United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Advancing Youth Enrollment Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the premium assistance tax credits that are available to taxpayers with household members who are 18-34 years old. (The credit is available to eligible individuals and families to subsidize the purchase of health insurance plans on an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.) The bill allows increased tax credits for the taxpayers by reducing the maximum percentage of income that the taxpayers are required to pay for health insurance premiums. This percentage is used to calculate the amount of the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Medigap Consumer Protection Act of 2018 This bill (1) expands guaranteed issue rights with respect to Medigap policies (Medicare supplemental health insurance policies), (2) eliminates certain limitations on Medigap policies for newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries, and (3) modifies other provisions related to Medigap policies. ("Guaranteed issue" rights require that a policy be offered to any eligible applicant without regard to health status.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
America's Natural Treasures of Immeasurable Quality Unite, Inspire, and Together Improve the Economies of States Act of 2018 or the ANTIQUITIES Act of 2018. This bill directs the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to administer each specified national monument under their joint or exclusive jurisdiction, including the Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Gold Butte, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments and the Rose Atoll and Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments in accordance with: (1) the one or more presidential proclamations that apply to the applicable covered monument; (2) any Act of Congress enacted before December 4, 2017, that provides for an adjustment to the boundary or administration of such monument; and (3) this bill. The bill establishes the National Monument Enhancement Fund to furnish funding: (1) to such federal agencies to develop management plans for their national monuments that were designated under current federal law, (2) for federal acquisition and development of certain land and other areas, and (3) to develop and enhance recreational infrastructure on such designated lands. The bill designates: (1) specified BLM lands within the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte National Monuments in New Mexico and in the Gold Butte National Conservation Area in Nevada as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System; and (2) approximately 100 acres of BLM land in New Mexico as a potential wilderness area and, when specified conditions have been met, for incorporation into the Robledo Mountains Wilderness.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
National Flood Insurance Program Extension and Enhanced Consumer and Community Protections Act of 2018 This bill extends through November 30, 2018, the National Flood Insurance Program and otherwise modifies the program, including with respect to coverage and premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2018
Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement System Act This bill abolishes the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) no later than one year after enactment. Congress must establish and convene the Commission to Study and Establish a Fair and Human System of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The commission's duties shall include identifying all essential functions of ICE and ensuring that all immigration enforcement functions transferred to other agencies maintain strict compliance to the Constitution and applicable laws.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2018
Condemns the Attorney General's decision in Matter of A-B- seeking to declare domestic violence and gang violence as invalid grounds for seeking asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
Family Unity Rights and Protection Act This bill requires the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, and Defense to ensure that alien children (i.e., children under the age of 18 removed from their parents or legal guardians at or near a port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border pursuant to a zero tolerance policy for criminal illegal reentry) are reunited at the earliest possible date with their parents and guardians from whom they were separated. It also requires notification of parents and guardians of procedures for reuniting with such children and for the location of such children. The bill requires the creation of an electronic registry for information used to locate such alien children and their parents and guardians. The information in such registry may only be used for locating such children and may not be used in any criminal prosecution or other immigration proceeding. The bill also sets forth conditions on the termination of parental rights in immigration proceedings and requires the consolidation of asylum and immigration proceedings involving alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow individuals who are eligible for a health savings account (HSA) to participate in a direct primary care service arrangement without losing their eligibility due to the arrangement, and (2) permit an HSA to be used to pay for a direct primary care service arrangement. Under a direct primary care service arrangement, an individual receives medical care consisting solely of primary care services provided by primary care practitioners in exchange for a fixed periodic fee. The fees are subject to limits specified in the bill. The primary care services covered by the arrangement may not include procedures that require the use of general anesthesia, prescription drugs (other than vaccines), and laboratory services not typically administered in an ambulatory primary care setting.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
Expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineman Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineman is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 July 2018
Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify rules for health savings accounts (HSAs) regarding eligibility and interactions with other tax-favored health accounts. The bill specifies that receiving or being eligible to receive certain employment-related items and services at an employer-sponsored (e.g., an on-site clinic) or retail health care facility is not considered health care coverage that disqualifies an individual from participating in an HSA. The items and services include physical examinations, immunizations, drugs other than a prescribed drug, treatment for injuries occurring in the course of employment, drug testing as a condition of employment, hearing or vision screenings, and other similar items and services that do not provide significant benefits in the nature of medical care. The bill also (1) allows an eligible individual to make HSA contributions if a spouse has a flexible spending arrangement (FSA) as long as the FSA does not also reimburse the expenses of the spouse with the HSA, and (2) modifies the rules for using FSA or a health reimbursement arrangement terminations or conversions to establish an HSA.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
