United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Student Empowerment Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary school. (Under current law, distributions in connection with an elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school.) The bill allows the distributions to be used for additional educational expenses, including curriculum and curricular materials, books or other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring or educational classes outside the home, testing fees, fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a homeschool (whether treated as a homeschool or a private school under state law).
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for purposes outside the United States related to abortion. Specifically, the bill prohibits funding to certain foreign or domestic organizations that perform or promote abortions, furnish or develop items intended to procure abortions, or provide financial support for an entity that conducts such activities. Current U.S. policy prohibits the provision of federal funds to a foreign nongovernmental organization unless it agrees to not perform or actively promote abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 This bill modifies funding for a pediatric disease research initiative within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Currently, this initiative receives funding through FY2023 from the 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund. This bill directs certain penalties assessed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against pharmaceutical companies for specified violations to that fund. In making allocations from the fund, the NIH must prioritize pediatric research that does not duplicate existing research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research that involves the use of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion. The bill also prohibits soliciting or acquiring a donation of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion, other than for purposes of an autopsy or burial. The bill applies requirements on the research of transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to research on fetal tissue in general.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Saving America's Mines Act This bill bars the President, the Department of the Interior, or the Department of Agriculture from declaring a moratorium on or reversing any existing lease, permit, or claim, for the mining and extraction of any critical mineral or common varieties of sand, stone, and gravel on National Forest System or Bureau of Land Management land unless specifically authorized by statute or upon the lessee, permittee, or claimant's failure to comply with any of the provisions of its agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Protecting Americans from Unnecessary Spread upon Entry from COVID-19 Act of 2021 or the PAUSE Act of 2021 This bill maintains immigration restrictions put in place under public health emergency authorities to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) from foreign countries. Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from rescinding or reducing the stringency of the restrictions. It also prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from stopping or reducing enforcement of the restrictions. These prohibitions remain in effect until (1) federal and state COVID-19 emergency orders are lifted, and (2) the risk of introducing COVID-19 in or from Canada and Mexico is minimal.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2021 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2021 and terminates after 2026.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Paris Agreement is nullified in the United States until the agreement is (1) renegotiated to ensure the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and (2) ratified by the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Protecting American Resources, Innovation, and Sovereignty Act or the PARIS Act This bill requires the President to submit a report to Congress prior to taking certain actions under the Paris Agreement, and it gives Congress the authority to block such actions. The bill also prohibits any legal cause of action in U.S. courts pursuant to the Paris Agreement. Prior to establishing or revising a climate change-related action (referred to under the agreement as a nationally determined contribution or NDC), the President must submit a detailed report to Congress that includes information such as how the NDC will impact the level of total global emissions. If any action proposed in this report results in increased costs of energy or manufacturing, the report must include specific policy measures to prevent (1) job displacement, (2) reduced global competitiveness of U.S. goods, and (3) leaked emissions that may occur as a result of the proposed action. Congress may block the NDC by enacting a joint resolution of disapproval within 60 days of the President submitting this report.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
This resolution supports the recognition of January 22 each year as the Day of Tears in the United States and encourages citizens to lower their flags to half-staff to memorialize the unborn.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2021
Nurses Certification And Recognition of Experience Act of 2021 or the Nurses CARE Act of 2021 This bill expands qualifying training and competency requirements for nurse aides in Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Medicaid nursing facilities (NFs) for nurse aides who initially train and work during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Currently, SNFs and NFs may not hire nurse aides for longer than four months unless they meet certain training and certification requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has waived some of these requirements during the emergency period so as to allow facilities to maintain adequate staffing levels. The bill allows individuals who complete a training program, competency assessment, and at least 80 hours of supervised work experience as a temporary nurse aide during the emergency period, and who meet other specified competency requirements, to qualify for prolonged work as nurse aides in SNFs and NFs beyond the emergency period.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
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 to commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
