United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
Grand Jury Reform Act of 2020 This bill conditions a state or local government's receipt of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program on the state's compliance with certain requirements following an incident involving the use of deadly force by a local law enforcement officer that results in a person's death. Specifically, the governor must appoint a special prosecutor to present evidence before a judge to determine whether probable cause exists to criminally charge the law enforcement officer. The hearing must be open to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
Police Accountability Act of 2020 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for conduct by certain state or local law enforcement officers in the line of duty that constitutes murder or manslaughter.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act This bill requires a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and has been repeatedly flooded, as specified by the bill, to (1) assess the continuing risks to community areas repeatedly damaged by floods; and (2) develop and implement a publicly available, community-specific plan for mitigating continuing flood risks to such areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must, upon request, provide a community with appropriate data to assist in preparation of the required plan. In making decisions with respect to awarding flood risk mitigation grants, FEMA may consider the extent to which a community has complied with these requirements and is working to remedy problems with repeatedly flooded areas. A community that does not comply with these requirements may be subject to appropriate sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2020
Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to assess the state of, challenges to, and opportunities for the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in urban areas, particularly in underserved or disadvantaged communities. If practicable, DOE must ensure that relevant programs provide access to electric vehicle infrastructure, address clean transportation needs, and provide improved air quality in such communities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2020
Bridge Investment Act of 2020 This bill establishes a bridge investment program to award competitive grants to certain governmental entities for projects that improve (1) the condition of bridges; and (2) the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges. Among other provisions, the bill requires grant awards for large projects (projects with total costs of greater than $100 million) to be at least $50 million, and for any other projects not less than $2.5 million; directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider a number of factors in awarding grants, including whether the project serves as part of a state or federal evacuation route; requires DOT to prioritize projects that are located within states for which at least two project applications were submitted in the current fiscal year and an average of two were submitted in prior fiscal years, and fewer than two grants have been awarded for projects within the state; and limits funding for projects that consist solely of culvert replacement or rehabilitation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
This resolution condemns Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the international covenants on human rights. Further, it calls on Iran to immediately release all imprisoned or detained Baha'is, and it urges the President and the Department of State to impose sanctions on Iranian officials and others who are responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against Iran's Baha'i community.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act This bill authorizes the voluntary waiver of permits or leases for grazing on federal lands in the 16 western states (i.e., Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) managed by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior. If a permit or lease is waived by a permittee or lessee with the intention of permanently ending livestock grazing, the appropriate department must accept and terminate, on a first-come, first-served basis, the permit or lease; refrain from issuing any new grazing permit or lease within the grazing allotment covered by the permit or lease; and ensure a permanent end to livestock grazing on the allotment covered by the permit or lease. If an allotment covered by a waiver is also covered by another permit or lease that is not waived, the department must reduce the level of commercial livestock grazing on the allotment to reflect the waiver. The departments must not accept more than (1) 100 grazing permits and leases per year, in the aggregate for all of the 16 western states; and (2) 25 grazing permits for land located in whole or in part in any individual state.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Neighbors Not Enemies Act This bill repeals provisions authorizing the President to apprehend and remove from the United States the citizens of a particular nation, if the United States has declared war against that nation or that nation has threatened an invasion against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
This resolution supports the designation of a National Citizenship Month. The resolution also honors the contributions our immigrant community makes to our nation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
Connecting America's Active Transportation System Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to carry out an active transportation infrastructure investment program to provide competitive grants for states, Indian tribes, multi-county special districts, and local or regional government organizations to construct certain projects to provide safe and connected active transportation facilities, including for sidewalks, bikeways, and trails that connect between destinations within a community or between communities, metropolitan regions, or states. DOT must select grant recipients within 150 days after funds become available under this bill. The bill sets forth various limitations on the use of funds, including that DOT must obligate at least 30% of funds to certain projects, including projects that connect people with public transportation, businesses, workplaces, schools, residences, recreation areas, and other community activity centers; set aside at least $3 million to provide planning grants for eligible organizations to develop plans for active transportation networks and active transportation spines; and set aside at least $2 million to cover the costs of administration, research, technical assistance, communications, and training activities under the program. The federal share of grants must not exceed 80% of the total project cost.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill increases by 3.5% the rates of basic pay for federal employees under the statutory pay systems (i.e., the General Schedule, the Foreign Service Schedule, and various schedules related to the Veterans Health Administration) for calendar year 2021. Additionally, it increases by 3.5% the rates of basic pay for prevailing rate employees for FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2020
