White House, residence of the Vice-President, or any other location at which the President or Vice President regularly conducts official business (covered location); the name of each individual with whom the visitor met at the covered location; and the purpose of the visit. The President shall not include in the database any such record: (1) the posting of which would implicate personal privacy or law enforcement concerns or threaten national security, or (2) relating to a purely personal guest at a covered location. For a particularly sensitive meeting, the President shall: (1) include in the database the number of visitors at the covered location, and (2) post the applicable records in the database when their release is no longer sensitive.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Disaster Assistance Support for Communities and Homeowners Act of 2017 This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide technical assistance to a common interest community that provides essential services of a governmental nature on actions such community may take to be eligible to receive reimbursement from a grantee that receives FEMA funds for certain activities performed following a disaster declaration. FEMA shall provide recommendations to Congress on how common areas of condominiums and housing cooperatives may be eligible for assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish a Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund; (2) modify the definition of subpart F income (i.e., income of a controlled foreign corporation earned outside the United States that is not tax-deferred) to include income of a controlled foreign corporation derived from a foreign country; and (3) transfer to the fund revenues from the newly included subpart F income. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture must allocate funds from the trust fund to specified clean water programs, drinking water programs, and water well systems. The bill amends Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the EPA to make grants for providing technical assistance concerning water and sanitation infrastructure and drinking water systems to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments. The EPA must establish a grant program for repairing, replacing, or upgrading septic tanks and drainage fields. The bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make permanent a grant program for household water well systems in rural areas. The bill revises requirements concerning the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) and the drinking water SRF. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the EPA to make grants to local educational agencies for: (1) infrastructure to ensure that drinking water in schools is lead free, and (2) testing drinking water in schools for lead.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Celebrates, during Women's History Month, the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks. Honors Lacks as a hero of modern medicine for contributions to the medical discoveries resulting from her HeLa cells, which helped make possible some of the most important medical advances of the last century. Recognizes her legacy, which has contributed to developments in bioethics and patient rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Investing in America: A Penny for Progress Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel or kerosene to be increased annually after 2017 to account for: (1) highway construction costs, and (2) reduced fuel usage due to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The bill exempts kerosene fuels used in aviation from the increases and limits the annual increases to 1.5 cents. The bill also requires the Department of the Treasury to issue 30-year Invest in America Bonds in specified amounts annually through FY2030. The revenue from the bonds must be transferred to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), with 80% allocated to the Highway Account and 20% allocated to the Mass Transit Account. The bill specifies requirements for allocating the additional funding from the HTF. Treasury must repay the bonds using the revenues that are attributable to the increased taxes required by this bill. After all of the bonds have been redeemed, additional revenues attributable to the increases must be transferred to the HTF. The bill also modifies Department of Transportation reporting requirements regarding: (1) infrastructure investment needs, and (2) public transportation investment needs. The bill amends the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) to repeal a rescission of certain unobligated federal-aid highway funds apportioned among the states.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to help finance the construction of a new building and renovation of existing National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, in seeking to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against religious and ethnic groups in the Middle East, should draw upon relevant lessons of the U.S. government, civil society, and humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide, Seyfo, and the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Affirms that the U.S.-Israel economic partnership has benefitted both countries and is a foundational component of the strong alliance. Recognizes that science and technology innovation present promising new frontiers for U.S.-Israel economic cooperation, particularly in light of widespread drought, cybersecurity attacks, and other major challenges impacting the United States. Encourages the President to regularize and expand forums of economic dialogue with Israel and foster public and private sector participation. Supports the exploration of new agreements with Israel, including in the fields of energy, water, agriculture, medicine, neurotechnology, and cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 This bill makes it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies DOJ of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. The bill makes it unlawful for a person not licensed under this bill to transfer possession of a firearm at a gun show to another person not licensed unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has, among other conditions, recorded the transfer with DOJ. Additionally, the licensed dealer must notify the prospective transferor and transferee of the firearm that the national instant criminal background check system has provided the dealer with a unique identification number indicating that the receipt of the firearm would not violate certain federal or state firearm laws. The bill grants DOJ authority to enter, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, any place where a gun show is held or where a gun show operator is required to maintain records to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to ban campaign contributions and expenditures by corporations that are controlled, influenced, or owned by foreign nationals. Foreign nationals and such corporations may not make disbursements to political committees that accept donations or contributions that do not comply with the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of FECA. Corporate political action committees may make contributions and expenditures only if they comply with limitations on the involvement of foreign nationals and such corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Requests the President, and directs the Department of Justice, to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of any document, correspondence, or other communication in their possession that refers or relates to specified statements of President Donald J. Trump communicated via Twitter on March 4, 2017, regarding alleged wiretapping in Trump Tower by former President Barack Obama.
![Official portrait of Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/n000002_200.jpg)