Rep. Benishek, Dan [R-MI-1]

An amendment numbered 6 printed in House Report 112-680 to require the Committee for the Cumulative Analysis of Regulations that Impact Energy and Manufacturing in the United States to include the health effects associated with regulatory costs in its assessment.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment requires a scientific and economic analysis of the FDA's Food Safety and Modernization Act prior to final regulations being enforced with the focus of the analysis being on the impact of the bill on agricultural businesses of all sizes.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment reforms and improves the VA Inspector General's ability to report on problems and problem employees at the VA; requires the IG to release reports including employee misconduct to the public and explain what changes the VA has requested; requires the IG to identify a manager responsible for fixing an identified problem; makes it easier to fire an identified employee; and targets the bonuses of employees that fail to solve problems.

United States · United States Congress

Page 58, after line 25, insert the following: SEC. 242. Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, ***.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment encourages States to include the number of students attaining career and technical education proficiencies and who are enrolled in public secondary schools in its annual state report card. Such information is already required to be collected by the Perkins Act and streamlines access to information for the public.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment reduces funding for National Forest System vegetation and watershed by $2 million and increases funding for Capital Improvement and Maintenance by a similar amount in order to allow the Forest Service to keep more forest roads open.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment reduces funds for the Operation and Maintenance Account, Defense-Wide by $2 million and increases funds for Alzheimer's disease research by a similar amount.

United States · United States Congress

Amendment sought to strike the proviso on line 20, restoring the requirement that local investments would be required in Historic Preservation Grants.

United States · United States Congress

Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016

Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess and report on the cultural and historic resources in the waters of the Great Lakes. NOAA must recommend in its report whether: (1) underwater geographic areas in the Great Lakes should be designated as national marine sanctuaries to protect resources of historical and archeological significance; and (2) the designation of a network of underwater Great Lakes areas that protect those resources could bring significant educational opportunities, economic development, jobs, and tourism to the Great Lakes region.

Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016

Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act This bill postpones from December 1, 2016, until June 1, 2017, the effective date of a final rule of the Department of Labor revising income thresholds for determining overtime pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer ("white collar") employees exempt from regular minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.

Recognizing suicide as a public health problem and expressing support for designation of September as "National Suicide Prevention Month".

United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2016

Expresses support for the designation of National Suicide Prevention Month. Recognizes suicide as a preventable public health problem and supports declaring that suicide prevention should be a priority. Promotes awareness that suicide most often occurs when stressors exceed the current coping abilities of an individual suffering from a mental health condition.

S.O.S. Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016

S.O.S. Act of 2016 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to increase the contribution and benefit base for 2017 through 2019. The bill revises the computation of primary insurance amounts to include surplus average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) in determining them, adjust surplus earnings for purposes of determining the surplus AIME, and reduce the third bend point factor. The retirement age shall increase past 67 years by certain formulae. Cost-of-living adjustments shall involve the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. The bill formulates a minimum monthly insurance benefit, and establishes an increased benefit for beneficiaries on account of long-term eligibility, starting 20 years after they become eligible for monthly OASDI benefits. The bill revises a certain formula to increase benefit computation years for purposes of calculating primary OASDI insurance amounts. This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any: budget resolution that sets forth totals for any fiscal year regarding the Social Security Trust Funds that are less than the totals of the Social Security Trust Funds for that fiscal year as calculated in accordance with a current services baseline, or spending or tax legislation that would cause any totals to be less than the Funds totals for the covered fiscal year. The bill declares that this latter point of order shall not apply to Social Security reform legislation.

VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016

VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct and provides that specified federal employee performance appraisal provisions shall not apply to such removals or demotions. The VA may remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. A demoted individual shall not be placed on administrative leave or any other category of paid leave during the appeals period and can receive pay only if he or she reports for duty. An expedited appeals process is established under which: (1) an employee shall have the right to an appeal before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) within seven days of removal or demotion, (2) the MSPB shall issue a decision within 60 days of the appeal or the removal or demotion becomes final, (3) an MSPB decision and any final removal or demotion may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and (4) the MSPB may not stay any removal or demotion. The VA may not remove or demote an employee: (1) without the approval of the Special Counsel if the individual seeks corrective action from the Office of Special Counsel based on an alleged prohibited personnel practice, and (2) until a final decision in the case of a whistle blower complaint. The VA shall reduce the federal annuity of an individual removed from the VA Senior Executive Service (SES) who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position. The VA may reduce the federal annuity of an individual who was convicted of such a felony and was subject to removal or transfer from the SES but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to a VA employee under specified circumstances. The VA may suspend, reprimand or admonish an SES employee for misconduct or performance that does not merit removal. The VA must notify an individual five days before taking such proposed action. Appeals may be made to the Senior Executive Disciplinary Appeals Board (as provided for by this bill) and may not be appealed to the MSPB. The bill establishes an additional whistle blower complaint process, which shall include suspension and removal actions against supervisory employees who commit prohibited personnel actions against a whistle blower. The bill amends the disability benefits appeals process. The bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to prohibit payment of an award or bonus to any VA SES employee during each of FY2017-FY2021.

