United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Financial Institution Customer Protection Act of 2017 This bill specifies that a federal banking agency may not request or order a depository institution to terminate a customer account unless: (1) the agency has a material reason for doing so, and (2) that reason is not based solely on reputation risk. In addition, the bill amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to: (1) apply civil penalties to specified violations by a financial institution against an unaffiliated third person, and (2) modify provisions related to administrative subpoenas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Employee Rights Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to: (1) make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization to interfere (currently, restrain or coerce) with the rights of employees to organize and collectively bargain; (2) require union recertification after a turnover in the workforce exceeding 50% of the bargaining unit; (3) require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing investigating an election petition; and (4) require an employer to provide the NLRB with a list consisting only of employee names and addresses of all eligible voters within seven days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate bargaining unit or an agreement on eligible voters. The bill: (1) grants union and nonunion employees the right to vote by secret ballot on whether to ratify a collective bargaining agreement or engage in a strike, (2) prohibits the use of union dues for any purpose not directly related to collective bargaining, (3) prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all represented employees determined by secret ballot, and (4) prohibits the use or threat of force or violence to obtain the right to represent employees. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Home Health Documentation and Program Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to use an individual's medical record from a home-health agency, as appropriate, to support certification of such individual's Medicare eligibility for home-health services. The bill requires the CMS to establish a process for home-health agencies that are entitled to an administrative appeal after being denied eligibility for Medicare reimbursement to, instead, enter into a settlement with the CMS.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act This bill modifies the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to: (1) include a projectile that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer for use in a handgun; (2) exclude a projectile that is primarily intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used in a rifle or shotgun and a handgun projectile that is designed for hunting, recreational, or competitive shooting. This bill repeals a prohibition on assembling from imported parts a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that is identical to one prohibited from importation as not being suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. This bill repeals the condition that the Attorney General must approve, as suitable for sporting purposes, the shipment of firearms or ammunition to members of the Armed Forces. The following categories of firearms or ammunition may be authorized for importation into the United States by the Attorney General: (1) ammunition that is not armor piercing; (2) a firearm or ammunition that is being brought in for the use of a federal, state, or local government agency; and (3) a firearm or ammunition that is being imported for the purpose of exportation. The definition of "destructive device" for purposes of federal firearms provisions excludes: (1) a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Department of the Treasury finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for lawful purposes, and (2) an antique or a rifle which the owner intends to use for sporting purposes. The bill authorizes certain temporary interstate transfers of firearms for lawful purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Saving America’s Endangered Species Act or the SAVES Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to limit the scope of the Act to native species. Species that are not native to the United States may not be treated as endangered or threatened species.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
National Park Service Legacy Act of 2017 This bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund, and (2) requires specified amounts of federal mineral revenues that are not otherwise credited, covered, or deposited pursuant to federal law to be deposited into such fund each fiscal year through FY2047. Amounts in the fund shall be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service (NPS) as follows: 20% shall be allocated to transportation-related projects that may be eligible for funding made available to the NPS through the federal lands transportation program or any similar federal land highway program administered by the Department of Transportation; and 80% shall be allocated for the repair and rehabilitation of assets for certain projects that are not eligible for funding under such programs, including historic assets, nonhistoric assets related to visitor access, health and safety, and recreation, and visitor facilities, water and utility systems, and employee housing. No fund amounts may be used by the NPS to acquire land or to supplant discretionary funding made available for annually recurring facility operations and maintenance needs. As part of its annual budget submission, the NPS shall submit a prioritized list of deferred maintenance projects proposed to be funded by such fund during the fiscal year.
