United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2020
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and others to undertake efforts to reduce health disparities. For example, the bill (1) requires more detailed reporting of demographic and health disparities data, (2) directs certain components of HHS to support health workforce diversity, and (3) increases access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care. The bill also modifies eligibility and other requirements for Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, and other programs to reduce health disparities among vulnerable populations. The bill includes specific provisions with respect to noncitizens; maternal, infant, and child health; mental and behavioral health; and specified conditions that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority groups, such as certain cancers, HIV/AIDs, kidney disease, and diabetes. Additionally, the bill (1) revises health information technology programs to address health disparities; (2) establishes an Office of Health Disparities within HHS, as well as civil rights compliance offices within HHS agencies; and (3) supports health impact assessments and other efforts pertaining to environmental justice and social determinants of health. The Government Accountability Office must report on health workforce diversity and other specified issues related to health care and health disparities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2020
Congressional Power of the Purse Act This bill modifies the budget and appropriations process to establish various requirements for federal agencies, add several new disclosure and reporting requirements, and expand congressional oversight authorities. Among other changes, the bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to release funding to agencies at least 90 days before the funding expires; certain presidential emergency declarations to expire within 30 days unless Congress approves the declaration; federal agencies to make various reports, documents, and legal opinions available to Congress and the public; and federal agencies to respond to certain Government Accountability Office requests within 20 days unless the request includes a different deadline.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2020
Supporting State and Local Leaders Act This bill repeals the prohibition against granting federal, state, and local governments a tax credit for paid sick and paid family and medical leave.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2020
This bill makes permanent the limitation on excess business losses of noncorporate taxpayers and allows certain taxpayers a two-year carryback of net operating losses arising in 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2020
COVID Special Enrollment Act of 2020 This bill establishes a special health plan enrollment period during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The special enrollment period applies to plans offered through health insurance exchanges and is available to eligible individuals for eight weeks beginning one week after this bill is enacted. The bill also funds outreach activities for the Department of Health and Human Services to notify individuals about the special enrollment period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2020
Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act or the ACCESS Act This bill (1) provides appropriations for the Telehealth Resource Center Program of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to develop telehealth capacity for certain nursing facilities, and (2) directs other activities to increase access to telehealth services in such facilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. HRSA shall award grants, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, to skilled nursing facilities and other nursing facilities to support virtual visits to residents during the emergency. The Department of Health and Human Services must also provide recommendations related to immediately increasing access, during the emergency, to telehealth services for which Medicare and Medicaid payments are available in skilled and other nursing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2020
Medical Debt Relief Act of 2020 This bill modifies requirements related to the reporting of medical debt. Specifically, a consumer reporting agency may not add certain medical debt information to a consumer credit report. Also, a debt collector may not report certain medical debt information to a consumer reporting agency within a specified time period and must notify the consumer prior to reporting such medical debt.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2020
Price Gouging Prevention Act This bill makes it unlawful for any person to sell, or offer for sale, a consumer good during a federally-declared emergency at a price that (1) exceeds 10% of the price charged by similarly-situated sellers of such good during the 120 days before the emergency was declared. However, such a price increase may not be a violation if the increase is (1) attributable to additional costs incurred by the seller to provide the consumer good, or (2) is not more than 10% greater than a combination of the total cost incurred by the seller and the customary price markup of the good. The bill grants the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general the authority to enforce compliance with the requirements of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2020
This resolution calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce anti-Asian sentiment, racism, discrimination, and religious intolerance related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and calls on federal law enforcement officials, working with state and local officials, to take specified steps. It calls on federal officials to expeditiously investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes and incidents and threats against the Asian-American community and prosecute perpetrators. The resolution recommits U.S. leadership to (1) prioritize language access and inclusivity in communication practices, and (2) combat misinformation and discrimination that put Asian Americans at risk.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2020
Community Meals Fund This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to award grants to community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups to partner with small and mid-sized restaurants or food contractors to expand meal access and food security to meet the needs of children, families, and vulnerable populations during a pandemic such as COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Grants awarded may not exceed $500,000.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2020
