United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2019
Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands Act of 2019 or the RURAL Act of 2019 This bill modifies the definition of income used to determine the tax-exempt status of a mutual or cooperative telephone or electric company to exclude certain government grants, contributions, and assistance. Specifically, the bill excludes from income (1) grants, contributions, and assistance provided under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or by local, state, or regional governmental entities for disasters or emergencies; and (2) certain grants or contributions provided by a government entity for electric, communications, broadband, internet, or other utility facilities or services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2019
Helen Keller National Center Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2023 the (1) Helen Keller National Center for Youths and Adults Who Are Deaf-Blind, and (2) Helen Keller National Center Federal Endowment Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2019
Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act of 2019 or the FASTER Act of 2019 This bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand data collection of information related to food allergies and specific allergens and revises the definition of major allergen to specifically include sesame. The Department of Health and Human Services may designate additional food ingredients as major allergens based on the prevalence and severity of allergic reactions through regulation. The Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health must report on specified information regarding food allergies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2019
This resolution states that it is U.S. policy to (1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; (2) reject efforts to associate the U.S. government with efforts to deny the existence of the Armenian Genocide or any genocide; and (3) encourage education and public understanding about the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2019
Refund to Rainy Day Savings Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish and implement a Refund to Rainy Day Savings Program to permit a taxpayer to defer payment on 20% of a tax refund to be deposited into a Treasury account, accumulate interest, and disbursed to the taxpayer in six months. The bill also reauthorizes the Assets for Independence (AFI) federal matched savings program through FY2024 and requires appropriations for the program to be reserved for general research and evaluation, grants for AFI innovation projects to expand the availability of matched savings accounts to low-income individuals, and a three-year matched savings account pilot program established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage savings by low-income taxpayers. Under the pilot program, HHS may provide grants to qualified entities to match funds saved by low-income taxpayers under the Refund to Rainy Day Savings Program. Qualified entities for the pilot program include nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies or tribal governments applying with a nonprofit organization, sites that offer free tax assistance under certain Internal Revenue Service programs, and certain low-income credit unions and community development financial institutions. HHS must (1) contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the pilot program, and (2) report annually to Congress on the progress and outcomes of the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2019
Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 201 9 This bill allows tax credits for (1) energy storage technologies, and (2) battery storage technology. The bill expands the tax credit for investments in energy property to include equipment that (1) receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including hydrolysis), thermal energy storage, regenerative fuel cells, flywheels, capacitors, superconducting magnets, or other technologies identified by the Internal Revenue Service; and (2) has a capacity of at least five kilowatt hours. The bill also expands the tax credit for residential energy efficient property to include expenditures for battery storage technology that (1) is installed on or in connection with a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer, and (2) has a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2019
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2019 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. "Qualified access technology" is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2020 and terminates after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 the School-based Health Centers program and removes specified limitations on the receipt of additional or multiple funds under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
This resolution acknowledges over 85 years of effective state-based alcohol regulation since the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution (repealing Prohibition) and reaffirms the continued support of Congress for policies that allow states to effectively regulate alcohol.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the sale of any drug intended for human use that contains an ingredient derived from a gluten-containing grain unless the drug's label (1) states that the drug contains such an ingredient, and (2) identifies the type of grain from which the ingredient is derived.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act This bill more closely aligns the federal privacy standards for substance use disorder (SUD) patient records with the standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Specifically, the bill authorizes the disclosure of SUD patient records without a patient's written consent to: (1) a covered entity for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations, as long as the disclosure is made in accordance with HIPAA; and (2) a public health authority, as long as the content of the disclosure meets HIPAA standards regarding de-identified information. Current law authorizes disclosure of SUD patient records without a patient's written consent only to medical personnel in a medical emergency, to specified personnel for research or program evaluations, or pursuant to a court order. The bill also repeals and replaces criminal penalties for certain violations involving SUD patient records with the HIPAA civil penalty structure. It also applies HIPAA criminal penalties to wrongful disclosures of SUD patient records. In addition, the bill expands the current prohibition against using SUD patient records in criminal proceedings to include any use in specified federal, state, and local criminal and civil actions. The bill prohibits certain discrimination based on the release of SUD information under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
