United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2019
American Family Act of 2019 This bill modifies the child tax credit to (1) make the credit fully refundable, (2) increase the amount of the credit and allow an additional credit for children who are under six years of age, (3) require the amount of the credit to be adjusted annually for inflation, and (4) require the Department of the Treasury to establish a program for making advance payments of the credit on a monthly basis.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2019
Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes funding for several grants programs that address water pollution, such as wastewater and stormwater. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2024 grants to states for water pollution control programs; grants to municipalities for watershed pilot projects, such as projects that manage wet weather discharges (e.g., sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows) or control pollutants from municipal separate storm sewer systems; grants to states, local governments, private utilities, and nonprofit entities for alternative water source projects to meet critical water supply needs; grants to states for the purpose of providing grants to municipalities for controlling, treating, reducing, or reusing municipal combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows, or stormwater; and grants to states for clean water state revolving funds.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2019
Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace harassment through Education and Reporting Act or the EMPOWER Act This bill addresses policies and procedures related to claims of workplace harassment. Specifically, the bill makes it an unlawful practice (with exceptions regarding certain settlement or separation agreements) for an employer to (1) enter into a contract with an employee or applicant, as a condition of employment, promotion, compensation, benefits, or change in employment status or contractual relationship, if that contract contains a nondisparagement or nondisclosure clause that covers workplace harassment; and (2) enforce, or attempt to enforce, a nondisparagement clause or nondisclosure clause that covers workplace harassment. Under the bill, an employee or applicant retains any right they would otherwise have had to report a concern about workplace harassment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other specified agencies, regardless of whether they have signed a nondisparagement or nondisclosure clause. Employees or applicants also retain the right to pursue legal action regardless of signing such clauses. The bill sets forth (1) enforcement powers of the EEOC and other entities, and the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, regarding workplace harassment; and (2) the applicable procedures and remedies for employees' claims. The EEOC must (1) establish a confidential tip-line that supplements its process for submitting a charge of discrimination, and (2) provide for the development and dissemination of workplace training programs and information regarding workplace harassment. The bill modifies the tax treatment of expenses and payments related to workplace harassment and employment discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2019
Improving Access to Mental Health Act This bill increases the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services. The bill excludes clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare. Additionally, the bill alters the definition of clinical social worker services as it relates to Medicare. Under current law, such services (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2019
Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2019 This bill expands Medicare coverage to include hearing aids and related examinations. The Government Accountability Office must study programs that provide assistance for hearing aids and related examinations for individuals with hearing loss.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2019
This resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Women's History Month and recognizes the women and organizations that continue to promote the teaching of women's history.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs authorizes the display of a Fallen Soldier Display in any national cemetery. A Fallen Soldier Display is a memorial monument in honor of deceased members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to sell each copy of the Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp and notify Congress when all copies have been sold. If the USPS destroys one or more such stamps before this bill's enactment, it shall print and sell the same number of such stamps.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act or the FAIR Act This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Security And Financial Empowerment Act of 2019 or the SAFE Act of 2019 This bill sets forth various provisions to promote the safety and security of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Among other things, the bill requires employers to provide up to 30 days of safe leave in a 12-month period for employees to seek medical attention, obtain certain services and counseling, participate in safety planning, and take legal action; and prohibits states from imposing additional restrictions on eligibility for unemployment compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Keep Community Service Local Act This bill prohibits the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) from closing CNCS state offices if the closure results in a state not having a CNCS office, unless permitted or directed by an act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of one Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician; one Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Christine Darden, for her service to the United States as an aeronautical engineer; two Congressional Gold Medals in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in recognition of their service to the United States during the Space Race; and one Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) between the 1930s and the 1970s.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Medigap Consumer Protection Act of 2019 This bill (1) expands guaranteed issue rights with respect to Medigap policies (Medicare supplemental health insurance policies), (2) eliminates certain limitations on Medigap policies for newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries, and (3) modifies other provisions related to Medigap policies. (Guaranteed issue rights require that a policy be offered to any eligible applicant without regard to health status.