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![Official portrait of Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000187_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
5,435 records where Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President's handling of classified information has undermined the confidence of international partners and may have harmed U.S. national security.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 7-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old. The bill sets forth a schedule of annual increases in the federal minimum wage for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Labor shall no longer issue special certificates for the payment of subminimum wages to such individuals after the final wage increase under this bill for such individuals takes effect. Labor shall provide, upon request, technical assistance and information to employers to: (1) help them transition their practices to comply with wage increases and other requirements under this bill for individuals with disabilities, and (2) ensure continuing employment opportunities for such individuals. The bill eliminates the separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees. After a specified period, these employees shall be paid the same minimum wage as regular employees. Labor must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on its website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Commemorates the service, dedication, and sacrifice of our armed service members and their families who served at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on its 75th anniversary. Recognizes the fighting force of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Marine Corps Installation-West, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, Wounded Warriors Battalion-West, Marine Corps Air Station at Munn Field, Marine Aircraft Group 39, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego's Weapons & Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps School of Infantry-West, Marine Corps and Army Reserve Forces, the Navy's Assault Craft Unit 5, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, and 1st Dental Battalion. Commends the members of the Armed Forces who deployed from Camp Pendleton to fight in World War II and the Korean, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to waive, for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. Current law generally applies this waiting period to individuals deemed eligible for OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Access to Birth Control Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to contraceptives, including: (1) providing a customer a contraceptive without delay if it is in stock; (2) immediately informing a customer if the contraceptive is not in stock and either transferring the prescription to a pharmacy that has the contraceptive in stock or ordering the contraceptive and notifying the customer when it arrives, based on customer preference, except for pharmacies that do not ordinarily stock contraceptives; and (3) ensuring that pharmacy employees do not take certain actions relating to a request for contraception, including intimidating, threatening, or harassing customers, interfering with the delivery of services, intentionally deceiving customers about the availability or mechanism of action of contraception, breaching or threatening to breach medical confidentiality, or refusing to return a prescription. The bill does not prohibit a pharmacy from refusing to provide a contraceptive to a customer if: (1) it is unlawful to dispense the contraceptive to the customer without a prescription and no prescription is presented; (2) the customer is unable to pay for the contraceptive; or (3) the pharmacy employee refuses to provide the contraceptive on the basis of a professional clinical judgment. The bill does not preempt state law or any professional obligation of a state board that provides greater protections for customers. Civil penalties and a private cause of action are established for violations of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Executive Appointee Ethics Improvement Act This bill lengthens from one to two years the ban on certain senior personnel of the executive branch and independent agencies from lobbying the department or agency in which the person served. If the Director of the Office of Government Ethics decides to waive this restriction, such decision shall be published in the Federal Register unless it would compromise national security. The bill lengthens from two to five years the ban on certain very senior personnel of the executive branch and independent agencies, including the Vice President, from lobbying any office or employee of any department or agency in which such person served. Certain high-level employees of the executive branch are subject to a lifetime ban on knowingly representing a foreign entity before any officer or employee of any department or agency of the United States with the intent to influence a decision of such officer or employee. During a two-year period beginning on the date an individual is appointed to a covered position, such individual is banned from participating in any matter involving specific parties that is directly related to the individual's former employer or former clients. Additionally, any individual who was a registered lobbyist or who engaged in lobbying activities during a two-year period prior to appointment is prohibited from participating in any particular matter on which the individual made a lobbying contact or participating in the specific issue area in which the matter falls. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may waive these requirements if OMB certifies in writing to various congressional committees that it is in the public interest to grant the waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Puerto Rico Small Business Assistance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act regarding small businesses that have their principal office in Puerto Rico, including to temporarily: increase the total amount of loans outstanding and committed to any microloan intermediary if at least 20% of the intermediary's loans are made to such businesses; waive the Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan Program's limit on an intermediary's spending on technical assistance for prospective borrowers if 25% of the intermediary's loans are made to these businesses; reduce or eliminate SBA fees on certain loans to such businesses; and give federal contract preference to such businesses, transfer specified technology or surplus property to them, and provide subcontracting incentives for their protege firms. The SBA shall establish: (1) a Veteran Business Outreach Center in Puerto Rico, and (2) a temporary Federal and State Technology (FAST) grant program to provide assistance to Puerto Rico businesses. The SBA district office in Puerto Rico must temporarily report annually to Congress and the SBA on its activities in Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the Federal Perkins Loans program through September 30, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Disability Integration Act of 2017 This bill prohibits states or local governments that provide institutional placements for individuals with disabilities who need long-term assistance with daily living activities or health-related tasks, and prohibits insurance providers that fund such long-term services, from denying community-based services that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life. States, local governments, or insurance providers may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by: (1) imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, waiting lists, or payment structures; (2) failing to provide a specific community-based service; or (3) requiring an individual to receive a service in a congregate or disability-specific setting. Community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. States, local governments, and public insurance providers must assess: (1) transportation barriers that prevent individuals from receiving services in integrated settings, and (2) the availability of integrated employment opportunities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must