Qualified Immunity Act of 2021 This bill codifies the defense of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in any case under provisions regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights under color of law. Specifically, a law enforcement officer subject to such an action in his or her individual capacity shall not be found liable if the officer establishes that the right, privilege, or immunity secured by the Constitution or federal law was not clearly established at the time of the deprivation, or that at this time, the state of the law was not sufficiently clear that every reasonable law enforcement officer would have understood that the conduct alleged constituted a violation of the Constitution or federal law; or a court of competent jurisdiction had issued a final decision on the merits holding, without reversal, vacatur, or preemption, that the specific conduct alleged to be unlawful was consistent with the Constitution and federal laws. A law enforcement agency or unit of local government that employed a law enforcement officer subject to such an action shall not be liable if the officer is found not liable and to have been acting within the scope of his or her employment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
Safe Testing at Residence Telehealth Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare payment of certain at-home diagnostic tests and telehealth assessments that are provided in relation to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, during the public health emergency, the bill requires Medicare payment of diagnostic tests for respiratory conditions other than COVID-19 (e.g., influenza) that are used to finalize a COVID-19 diagnosis and of COVID-19 blood tests that are ordered via telehealth, as well as for related telehealth assessments, regardless of whether the practitioner who orders the test is the one who furnishes it and regardless of the location of the practitioner. The bill requires practitioners to report specified demographic data with respect to such tests and services in order to receive payment, and prohibits payment for in-person tests that were already ordered via telehealth.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from awarding family planning grants to entities that perform abortions or provide funding to other entities that perform abortions. To receive a grant, an entity must certify it will refrain from those activities during the grant period. The bill provides exceptions for abortions (1) in cases of rape or incest; or (2) when the life of the woman is in danger due to a physical disorder, injury, or illness. It also exempts hospitals unless they provide funds to non-hospital entities that provide abortions. HHS must report annually on this prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act This bill establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate the carry or possession of concealed firearms across state lines. Specifically, an individual who is eligible to carry a concealed firearm in one state may carry or possess a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. It sets forth requirements for the lawful concealed carry across state lines. The bill preempts most state and local laws related to concealed carry and establishes a private right of action for a person adversely affected by interference with a concealed-carry right established by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Protecting Life in Crisis Act This bill specifies that federal funds allocated for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts may not, in general, be used for abortions. Current law generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through language included in appropriations bills, such as the Hyde Amendment. The bill also restricts the use of federal tax credits or other federal funding for health insurance coverage if the coverage includes abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements regarding audits of certain financial agencies performed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Specifically, the bill directs the GAO to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2020
Nursing Home Reform Modernization Act of 2020 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a ranking system and related programs for Medicare skilled nursing facilities and Medicaid nursing facilities, taking into account the findings and recommendations of a specified advisory council established under the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2020
Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish guidance on ways to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and to report on the Medicaid payment methodologies that apply to facility transfers of pregnant women.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2020
You Must Be Alive To Vote Act of 2020 This bill requires each state, in order to receive certain education and transportation funds, to annually certify that the state has an agreement with the Social Security Administration to share death information for the purpose of removing the names of ineligible voters from the official list of eligible voters.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2020
Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act of 2020 This bill limits the aggregate amount of a partner's annual tax deductions for qualified conservation contributions of a partnership to 2.5 times the partner's adjusted basis in the partnership. (Under current law, a qualified conservation contribution is the contribution of a qualified real property interest to a qualified organization exclusively for conservation purposes.) The limitation applies for the first three taxable years after the individual becomes a partner in the partnership. It does not apply to certain family partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 24 November 2020
This resolution expresses support for (1) the goals and ideals of American Diabetes Month, including encouraging individuals to fight diabetes through public awareness about prevention and treatment options and enhancing education about the disease; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in the United States through increased research, treatment, and prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2020