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 · 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
Credit for Caring Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible caregiver a new tax credit for 30% of the cost of long-term care expenses that exceed $2,000, up to $3,000 in a taxable year. The bill defines "eligible caregiver" as an individual who has earned income for the taxable year in excess of $7,500 and pays or incurs expenses for providing care to a spouse or other dependent relative with long-term care needs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
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 · 16 May 2017
Volunteer Organization Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 to expand liability protections to volunteer nonprofit organizations for harm caused by an act or omission of a volunteer on behalf of the organization. The bill prohibits such liability protections from applying if the organization: (1) would be liable under laws governing the direct or vicarious liability of organizations, and (2) expressly authorized the specific conduct constituting the act or omission. The bill bars such an organization from liability for harm caused by the organization, or a volunteer acting on its behalf, if the act or omission was at the request of, or pursuant to an authorization by, a state, the United States, or another governmental subdivision, provided that: (1) the requesting or authorizing governmental entity would have been immune either from suit or from liability in damages if it had engaged in the acts or omissions itself or through employees or independent contractors; or (2) the governmental employee, agent, or contractor would have been immune either from suit or from liability in damages by virtue of immunity extended to individual governmental actors. The bill prohibits punitive damages from being awarded against a volunteer nonprofit organization for the actions of a volunteer within the scope of the volunteer's responsibilities to the organization unless the claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the organization itself expressly authorized the volunteer's action with a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act and related federal law with respect to immigration law enforcement within the United States. The bill authorizes: (1) states and localities to enact and enforce criminal penalties for immigration violations; and (2) state and local law enforcement personnel to investigate, arrest, and transfer aliens to federal custody. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) make grants to states and localities for equipment, technology, and facilities; (2) construct or acquire additional domestic detention facilities for aliens pending removal; and (3) expand to all states a program that provides for the identification and removal of detained criminal aliens. The bill provides for: (1) federal custody of inadmissible or deportable aliens upon state or local request, and (2) personal liability immunity for state or local personnel enforcing immigration laws. States and localities shall: (1) notify the federal government of inadmissible or removable aliens encountered by law enforcement personnel, and (2) comply with federal law enforcement information requests. Specified federal assistance is denied to a state or locality that prohibits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The bill: (1) revises certain terrorism-related requirements and prohibitions with respect to benefits, naturalization and denaturalization, asylum, voluntary departure, and removal; (2) adds new grounds of inadmissibility and deportability; (3) establishes probable cause standards for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers; (4) provides for increases in immigration enforcement personnel; (5) prescribes visa security provisions; (6) authorizes DHS to designate groups as criminal gangs and makes alien gang members inadmissible or deportable; (7) establishes an ICE Advisory Council; and (8) prescribes criminal alien removal provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Veterans Equal Treatment Ensures Relief and Access Now Act or the VETERAN Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that, for the purpose of determining eligibility for the premium assistance tax credit, an individual may not be treated as eligible for coverage under certain Department of Veterans Affairs health insurance programs unless the individual is enrolled in the program. The bill applies to the premium assistance credit under current law beginning after 2017 and, if the American Health Care Act of 2017 is enacted, the modified premium assistance credit that would take effect under that bill after 2019. (Under current law, the premium assistance tax credit is a refundable tax credit provided to eligible individuals and families to subsidize the purchase of health insurance plans through an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Individuals eligible for minimum essential health coverage from certain sources other than the individual insurance market are not eligible for the credit.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Private Foundation Excise Tax Simplification Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce from 2% to 1% the excise tax rate on the net investment income of tax-exempt private foundations, and (2) repeal the 1% reduction in such tax rate for private foundations that meet certain distribution requirements. The bill also excludes the budgetary effects of this bill from PAYGO scorecards maintained pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
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 · 3 May 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it provides grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment. An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran: coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy, hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran, payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more over 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training. The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the methodology used for the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Consumer Financial Choice and Capital Markets Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to allow a money market fund, under specified conditions, to elect to operate using a different method of valuation than is otherwise required. A money market fund that elects to do so shall not be subject to specified requirements related to the imposition of liquidity fees. Certain federal assistance may not be provided directly to any money market fund. This limitation on federal assistance must be disclosed in a money market's advertising and sales literature.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Faith in Health Savings Accounts Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat membership in a tax-exempt health care sharing ministry as coverage under a high deductible health plan for purposes of the tax deduction for contributions to a health savings account.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that an appropriate site in the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker (to be paid for with private funds) to honor the memory of those who have been awarded or are eligible for the Korean Defense Service Medal who are missing in action or unaccounted for, or who died in-theater, if the Secretary of the Army has exclusive authority to approve the site and design of the marker.