issue regulations requiring states, local governments, or insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services to individuals with such disabilities who would otherwise qualify for institutional placement. State and local governments, in conjunction with housing agencies, must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Such regulations must also require states and local governments to begin implementing a transition plan to achieve the requirements of this bill within 12 years after its enactment. For 10 years after issuance of the regulations, HHS must determine annually whether each state is complying with the transition plan. If a state is complying, HHS must increase by five percentage points the federal medical assistance percentage for a state requesting an increase for expenditures on home and community-based services furnished under the state Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, or a waiver of such plan, that are identified as: (1) improvements to ensure accessibility or self-directed receipt of such services, (2) funding shifts from institutional settings to integrated community-based services, or (3) environmental modifications for housing targeted toward the lowest income individuals. The bill provides for DOJ enforcement and allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2017
Action for Dental Health Act 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize oral health promotion and disease prevention programs through FY2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may award grants or enter into contracts to obtain portable or mobile dental equipment and pay operational costs for the provision of free dental services to underserved populations. The CDC may also award grants or enter into contracts to collaborate with state, county, or local public officials and other stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives to: (1) improve oral health education and dental disease prevention; (2) make the dental services delivery system more accessible and efficient through outreach programs that facilitate the establishment of dental homes; (3) reduce geographic barriers, language barriers, cultural barriers, and other similar barriers in the provision of dental services; (4) reduce the use of emergency departments by individuals who seek dental services more appropriately delivered in a dental primary care setting; or (5) facilitate the provision of dental care to nursing home residents who are disproportionately affected by lack of care.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Stop Waste And Misuse by the President Act of 2017 or the SWAMP Act of 2017 This bill requires the President, Vice President, President-elect, Vice President-elect, or an immediate family member of such an official, whom the U.S. Secret Service is authorized to protect and who, while traveling, stays in a hotel or other establishment providing daily-rate accommodation in which that person has an ownership or financial interest, to reimburse to the Treasury: (1) any amount expended by the Secret Service for such protection, and (2) any amount expended for other costs incurred by the government pertaining to that stay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2017
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2017 This bill alters provisions under Medicaid, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage relating to U.S. territories, including payment calculations and enrollment periods.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2017
Keeping Capital Local for Underserved Communities Act of 2017 This bill specifies that certain reciprocal deposits shall not be considered to be brokered deposits. (Brokered deposits are subject to additional regulatory requirements, including those related to liquidity.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. HHS must ensure that these grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Court Legal Access and Student Support (CLASS) Act of 2017 This bill makes procedures for the enforcement of arbitration agreements inapplicable to an enrollment agreement between a student and an institution of higher education (IHE). The bill also amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to forbid an IHE that participates in federal student aid programs, including work-study programs, from requiring a student to agree to any restriction on the student's ability to pursue a claim, individually or with others, against it in court.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Equality Act This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. The bill defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. The bill expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. The bill prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The bill revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Employers must recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. The bill provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. DOJ may intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin shall include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. The bill amends Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Students Before Profits Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to recalculate the cohort default rate and redetermine title IV eligibility for an institution of higher education (IHE) that engages in default manipulation. ED may impose enhanced civil penalties and sanctions on IHEs and officers for substantial misrepresentation or other serious violations of title IV requirements. The bill requires ED to establish the Student Relief Fund, financed by civil penalties, to provide financial relief to students enrolled in an IHE that is sanctioned or fails to comply with title IV requirements. If ED takes an enforcement action (e.g., heightened financial oversight) against a proprietary (i.e., for-profit) IHE, then ED may hold the executive officer of such proprietary IHE personally liable for financial losses related to the enforcement action. Additionally, ED may pursue claims against an IHE's executive officers and board of directors to recover discharged federal student loans. A proprietary IHE must, as a condition of continued eligibility to participate in title IV programs, prohibit an individual who defrauds students from being a member of the board of directors or an executive officer of the institution.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act or the COAST Anti-Drilling Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease or other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Atlantic, or the Straits of Florida planning areas.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2635 Napa Street in Vallejo, California, as the "Janet Capello Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Supports: (1) the goals and values of the 49th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the 29th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and (2) activities to celebrate the historical milestones represented by such anniversaries.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil, gas, or methane hydrate exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 This bill prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. It bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Individuals or entities shall not assist or facilitate a conversion therapy if they receive monetary compensation from any source in connection with providing such therapies. These prohibitions are inapplicable to practices or treatments that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if they provide: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. The Federal Trade Commission and states are provided authority to enforce against violations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
No Russia Exemptions for Oil Production Act or the No REX Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from providing licenses or other authorization for U.S. persons to engage in activities relating to deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale projects that may produce oil in Russia or within its maritime jurisdiction. Executive Order 13662 (relating to blocking property of additional persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine) authorized Treasury to prevent U.S. persons from engaging in business with Russia in various sectors, including the energy sector. Additionally, the bill nullifies any license or other authorization to engage in prohibited activities issued before the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2017