By the People Resolution Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should enact various reforms with respect to voter registration and protection, campaign-finance contribution limits and violations, and political advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are human rights and protected by the U.S. Constitution; (2) LGBTQ Pride Month should be celebrated; and (3) all Americans should be treated equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Better Pay and Lifetime Earnings for Teenage Girls through Adulthood Act This bill directs the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor to report to Congress on the gender pay gap in the labor workforce for teenagers and make such report publicly available. The report must include: (1) an examination of trends and potential solutions to the early wage gap for women; (2) an estimate of overall lifetime earnings and losses for women, including women of color; and (3) recommendations to address pay inequality for young women.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and Threats Research Act of 2018 or the COAST Research Act This bill helps coastal communities address coastal acidification, including by reauthorizing the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 through FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Congressional Access to Children's Detention Facilities Act This bill requires the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, or the Department of Health and Human Services to allow Members of Congress to tour any facility in which one or more foreign national minors (a noncitizen of the United States under age 18) are housed. The Departments must allow members of the press to accompany a visiting Member of Congress and may place limits on such tours based on the number of foreign national minors housed.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Family Unity Rights and Protection Act This bill requires the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, and Defense to ensure that alien children (i.e., children under the age of 18 removed from their parents or legal guardians at or near a port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border pursuant to a zero tolerance policy for criminal illegal reentry) are reunited at the earliest possible date with their parents and guardians from whom they were separated. It also requires notification of parents and guardians of procedures for reuniting with such children and for the location of such children. The bill requires the creation of an electronic registry for information used to locate such alien children and their parents and guardians. The information in such registry may only be used for locating such children and may not be used in any criminal prosecution or other immigration proceeding. The bill also sets forth conditions on the termination of parental rights in immigration proceedings and requires the consolidation of asylum and immigration proceedings involving alien children.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Social Security Administration Fairness Act This bill (1) provides funding for certain administrative expenses of the Social Security Administration (SSA); (2) makes individuals eligible to receive Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits beginning in the first month of disability; (3) eliminates the Medicare waiting period for recipients of OASDI benefits; and (4) requires the SSA to satisfy certain public-notice and reporting requirements before closing or consolidating a field office or hearing office.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2018 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2018 This bill expands the ban on election contributions by foreign nationals to include corporations subject to specified levels of ownership or control by foreign nationals. The bill also expands (1) reporting requirements related to campaign contributions, and (2) disclosure requirements related to the funding sources of political advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2018 This bill requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to make a determination as to whether a state substantially provides for certain rights and responsibilities applicable to public employees, such as granting such employees the right to form or join a labor organization and to bargain collectively, and if the state does not substantially provide for such rights and responsibilities, then such state shall be subject to nationwide standards prescribed by the FLRA to protect public employee rights. No employer, emergency services employee, or law enforcement officer may engage in a lockout, strike, or any other organized job action of which a reasonably probable result is a measurable disruption of the delivery of emergency or public safety services. No labor organization may violate or attempt to violate this prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Preventing Family Separation for Immigrants with Disabilities Act This bill prohibits an agent or officer of the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, or Health and Human Services from removing a protected individual (i.e., an individual with a developmental disability and no permanent immigration status) from a family member at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless a state court or state or county welfare agency determines that removal is in the best interest of such individual. The Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director may also authorize removal upon a finding that the protected individual is a victim of trafficking or is at significant risk of being a victim of trafficking, there is a strong likelihood that the adult is not a family member of the protected individual, or the protected individual is in danger of abuse or neglect. A protected individual may not be removed from a family member solely for the policy goal of deterring individuals from migrating to the United States or for promoting compliance with civil immigration laws. DHS must provide the family member of a protected individual who was separated with information about the activities of such individual and certain other information on a monthly basis.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act This bill establishes circumstances under which an occupational therapist may conduct an initial or comprehensive assessment for an individual who is eligible for home health services under Medicare. Specifically, an occupational therapist may conduct the assessment if the physician's referral order does not include skilled nursing care but does include: (1) occupational therapy, and (2) physical therapy or speech language pathology.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1902) to protect our Social Security system and improve benefits for current and future generations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2018
