United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Comprehensive Care for Seniors Act of 2019 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize a proposed rule regarding Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) by April 1, 2019. PACE is a program under Medicare and Medicaid that provides in-home and community services for certain individuals as an alternative to nursing home care. The proposed rule updates and revises application, enforcement, and other administrative requirements. The CMS published the proposed rule in August 2016; final action is expected in August 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019 This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, abortions. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions. Such restrictions extend to the use of funds in the budget of the District of Columbia. Additionally, abortions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Historically, language has been included in annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions—such language is commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. Similar language is also frequently included in appropriations bills for other federal agencies and the District of Columbia. The bill makes these restrictions permanent and extends the restrictions to all federal funds (rather than specific agencies). The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where a physical disorder, injury, or illness endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Hyde Amendment provides the same exceptions. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions. Currently, qualified health plans may cover abortion, but the portion of the premium attributable to abortion coverage is not eligible for subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
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 · 16 January 2019
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 · 16 January 2019
This resolution expresses support for (1) the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the contributions of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States; and (2) the continued dedication of Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers toward academic excellence and the key role they play in promoting a brighter future.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
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 2019
Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 This bill provides for a Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded to the U.S. Merchant Mariners of World War II, in recognition of their service during World War II. Following the award of the medal, it shall be given to the American Merchant Marine Museum, where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill updates the Department of Defense's Survivor Benefit Plan and how it operates in relation to other benefits. The plan currently provides a monthly annuity (based on a percentage of a service member's retirement pay) to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the service member. Currently, if a surviving spouse is also entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation, the annuity paid under the plan will be reduced. The bill repeals certain provisions that require the offset of the plan annuity from amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation. Under current law, upon the request of the surviving spouse, the military branch concerned is authorized to pay an annuity to the member's dependent children instead of to the surviving spouse. The bill restores the annuity to an eligible spouse who previously elected to transfer payment to a dependent child.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2019 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 · 11 January 2019
Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts Act of 2019 or the BRAVE Act of 2019 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for (1) burial and funeral expenses of veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall also increase such amounts each fiscal year to account for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2019 This bill makes state or local governments that violate immigration laws ineligible for federal financial assistance. A governmental entity shall be ineligible if it violates federal law by prohibiting its officials from communicating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the immigration status of any individual, restricts compliance with DHS detainer requests, or has any laws or policies that violate immigration laws. A DHS detainer request is an order or request to a state or local government to (1) temporarily hold or transport an alien for transfer into federal custody, or (2) notify DHS before releasing an alien from custody. A government or law enforcement officer that complies with a DHS detainer request shall be acting under the color of federal authority, for the purposes of liability or immunity in a lawsuit filed by the detained individual. The bill makes it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers for complying with a DHS retainer request.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act of 2019 or the BRACE Act of 2019 This bill permanently extends the tax credit for railroad track maintenance. The extension applies to expenditures paid or incurred during tax years beginning after 2017. Assignments of miles of railroad track, including related expenditures, for tax years ending after 2017 must be treated as timely if they are made pursuant to a written agreement entered into within 90 days of the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. The design of the coins shall bear an image and the name of Christa McAuliffe on the obverse side and a design on the reverse side that depicts the legacy of McAuliffe as a teacher. Treasury may issue the coins from January 1-December 31, 2020. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be paid to the FIRST robotics program for the purpose of engaging and inspiring young people, through mentor-based programs, to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2019 This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat. It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act or the Safe RESEARCH Act This bill prohibits the use of tissue from an induced abortion in research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research with human fetal tissue or alternatives to human fetal tissue (e.g., stem cells) conducted or supported by the NIH must meet requirements currently applied only to research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes, including requirements for the informed consent of the donor and researcher. Research conducted or supported by the NIH may use human fetal tissue only if the tissue was obtained in accordance with state law regulating anatomical gifts. Currently, executive branch officials may not prohibit the NIH from conducting or supporting research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. The bill repeals that limitation on executive branch officials. The bill repeals a requirement that the NIH fund certain proposals for research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2019 or the SAFE for America Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program, which makes immigrant visas available to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2019 This bill provides continuing appropriations to the U.S. Coast Guard for any period during FY2019 in which interim or full-year appropriations for the Coast Guard are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty; and retired pay. The appropriations are provided until the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation. The bill compensates civilian Coast Guard employees furloughed as a result of a lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and ended upon the enactment of this bill. The bill also ratifies and approves certain obligations incurred in anticipation of the appropriations made and the authority granted by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019 This bill temporarily restricts federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Specifically, the bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to this entity, or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. This restriction does not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this bill. Additional funding for community health centers is provided for the one-year period described above (subject to the same abortion-related restrictions and exceptions).
