United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2018
Restoring Justice for Workers Act This bill prohibits predispute arbitration agreements that require arbitration of an employment dispute. It allows a postdispute arbitration agreement if the employee enters into it voluntarily without coercion and is informed in writing of rights and protections under such agreement. An employer may not retaliate against an employee for refusing to enter into an agreement for arbitrating an employment dispute. The bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice to interfere with the right of an employee to collectively litigate employment disputes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2018
This bill prohibits U.S. security assistance and arms sales to Saudi Arabia's government. The Department of Defense shall not provide security assistance, intelligence, training, equipment, or specified technical services to Saudi Arabia or any of its agents or instrumentalities, or engage in any defense cooperation. The bill establishes an exception to this prohibition for activities that protect U.S. diplomatic and consular posts or U.S. citizens. The President may not sell, transfer, deliver, or license for export any defense article to Saudi Arabia or any of its agents or instrumentalities, or provide any defense or construction service. Congress may pass a joint resolution to waive these prohibitions on a case-by-case basis. To request such a waiver, the President shall report to Congress on (1) how the requested activity advances U.S. national security interests, (2) the status of any investigation and prosecution of individuals responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and (3) the status of human rights protections in Saudi Arabia.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Consumers First Act This bill revises provisions related to the administration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including establishing requirements for staffing levels, political appointees, and the publication of consumer complaints regarding consumer financial products or services. The bill specifically states the duties of the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity (under current law, these are delegated by the CFPB Director). It also adds the duty to implement enforcement and supervisory authority regarding the fair lending laws. Specified units, offices, and boards of the CFPB must perform their assigned duties and may not be renamed or reorganized. The bill amends all statutory references to the "Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection" to refer instead to the "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau." Membership and meeting requirements for the Consumer Advisory Board are also revised.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Get the Lead Out of Schools Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for schools and day care facilities that: (1) establishes a lead action level (a level of lead in drinking water that triggers additional actions to control lead contamination) of at least 15 parts per billion; (2) directs each public water system to sample for lead in the drinking water at schools and day care facilities if the EPA determines there is a risk that the lead in the drinking water will meet or exceed the action level; and (3) directs public water systems that serve schools or day cares that meet or exceed the action level to notify the local educational agency, the relevant local health agencies, the municipality, and the state as soon as practicable, but no later than five business days after the system receives the sampling results. The EPA must also establish a grant program for: (1) testing drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead contamination, and (2) remediating lead contamination in such drinking water by replacing lead pipes and certain plumbing materials with lead-free material.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018 This bill establishes a process under which Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories may terminate certain debts if they meet eligibility criteria. The bill allows territories to terminate their public, unsecured debt if they meet two of three criteria: the population of the territory has decreased by more than 5% over 10 years, the territory received major federal disaster assistance, and the territory's per capita debt exceeds $15,000. The bill also provides funding that a special master must allocate to certain creditors whose debts were discharged under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Recognizes: (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2018
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Study Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the lands, waters, and interests of the coastline and specified areas adjacent to the Santa Monica Bay in California to evaluate a range of alternatives for protecting the study area's resources, including: expanding and redesignating the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area as the "Santa Monica Mountains and Los Angeles Coast National Recreation Area," or creating a new coastal recreation area designated as the "Los Angeles Coast National Recreation Area."