This bill recognizes service in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as active military service. Individuals who served in the corps are eligible for specified honors and burial benefits but shall not be entitled by reason of such service to veterans' benefits generally.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
Pink Tax Repeal Act This bill prohibits product manufacturers or service providers from selling substantially similar products at different prices based on the gender of the intended purchaser. If, for example, the only difference between two products is the color, they are substantially similar.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act or the TRACED Act This bill implements a forfeiture penalty for violations (with or without intent) of the prohibition on certain robocalls. The bill also removes an annual reporting requirement for enforcement relating to unsolicited facsimile advertisements. The bill requires voice service providers to develop call authentication technologies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) shall promulgate rules establishing when a provider may block a voice call based on information provided by the call authentication framework, but also must establish a process to permit a calling party adversely affected by the framework to verify the authenticity of their calls. The FCC shall also initiate a rulemaking to help protect a subscriber from receiving unwanted calls or texts from a caller using an unauthenticated number. This bill requires the Department of Justice and the FCC to assemble an interagency working group to study and report to Congress on the enforcement of the prohibition of certain robocalls. Specifically, the working group will look into how to better enforce against robocalls by examining issues like the types of laws, policies, or constraints that could be inhibiting enforcement. The bill requires the FCC to initiate a proceeding to determine whether its policies regarding access to number resources could be modified to help reduce access to numbers by potential robocall violators.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
Fair Licensing Access for Governments Act of 2019 or the FLAG Act of 2019 This bill allows for the registration of trademarks that contain the flag or insignia of a country, state, or municipality if the entity represented by the flag or insignia gives written consent. Currently, such trademarks may not be registered, regardless of consent.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
This resolution expresses support for National Public Health week, recognizes the efforts of public health professionals, and encourages strengthening the public health system.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2019 This bill modifies definitions relating to homeless individuals and homeless children or youth as used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to verify eligibility for HUD homeless assistance programs and to align them with the definitions of "homeless" used to verify eligibility for other federal assistance programs. The definitions are amended to increase access to federal homeless programs by homeless children, youth, and families. The community-wide homeless management information system shall be made publicly available on HUD's website.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
This resolution condemns attacks on education settings, including violence against schools, sexual violence against children in schools, and recruitment of children into armed forces from schools. The resolution affirms U.S. government commitments to support education services for children affected by conflict and calls on the U.S. government to monitor attacks on education settings and to provide support for the inclusion of refugee children in host-country education systems.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2019
Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 This bill modifies the requirements for employer-provided retirement plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and other tax-favored savings accounts. With respect to employer-provided retirement plans, the bill modifies requirements regarding automatic enrollment and nonelective contributions; tax credits for small employers that establish certain plans; loans; lifetime income options; the treatment of custodial accounts upon termination of section 403(b) plans; retirement income accounts for church-controlled organizations; the eligibility rules for certain long-term, part-time employees; required minimum distributions; nondiscrimination rules; and minimum funding standards for community newspaper plans. The bill also includes provisions that treat taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation for the purpose of an IRA, repeal the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, treat difficulty of care payments as compensation for determining contribution limits for retirement accounts, allow penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans if a child is born or adopted, expand the purposes for which qualified tuition programs (commonly known as 529 plans) may be used, reinstate and increase the tax exclusion for certain benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders, increase penalties for failing to file tax returns, and require the Internal Revenue Service to share tax information with U.S. Customs Border Protection to administer the heavy vehicle use tax.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2019
Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Labor to implement a program to award grants to workforce intermediaries (certain national, regional, state, or local entities that facilitate the establishment of registered apprenticeship programs) to enable them to engage a variety of stakeholders to support, develop, and implement registered apprenticeship programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act This bill establishes in the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women's history museum. Such museum shall be named by the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. The bill establishes a council, that, among other things, shall make recommendations to the board on the planning, design, and construction of the museum. The board shall designate a site for the museum, with priority given to a site that is on or near the National Mall.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from offering any tract for oil and gas leasing or preleasing in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf planning area (North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and the Straits of Florida) or the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf planning area (Washington/Oregon, Northern California, Central California, and Southern California).