Ensuring Coverage in Public Health Emergencies Act of 2020 This bill requires private health insurance plans to provide a 30-day special enrollment period for eligible individuals after a public health emergency is declared. An employee who is eligible but not enrolled may enroll in an employer-provided group health plan during the special enrollment period. The bill also requires such plans to cover services related to the disease or condition resulting in the public health emergency including, if applicable, vaccines, diagnostic testing, and treatment and care for the disease or condition. Such coverage does not require a positive diagnosis of the disease or condition and cost sharing must be comparable to similar services covered outside the circumstance of a public health emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act This bill imposes various restrictions related to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, including by prohibiting certain imports from Xinjiang and imposing sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations there. Goods manufactured or produced in Xinjiang shall not be entitled to entry into the United States unless Customs and Border Protection (1) determines that the goods were not manufactured by convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor under penal sanctions; and (2) reports such a determination to Congress and to the public. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of foreign entities and individuals knowingly facilitating (1) the forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang; and (2) efforts to contravene U.S. laws regarding the importation of forced labor goods from Xinjiang. The President shall impose property-blocking sanctions on the listed individuals and entities and impose visa-blocking sanctions on the listed individuals. Securities issuers required to file annual or quarterly reports with the Securities Exchange Commission shall disclose in such reports certain information related to Xinjiang, including instances where the issuer knowingly (1) engaged in activities with an entity helping to create mass surveillance systems in Xinjiang, (2) engaged in activities with an entity running or building detention facilities for Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, or (3) acquired a significant amount of textiles produced in Xinjiang. After being notified of such a disclosure, the President shall determine whether to investigate if sanctions or criminal charges are warranted.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2600 Wesley Street in Greenville, Texas, as the "Audie Murphy Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2020
Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act This bill requires certain issuers of securities to annually disclose information related to the tax jurisdiction, income, and assets of their constituent entities on a country-by-country basis.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020
Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 This bill sets forth requirements related to waste and recycling collection systems for a variety of products and materials, including plastics. The bill makes certain producers of products (e.g., packaging, paper, single-use products, beverage containers, or food service products) fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use. In addition, the bill establishes (1) minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted; and (2) an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be contained in beverage containers. Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill phases out a variety of single-use products, such as plastic utensils. The bill also sets forth provisions to encourage the reduction of single-use products, including by establishing programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and by establishing a tax on carryout bags. The bill creates a temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for facilities that manufacture plastics until regulations are updated to address pollution from the facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency must publish guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers must include labels on their products that are easy to read and indicate whether the products are recyclable, compostable, or reusable. Finally, the bill establishes limitations on the export of plastic waste to other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2020
Removal Jurisdiction Clarification Act of 2020 This bill requires federal courts to remand to state court, upon motion, civil actions that are removed to federal court solely on the basis of diversity jurisdiction, if a citizen of the state where the action has been brought has joined as a defendant but has not yet been served. Such actions must be remanded if such a defendant is served within the eligible time period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with adjacent wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2020
This resolution recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the Lunar New Year. The resolution expresses, in observance of this Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, the deepest respect of the House of Representatives for Asian Americans and all individuals throughout the world who celebrate this significant occasion. The resolution wishes Asian Americans and all individuals who observe this holiday a happy and prosperous new year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020 This bill establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism, as well as the relationship between domestic terrorism and hate crimes. It authorizes domestic terrorism components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor, analyze, investigate, and prosecute domestic terrorism. The domestic terrorism components of DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must jointly report on domestic terrorism, including white-supremacist-related incidents or attempted incidents. DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must review the anti-terrorism training and resource programs of their agencies that are provided to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. It creates an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies. Finally, it directs the FBI to assign a special agent or hate crimes liaison to each field office to investigate hate crimes incidents with a nexus to domestic terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4650 East Rosedale Street in Fort Worth, Texas, as the "Dionne Phillips Bagsby Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2020
No War Against Iran Act This bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress has either declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use. An exception is made for a presidential exercise of power to introduce Armed Forces into hostilities (or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated) when there is a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States. The bill further states that no prior authorizations of military force (e.g., against Iraq) may be construed to authorize the use of military force against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2019
Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act or the FUTURE Act This bill permanently authorizes funding for minority-serving institutions of higher education and increases the authorization of appropriations for Pell Grants.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should continue to lead reform efforts and urge member cooperation at the World Trade Organization in order to address barriers to trade, improve living standards across the world, and enhance accountability and dispute settlement mechanisms.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
This resolution recognizes the security challenges faced by India in Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution urges India to employ certain measures to uphold human rights and refrain from the use of violence against minority groups, protestors, and detainees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act This bill prohibits, and nullifies any existing, pre-dispute arbitration agreements with respect to Medicare skilled nursing facilities or Medicaid nursing facilities, home- and community-based services, or home health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 315 Addicks Howell Road in Houston, Texas, as the "Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act or the AIM HIGH Act This bill creates a commission to develop voluntary guidelines for postsecondary electronic instruction materials and related technologies. Specifically, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Secretary of Education must establish an independent commission to (1) develop and issue voluntary accessibility guidelines for postsecondary electronic instructional materials and related technologies, (2) develop a model framework for pilot testing such materials and technologies, and (3) produce an annotated list of information technology standards. The Department of Education must review and, as appropriate, update the voluntary guidelines, pilot testing framework, and information technology standards every five years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
100% Clean Economy Act of 2019 This bill establishes requirements to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Specifically, the bill sets a national goal of achieving a 100% clean economy (i.e., economy-wide, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions) by no later than 2050. Each federal agency must develop and implement a plan to rapidly achieve the national goal. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must monitor, evaluate, and report on the progress of the United States in achieving the national goal. In addition, the EPA must establish the Clean Economy Federal Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the EPA on one or more interim greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for the United States to achieve before achieving the national goal. After obtaining the committee's recommendations, the EPA must recommend to Congress one or more interim goals.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Electric Vehicle Charging Helps Access to Renewable Green Energy Act of 2019 or the EV CHARGE Act of 2019 This bill reinstates and extends through 2024, the 30% tax credit for the cost of alternative fuel vehicle refueling property. The bill allows an additional 20% credit for excess costs attributable to refueling property that is intended for general public use or for use exclusively by fleets of commercial or government vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Act of 2019 This bill reinstates and extends that tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings through 2024. It also increases the maximum allowable amount of such deduction. The bill modifies American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineer (ASHRAE) standards and other efficiency standards for commercial buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Empowering Homeowners Energy Efficiency Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property to include a credit for home energy audits. The amount of such credit is 30% of the cost of a home energy audit, not to exceed $150. The bill defines "home energy audit" to mean an inspection and written report for a dwelling owned and used by a taxpayer as the taxpayer's principal residence. The audit must identify the most significant and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements for such dwelling, including an estimate of the energy and cost savings for each improvement, and be conducted and prepared by a certified home energy auditor.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2019
Humane Cosmetics Act of 2019 This bill generally prohibits animal testing in the evaluation of cosmetic products, and it prohibits the sale or transport of cosmetics developed using animal testing. These prohibitions begin one year after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019
Put Patients First Act This bill prohibits the application of the rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on May 21, 2019, that strengthens the enforcement of conscience and anti-discrimination laws related to the rights of covered health care providers to refuse to participate in certain procedures, such as abortions, sterilization, or assisted suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2019
This joint resolution eliminates the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. The amendment was proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. The amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2019
Veteran Deportation Prevention and Reform Act This bill modifies immigration and naturalization procedures for noncitizens who are members or veterans of the Armed Forces. Specifically, the bill requires interagency coordination to (1) identify such individuals who are the subject of immigration removal proceedings or who have already been removed; and (2) naturalize them as citizens or otherwise change their status, as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1305 U.S. Highway 90 West in Castroville, Texas, as the "Lance Corporal Rhonald Dain Rairdan Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2019
Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act This bill increases FY2021 and FY2022 funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program to address high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity and other unmet needs in states, tribes, and territories.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to award grants to states that have enacted and are enforcing laws that require the impoundment or immobilization of stretch limousines if such limousines are found to have certain defects upon inspection.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Safety, Accountability, and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2019 or the SAFE Limos Act This bill establishes safety standards for stretch limousines. Among other requirements, the bill requires safety belts to be installed in stretch limousines with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds at each designated seating position, including on side-facing seats; the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and issue guidelines, best practices, and recommendations to assist stretch limousine alterers develop and administer a vehicle modifier plan; DOT to complete research into side impact protection, roof crush resistance, and air bag systems for the protection of occupants in stretch limousines given alternative seating positions or interior configurations, including perimeter seating arrangements; stretch limousine operators to disclose (1) the date of the most recent inspection of the limousine required under state or federal law, (2) the results of the inspection, and (3) any corrective actions taken to ensure the limousine passes inspection; and the use of event data recorders in stretch limousines.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