Safeguarding Americans' Private Records Act of 2020 This bill imposes limitations on investigative powers provided under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), reauthorizes certain FISA programs, and makes related changes. Provisions include reauthorizing to December 15, 2023, FISA authority to obtain business records, but also repealing the power to use such authority to obtain records on an ongoing basis; excluding certain data, such as cell phone location, from FISA authority to access business records; establishing that nonpublic information collected under FISA authority may not be retained for more than three years unless the information includes foreign intelligence information; disallowing the use of FISA-collected business records for criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings except in certain instances, such as cases involving a specific cybersecurity threat from a foreign country; requiring a government entity to notify a targeted person that the entity intends to use in court business records collected under FISA; excluding cell site location and global positioning system information from FISA authority for using a pen register or trap and trace device to collect evidence; reauthorizing to December 15, 2023, the power to treat individual terrorists as foreign agents; expanding the powers of FISA court amicus curiae (outside parties appointed to assist in a case), such as by authorizing the amicus to refer a FISA court decision to the FISA Court of Review; and repealing the government's authority to use National Security Letters to obtain financial or communications records without a court order.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2020
Protecting Community Television Act This bill revises the definition of a franchise fee that is paid by a cable operator or cable subscriber to encompass only a tax, fee, or other monetary assessment that is imposed by a franchising authority or other governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2020
This concurrent resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of No Name-Calling Week. It also encourages schools to consider comprehensive anti-bullying and harassment policies that address infractions based on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2020
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact the Voters with Disabilities Bill of Rights to ensure that voters with disabilities have equal access to the ballot box.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020
Transparency in Energy Production Act of 2020 This bill requires certain disclosures by entities seeking a lease or holding a lease to develop renewable energy operations or fossil fuel operations on public lands. The disclosures are those described in the Sustainability Accounting Standard for the Renewable Resources & Alternative Energy Sector or the Extractives & Mineral Processing Sector. Every two years, the Department of the Interior must submit a report to Congress that includes, among other things (1) for fossil fuel operations on public lands, the annual and two-year totals of greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, water management, biodiversity impacts, production, and the number of sites according to the metrics specified in the Sustainability Accounting Standard for Oil & Gas - Exploration & Production; and (2) for renewable energy operations on public lands, greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the production of the same amount of energy using fossil fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020
Active Transportation for Public Lands Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to set aside at least 5% of authorized funds for federal and tribal transportation facilities to carry out certain active transportation projects under the federal lands transportation program and federal lands access program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act This bill withdraws approximately 234,328 acres of federal land and waters in a specified area in the Rainy River Watershed of Superior National Forest in Minnesota from entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. The area is adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Mining Protection Area. Land or interest in land within such area that is acquired by the United States shall be immediately withdrawn in accordance with this bill. The Forest Service is authorized to permit the removal of sand, granite, iron ore, and taconite from national forest system lands within such area if the removal is not detrimental to the water quality, air quality, and health of forest habitat within the Rainy River Watershed.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020 This bill establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism, as well as the relationship between domestic terrorism and hate crimes. It authorizes domestic terrorism components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor, analyze, investigate, and prosecute domestic terrorism. The domestic terrorism components of DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must jointly report on domestic terrorism, including white-supremacist-related incidents or attempted incidents. DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must review the anti-terrorism training and resource programs of their agencies that are provided to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. It creates an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies. Finally, it directs the FBI to assign a special agent or hate crimes liaison to each field office to investigate hate crimes incidents with a nexus to domestic terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
This resolution encourages the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain and strengthen requirements that keep waterways clean. It also encourages the EPA to end or reverse administrative actions that weaken requirements protecting the nation's waters.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020
Fulfilling the Promise of the Housing Trust Fund Act This bill specifies that amounts received from fee increases on mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or participation certificates guaranteed by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) on or after October 1, 2021, must be deposited into the Housing Trust Fund, which is dedicated to producing and preserving affordable housing. Such amounts shall be available without further appropriation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2020
Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act This bill establishes the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon to (1) assess the impediments to the protection and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, and (2) establish national protection and restoration priorities regarding these areas. Coastal blue carbon ecosystems are vegetated coastal habitats and include mangroves, tidal marshes, and other tidal or salt water wetland that have the ability to sequester and store carbon.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2020
This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration to regulate a hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) product as a dietary supplement instead of as a drug. The bill also allows the introduction into interstate commerce of a food with added hemp-derived CBD. The Department of Agriculture must report on market and regulatory barriers for producers operating under its domestic hemp production program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2020
Access to Counsel Act of 2020 This bill establishes various protections for aliens in certain immigration-related proceedings or inspections. When an alien is undergoing certain types of inspections or is subject to a removal, exclusion, or deportation proceeding, the alien shall be entitled to representation by counsel of the alien's choice, at no cost to the government. The current statute only states that an alien is entitled to representation in removal proceedings. If such an alien is subject to detention or inspection at a port of entry and cannot meet with counsel, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shall provide for remote communication with counsel. If such an alien has been denied access to counsel, the alien may not submit paperwork to abandon lawful permanent resident status or to withdraw an application for admission. The detention of an individual at a port of entry or a CBP or ICE facility shall (1) be limited to the briefest term and the least restrictive conditions necessary, and (2) include access to food, water, and restrooms.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2020
Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 20 20 This bill establishes restrictions and requirements for checkoff programs, which are programs overseen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands. The bill prohibits boards established to carry out a checkoff program or a USDA order issued under a checkoff program from entering into a contract or agreement to carry out program activities with a party that engages in activities to influence any government policy or action that relates to agriculture. A board or its employees or agents acting in their official capacity may not engage in any act that may involve a conflict of interest; anticompetitive activity; unfair or deceptive act or practice; or act that may be disparaging to, or in any way negatively portray, another agricultural commodity or product. Upon approval of USDA, a board may enter directly into contracts and agreements to carry out generic promotion, research, or other activities authorized by law if the agreement or contract requires records accounting for the funds received to be submitted to the board. The board must meet specified requirements regarding the publication of budgets and disbursements of funds. The USDA Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office must conduct specified audits regarding checkoff programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2020 This bill prohibits the incidental taking (e.g., capturing or killing) of migratory birds by commercial activities unless the activity is authorized under a permit or is identified as posing de minimis risk to migratory birds. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must regulate such incidental taking, including by (1) issuing general permits for certain industries, (2) creating a mitigation fee for any incidental taking of migratory birds, and (3) identifying categories of de minimis risk activities that are exempt from liability for the taking of migratory birds. In addition, the FWS must establish and maintain a research program: (1) to evaluate the impacts of commercial activities on birds, (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of best management practices and technologies to avoid or minimize such impacts, and (3) to develop new or improved best management practices and technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
This concurrent resolution directs the President to terminate the use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against Iran unless (1) Congress has declared war or specifically authorized such use in statute, or (2) such use is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
Clean Federal Fleet Act of 2020 This bill revises provisions regarding emissions requirements for vehicles purchased for use in federal fleets, including by expanding the covered federal entities and by providing statutory authority for vehicle emission standards.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2020
Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act This bill prohibits the Department of Justice from monitoring the contents of a privileged electronic communication between an incarcerated person and his or her legal representative.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2020
No War Against Iran Act This bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress has either declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use. An exception is made for a presidential exercise of power to introduce Armed Forces into hostilities (or situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated) when there is a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States. The bill further states that no prior authorizations of military force (e.g., against Iraq) may be construed to authorize the use of military force against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 23 December 2019
Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019 This bill indefinitely extends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients for individuals who do not have other coverage. Under current law, Medicare coverage is limited to 36 months following a transplant.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
This bill repeals the requirement for males between the ages of 18 and 26 to register with the Selective Service. The bill provides that an individual shall not be penalized for prior failure to register with the Selective Service.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Road User Charge Advancement Act of 2019 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2025 the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) surface transportation system funding alternatives program. Under the program, DOT provides grants to states to demonstrate user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Specifically, the bill increases funding to carry out the program; authorizes DOT to provide grants for states to test solutions to ensure the privacy and security of data collected for the purpose of implementing a user-based alternative revenue mechanism; revises reporting requirements for DOT; and requires DOT to provide special consideration to projects that carry out activities not previously carried out to advance the knowledge and practice of surface transportation system funding alternatives or that collect revenues from pilot project participants.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