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Coverage includes (1) routine dental cleanings and exams, basic and major dental services, emergency dental care, and dentures; (2) routine eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses; and (3) routine hearing exams, hearing aids, and exams for hearing aids. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2019 This bill prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. The bill prescribes civil penalties for knowing violations of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 This bill eliminates the five-month waiting period for disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord). Under current law, individuals must wait five months after becoming disabled before their disability insurance benefit payments may begin.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2019 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. Specifically, the bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires that benefits be calculated using a low-cost food plan (i.e., the diet required to feed a family of four); directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan; requires USDA to make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas; revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires that the amounts be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan; modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member and eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses; and revises eligibility requirements under SNAP for certain students enrolled in institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act This bill authorizes specified individuals to update the burn pit registry with the cause of death of a registered individual. The Department of Veterans Affairs established the burn pit registry to allow certain veterans and servicemembers to document their exposures and report health concerns. The registry is for individuals who may have been exposed to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits (areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment) while deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq. Specifically, the bill authorizes a designee of a registered individual or an immediate family member to update the registry with the cause of death of the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides funds and otherwise revises certain child care and early learning programs for low- to moderate-income families. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program and reestablishes it as a child care and development assistance program. It also allocates program funds for states to provide services and support to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Further, it revises the program to require each state to, among other things create a tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers, which must include evidence-based standards and payment rates that are based on a certain cost estimation model; assure that copayments are based on a sliding scale and that no family receiving assistance pays more than 7% of their household income on child care; and use quality child care amounts for certain activities, such as improving the supply of child care providers who provide care to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities (e.g., professional development). It also provides funds and establishes grants for states to create preschool programs for low- to moderate-income children between the ages of three and five years. Finally, the Department of Health and Human Services must make grants to Head Start agencies to (1) provide children with access to full-school-year and full-school-day services, (2) provide access to additional service hours for migrant and seasonal agencies, or (3) enhance the quality of existing services.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices in these areas may take effect. (Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.) A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if (1) 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; or (2) 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a voting practice to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from preclearance. The bill specifies practices that all jurisdictions must preclear before implementing. The bill expands the circumstances under which (1) a court may retain the authority to preclear voting changes made by a state or political subdivision, or (2) the Department of Justice may assign election observers. States and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. The bill revises the circumstances under which a court must grant preliminary injunctive relief in a challenge to voting practices.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act This bill funds through FY2090 the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Additionally, the bill modifies the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): to allow claims to be filed until October 2089, to require VCF policies and procedures to be reassessed at least once every five years (currently, at least once annually), to require claimants to be paid for the amount by which a claim was reduced on the basis of insufficient funding, to remove the cap on noneconomic damages in certain circumstances, and to adjust the annual limit on economic loss compensation for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
Competitive Deals Resulting in Unleashed Generics and Savings Act of 2019 or the Competitive DRUGS Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to initiate a proceeding against parties to an agreement resolving or settling a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug. Such an agreement is generally presumed to be an unfair method of competition and is a violation of this bill if the filer of the generic drug application receives something of value and agrees to limit or forgo research, development, manufacturing, marketing, or sales of the generic drug. However, an agreement is exempted if the only consideration granted to the generic manufacturer is (1) the right to market the generic drug prior to the expiration of any statutory exclusivity, (2) a payment for reasonable litigation expenses, or (3) a covenant not to sue on a claim that the generic drug infringes a patent. An agreement if also exempt if the agreement's pro-competitive benefits outweigh its anticompetitive effects. The bill establishes penalties for violations of the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2019 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Pollinator Protection Board to develop an independent review process for pesticides that pose a threat to pollinators and their habitats. The