Missing Children's Assistance Amendment Act of 2017 This bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to require the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to analyze and publish certain demographic information with respect to the number of children reported missing each year, the number of such children who are victims of stranger abduction or parental kidnappings, and the number of children who are recovered each year.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Bringing Reductions to Energy's Airborne Toxic Health Effects Act or the BREATHE Act This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise requirements for hazardous air pollutants. Specifically, the bill allows: (1) emissions from oil or gas exploration or production wells and emissions from pipeline compressors or pump stations to be aggregated with emissions from other similar sources and regulated as a major source of toxic air pollutants, (2) emissions from those wells to be aggregated for purposes of emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants, and (3) emissions from oil or gas production wells to be regulated as an area source of toxic air pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency must: (1) issue a final rule adding hydrogen sulfide to the list of hazardous air pollutants; and (2) revise the list of air pollution sources within 365 days after issuing the rule to include categories and subcategories of major sources and area sources of hydrogen sulfide, including oil and gas wells.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Ending Homelessness Act of 2017 This bill amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to make additional FY2018-FY2022 appropriations available for: (1) emergency relief grants to address the unmet needs of homeless populations in jurisdictions with the highest need, (2) rental assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for persons and households who are homeless, and (3) homeless outreach and coordination services. Beginning in FY2018, the bill provides annual additional funds for: (1) the Housing Trust Fund to provide grants to states for use to increase homeownership and the supply of rental housing for extremely low- and very low-income families, including homeless families; and (2) incremental project-based voucher or rental assistance under the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992. During the first five fiscal years such amounts are made available, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must ensure that priority for occupancy in dwelling units located in housing that was provided or is receiving such assistance be given to persons and households who are homeless. When HUD allocates grants to states from the fund for rental housing, the dwelling units must be subject to legally binding commitments to ensure that the residing family's contribution toward rent does not exceed 30% of the family's adjusted income. The bill provides funding to HUD to expand the Healthcare and Housing (H2) Systems Integration Initiative by assisting states and localities in coordinating policies among Medicaid programs, behavioral health providers, housing providers, and finance support services for homeless persons. The bill makes permanent: (1) certain housing assistance programs under the Homeless Assistance Act, and (2) the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1730 18th Street in Bakersfield, California, as the "Merle Haggard Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2017 This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to state underground injection programs or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility in the state. The state or the EPA must make the disclosure available to the public. When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in the operations is necessary for medical treatment, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2017 or the FRESHER Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to eliminate a prohibition on the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for discharges of certain collected, uncontaminated stormwater runoff from mining operations or oil and gas operations. The Department of the Interior must study stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination, (2) groundwater resources, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the operations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
CLEANER Act of 2017 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2017 This bill amends the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to eliminate the exemption for waste derived from the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy from regulations governing the disposal of hazardous waste. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: determine whether waste associated with oil, gas, or geothermal energy activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste; identify or list as hazardous waste any of those wastes if they meet the identification or listing criteria; and promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of those wastes. The EPA may modify the regulation of those standards to consider the special characteristics of those wastes so long as the modified regulations protect human health and the environment. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the EPA must promulgate revisions of certain criteria concerning landfills and waste management practices of open dumping for facilities that may receive wastes that are: (1) associated with those activities, and (2) not identified or listed as hazardous waste. Those revisions must: protect human health and the environment, while allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and require groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination; establish criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities; and provide for corrective action and financial assurance as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2017 This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states, in order to obtain primary enforcement responsibility for a state underground injection control program, to prohibit the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities unless the person proposing to conduct the hydraulic fracturing operations agrees to conduct testing and report data in accordance with this bill. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. Regulations under the Act for state underground injection control programs must require any person conducting such hydraulic fracturing operations to: (1) conduct testing of underground sources of drinking water in accordance with sampling and testing requirements described in this bill, and (2) report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the testing results. Hydraulic fracturing operations are exempted from those testing and reporting requirements if there is no accessible underground source of drinking water within a radius of one mile of the site where the operations occur. The EPA must establish and maintain a publicly accessible and searchable database of testing results.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Equitable Student Aid Access Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements governing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The bill increases the adjusted gross income threshold used to determine whether a student qualifies for an automatic zero expected family contribution (EFC) in the calculation of the student's financial need. A dependent student is eligible for an automatic zero EFC if the student's parents have adjusted gross income up to $30,000. An independent student with non-spouse dependents is eligible for a zero EFC if the student and spouse have adjusted gross income up to $30,000. The bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to allow students to use tax information from the year before the previous one in determining their financial aid eligibility. The Internal Revenue Service and ED must share available data pursuant to taxpayer consent. The bill requires the FAFSA application to be available to students by October 1, which is three months earlier than is currently required.