United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
Accountable Care in Rural America Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to exclude certain components from a methodology used under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. The program enables accountable care organizations (ACOs) to receive payments for savings stemming from care coordination and management. Specifically, the bill requires the CMS to exclude an ACO's assigned Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from certain regional adjustments to the ACO's benchmark for savings determinations, and to otherwise ensure that an ACO is not in a less favorable financial position due to its share of assigned beneficiaries in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the International Olympic Committee should officially recognize Jim Thorpe's athletic achievements as the sole Gold Medalist in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon events and correct these inaccuracies in the official Olympic books.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act or the NOPAIN Act This bill temporarily establishes separate payments for certain non-opioid treatments under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services and the payment system for ambulatory surgical center services. The bill applies to pain management treatments that are able to replace or reduce opioid consumption, as shown through clinical trials or data.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2019
Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019 This bill specifies that certain deductible, coinsurance, initial coverage limit, and cost-sharing requirements that apply under the Medicare prescription drug benefit shall not apply with respect to vaccines that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide to Medicare beneficiaries specified information regarding (1) coverage of vaccines for seniors, and (2) access to recommended vaccines without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act This bill authorizes the establishment of a National Global War on Terrorism Memorial in the area of the National Mall.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2019
Opportunity Zone Accountability and Transparency Act This bill requires a qualified opportunity fund to file an annual return containing certain information, including (1) the name, address, and tax identification number of the fund; (2) certification that the purpose of the fund is investment in qualified opportunity zone property, and (3) the total assets held by the fund in the reporting period. The return must also provide similar information for opportunity zone corporations and partnerships and real property used in an opportunity zone business. The bill provides for a penalty for the failure of a fund to file a correct information return.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019
Safeguarding Medicare Access to Respiratory Therapy Act of 2019 This bill establishes certain requirements relating to Medicare coverage of ventilators. Specifically, the bill (1) excludes ventilators and other covered respiratory items, as specified, from Medicare's competitive acquisition program (in which rates are set through a competitive bidding program rather than by an established fee schedule); and (2) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a technical expert panel to review, and make recommendations regarding, national coverage determinations with respect to Medicare coverage of ventilators and other specified respiratory devices.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019
Paid Family Leave Pilot Extension Act This bill extends through 2022 the tax credit for employers who provide employees with paid family and medical leave. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to (1) examine the effectiveness of the tax credit for paid family and medical leave, (2) recommend ways to modify or enhance the tax credit to further promote access to paid family and medical leave for qualifying employees, and (3) suggest alternative policies that federal and state governments could implement to increase access to paid family and medical leave.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019
Pro-Growth Budgeting Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation to incorporate a macroeconomic impact analysis in their cost estimates for major legislation. The macroeconomic impact analysis (commonly referred to as dynamic scoring) must include the budgetary effects of changes in economic output, employment, capital stock, and other macroeconomic variables resulting from the legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
Teleabortion Prevention Act of 2019 This bill restricts the use of telehealth for chemical abortions (also known as medication abortions). Specifically, it requires a provider who dispenses or prescribes medication for a chemical abortion to physically examine the patient, be physically present at the location of the chemical abortion, and schedule a follow-up visit. The bill provides an exception for a chemical abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, injury, or condition. The bill establishes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both—for a provider who does not comply with the requirements. A patient who undergoes a chemical abortion may not be prosecuted.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
Dignity for Aborted Children Act This bill requires abortion providers to offer patients specified options concerning the human fetal tissue from an abortion. Specifically, patients must be given an informed consent form specifying the options to (1) take possession of the tissue for transfer to an entity that provides interment or cremations services, or (2) in cases where the tissue is expelled on the provider’s premises, release the tissue to the provider. If the tissue is released to the abortion provider, the provider must ensure the tissue is interred or cremated within seven days of the procedure in a manner consistent with state law regarding the disposal of human remains. Abortion providers must report annually about the aggregate number of abortions performed and other specified information. The bill provides civil or criminal penalties for violations of disposal, informed consent, and reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
Down Syndrome Discrimination by Abortion Prohibition Act This bill creates new federal crimes related to the performance of an abortion on an unborn child who has Down syndrome. It subjects a violator to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. It also authorizes civil remedies, including damages and injunctive relief. A woman who undergoes such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