Protect Election Integrity Act of 2020 This bill requires states to establish certain election measures. It also prohibits ballot harvesting in federal elections. Specifically, the bill requires each state, in order to receive certain election assistance funds, to prohibit the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot that was mailed to another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting), with exceptions; permit poll watching by at least two appointed campaign representatives per campaign; require absentee and mail-in ballots to be counted and recorded immediately upon receipt without disclosing any results until after the closure of polling places on election day; require continuous counting of ballots after the closure of polling places on election day; install video surveillance of ballot drop boxes; require each supervisor of elections to make publicly available a report outlining preparations for the upcoming general election; and require an audit of municipal voting systems. Finally, the bill generally prohibits ballot harvesting in federal elections, which is the process of collecting vote-by-mail ballots from voters and returning them to the polling place or election office. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2020
Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2020 This bill makes various changes with respect to employer-sponsored retirement plans, including providing for the automatic enrollment of employees in certain plans and increasing the age at which participants are required to begin receiving mandatory distributions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2020
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities to support research on and facilitate access to investigational drugs that diagnose or treat ALS. The Food and Drug Administration shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Collaborative for Neurodegenerative Diseases, which shall support the development and regulatory approval of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2020
Safe Testing at Residence Telehealth Act of 2020 This bill provides for Medicare payment of certain at-home diagnostic tests and telehealth assessments that are provided in relation to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), requires practitioners to report specified demographic data with respect to such tests and services, and prohibits payment for in-person tests that were already ordered via telehealth.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2020
China Task Force Act or the CTF Act This bill enacts specified legislation related to China and other issues, including legislation (1) authorizing activities to counter the global malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party, (2) prohibiting certain imports from China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and imposing sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations there, (3) authorizing the Department of State to make publicly available certain records relating to a visa denial based on an alien's involvement in human rights violations, (4) authorizing the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to prioritize and advance global efforts to reduce marine debris and plastic waste, and (5) authorizing targets to increase total domestic wood growth for capturing and storing carbon.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
This bill extends to all domestic corporations (including S corporations) the deferral of tax on certain sales of employer stock to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and reduces certain retirement-related excise taxes. Specifically, the bill reduces excise tax rates of certain excess accumulations in tax-exempt retirement plans and on failures to take required minimum distributions from such plans. It also allows employers who establish a tax-exempt 403(b) pension plan to participate in a multiple employer plan. The bill extends the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs to employers that join an existing plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2020
Protecting Access to Innovation During COVID-19 Act This bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend the duration of pass-through status (i.e., additional payment) for certain drugs and devices under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services. Specifically, the CMS may extend the pass-through status of drugs and devices that received such status during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) if their cost cannot be accurately calculated due to the effects of COVID-19. The bill's provisions apply to drugs and devices that had pass-through status during any portion of the public health emergency period, including those for which such status has already expired.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2020
Access to Rare Indications Act of 2020 This bill prohibits coverage exclusions or limitations under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, Medicaid, or private health insurance of certain drugs that are used to treat rare diseases or conditions (i.e., diseases or conditions that affect 200,000 or fewer individuals and that are supported by the National Institutes of Health Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network).
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2020
This bill allows a medical expense tax deduction for face masks, surface disinfectants, and hand sanitizers during the period of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency beginning on the enactment of this bill and ending when the COVID-19 emergency period has terminated.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2020
Plugging Orphan Wells and Environmental Restoration Act of 2020 or the POWER Act of 2020 This bill addresses orphaned, abandoned, or idled oil and gas wells on federal, tribal, state, or private lands. The bill reauthorizes through FY2025 the program to remediate, reclaim, and close orphaned, abandoned, or idled oil and gas wells located on federal land. The Department of the Interior must establish a program to provide grants to states and Indian tribes to remediate, reclaim, and close orphaned oil and gas wells located on state, tribal, or private lands. In providing grants, priority must be given to states and Indian tribes that already have an established program to carry out such activities. The Department of Energy must provide technical assistance to oil and gas producing states and Indian tribes to ensure practical and economical remedies for environmental problems caused by orphaned or abandoned oil and gas well sites on state, tribal, or private land.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
This resolution (1) expresses support for the recognition of Constitution Week; and (2) encourages schools and universities to include, in a grade appropriate manner, lessons explaining the history and importance of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2020