Providing for a joint session of Congress to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General of the United States regarding the audited financial statement of the executive branch.

United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016

Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.

Agency Accountability Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016

Agency Accountability Act of 2016 This bill requires any agency that receives a fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement to deposit the amount in the general fund of the Treasury. The funds may not be used unless the funding is provided in advance in an appropriations bill. Any amounts deposited during the fiscal year in which this bill is enacted may not be obligated during the fiscal year and must be used for deficit reduction. The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require offsetting receipts and collections to be treated as revenue. (Offsetting receipts and collections are funds collected by agencies from other government accounts or from the public in businesslike or market-oriented transactions. Under current law, the collections are treated as negative budget authority and outlays rather than revenue and may be used to offset spending for budget enforcement purposes.) The requirements of the bill do not apply to the U.S. Postal Service or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO must submit annually to Congress a report describing any fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement collected by the USPTO during the previous year.

No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop: a quality assurance document for carrying out the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), including at backup call centers; and a plan to ensure that each telephone call, text message, and other communications received by the VCL, including at backup call centers, is answered in a timely manner by a person, consistent with the guidance established by the American Association of Suicidology.

Stamp Out Invasive Species Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016

Stamp Out Invasive Species Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a Combating Invasive Species Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred in equal proportion to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture for combating invasive species. (Invasive species are nonnative species whose introduction poses a serious threat to natural ecosystems and causes detrimental economic damage to local communities.) The stamp must be made available to the public for two years.

Expressing the commitment of the House of Representatives to work to combat the nationwide problem of invasive species threatening native ecosystems.

United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016

Expresses the commitment of the House of Representatives to create a comprehensive solution to the threat of invasive, nonnative species throughout the United States by controlling and eradicating established invasive species populations, and preventing the further introduction of nonnative species into native ecosystems. (An invasive species is an organism that is not native to an ecosystem and is ecologically or economically harmful in the new environment where it is not native.)

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Traverse City, Michigan, as the "Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic".

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016

This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) community-based outpatient clinic in Traverse City, Michigan, as the "Colonel Demas T. Craw VA Clinic."

Anti-Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016

Anti-Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the establishment, operation, or promotion of a pyramid promotional scheme, which is defined as a plan or operation by which a person gives consideration (money or other thing of value) to a participant in the scheme for the right to receive compensation derived primarily from the participant's introduction of another person into the plan or operation rather than from the sale of products to ultimate users. The bill grants enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission and requires violations to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2016

Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2016 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. The design of the coins shall bear an image of 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, 2018. 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.

Recognizing the importance of cancer research and the contributions of scientists, clinicians, cancer survivors and other patient advocates across the United States who are dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, and supporting the designation of May 2016 as "National Cancer Research Month".

United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016

Expresses support for the designation of National Cancer Research Month.

Jessie's Law

United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016

Jessie's Law This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit disclosure of patient records relating to substance abuse with the patient's oral consent or the consent of the patient's parent, legal guardian, or spouse. (Currently, disclosure is permitted only with the patient's written consent.) Interchange of such records is permitted within accountable care organizations, health information exchanges, and integrated care arrangements for purposes of attaining interoperability, improving care coordination, reducing health care costs, and securing or providing patient safety. The Department of Health and Human Services must develop and disseminate standards for hospitals and physicians regarding displaying a patient's history of opioid addiction in the patient's medical records with the patient's consent.

Vet Connect Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016

Vet Connect Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to disclose to non-VA entities that provide hospital care or medical treatment to veterans (including private entities and other federal agencies) records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of any patient in connection with a program relating to drug abuse, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, or sickle cell anemia.