Central America Family Protection and Reunification Act This bill states that it shall be: (1) U.S. policy to not separate immigrant families as a deterrent and to reunite families that were separated due to the criminal prosecution of parents for illegal entry, and (2) Department of State policy to prioritize supporting governments and citizens to facilitate reunification of such families. The State Department shall submit to Congress: reports concerning gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle (the region encompassing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador); reports concerning gang and organized-crime related violence in the Northern Triangle; strategies to use portions of funds for the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America to combat gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle, as well as to address the damage to the health and well-being of children and caregivers caused by separating children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The State Department shall establish an office to study serious crimes committed against aliens who were removed from the United States and against U.S. citizens who left the United States because of having an alien parent who was removed from the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Mental Health Care for Children Inhumanely Separated from Parents by the Federal Government Act of 2018 This bill requires the federal government to ensure that children who are separated from their parents at the border by the Department of Homeland Security receive mental health services for free, including a mental health assessment within 24 hours of such separation and annually thereafter. Children who have already been separated (since April 6, 2018) must receive a mental health assessment within 24 hours after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act or the NEWBORN Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to support pilot programs that address infant mortality. Specifically, grants must be awarded to local and tribal health departments in areas with the highest rates of infant mortality to establish pilot programs that address specified issues, including birth defects, premature births, and sudden infant death syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Expresses support for the designation of National ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day to encourage parents to ask, before their child visits another home, whether there is an unlocked gun in the home.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Keep Families Together Act This bill prohibits an agent or contractor of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the Department of Health and Human Services from removing a child who is under the age of 18 and has no permanent immigration status from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless: an authorized state court determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed; a state or county child welfare official with expertise in child trauma and development determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed because of abuse or neglect; or the Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director authorizes separation based on a documented finding that the child is a trafficking victim or is at significant risk of becoming a victim, a strong likelihood exists that the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. A child may not be removed from a parent or guardian unless an independent licensed child welfare expert authorizes the separation within 48 hours of such removal. An agency may not remove a child from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goals of deterring migration to the United States or of promoting immigration law compliance. The bill sets forth presumptions: (1) in favor of family and sibling unity and parental rights, and (2) that detention is not in the best interests of families and children. The bill limits the prosecution of asylum seekers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Know the Lowest Price Act of 2018 This bill prohibits a health-benefits plan or pharmacy-benefits manager under Medicare or Medicare Advantage from restricting a pharmacy from informing an enrollee of any difference between the price of a drug under the plan and the price of the drug without health-insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act This bill prohibits a health insurance plan or pharmacy benefits manager from restricting a pharmacy from informing an enrollee of any difference between the cost of a drug under the plan and the cost of the drug without health insurance coverage. (Such restrictions are commonly referred to as gag clauses.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades Resolution or the RESPECT Resolution Encourages states and localities to adopt best practices and take bold steps to address disparities in the cannabis marketplace and to address, reverse, and repair the effects of the war on drugs on communities of color.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management, Treatment, and Recovery Act of 2018 This bill establishes several requirements for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and alters requirements under Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA), related to pain management and opioid use. Among other requirements, the CMS must review payments under Medicare for opioid and non-opioid pain management procedures, specifically with respect to ambulatory outpatient surgical procedures and hospital outpatient department services. The CMS must ensure that there are no payment incentives for using opioids instead of non-opioid alternatives and must make revisions accordingly. The bill also requires payment under Medicare to federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics that have health care practitioners who are newly certified to provide medication-assisted treatment (e.g., buprenorphine). The bill also authorizes the suspension of payments to a pharmacy under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and MA prescription drug plans pending the investigation of a credible allegation of fraud by the pharmacy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 2018 This bill repeals and replaces existing Section 1332 waiver provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as State Innovation Waivers) with waiver provisions