End the Limo Loophole Act This bill revises the definition of commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles that are designed to transport 9 or more passengers including the driver (currently, at least 16 passengers including the driver) and requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to finalize a rulemaking to require states to implement an annual inspection program for commercial passenger-carrying vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
College Affordability Act This bill reauthorizes and revises the Higher Education Act of 1965, including to revise federal student financial aid programs, consolidate federal student loans and expand loan forgiveness , increase college access and success for certain students, and revise accountability measures. Specifically, the bill revises financial aid programs, including to (1) increase the maximum federal Pell Grant award, (2) provide incentives for states to fund public institutions of higher education (IHEs), and (3) increase and make permanent funding for minority-serving IHEs. The bill also revises federal student loan programs, including to (1) replace existing student loan repayment plans with one income-based repayment plan and one fixed repayment plan, (2) allow existing borrowers to lower their payments by switching to the new plans, and (3) expand public service loan forgiveness programs (e.g., TEACH grants) and create appeal processes for denied applications. In addition, the bill increases college access and success for certain students (e.g., students with low-income, children, or the disabled) through investments and practices, such as student support services and accelerated learning opportunities. Finally, the bill revises accountability measures for IHEs (including for-profit IHEs), job training programs, college accrediting agencies, and lenders. In particular, the bill updates the performance goals of the Office of Federal Student Aid and requires the Department of Education to be responsible for the oversight of the office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
Equitable Student Aid Access Act This bill revises certain income requirements for calculating federal student financial aid amounts, and it requires the Department of Education (ED) to publish certain requirements for financial aid offers. Specifically, the bill eliminates the simplified needs test in financial aid applications for families with income below a specified threshold, and it increases the income threshold that automatically qualifies a student for certain financial aid. When determining the total income of an applicant or an applicant's household, ED shall provide for the use of data from the second preceding tax year to simplify applications used for the estimation and determination of financial aid eligibility. ED must also conduct consumer testing to serve as the basis for determining requirements for financial aid offers. A financial aid offer must contain information such as cost of attendance and sources of available financial aid, as well as a standardized quick reference box to enable comparison of information on college costs and financial aid.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2019
Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2019 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 · 27 September 2019
Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act This bill establishes an alternative formula to calculate Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits for those who receive pensions for certain non-covered employment. (The existing formula is known as the windfall elimination provision.) The alternative formula adjusts an individual's total lifetime earnings based on the proportion of covered earnings (i.e., earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes). It applies to individuals who (1) first become eligible for benefits after 2021, (2) have earnings from non-covered service performed after 1977 and (3) have less than 30 years of coverage (i.e., years in which a beneficiary is considered to have contributed a substantial amount into the Social Security trust funds). Beneficiaries receive the higher benefit amount as calculated under the alternative method or the existing formula. In addition, the bill provides rebates for certain beneficiaries currently impacted by the existing formula. The Social Security Administration must include non-covered earnings in Social Security account statements, and the Government Accountability Office must study the availability of certain information related to retirement plans maintained by state and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act This bill renames and revises the functions and duties of the Office of Technology Assessment which, composed of a Technology Assessment Board and a director, provides Congress with assessments of probable technology application impacts. Specifically, the bill renames the office the Congressional Office of Technology, and it requires the office to undertake additional duties, such as providing to Members of Congress (1) certain information without the need for board review, (2) certain technical assistance on legislation related to science and technology without the need for board review, and (3) objective policy options on how Members may achieve goals with respect to science and technology policy. The bill authorizes Members of Congress to submit to the board a request that the office undertake an assessment activity. Additionally, the bill requires the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office to coordinate technology assessment activities with the office to avoid duplication or overlapping of research activities. The office may temporarily appoint specified technical and professional personnel to work for the office, and the office must also make the findings of completed analyses publicly available. The bill also (1) revises the appointment of board members, (2) requires the board to hold an annual meeting at which Members of Congress may appear and present information regarding technology assessment activities, and (3) requires the board to report annually on the activities of the office.
![Official portrait of Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000399_200.jpg)