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Bureau of Land Management Headquarters Relocation Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to submit a strategy, including a proposed time line, for relocating the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from Washington, DC, to Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming in a manner that will save the maximum amount of taxpayer money practicable. The bill authorizes such relocation.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude certain purchases of employee-owned stock from being considered as outstanding voting stock for the purpose of the tax on excess business holdings of a private foundation in a business enterprise. The bill applies to any voting stock that is: (1) not readily tradable on an established securities market; (2) purchased by the business enterprise on or after January 1, 2005, from a stock bonus or profit sharing plan in which employees of the business enterprise participate, in connection with a distribution from the plan; and (3) held by the business enterprise as treasury stock, cancelled, or retired.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 201 7 This bill provides for the distribution of additional Medicare-supported residency positions to certain hospitals. The bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a grant program for emergency response providers to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emerging terrorist attack scenarios in major metropolitan areas. DHS shall provide to eligible applicants: (1) unclassified information on such scenarios, and (2) information on training and exercises best practices. Jurisdictions that receive funding under the Urban Area Security Initiative may apply for such a grant. Eligible applicants receiving funding under the program may include in funded activities neighboring jurisdictions that would be likely to provide mutual aid in response in such scenarios. Recipients may use grants to: identify capability gaps related to preparing for, preventing, and responding to such scenarios; develop or update plans, annexes, and processes to address such gaps; and conduct training and exercises to address such gaps and validate capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Citizens' Right to Know Act of 2017 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funds under a Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program and uses such funds for a pretrial services program to annually report the amount of funds received by the pretrial services program and certain information about participating defendants. DOJ must publish the information. Additionally, DOJ must reduce the grant allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Refundable Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers who are claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to include their Social Security number on their tax return.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2017 or the CLEARR Act of 2017 This bill exempts small banks from certain mortgage escrow requirements and from mandatory disclosures of loan servicing transfers; exempts small mortgage loans from specified property appraisal requirements; requires federal banking agencies to revise regulations regarding capital requirements for mortgage servicing assets; modifies the authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) over unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts; limits the institutions over which the CFPB has a supervisory role; limits prohibitions on discrimination under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act to intentional acts; modifies certain mortgage loan recordkeeping and disclosure requirements; limits the authority of a federal banking agency to request or order a deposit institution to terminate a customer account; limits the liability of creditors and mortgage originators for violating certain ability-to-pay requirements; and otherwise modifies provisions related to financial institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Endangered Species Management Self-Determination Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce to obtain the consent of each state for adding species to the list of threatened or endangered plants and animals when the species is present in the state. Interior must submit to Congress a list of all endangered or threatened species. Congress must give its approval by a joint resolution before the list may take effect. Species are automatically taken off the list after five years, but Interior may petition for the species to be relisted. Interested persons may no longer petition for the addition or removal of a species from the list. A state may regulate intrastate endangered or threatened species that are present within its boundaries. If a state elects to regulate those species, it is given exclusive authority to manage species and their habitats. State action with respect to intrastate species is not subject to judicial review. The Bonneville, Southeastern, Southwestern, and Western Area Power Administrations must include in customer monthly billing statements information on the share of costs to the customer incurred as a result of compliance with the ESA, unless the costs are for intrastate species regulated by states. Owners or lessees of property may apply to Interior for a determination of whether a proposed property use will violate the ESA. The use is deemed compliant if Interior fails to respond within 90 days. The owners and lessees may seek monetary compensation for unfavorable determinations. The bill eliminates awards of attorney fees in citizen suits under the ESA.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Multi-Employer Pension Plan Partnership Act of 2017 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to permit multiemployer pension plans that are in critical status and not expected to emerge from the status by the end of the rehabilitation period to adopt rules to forestall or avoid insolvency by revising the plan's terms and conditions for computing an employer's withdrawal liability. Any such rule becomes effective 90 days after adoption unless the corporation disapproves it before the end of the 90-day period (subject to tolling while a request by the corporation for additional information is pending). A corporation may disapprove a rule only if the rule creates an unreasonable risk of loss to plan participants and beneficiaries or to the corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2017
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 201 7 This bill expands tax incentives and federal assistance for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) that are sponsored by S corporations. The bill provides additional tax incentives for ESOPs by (1) extending to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an ESOP; and (2) allowing a tax deduction for 50% of the interest received by a bank on loans to S corporation-sponsored ESOPs for the purchase of employer securities. The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The bill defines an "ESOP business concern" and allows such a concern to continue to qualify as a small business for the purposes of programs under the Small Business Act. An "ESOP business concern" is a business concern that was a small business concern eligible for a loan, preference, or other program under the Small Business Act before more than 49% of the business concern was acquired by an ESOP.