SESTA/FOSTA Examination of Secondary Effects for Sex Workers Study Act or the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to study the impacts of the reduction in access to client-screening, information-sharing, and harm-reduction websites resulting from the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 on individuals engaged in adult, consensual sex work. The study must utilize community-based nonprofits to conduct surveys and interviews of sex workers to collect information about (1) experiences of violence from clients; (2) interactions with law enforcement; (3) experiences with exploitation; and (4) the impact on housing stability and mental health, among other effects.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act This bill directs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to establish an initiative to build upon and accelerate previous or ongoing work to develop and demonstrate new technologies in aircraft concepts that are capable of reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and noise emissions from aircraft by at least 50%. The goal of the initiative shall be to deploy new technologies developed pursuant to the initiative on (1) regional transport aircraft intended to enter into service by 2030, and (2) single-aisle aircraft designed to accommodate more than 125 passengers intended to enter into service by 2040.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
National Climate Bank Act This bill establishes the nonprofit National Climate Bank to finance renewable energy projects, industrial decarbonization, climate resilient infrastructure, zero-emission fleets, and similar projects.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Small Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 2019 This bill applies U.S. Coast Guard regulations regarding safety management systems to small passenger vessels and requires the Coast Guard to prescribe additional regulations to secure the safety of individuals and property on board certain small passenger vessels. The regulations prescribed must include requirements for the addition of interconnected fire detection, protection, and suppression equipment, including fire extinguishers, in all areas to which passengers have access, including dining areas, sleeping quarters, and lounges; fire detection, protection, and suppression systems in unmanned areas with machinery or areas with other potential heat sources; fire detection, suppression, and control in all areas to which passengers have access, including dining areas, sleeping quarters, and lounges; all such vessels to have not less than two avenues of escape from all general areas accessible to passengers; marine firefighting training programs to improve crew member training and proficiency; and the handling, storage, and operation of flammable items, such as lithium ion batteries.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2019 This bill prohibits federal regulation of the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk or milk products packaged for direct human consumption under specified circumstances. Specifically, the prohibition applies if (1) such products would be considered adulterated or misbranded or otherwise in violation of federal law solely because they are unpasteurized; (2) the products are allowed by the state of origin to be distributed for direct human consumption by any means; (3) they are produced, packaged, and moved in compliance with the laws of such state; and (4) they are moved from the state of origin with the intent to transport them to another state that allows the distribution of such products for direct human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
This resolution recognizes the fourth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, an international agreement to keep global temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, and recommends that the United States remain a signatory to the global warming agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2019
New Way Forward Act This bill makes changes to immigration enforcement, including ending mandatory detention in certain cases. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall not enter into or extend any contract with any public or private for-profit entity to own or operate a facility to detain aliens in DHS custody. The bill provides for various protections related to detaining aliens, such as (1) requiring DHS to make an initial custody determination and establish probable cause within 48 hours of taking an alien into custody, (2) establishing in hearings related to such determinations a presumption that the alien be released, and (3) requiring immigration judges to impose the least restrictive detention conditions necessary. A DHS officer may not interrogate a person as to immigration status based on factors such as the person's race, religion, sexual orientation, or spoken language. The bill removes mandatory detention requirements for certain aliens, such as asylum seekers with a credible fear of persecution. Removal proceedings against certain aliens previously admitted into the United States must commence within five years of the alien becoming deportable or inadmissible. The bill also removes certain crime-related grounds of inadmissibility and deportability. The bill gives immigration judges discretion to provide relief from removal if the removal is not based on certain crime-related grounds. State or local officers are prohibited from performing certain immigration enforcement functions, such as apprehending aliens. The National Crime Information Center database shall not contain an alien's immigration information. The bill repeals provisions providing criminal penalties for improper entry or reentry into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the War on Drugs has failed to achieve its goal of reducing drug use and that activities continuing the War on Drugs should end. Further, the House of Representatives apologizes to those harmed through the War on Drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