bill also requires the EPA to cancel the registrations of any pesticides containing imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran, acetamiprid, sulfoxaflor, flupyradifurone, or fipronil until the board has made a determination that such insecticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators based on findings that include results of studies of neonicotinoids and the effects of residues, repeated applications, and multiple chemical exposures. Under the bill, the EPA shall not issue any new registrations for any seed treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants, trees, and cereals until the board has made determinations on such insecticides. The bill requires the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Agriculture to coordinate monitoring activities and report on the health and population status of native bees and other pollinators. The bill prohibits unregistered uses of pesticides by a federal or state agency to address emergency conditions except (1) to avert significant risk to threatened or endangered species, (2) to quarantine invasive species, or (3) to protect public health.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment providing that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. Artificial entities, such as corporations, shall have no rights under the Constitution and are subject to regulation. The amendment requires federal, state, and local government to (1) regulate, limit, or prohibit election contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures; and (2) require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed. The judiciary is prohibited from construing the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment, and the amendment shall not be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 2019
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in the health care and social service sectors. Specifically, Labor must promulgate an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers in the health care and social service sectors, as well as employers in sectors that conduct activities similar to the activities in the health care and social service sectors, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for protecting health care workers, social service workers, and other personnel from workplace violence. In addition, those employers must investigate workplace violence incidents, risks, or hazards as soon as practicable; provide training and education to employees who may be exposed to workplace violence hazards and risks; meet record keeping requirements; and prohibit acts of discrimination or retaliation against employees for reporting workplace violence incidents, threats, or concerns.
United States · United States Congress · 19 February 2019
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2019
Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill requires law enforcement agencies to be notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a grandfathered SAW. It also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow's Health Professionals Act or the VET HP Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a pilot program, located at a minimum of five VA medical centers, to provide a clinical observation experience to students who are enrolled at an institution of higher education that has referred them to the program. The VA shall give priority to students who (1) resided in a health professional shortage area, (2) are first-generation college students, (3) have been referred by minority-serving institutions, (4) are veterans, or (5) indicate an intention to specialize in an occupation with a health professional shortage.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Pawel Adamowicz Democratic Leadership Exchange Act of 2019 This bill permanently reauthorizes the U.S.-Poland Parliamentary Exchange Program, which allows participants from both countries to visit the other to participate in educational and skills-development activities. It also establishes the Pawel Adamowicz Democratic Leadership Exchange Program, which is open to eligible adults (the current program is open only to individuals under the age of 19).
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act This bill amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to establish an unlawful employment practice when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in investigations, proceedings, or litigation under such Act was a motivating factor for any unlawful employment practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as "mixed motive" claims). The bill (1) permits a complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred; and (2) declares that a complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of the employment practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court's decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. , which requires a complainant to prove that age was the "but-for" cause for the employer's decision). The bill authorizes a court in a claim in which age discrimination is shown to grant declaratory and injunctive relief, but prohibits a court from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment. The bill applies the same standard of proof to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act or the FAMILY Act This bill establishes the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration. The bill entitles every individual to a family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) benefit payment for a specified benefit period and prescribes a formula for determining the individual's monthly benefit amount, An FMLI benefit payment shall be coordinated with any periodic benefits received under a state or local temporary disability insurance or family leave program. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on employers, employees, and self-employed individuals to fund FMLI benefits. It also establishes the Federal Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund to hold tax revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019 This bill modifies the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages to exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; increase the amount of the small wine producer tax credit and expand the categories of producers covered by such credit; allow an adjustment to the producer credit for hard cider; and modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. The bill also increases funding for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act This bill requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether a state substantially provides public safety officers or employees the right to form and join a labor organization; recognition by public safety employers of the employees' labor organization, agreement to bargain with the organization, and reduction of any agreements to writing in a contract or memorandum of understanding; the right to bargain over hours, wages, and terms and conditions of employment; and binding interest arbitration to resolve an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations. The bill makes the authority responsible for (1) determining the appropriateness of units for labor representation; (2) supervising elections; (3) conducting hearings and resolving complaints of unfair labor practices; and (4) protecting the right of employees to form, join, or assist any labor organization, or to refrain from doing so. An employer, public safety officer, or labor organization may not engage in a lockout, sickout, work slowdown, strike, or any other organized job action that will measurably disrupt the delivery of emergency services and is designed to compel an employer, public safety officer, or labor organization to agree to the terms of a proposed contract.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2019
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2019 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the personnel system used by the Transpotation Security Administration (TSA) provides insufficient benefits and workplace protections for its workforce and such personnel should be provided protections and benefits under the civil service system applicable to all federal employees. Among other things, the bill eliminates personnel authorities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation governing the conditions of employment for TSA employees, thus making TSA employees subject to the personnel management system applicable to other federal employees; sets forth transition rules that protect the pay rates and other rights of TSA employees; requires DHS to consult with the labor organization certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to carry out the conversion of such positions; and does not affect the prohibitions against disloyalty and asserting the right to strike against the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2019
Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act This bill prohibits the Bureau of Land Management from administering an oil and gas leasing, development, production, and transportation program in and from the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2019
This resolution (1) strongly opposes President Trump's ban on transgender members of the Armed Forces, (2) rejects the scientific and medical claims upon which it is based, and (3) strongly urges the Department of Defense to not reinstate the ban and to maintain an inclusive policy allowing qualified transgender Americans to enlist and serve in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2019
Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act This bill requires grant recipients under the public transportation safety program who operate a fixed route bus service to (1) develop a risk reduction program for bus operations to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, injuries, assaults on bus operators, and fatalities; (2) submit the program to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for review and approval; and (3) implement the approved program. DOT shall require grant recipients who operate a rail fixed guideway public transportation system that is not subject to regulation by the Federal Railroad Administration to (1) develop a risk reduction program for assaults on rail workers to improve safety by reducing the number and severity of assaults on such workers; (2) submit the program to DOT for review and approval; and (3) implement the approved program. A grant recipient shall report to DOT any information on each assault on a transit worker for inclusion in the National Transit Database.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2019
Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019 This bill provides specific statutory authority for the Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Educational Agency Grant Program that is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The program supports school-based mental health services, including screening, treatment, and outreach programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2019
This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. (DIPG is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.) It also encourages public and private sources of research funding to elevate their consideration of the mortality rate of a type of cancer as well as the life years lost as factors considered during the grant application process.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2019
This resolution urges the President to work with allies to lead a multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea to push back against excessive Russian claims of sovereignty. It also calls for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to enhance allied maritime presence and capabilities in the Black Sea and for European governments to cancel the Nord Stream 2 pipeline due to its threat to European energy security. The resolution also urges the President to provide additional security assistance to Ukraine and states that the President is required by statute to impose mandatory sanctions on Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Stop Price Gouging Act This bill imposes an excise tax on pharmaceutical companies that sell prescription drugs that are subject to price spikes that exceed the annual percentage increase in the Chained Consumer Price Index. For each taxable prescription drug, the excise tax ranges from 50% to 100% of price spike revenue received by the company, depending on the size of the price spike and including an adjustment for revenue that is due solely to an increase in the cost of the inputs necessary to manufacture the drug. Pharmaceutical companies must submit specified data regarding drug prices and revenue to the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the IG must submit an assessment of the data to the Internal Revenue Service. HHS, upon the recommendation of the IG, may exempt certain drugs from the excise tax if (1) a for-cause price increase exemption should apply or; (2) the drug has an average manufacturer price of not greater than $10 for a 30-day supply and is marketed by at least 3 other holders of applications approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The Government Accountability Office must examine (1) how drug manufacturers and health plans establish initial launch prices for newly approved drugs, and (2) alternative methods that have been proposed for setting the price of new drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