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017 This bill amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to extend the duty to report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, to certain adults who are authorized to interact with minor or amateur athletes at a facility under the jurisdiction of a national governing body. A national governing body is an amateur sports organization that is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. An individual who is required, but fails, to report suspected child sex abuse is subject to criminal penalties. Additionally, the bill amends the federal criminal code to revise civil remedy provisions for a victim of a human trafficking offense or federal sex offense. Among other things, it changes the civil statute of limitations to 10 years from the date the victim discovers the violation or injury (currently, 10 years from the date the cause of action arose). The bill also extends the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a federal sex offense to file a civil action to 10 years (currently, 3 years) from the date such individual reaches age 18. Finally, the bill amends the Amateur Sports Act of 1978: (1) to authorize national governing bodies to develop training, practices, policies, and procedures to prevent the abuse of minor or amateur athletes; and (2) to require national governing bodies to develop and enforce policies, mechanisms, and procedures to prevent, report, and respond to the abuse of minor or amateur athletes.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Safe Innovative Guide signs for the Nation Act or the SIGN Act This bill directs the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule that approves the use of Clearview font on positive contrast legends on guide signs. The rule shall: be reflected in the FHWA's Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, and allow a jurisdiction to use the Clearview font or any other DOT-approved font.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Declares that when the House adjourns on any legislative day from Thursday, April 6, 2017, through Friday, April 21, 2017, it stand adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from requiring compliance with Clean Air Act rules concerning national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants with respect to brick and structural clay products manufacturing or clay ceramics manufacturing until judicial reviews of the rules are complete.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee Act This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting. The advisory committee must advise the departments on policies or programs related to: implementing Executive Order No. 13443: Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation; conserving and restoring wetlands, agricultural lands, grasslands, forest, and rangeland habitats; promoting opportunities for and access to hunting and shooting sports on federal lands; recruiting and retaining new hunters and shooters; increasing public awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation and the benefits of recreational hunting and shooting; and encouraging coordination among the public, the hunting and shooting sports community, wildlife conservation groups, states, tribes, and the federal government. The bill also specifies requirements for membership, meetings, pay and expenses, administrative support, and annual reports to Congress. The advisory committee is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The bill abolishes the existing Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, effective on the date of the first meeting of the advisory committee established by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
This bill directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to assess an annual fee of $200 for any film crew of five persons or fewer to conduct commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land administered by such departments and to require a one-year permit for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on federal land and waterways administered by such departments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017 This bill modifies requirements regarding access to preferred pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies that provide reduced enrollee cost sharing for prescription drugs) under a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP). Specifically, if a Medicare PDP has, in its pharmacy network, one or more preferred pharmacies located in a health shortage or medically underserved area, then the PDP sponsor must allow any pharmacy in the health shortage or medically underserved area to join the preferred pharmacy network under comparable terms and conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
This bill modifies the methodology used to calculate a manufacturer's average sales price for certain drugs covered under Medicare. Specifically, the bill excludes, from a manufacturer's average sales price calculation, customary prompt pay discounts extended to wholesalers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise physician supervision requirements under the Medicare program for radiology services performed by advanced level radiographers. Specifically, with respect to a state that has established such requirements for those services, the bill aligns Medicare's requirements with state requirements. An "advanced level radiographer" is a radiographer who has obtained specified certification from either the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or the Certification Board for Radiology Practitioner Assistants.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
This bill specifies that certain Medicare payment rules applicable to imaging services shall apply to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services used in bone mass scans beginning in 2017. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish national minimum payment amounts for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to shield a health care professional from liability under federal or state law for harm caused by any act or omission if: (1) the professional is serving as a volunteer in response to a disaster; and (2) the act or omission occurs during the period of the disaster, in the professional's capacity as a volunteer, and in a good faith belief that the individual being treated is in need of health care services. This protection from liability does not apply if: (1) the harm was caused by an act or omission constituting willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; or (2) the professional rendered the health care services under the influence of alcohol or an intoxicating drug.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the federal government, and any state or local government that receives federal funding for any program that provides child welfare services under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), from discriminating or taking an adverse action against a child welfare service provider that declines to provide, facilitate, or refer for a child welfare service that conflicts with the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. The bill bars such prohibition from applying to SSAct requirements that forbid state entities from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements on the basis of an adoptive parent's or a child's race, color, or national origin. The Department of Health and Human Services must withhold 15% of the federal funds that a state or local government receives for such programs if the state or local government violates this bill. An aggrieved child welfare service provider may assert such an adverse action violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain all appropriate relief (including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs).
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
ABLE Age Adjustment Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to qualified ABLE programs, to increase the age threshold for eligibility for such programs from 26 to 46. (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 · 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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_tx_32_sessions_pete_200.jpg)