Insulin Price Reduction Act This bill prohibits health insurance plan issuers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) from receiving rebates or discounts for insulin from manufacturers who certify that its current insulin list price has been reduced to an amount no greater than what the list price was for the same insulin on July 1, 2006. This restriction does not apply to discounts provided to insurance plan holders at retail sale or to flat-rate fees for service paid to PBMs. Further, insurance plans are prohibited from applying a deductible to insulin that has received such price certification. A manufacturer may certify insulin prices by submitting to the Department of Health and Human Services data about the list price of any insulin the manufacturer has produced since January 1, 2000, and by setting the current list price for an insulin product at the 2006 rate. To remain certified, a manufacturer may not increase the list price of insulin by more than the annual increase in the medical care consumer price index. A manufacturer may certify the price of an insulin product for which it did not have a list price in 2006 by reducing the list price of such insulin to the weighted average list price in 2006 of specified insulin categories. This bill also applies to Medicare prescription drug benefits. The bill sets the rebate for insulin under Medicaid based on the average manufacturer price of insulin during the last fiscal quarter of 2019, increasing by the medical care consumer price index thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2019
General James N. Mattis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal to General James N. Mattis in recognition of his distinguished military career. Following the award, the medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research. The U.S. Mint may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
Prohibiting the Life-Ending Industry of Fetal Organ Exchange Act or the Pro-LIFE Act This bill expands the prohibition on the sale or purchase of human fetal tissue in interstate commerce to include any payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of such tissue.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
Saving To Achieve a Better Life Experience Act of 2019 or the STABLE Act This bill treats any amount contributed by an employer to an employee's ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Account as employer-provided coverage for medical expenses under an accident or health plan, subject to certain contribution limits. Such contributions are excluded from an employee's gross income, for income tax purposes. It also imposes a tax on employers who fail to make required contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
Mine Affected Community Energy and Environment Act This bill allows a new tax credit for the production of electricity from a coal refuse facility. A "coal refuse facility" means any facility (1) that was originally placed in service prior to January 1, 2019, and combusts coal refuse or fuel composed of at least 75 percent coal refuse by BTU energy value; and (2) uses at a minimum, a circulating fluidized bed combustion unit or a pressurized fluidized bed combustion unit, equipped with a limestone injection system for control of acid gases, and a fabric filter particulate emission control system.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019
Inhaler Coverage and Access Now Act or the I CAN Act This bill provides for coverage under a high deductible health plan not requiring a deductible of inhalers for treatment of any chronic lung disease, including asthma (and any medicine or drug which is delivered through such inhalers for treatment of such diseases).
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
National World War II Memorial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the memorial and the service and sacrifice of American soldiers and civilians during World War II. All surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Friends of the National World War II Memorial to support the National Park Service in maintaining and repairing the memorial, and for educational and commemorative programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
This resolution directs various committees of the House of Representatives to investigate whether Robert Hunter Biden's business dealings were ethical and proper given Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s role as Vice President.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2019
New Home Energy Efficiency Act This bill reinstates and extends the new home energy efficiency tax credit through 2022. It also increases to $2,500 in 2021 and through 2022, the amount of such credit for new homes meeting the revised energy efficiency standards set forth in the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2019
This bill permanently extends the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants for the transportation of highly rural veterans to health care facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2019
Modernizing VA's Records Management Program Act This bill authorizes the treatment of digitized records (e.g., photographs or files) as original documents for purposes of claims under laws of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), so long as the digitized versions are made in compliance with document disposal laws. Under the bill, the VA may not be required to produce or retain original physical files or records, including for proceedings occurring at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The bill requires the VA to implement a process to ensure a digitized record pertaining to a claim is (1) of sufficient quality to be viewed and read on an electronic screen, and (2) an accurate reproduction of the original file or document. The VA must return an original document or file to a claimant once the digitized version has been made. Finally, the VA must resolve any doubt regarding the accuracy of a digitized file or document pertaining to a claim in favor of the claimant if (1) the VA did not implement the process to ensure the quality and accuracy of the digitized version, (2) the claimant presents credible evidence that there is a deficiency or alteration to the file, or (3) the claimant presents credible evidence that such digitized version is missing from VA records.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Health Savings for Families Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit contributions to health savings accounts by individuals whose spouses have health flexible spending accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act This bill requires the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to make grants to states for demonstration projects that provide wage subsidies to enable low-income individuals to enter and retain employment. States may use grant funds to subsidize an individual's wages for up to 12 months. The subsidy may be up to 50% of an individual's wages. Individuals are eligible for subsidized wages if they (1) are recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or similar state assistance or a noncustodial parent of a child receiving such assistance, and (2) are unemployed when the subsidy begins or have an income below 200% of the poverty line. States must ensure that participants in subsidized job programs do not displace current workers. The ACF must reserve funding to carry out this bill from amounts in the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2019 or the AICA Act of 2019 This bill eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures scheduled to begin in 2022, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 2019 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
Home Energy Savings Act This bill reinstates and extends the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property through 2019. It also increases the rate of such credit from 10% to 15% and the amount of its lifetime limitation. The bill revises limitations on such credit relating to insulation material, windows, and the Energy Star program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution This concurrent resolution requires the congressional budget committees to conduct an annual joint hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General regarding (1) the Government Accountability Office's audit of the financial statement of the executive branch, and (2) the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019