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Disclosing Aid Spent to Ensure Relief Act or the DISASTER Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to submit an annual report to Congress on all disaster-related assistance provided by the federal government. The report must include all federal obligations related to disaster response, recovery, mitigation efforts, and administrative costs associated with these activities for specified agencies and programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act This bill addresses certain driftnet fishing. (Driftnet fishing is a method of fishing in which a gillnet composed of a panel or panels of webbing, or a series of such gillnets, is placed in the water and allowed to drift with the currents and winds for the purpose of entangling fish in the webbing.) Currently, the use of large-scale drift gillnets with a total length of 2.5 kilometers or more is prohibited in the United States. The bill expands the definition of large-scale driftnet fishing to prohibit the use of gillnets with a mesh size of 14 inches or greater. This expanded prohibition does not apply within the U.S. exclusive economic zone for five years. The Department of Commerce must conduct a transition program to facilitate the phase out of large-scale driftnet fishing and to promote the adoption of alternative fishing practices that minimize the incidental catch of living marine resources. Commerce must award grants to program participants.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
This resolution commemorates the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth, who demonstrates the indomitable will of people who yearn to be free and overcome impossible odds to win freedom for themselves and others.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Lymphedema Treatment Act of 2019 This bill includes certain lymphedema compression treatment items as covered durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
National Women's Hall of Fame 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 in recognition and celebration of the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. All minted coins shall include a specified surcharge, which shall be paid to the National Women's Hall of Fame Foundation to establish an endowment fund to provide for the long-term financing of the hall's operations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to award grants to state, local, and tribal government entities for the planning and implementation of programs to address homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, election as the first African American woman in Congress, and campaign to be the first African American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Department of Veterans Affairs Creation of On-Site Treatment Systems Affording Veterans Improvements and Numerous General Safety Enhancements Act or the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to install and operate an on-site regulated medical waste treatment system at each VA facility that would benefit from such a system's cost savings. In order to identify which VA facilities would benefit, the VA must develop a uniform regulated medical waste cost analysis model to determine the cost savings associated with the use of an on-site regulated medical waste treatment system.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
"Hello Girls" Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 This bill requires the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make arrangements for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps (commonly known as the "Hello Girls").
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits U.S. assistance to the police or military of Honduras. The Department of the Treasury shall instruct U.S. representatives of multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the Honduran police or military. The prohibition shall be lifted if the Department of State certifies to Congress that various conditions have been met, including that the Honduran government has (1) pursued all legal avenues to reach verdicts in specified crimes, such as the killings of indigenous land-rights activist Berta Caceres and of 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley; (2) investigated and prosecuted members of the military and police who have violated human rights; and (3) taken effective steps to establish the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue quarter-dollar coins in commemoration of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote. The design on the reverse of each coin shall be emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of a prominent woman who was a resident of a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory. Such coins shall be issued in alphabetical order of the area represented, starting with the state of Alabama. Treasury shall initiate a program to promote collection of the coins and recognition of their subjects, and strike and make available for sale silver bullion coins that are the exact duplicates of the coins.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) the United States should support the safe return of displaced indigenous people of the Nineveh Plain and Sinjar to their ancestral homeland; and (2) the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga should work to more fully integrate all communities, including religious minority communities, to counter current and future terrorist threats.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2019 or the FAIR Act This bill revises the procedure for and the structure of civil forfeiture. First, the bill revises the general rules for civil forfeiture proceedings. Specifically, it (1) requires the right to counsel in all civil forfeiture proceedings, (2) raises the evidentiary standard to clear and convincing evidence for the civil forfeiture of property, (3) requires the government to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of the seized property used the property with the intent to facilitate the criminal offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to its use in connection with the offense, and (4) expands the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. Next, it requires the proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. Additionally, the bill eliminates equitable sharing payments (which allow the federal government to share federally forfeited property with participating states and local law enforcement agencies). It also adds a mens rea requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. Further, it requires a probable cause hearing to be held within 14 days to determine if there is a violation for structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, and requires the return of a monetary instrument if probable cause is not established.