Generating Resilient, Environmentally Exceptional National Streets Act or the GREEN Streets Act This bill establishes national goals to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of the transportation system. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish minimum standards for states to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) on the National Highway System; DOT to establish measures for states to assess and reduce carbon dioxide; states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to consider projects and strategies that reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and decrease per capita VMTs; states and MPOs to publish an analysis of the impact on per capita VMTs and mobile source greenhouse gas emissions for each project that adds new lanes or otherwise increases traffic capacity and costs more than $25 million; states that are out of compliance with the per capita VMT standards or carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emission measures to dedicate federal highway funding to achieve compliance; and DOT to establish national transit access standards and performance measures for transit accessibility, transit stop distance, and transit mode share.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth Act or the Diversify Act This bill increases the maximum grant award under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. The TEACH program awards grants to college students who plan to teach in low-income areas. The bill also exempts the TEACH program from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
Protect SNAP Act This bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture from modifying work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). The bill also prohibits the use of federal funds (including fees) to implement or enforce the Food and Nutrition Service rule titled Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Requirements for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents , published on February 1, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019
This resolution recognizes the security challenges faced by India in Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution urges India to employ certain measures to uphold human rights and refrain from the use of violence against minority groups, protestors, and detainees.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
This resolution expresses disapproval for the President's notification to the United Nations of his intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement and commends the entities that have expressed their support for the Paris Agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2019
Eviction Prevention Act of 2019 This bill authorizes grant programs to provide legal counsel to individuals in eviction proceedings and to collect data regarding evictions. The bill also requires a study of evictions generally. Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) may award grants to states and local governments to provide legal counsel in eviction proceedings to an individual whose income is less than 125% of the federal poverty level. DOJ may also award grants to states and local governments to collect data on evictions, including with respect to race and property type. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must study evictions generally and with regard to the legal representation of tenants in eviction proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 26 November 2019
International Violence Against Women Act of 2019 This bill provides for a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the Department of State an Office of Global Women's Issues, which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. The Ambassador-at-Large shall (1) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in foreign policy, and (2) develop or update periodically a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development the position of Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct policies, programs, and funding regarding gender equality and women's empowerment. The bill requires that U.S. assistance made available for humanitarian relief, conflict mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction prevents and responds to violence against women and girls. The Department of State shall also identify incidents that occur during armed conflict and implement emergency responses.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
Refugee Protection Act of 2019 This bill provides protections for aliens such as asylum seekers and contains other provisions. The bill's provisions include eliminating the general requirement that an asylum seeker apply for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States; prohibiting requiring an asylum seeker to provide corroborating evidence of persecution if such evidence is not reasonably obtainable; waiving certain grounds of inadmissibility or deportability for qualifying refugees seeking permanent resident status; requiring the Department of Justice to appoint counsel to a child or particularly vulnerable individual in certain immigration proceedings; increasing the annual cap on principal nonimmigrant U visas (victims of crimes) from 10,000 to 20,000; prohibiting the removal of an alien with certain pending immigration applications, such as a U visa application; imposing limits on when an alien may be removed from the United States in a proceeding without the alien present; establishing a presumption that the least restrictive conditions necessary should be imposed in custody proceedings for asylum seekers, including release if appropriate; establishing that the maximum number of refugees admitted each fiscal year shall be no less than 95,000; directing the Department of State to help other governments increase their capacity to care for and accept refugees; directing the State Department to establish refugee processing centers in other countries in North and Central America; and authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to provide special immigrant status to qualified aliens who assisted U.S. efforts in Syria and admit up to 5,000 such aliens each fiscal year for five years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
Homes for All Act of 2019 This bill provides funding for the construction of new public housing units, authorizes additional assistance for the construction of new affordable housing units, and otherwise addresses housing affordability. Specifically, the bill provides permanent, mandatory funding for the capital and operating funds available to public housing agencies (PHAs) and allows PHAs to use such funds to construct new public housing units. Under current law, a PHA generally may not use such funds to construct public housing units if doing so would result in a net increase of the number of public housing units owned, assisted, or operated by the PHA. The bill also (1) provides annual funding through FY2031 for the construction of new public housing units; and (2) authorizes additional assistance through FY2030 from the Housing Trust Fund for the construction of new, private-market, affordable housing units. A PHA may not discriminate, with respect to the rental of a unit developed with assistance under the bill, based on an individual's criminal record or immigration status. Additionally, a PHA receiving such assistance must meet specified requirements with respect to the new units regarding other forms of discrimination, supportive services, environmental standards, and accessibility. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a Community Control and Anti-Displacement Fund to award grants to local governments for the purpose of combatting gentrification and neighborhood destabilization.
![Official portrait of Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000574_200.jpg)