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2018
Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill instructs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Aretha Franklin in recognition of her outstanding artistic and historical significance to the culture of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 44160 State Highway 299 East Suite 1 in McArthur, California, as the "Janet Lucille Oilar Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2018
This bill makes it unlawful for a person who is not a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm at a gun show. The prohibition does not apply to a transfer to a licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer, or collector. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2018
Ensuring Scott Pruitt is Accountable Act of 2018 or the EPA Act of 2018 This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing or implementing a rule signed by former Administrator Scott Pruitt until the EPA publishes a report on certain investigations of Scott Pruitt.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2023 various programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Among other things, the bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President does not have constitutional authority to grant himself a pardon or reprieve for offenses against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Aim Higher Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise federal financial aid programs for postsecondary education and institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2018 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 · 25 July 2018
Education Department Civil Rights Transparency Act This bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education (ED) to include in an annual report to ED, the President, and Congress specified information regarding federal civil rights violations by educational institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Authorizes specified committees of the House of Representatives to intervene on behalf of the House in the case of Texas v. United States in order to defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Authorizes the Office of General Counsel of the House, under the supervision of such committees, to represent them in the intervention.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2018
Affirms U.S. commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Expresses agreement with the intelligence community's assessment concerning Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, and condemns President Trump for his efforts to undermine such assessment and for his failure to fulfill his duty to place U.S. interests first.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Secure America from Russian Interference Act of 2018 This bill sets forth provisions for countering specified subversive activities by the government of the Russian Federation against the United States and U.S. allies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day. Encourages: (1) clinicians to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services; (2) the media to observe this day by educating clinicians about the important role they play in providing access to HIV/AIDS services and by educating clinicians and the public about the benefits of HIV testing; and (3) individuals to get tested for HIV and educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Election Vendor Security Act This bill prohibits state and local governmental entities that are responsible for administering an election for federal office from entering into an agreement with a vendor who is a foreign national or who fails to meet current best practices for cybersecurity established by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Department of Homeland Security. Before each regularly scheduled general election for federal office (beginning with the November 2018 election), each state shall submit to the commission a list of all vendors who will be providing, supporting, or maintaining any components of an election system in such state.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2801 Mitchell Road in Ceres, California, as the "Lance Corporal Juana Navarro Arellano Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2018
Crowdfunding Amendments Act This bill amends the Securities Act of 1933 to allow a crowdfunding issuer to sell shares through a crowdfunding vehicle. (Crowdfunding is a method of capital formation in which groups of people pool money to invest in a company or to support an effort to accomplish a specific goal.) A "crowdfunding vehicle" is defined as a company that: has purposes limited to acquiring, holding, and disposing only one class of crowdfunding securities issued by a single company; receives no compensation for doing so; and meets other specified requirements, including those related to reporting obligations and the use of investment advisers. The bill amends the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to provide for the registration of crowdfunding vehicle advisers. The bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to revise the conditions upon which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shall exempt securities issued in crowdfunding transactions from registration requirements. Under current law, holders of crowdfunded shares do not count toward the shareholder threshold beyond which an issuer is required to register its securities with the SEC, provided that the issuer: (1) is current in its annual reporting obligations, (2) retains the services of a registered transfer agent, and (3) has less than $25 million in assets. The bill maintains this exemption but alters the conditions upon which it applies. Specifically, holders of crowdfunded shares shall not count toward the shareholder threshold if the issuer has: (1) a public float of less than $75 million, or (2) a public float of $0 and annual revenues of less than $50 million.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
Continue American Safety Act (CASA) This bill extends temporary protected status (TPS) for certain designated countries until January 21, 2021. It also grants TPS to nationals of Guatemala who meet certain requirements for 18 months after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
Promoting Transparent Standards for Corporate Insiders Act This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to study and report on possible revisions to regulations regarding Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. (Such plans allow certain employees of publicly traded corporations to sell their shares without violating insider trading prohibitions.) The SEC must revise regulations consistent with the results of the study.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
By the People Resolution Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact various reforms with respect to voter registration and protection, campaign-finance contribution limits and violations, and political advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Family Unity Rights and Protection Act This bill requires the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, and Defense to ensure that alien children (i.e., children under the age of 18 removed from their parents or legal guardians at or near a port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border pursuant to a zero tolerance policy for criminal illegal reentry) are reunited at the earliest possible date with their parents and guardians from whom they were separated. It also requires notification of parents and guardians of procedures for reuniting with such children and for the location of such children. The bill requires the creation of an electronic registry for information used to locate such alien children and their parents and guardians. The information in such registry may only be used for locating such children and may not be used in any criminal prosecution or other immigration proceeding. The bill also sets forth conditions on the termination of parental rights in immigration proceedings and requires the consolidation of asylum and immigration proceedings involving alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Repelling Encroachment by Foreigners into U.S. Elections Act or the REFUSE Act This bill (1) expands the ban on contributions by foreign nationals to elections to include corporations subject to specified levels of ownership or control by foreign nationals or governments; (2) prohibits certain types of tax-exempt, foreign-affiliated organizations from taking certain campaign-related actions, such as contributing to a super political action committee (super PAC); and (3) prohibits foreign nationals from participating in the decision-making process with regard to any person's election-related activities. The bill also makes various changes to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA), such as by (1) repealing an exemption from FARA requirements for individuals registered as lobbyists, and (2) expanding filing and labeling requirements related to the transmission of informational materials in the interests of a foreign principal.