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 This bill addresses certain health benefit and home loan programs for veterans. Specifically, the bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served (1) offshore of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or (2) in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill extends eligibility for health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance to children with spina bifida who have at least one veteran parent who may have been exposed to an herbicide agent while serving in Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Additionally, the bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan guaranty program to adjust loan fee rates and eliminate the limit on the amount of a loan for which the VA may provide a guaranty of 25%. Under current law, these loan guarantees are subject to a limit on loan size determined by Freddie Mac. The bill also waives loan fees for active duty Purple Heart recipients. The VA shall permit a VA-approved appraiser to make a housing loan appraisal based solely on information gathered by a person with whom the appraiser has entered into an agreement for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. Individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2019
Susquehanna National Heritage Area Act This bill establishes the Susquehanna National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania, which shall include Lancaster and York counties.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
National Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Control and Accountability Act of 2019 This bill establishes the Office of Oversight and Coordination for Tick-Borne Diseases within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The office must oversee the creation of a national strategy to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases and disorders. The national strategy must include program assessments, benchmarks for progress, and recommendations from the previously established Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. The bill also requires HHS to undertake specific actions that promote research, prevention, and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases and disorders. Among other things, HHS must: support expansive research into the pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of such diseases and disorders; establish a surveillance system to track the prevalence of such diseases and disorders in humans; establish a surveillance system to track the prevalence of disease-carrying ticks; conduct educational campaigns; and hold a series of research symposiums.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows individuals to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by any state or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence. Additionally, the bill specifies that a qualified individual who lawfully carries or possesses a concealed handgun in another state (1) is not subject to the federal prohibition on possessing a firearm in a school zone, and (2) may carry or possess the concealed handgun in federally owned lands that are open to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2019 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 2018
Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2018 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to expand the definition of orphan drug for purposes of the annual fee paid by brand name prescription drug manufacturers and importers to include medications for rare conditions that were, prior to 2011, approved or in clinical trials. (Drug manufacturers and importers pay an annual fee based on their sales of brand name prescription drugs, excluding sales of orphan drugs.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2018
Prior Authorization Process Improvement Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to report on the feasibility of using certain technology to support the administration of Medicare Advantage prior authorization requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2018
Expresses: (1) appreciation for the profound public service of former President George H.W. Bush, and (2) deep sympathy to the entire family of the former President.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Iran Payments Accountability Act of 2018 This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to determine if the Government of Iran uses certain funds to: (1) sponsor any foreign terrorist organization or Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, (2) engage in violence or hostilities against U.S. civilians or service members, (3) conduct military operations in Syria, or (4) facilitate illicit narcotics activities. The applicable funds are those received by Iran as sanction relief or as a cash payment from the United States in 2016. The Department of State must demand repayment of funds from the Government of Iran if the ODNI determines funds were used for such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2018
Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent several tax provisions that were enacted in 2017 and are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The bill makes permanent provisions that: reduce individual tax rates, modify the taxation of the unearned income of children, allow a deduction for qualified business income of pass-through entities, increase the standard deduction, increase and modify the child tax credit, increase the limitation for certain charitable contributions, allow additional contributions to ABLE accounts (tax-favored accounts designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses), allow certain members of the Armed Forces in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt to receive combat zone tax benefits, exclude from gross income discharges of student loan debt due to the death or disability of the student, repeal the deduction for personal exemptions, limit individual deductions for state and local taxes, limit the mortgage interest deduction, double the estate and gift tax exemption amount, increase the alternative minimum tax exemption amount for individuals, and repeal or limit several other deductions and exclusions. The bill also: extends through 2020 the reduction in the adjusted gross income threshold for the medical expense deduction, modifies the capital gains tax brackets, and modifies tax filing requirements for married taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2018
Family Savings Act of 2018 This bill modifies the requirements for employer-provided retirement plans and tax-favored savings accounts. With respect to employer-provided retirement plans, the bill modifies requirements regarding: multiple employer and pooled employer plans, nonelective contributions to 401(k) plans, loans, the portability of lifetime income investments, the treatment of custodial accounts upon termination of section 403(b) plans, retirement income accounts for church-controlled organizations, required minimum distributions, retirement plan contributions picked up by government employers for new or existing employees, elective deferrals by members of the Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, and nondiscrimination rules. The bill modifies requirements for other tax-favored savings account to: treat taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation for the purpose of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), repeal the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, allow individuals to establish tax-favored universal savings accounts, expand the purposes for which qualified tuition programs (commonly known as 529 plans) may be used, and allow certain penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans if a child is born or adopted.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2018