Creating Hope Reauthorization Act This bill permanently reauthorizes a Food and Drug Administration program that awards priority review vouchers to manufacturers of drugs that treat rare pediatric diseases. (A priority review voucher entitles the voucher holder to priority review of a single human drug application.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019
This resolution expresses support for the relationship between the United States and Bulgaria. The resolution recognizes Bulgaria"s efforts to ensure regional and international security.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019
Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act of 2019 This bill requires the share of federal funds for cancer research that is allocated to pediatric cancer research to equal the percentage of the U.S. population that is under the age of 18.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2019 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved. Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner. The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner to also act as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient. The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to assess the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder through a method where veterans train service dogs for veterans with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2019
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 445 Main Street in Laceyville, Pennsylvania, as the "Melinda Gene Piccotti Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2019
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Amendments of 2019 This bill reauthorizes the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund fees and expands the payments from the fund for abandoned coal mine cleanups. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to reimburse states and tribal governments from the fund for the emergency restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of adverse effects of coal mining practices; extends the authority for Interior to collect reclamation fees through FY2036; and increases the minimum amount of funds from $3 million to $5 million that Interior must award to states and Indian tribes who have an approved abandoned mine reclamation program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2019
Market Access for Generic Insulin Competition or the MAGIC Act This bill provides a pathway for the Food and Drug Administration to approve chemically synthesized insulin or an analogue of chemically synthesized insulin as a generic drug under the abbreviated new drug application process.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2019
This concurrent resolution recognizes the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy, which prohibits foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. global-health assistance from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning. The resolution expresses support for the codification of this policy in U.S. law.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
IRA Preservation Act of 2019 This bill modifies requirements for individual retirement accounts (IRAs). It requires the Department of the Treasury to make available to the public an overview of the laws and regulations related to IRAs and examples of common IRA errors and how to avoid them. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to (1) reduce penalties for taxpayers who voluntarily correct certain IRA errors, including excess contributions and failures to take required minimum distributions; (2) eliminate the 10% additional tax on early distributions that are attributable to withdrawal of interest or other income earned on excess contributions to an IRA; (3) repeal the tax disqualification penalty (loss of tax-exempt status) for accounts where employees engage in certain prohibited transactions; and (4) revise the statute of limitations for collecting certain taxes in connection with an IRA. Treasury must expand the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System to allow trustees, custodians, and issuers of IRAs to address inadvertent failures for which an IRA owner was not at fault.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of certain audiologist services. Specifically, the bill expands coverage to include diagnostic and treatment services that are furnished by audiologists and that would otherwise be covered if provided by a physician, including incidental services, regardless of whether such services are provided pursuant to a referral from, or under the supervision of, a physician or other health care practitioner.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Act of 2019 This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess the resiliency of the Great Lakes coastline, with a focus on (1) areas vulnerable to rising water levels and severe weather; and (2) lake conditions that contribute to coastal erosion, sustained flooding, and damage to properties and critical infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Pension and Budget Integrity Act of 2019 This bill prohibits certain provisions from being counted as an offset to determine budget points of order for legislation in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Specifically, a provision that increases or extends an increase of single-employer pension program premiums payable to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may not be counted as such an offset. (The PBGC is a federal agency that insures the benefits of private sector, defined benefit pension plans. The PBGC is financed by insurance premiums paid by sponsors of the plans, investment income, assets from pension plans taken over by the PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the plans.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2019 This bill extends funding for Brand USA, the Corporation for Travel Promotion, through FY2027 and raises the fee for using the electronic system for travel authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Legacy IRA Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for charitable purposes. The bill increases from $100,000 to $400,000 the annual limit on the aggregate amount of distributions for charitable purposes that may be excluded from the gross income of a taxpayer. The bill permits tax-free distributions from IRAs to a split-interest entity for four years after the enactment of this bill. A split-interest entity is exclusively funded by charitable distributions and includes: a charitable remainder annuity trust, a charitable remainder unitrust, or a charitable gift annuity. A charitable gift annuity must commence fixed payments of at least 5% no later than one year from the date of funding. A distribution to a split-interest entity may only be treated as a qualified charitable distribution if: (1) no person holds an income interest in the entity other than the individual for whose benefit the account is maintained, the spouse of such individual, or both; and (2) the income interest in the entity is nonassignable.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000376_200.jpg)