National Heritage Area Act of 2019 This bill establishes a National Heritage Areas System to recognize certain areas of the United States that tell nationally significant stories and to conserve, enhance, and interpret the areas' natural, historic, scenic, and cultural resources that illustrate significant aspects of U.S. heritage. Through such system, the Department of the Interior may provide technical and financial assistance to local coordinating entities to support the establishment, development, and continuity of such areas. The system shall be comprised of such areas designated by Congress under this bill; such areas designated after enactment of this bill, unless the law designating the area exempts it from inclusion in the system; 49 specified areas; and any other national heritage areas designated before this bill's enactment. National heritage areas shall not be considered to be units of the National Park System. Interior shall (1) undertake studies as directed by Congress to assess the feasibility of designating proposed national heritage areas; (2) approve or disapprove the management plan prepared by the local coordinating entity for an area; and (3) evaluate the accomplishments of an area every 10 years after its designation and submit a recommendation on whether federal funding for such area should be continued, reduced, or eliminated.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 or the Autism CARES Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and revises several programs and activities relating to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among other things, the bill reauthorizes provisions relating to (1) expanded ASD research at the National Institutes of Health; (2) ASD education, early detection, and intervention activities supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration; and (3) the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The bill also generally revises the scope of such programs and activities to encompass ASD individuals of all ages, rather than only youth.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies regarding prices for drugs covered under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Current law prohibits the CMS from doing so.) The CMS must take certain factors into account during negotiations, including the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of the drug, the financial burden on patients, and unmet patient needs. If the CMS is unable to negotiate the price of a drug, such drug is subject to competitive licensing in order to further its sale under Medicare, notwithstanding existing government-granted exclusivities. Additionally, for one year after a drug is provided under a competitive license, such drug is also subject to specified price limitations; if the drug is not offered at such prices, the drug is subject to additional licensing that furthers its sale under any federal program (e.g., Medicaid).
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Shut Down Child Prison Camps Act The bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from operating unlicensed temporary emergency shelters for unaccompanied alien children, including the previously operational shelter in Tornillo, Texas, and the shelter in Homestead, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
American Food for American Schools Act of 201 9 This bill requires school food authorities (SFAs) to request a waiver from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase foreign commodities or products for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). SFAs may purchase foreign commodities or products without a waiver if the commodities or products are not produced or available domestically. (Under current law, Buy American provisions require SFAs to purchase, to the maximum extent practicable, domestic commodities or products for the NSLP. There are limited exceptions which permit the purchase of foreign products in circumstances when using domestic products is truly not practicable. If an SFA uses an exception, there is no requirement to request a waiver to purchase a foreign product or commodity, but the SFA must keep documentation justifying the exception.) USDA may not provide a waiver for an SFA to purchase foreign commodities or products unless (1) the commodities or products are not produced domestically in sufficient amounts or of satisfactory quality, (2) the domestic commodities or products would be significantly higher in price than foreign commodities or products, and (3) the SFA agrees to make the waiver publicly available on its website and email a notification of the waiver to parents or guardians of students who will be served the foreign commodity or product purchased pursuant to the waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act This bill establishes that a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be disqualified from receiving certain U.S. international development assistance solely because the organization provides medical services using non-U.S. government funds if the medical services are legal in both the United States and the country in which they are being provided. Such foreign organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to their use of non-U.S. funds for advocacy or lobbying activities, other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations. Current U.S. policy prohibits various foreign assistance from going to a foreign nongovernmental organization unless it agrees to not perform or actively promote abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2019
Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct monitoring, scientific assessments, and research in support of fisheries within the Great Lakes Basin between the United States and Canada. The USGS shall (1) execute a comprehensive, multi-lake, freshwater fisheries science program; (2) work cooperatively with regional, state, tribal, and local governments; and (3) consult with interested groups, including academia and Canadian agencies. The USGS may provide deepwater ecosystem research, fish behavior and habitat reports, fish population assessments, invasive species research, use of biological equipment and laboratory capabilities necessary to support fishery management decisions, and studies that assess impacts on Great Lakes fishery resources.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
This resolution recognizes the organization Easterseals for its impact over the past 100 years and its commitment to helping children and adults with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and others to live, learn, work, and play in communities.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000009_200.jpg)