American Innovation Act of 2018 This bill consolidates and expands the existing tax deductions for start-up expenditures and organizational expenditures of taxpayers beginning an active trade or business. For the year in which an active trade or business begins, the bill allows a single deduction equal to the lesser of (1) the aggregate amount of start-up and organizational expenditures paid or incurred in connection with the active trade or business, or (2) $20,000, reduced (but not below zero) by the amount by which the aggregate amount exceeds $120,000. The $20,000 and $120,000 limits must be adjusted for inflation after 2019. The bill also allows a start-up business to use net operating loss carryforwards, net operating losses, and unused general business tax credits after an ownership change without being subject to certain limitations required under current law.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2018
Health Coverage Reporting Paperwork Reduction Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the reporting requirements for providers of minimum essential health insurance coverage. Under current law, statements regarding the health coverage must be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service and the covered individuals who are named in the statements. The bill provides that the statements for covered individuals are only required to be provided upon request of the individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Sex Offender Registration and Victim Protection Act of 2018 This bill requires aliens who are registered sex offenders and are subject to removal to provide additional information for inclusion in the sex offender registry, including the alien's registration number, country of nationality, immigration status, and biometric information.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 445 Main Street in Laceyville, Pennsylvania, as the "Melinda 'Mindy' Gene Piccotti Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Affirms the House of Representatives' obligation to fulfill the promises made to senior citizens of the United States regarding access to Medicare and Social Security. Rejects any changes to Medicare or Social Security that diminish benefits for Americans currently enrolled, or soon to be enrolled, in the Medicare Program or the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program. Expresses the House's commitment that these programs should be strengthened and preserved. Expresses support for efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in these programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Organ Donation Clarification Act of 2018 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.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and Trade in Schools Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to specify that applicants who have expertise in career and technical education are eligible for Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grants. (TEACH grants support teachers who have expertise in high-need subjects or teach in schools serving students from low-income families.) In selecting teacher candidates for these grants, the Department of Education (ED) shall give priority to applicants who are members of a group that is underrepresented in teaching subjects related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), or computer science. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to: (1) provide a specified funding level for the STEM master teacher corps program, and (2) require a STEM master teacher corps to establish and consult with a private-sector advisory board that meets specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization.
United States · United States Congress · 3 July 2018
Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify rules for health savings accounts (HSAs) regarding eligibility and interactions with other tax-favored health accounts. The bill specifies that receiving or being eligible to receive certain employment-related items and services at an employer-sponsored (e.g., an on-site clinic) or retail health care facility is not considered health care coverage that disqualifies an individual from participating in an HSA. The items and services include physical examinations, immunizations, drugs other than a prescribed drug, treatment for injuries occurring in the course of employment, drug testing as a condition of employment, hearing or vision screenings, and other similar items and services that do not provide significant benefits in the nature of medical care. The bill also (1) allows an eligible individual to make HSA contributions if a spouse has a flexible spending arrangement (FSA) as long as the FSA does not also reimburse the expenses of the spouse with the HSA, and (2) modifies the rules for using FSA or a health reimbursement arrangement terminations or conversions to establish an HSA.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2018
HSA Employer Flexibility Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify various requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs). The bill expands the definition of insurance that is permitted under an HSA to include insurance consisting of coverage for excepted benefits (Excepted benefits are not subject to certain requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.) The bill also allows: (1) individuals participating in an HSA to receive or be eligible to receive specified items and services at onsite employee clinics and retail health clinics, and (2) high deductible health plans that are required for an HSA to cover telehealth services without a deductible.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Generating American Income and Infrastructure Now Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell certain distressed notes and other obligations held by USDA. The sale must be conducted under terms and procedures established by the Department of the Treasury and specified in the bill. Of the proceeds from the sale: (1) 50% must be deposited into an account for carrying out infrastructure projects in low-income communities, and (2) 50% must be retained in the Treasury for deficit reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act This bill requires the Social Security Administration to provide a single point of contact for any individual requesting a new Social Security account number due to theft, breach, or fraudulent activity. The single point of contact must track the individual's case to completion and coordinate with other specialized units to resolve case issues as quickly as possible.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000376_200.jpg)