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Younger Onset Alzheimer's Act This bill makes individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease (i.e., individuals who experienced onset of the disease before age 60) eligible for certain federal grants and programs that support older adults. Under current law, these grants and programs serve only individuals 60 and older.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act This bill provides for the refinancing or deferral of certain federal student loans. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to establish a program to refinance the outstanding principal, interest, and late charges on federal student loans in order to give borrowers fixed interest rates equal to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus one percentage point. Further, the bill eliminates origination fees on the loans. In addition, the bill allows borrowers in medical or dental internship or residency programs to defer student loan payments until the completion of their programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Supporting Children of the National Guard and Reserve Act This bill expands the military student identifier program to include students of parents who serve in reserve components of the Armed Forces, not just active duty members. The military student identifier program provides educators with information about the educational experience of children of members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Climate Action Now Act This bill requires the President to develop and update annually a plan for the United States to meet its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement on climate change. Specifically, the plan must describe steps to (1) cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, and (2) confirm that other parties to the agreement with major economies are fulfilling their announced contributions. In addition, the bill prohibits federal funds from being used to withdraw from the agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct outreach to health care practitioners regarding comprehensive care planning services that are available under Medicare for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The CMS must report on its outreach efforts, as well as on the number of beneficiaries receiving such services and any barriers to access.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
IDEA Full Funding Act This bill reauthorizes, and makes appropriations for the grant program under, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
Restoring Investment in Improvements Act This bill confirms that the applicable recovery period for qualified improvement property (nonresidential real estate) for depreciation purposes is 15 years under the modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS) and 20 years under the alternative depreciation system (ADS).
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2019
National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins that are emblematic of the National Law Enforcement Museum in the District of Columbia and the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers throughout the history of the United States. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be distributed to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc., for educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2019
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2019 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTI people. The bill also requires that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2019
United States-Israel Cooperation Enhancement and Regional Security Act This bill authorizes various joint research and cooperation programs between the United States and Israel, reauthorizes security assistance to Israel, and establishes reporting requirements regarding various related issues. The bill authorizes the Department of State to work with Israel on research and development to establish directed energy capabilities. It authorizes through FY2024 cooperative projects involving the United States, Israel, and developing countries to identify and address sustainability challenges related to water resources, agriculture, and energy storage. The bill authorizes through FY2022 (1) activities of the U.S.-Israel Energy Center; (2) cooperation with and assistance to Israel related to security, explosives detection, and cybersecurity; (3) activities related to the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund; and (4) activities to establish a cooperative program with Israel to develop health technologies. The State Department shall establish a grant program to support cybersecurity research and development and commercialization of cybersecurity technology open to joint ventures involving U.S. and Israeli entities. The President shall establish contingency plans to provide Israel with necessary defense articles and services and assess plans to assist and supply Israel with munitions in the event of a sustained armed confrontation with Hezbollah. The bill authorizes the President to (1) waive export control requirements and immediately transfer defense articles to Israel in response to an existing or imminent military threat, and (2) transfer precision guided munitions to Israel as necessary for legitimate self-defense. The bill extends through FY2024 security assistance and loan guarantees for Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2019
This resolution opposes the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) and other efforts targeting Israel, and states that BDS undermines the possibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The resolution urges both sides to return to direct negotiations and expresses support for a solution resulting in the state of Israel existing alongside a democratic Palestinian state.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2019
Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2019 or the Expanding Access to DSMT Act of 2019 This bill expands Medicare coverage of diabetes outpatient self-management training and establishes a demonstration program to test an online platform that provides such training.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2019
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, 2021. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to support the mission of such organization, including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
![Official portrait of Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001090_200.jpg)