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to: (1) designate voting systems used in the United States as critical infrastructure; (2) include threats of compromise, disruption, or destruction of voting systems in national planning scenarios; and (3) conduct a campaign to proactively educate local election officials about the designation of voting systems as critical infrastructure and election officials at all levels of government of voting system threats. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall develop standards for ensuring the operational security of the voting systems used in elections for federal office. This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a state, in operating the voting system, to comply with applicable standards developed by NIST for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. The testing and certification of voting systems hardware and software shall test whether voting systems are in compliance with applicable NIST standards for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. NIST shall develop standards for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. States shall comply with applicable NIST standards, in operating the voting system, for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. The National Science Foundation shall establish an election technology innovation research and development program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Social Security 2100 Act This bill increases various Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits and related taxes. The bill increases the primary insurance amount (e.g., the amount a Social Security beneficiary receives if the beneficiary begins receiving benefits at normal retirement age) by increasing the percentage of the beneficiary's average indexed monthly earnings used to calculate the amount. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall publish a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, which the Social Security Administration (SSA) shall use to calculate cost-of-living adjustments to benefits. Currently, the SSA uses a price index for wage earners to make such adjustments. The bill increases the minimum benefit amount for individuals who worked for more than 10 years by creating an alternative minimum benefit. A qualifying beneficiary shall receive that alternative minimum if it is higher than the standard calculated benefit amount. The bill increases the income threshold that a beneficiary must reach before Social Security benefits are taxable. Increased benefits from this bill shall not count as income when determining an individual's eligibility or benefit amounts for (1) Medicaid, (2) the Children's Health Insurance Program, or (3) the Supplemental Security Income program. Income above $400,000 shall be included when calculating Social Security benefits and taxes. The bill also increases rates for the payroll and self-employment taxes that fund OASDI. The bill establishes the Social Security Trust Fund, which replaces the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects students' education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act This bill provides a permanent appropriation for the payment of death gratuities and related benefits to survivors of deceased members of the uniformed services during a period of lapsed appropriations. The bill provides the appropriations at the rate and under the conditions provided for the most recent fiscal year for which an Act making appropriations for the uniformed services has been enacted. The appropriations are provided during a period of lapsed appropriations, in which appropriations are unavailable due to the absence of the timely enactment of an Act or joint resolution providing appropriations or continuing appropriations for the death gratuity and related benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of State to submit an annual, publicly-available report to Congress that includes: (1) a list of individuals holding specified senior Chinese leadership positions at the national and subnational levels; and (2) an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China. Such assessment shall include: a comparison with the level of access granted to other areas of China, a comparison between the levels of access granted to Tibetan and non-Tibetan areas in relevant provinces, a comparison of the level of access in the reporting year and the previous year, and a description of the measures that impede the freedom to travel in Tibetan areas. Listed persons shall be ineligible for a visa to enter or to be present in the United States if specified restrictions on foreign travelers entering Tibetan areas remain in effect, subject to a national interests waiver. Expresses the sense of Congress that the State Department, when granting Chinese diplomats access to parts of the United States, should take into account the extent to which China grants U.S. diplomats access to parts of China, including the Tibetan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2017 This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for federal inmates in prison and upon reentry. It amends the federal criminal code: to require an HIV test for each convicted federal offender sentenced to prison for any length of time regardless of risk factors, unless the individual declines; to make the HIV test part of the routine health screening conducted at intake; and to require a pre-release HIV test, unless the individual declines.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act This bill designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of land within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
ABLE Financial Planning Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free rollovers of amounts in qualified tuition programs (529 plans) to qualified ABLE programs. (Tax-favored ABLE [Achieving a Better Life Experience] accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
ABLE to Work Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to ABLE accounts (tax-exempt savings accounts for persons with a disability), to allow: (1) an ABLE account beneficiary to make additional contributions to an ABLE account equal to the lesser of such beneficiary's compensation or an amount equal to the federal poverty line for a one-person household, and (2) a retirement savings tax credit for contributions to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017 This bill requires a state that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to train law enforcement officers on diversity and sensitivity. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may reduce by up to 20% the JAG allocation of a state that fails to comply. Additionally, the bill requires a state or local government that receives JAG funding to have in effect a law requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate and prosecute an offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury. DOJ must reduce by 20% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill amends equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) restrict the use of the bona fide factor defense to wage discrimination claims, (2) enhance nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) make it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increase civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs shall train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to: (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace is established for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Commemorates the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sermon titled "Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence." Encourages the U.S. government to conduct foreign policy in a manner consistent with the vision delineated in that speech.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Recognizes the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.