Bringing Enhanced Treatments and Therapies to ESRD Recipients Kidney Care Act or the BETTER Kidney Care Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a demonstration program for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the program, renal dialysis facilities, kidney disease specialists, physician practices, and other health care practitioners may form an organization that partners with certain health care entities to provide integrated care to beneficiaries with ESRD. Such care must include all covered Medicare benefits as well as transition services for transplantations, palliative care, and hospice. Each organization must have a minimum number or percentage of participating beneficiaries (350 or 60% of beneficiaries served at the organization's facilities) and must also comply with certain fiscal, governance, and quality of care requirements. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must study certain data that is reported to the CMS regarding pediatric dialysis care, as well as the effects of race-based corrections to a specified kidney function test on referrals of ESRD patients for transplant evaluations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2020
Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act 2.0 or the CREEPER Act 2.0 This bill expands the federal prohibition on importing or transporting obscene materials to include child sex dolls and makes it a crime to buy, sell, or distribute a child sex doll in interstate or foreign commerce. An individual who imports, transports, buys, sells, distributes, or possesses these dolls is subject to a fine, a prison term, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2020
Preserving Employee Retirement Savings Act of 2020 This bill allows an employer that has a temporary substantial business hardship and, if not a tax-exempt or cooperative organization, does not have more that $41.5 million in gross receipts a tax credit for 20% of retirement contributions made to employee retirement accounts. The amount of such credit for any employer may not exceed $100,000 in any taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 2020
Victory Bonds Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to issue bonds, to be known as United States Victory Bonds, to aid in the funding of public health operations and small business assistance during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Funds received from the sale of the bonds must be used without further appropriation for (1) the public health response to COVID-19, including testing, treatment, tracing, and vaccine development; (2) assistance for small businesses impacted by COVID-19; and (3) future pandemic response preparations following the conclusion of the pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2020
Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act This bill increases FY2020 funding, raises the maximum age of eligibility, and provides other flexibilities for certain foster care programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2020
Military Spouses Retirement Security Act This bill allows a small business employer a tax credit for each employee who is a military spouse and eligible to participate in the employer's defined contribution retirement plan.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
Organ Donation Clarification Act of 2020 This bill specifies that certain payments and pilot programs relating to organ donation do not violate the National Organ Transplant Act, which prohibits the exchange of valuable consideration for human organs. Specifically, it excludes additional types of reimbursements and payments related to organ donation from the definition of valuable consideration , such as costs for (1) dependent care; (2) certain medical expenses for up to 10 years after a donation; (3) paperwork or legal services; and (4) term life insurance policies, subject to some limitations. In addition, the federal government, states, or local governments may carry out pilot programs to evaluate the effects of removing disincentives or providing noncash benefits on the availability of organs for transplant, provided these programs meet ethical and other conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
Emergency Assistance for Safe Elections Act or the EASE Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make payments to assist states with administering elections during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Further, it establishes a specified technology committee and unit within the EAC to address the security of election technology. It also makes a state ineligible to receive certain funding for elections unless it generally prohibits the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot in a federal election that was mailed to another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
This bill requires the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and any affiliates thereof to return any amounts received under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2020
Plasma Donation Awareness Act of 2020 This bill includes plasma donation within the scope of a public awareness campaign by the Department of Health and Human Services concerning the importance of the blood supply and the need for blood donations during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Entertainments New Credit Opportunity for Relief & Economic Sustainability Act or the ENCORES Act This bill allows certain businesses and tax-exempt entities that conduct live events for which tickets are sold to the general public a tax credit for 50% of any refund made during the period beginning on January 31, 2020, and ending on the enactment date of this bill. The bill defines live event as any live concert, comedy show, sporting event, or theatrical production for which tickets were made available to the general public not less than six weeks prior to the event. The credit does not apply to an entity engaged in professional football, basketball, baseball, or other professional sport. The ticket refund paid by the entity to a ticket purchaser for a live event includes events cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 (i.e., the coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
This bill makes permanent the reduction in the adjusted gross income (AGI) threshold that must be exceeded before a taxpayer may claim a deduction amount for medical expenses. The reduction is from 10% to 7.5% of AGI and 5% in any taxable year beginnning in 2020 or 2021.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000376_200.jpg)