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2018 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2018 This bill expands the ban on election contributions by foreign nationals to include corporations subject to specified levels of ownership or control by foreign nationals. The bill also expands (1) reporting requirements related to campaign contributions, and (2) disclosure requirements related to the funding sources of political advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Restoring Fair Housing Protections Eliminated by HUD Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take certain measures to address fair housing, including by (1) developing a public database of complaints of discriminatory housing practices, and (2) implementing or reissuing specified rules related to fair housing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Fairness for Farm Workers Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 with respect to agricultural workers. The bill requires employers, beginning in 2019, to compensate agricultural workers for hours worked in excess of their regular hours (i.e., 55 hours in 2019, 50 hours in 2020, 45 hours in 2021, and 40 hours in 2022) at not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, the overtime pay requirements begin in 2022. These overtime pay requirements do not apply, as in current law, to employees who are the parent, spouse, child, or other member of the employer's immediate family. The bill also repeals the exemption from overtime pay requirements for employers in various agriculture-related industries, including certain small farms, irrigation projects, sugar processing, and cotton ginning and compressing.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2018
Central America Family Protection and Reunification Act This bill states that it shall be: (1) U.S. policy to not separate immigrant families as a deterrent and to reunite families that were separated due to the criminal prosecution of parents for illegal entry, and (2) Department of State policy to prioritize supporting governments and citizens to facilitate reunification of such families. The State Department shall submit to Congress: reports concerning gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle (the region encompassing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador); reports concerning gang and organized-crime related violence in the Northern Triangle; strategies to use portions of funds for the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America to combat gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle, as well as to address the damage to the health and well-being of children and caregivers caused by separating children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The State Department shall establish an office to study serious crimes committed against aliens who were removed from the United States and against U.S. citizens who left the United States because of having an alien parent who was removed from the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Mental Health Care for Children Inhumanely Separated from Parents by the Federal Government Act of 2018 This bill requires the federal government to ensure that children who are separated from their parents at the border by the Department of Homeland Security receive mental health services for free, including a mental health assessment within 24 hours of such separation and annually thereafter. Children who have already been separated (since April 6, 2018) must receive a mental health assessment within 24 hours after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Minority Bank Advisory Committee Act of 2018 This bill establishes Minority Depository Institutions Advisory Committees at the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, age, perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, and related stereotypes). The office may award grants to eligible entities and partnerships to: train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Keep Families Together Act This bill prohibits an agent or contractor of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the Department of Health and Human Services from removing a child who is under the age of 18 and has no permanent immigration status from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless: an authorized state court determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed; a state or county child welfare official with expertise in child trauma and development determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed because of abuse or neglect; or the Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director authorizes separation based on a documented finding that the child is a trafficking victim or is at significant risk of becoming a victim, a strong likelihood exists that the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. A child may not be removed from a parent or guardian unless an independent licensed child welfare expert authorizes the separation within 48 hours of such removal. An agency may not remove a child from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goals of deterring migration to the United States or of promoting immigration law compliance. The bill sets forth presumptions: (1) in favor of family and sibling unity and parental rights, and (2) that detention is not in the best interests of families and children. The bill limits the prosecution of asylum seekers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Improving Investment Research for Small and Emerging Issuers Act This bill requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to report on investment research regarding small issuers, including emerging growth companies and companies considering initial public offerings. The report must: (1) include topics such as the availability of such research and potential conflicts of interest relating to its production and distribution, and (2) make recommendations for increasing small-issuer investment research.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018 This bill prohibits a health-benefits plan or pharmacy-benefits manager under Medicare or Medicare Advantage from restricting a pharmacy from informing an enrollee of any difference between the price of a drug under the plan and the price of the drug without health-insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act This bill prohibits a health insurance plan or pharmacy benefits manager from restricting a pharmacy from informing an enrollee of any difference between the cost of a drug under the plan and the cost of the drug without health insurance coverage. (Such restrictions are commonly referred to as gag clauses.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Recognizes the historical significance and supports the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Homeowner Mortgage Servicing Fairness Act of 2018 This bill provides for the establishment of mortgage-servicer oversight standards by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Workers' Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2018 This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA) and related labor laws to extend protections to union workers. Specifically, it: revises the definition of "employee" and "supervisor" to prevent employers from removing employees from the protections of the labor laws, prohibits employers from interfering with certain rights granted to employees under the NLRA, expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions against replacement of worker who strike or discrimination against them, imposes new penalties against employers who violate labor law requirements, allows workers to bring civil actions against employers for labor law violations and unfair labor practices, requires certain disclosures with respect to worker wages, and requires contractors seeking federal contracts over $500,000 to disclose labor law violations when applying for such contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
This bill specifies that an offense involving lynching is a hate crime act. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the War on Drugs has failed to achieve its goal of reducing drug use. Apologizes to those harmed through the War on Drugs.
![Official portrait of Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000187_200.jpg)