that allow states to establish comprehensive universal health care plans, in accordance with specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Workers' Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2018 This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA) and related labor laws to extend protections to union workers. Specifically, it: revises the definition of "employee" and "supervisor" to prevent employers from removing employees from the protections of the labor laws, prohibits employers from interfering with certain rights granted to employees under the NLRA, expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions against replacement of worker who strike or discrimination against them, imposes new penalties against employers who violate labor law requirements, allows workers to bring civil actions against employers for labor law violations and unfair labor practices, requires certain disclosures with respect to worker wages, and requires contractors seeking federal contracts over $500,000 to disclose labor law violations when applying for such contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to align federal privacy standards for substance use disorder (SUD) patient records more closely with standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Specifically, the bill authorizes the disclosure of SUD patient records without a patient's written consent to: (1) a covered entity for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations, as long as the disclosure is made in accordance with HIPAA; and (2) a public health authority, as long as the content of the disclosure meets HIPAA standards regarding de-identified information. Current law authorizes disclosure of SUD patient records without a patient's written consent only to medical personnel in a medical emergency, to specified personnel for research or program evaluations, or pursuant to a court order. The bill also repeals and replaces criminal penalties for certain violations involving SUD patient records with the HIPAA civil penalty structure. It also applies HIPAA criminal penalties to wrongful disclosures of SUD patient records. In addition, the bill expands the current prohibition against using SUD patient records in criminal proceedings to include any use in specified federal, state, and local criminal and civil actions. The bill prohibits certain discrimination based on the release of SUD information under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2018 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voting systems for federal elections to use durable, paper ballots. Systems must make ballots available for verification by the voter before the vote is cast. Each ballot shall be suitable for a manual audit and shall be counted by hand in any recount or audit. The bill sets forth a rule for the treatment of disputes when paper ballots have been compromised. The bill revises requirements for accessible voting for individuals with disabilities to require paper ballots and accessibility for individuals who are mobility and dexterity impaired. The National Science Foundation shall make grants to study, test, and develop accessible paper voting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulty in literacy. Each state and jurisdiction shall audit the results of all federal elections.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Historic Tax Credit Enhancement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the requirement for a taxpayer to reduce the basis of a building by the amount of the tax credit determined for the rehabilitation of a certified historic structure.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2018
Keeping Gun Dealers Honest Act of 2018 This bill establishes new requirements and penalties for individuals who engage in the business of dealing, importing, or manufacturing firearms. Among other things, the bill increases the allowable number of annual compliance inspections, strengthens criminal penalties for recordkeeping violations, and authorizes civil penalties for certain other violations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the War on Drugs has failed to achieve its goal of reducing drug use. Apologizes to those harmed through the War on Drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2018
Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Act of 2018 or the SAVE Right Whales Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to provide financial assistance for the conservation of North Atlantic right whales ( Eubalaena glacialis ).
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act or the STATES Act This bill eliminates regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act for marijuana-related conduct and activities that are authorized by state or tribal law, subject to specified exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Counting Our Unexpected Natural Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018 or the COUNT Victims Act This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contract with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a study of matters concerning best practices in mortality counts as a result of a major disaster. A report on the study must be completed and transmitted to FEMA within two years after the contract date of September 30, 2018. The study shall address approaches to quantifying mortality and significant morbidity among populations affected by major disasters and shall include best practices and policy recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2018 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTI people. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Bus Operator and Pedestrian Protection Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to require public transportation safety grant recipients that operate fixed route bus service to: (1) develop a risk reduction program for bus operations to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, injuries, assaults on bus operators, and fatalities; (2) submit the program, including the implementation plan required by this bill, to DOT for review and approval; and (3) implement the program and plans approved by DOT. The recipient of a public transportation safety grant shall report to DOT, for inclusion in the National Transit Database, any information on each assault on an public transportation vehicle operator.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Condemns Russia's destabilizing behavior in Ukraine and the region. Calls on the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and its associated international community to: (1) continue investigations into illicit Russian efforts to secure the World Cup, and (2) condemn Russia's transgressions against international law and FIFA values.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2018
Department of Homeland Security Accountability and Transparency Act or the DATA Act This bill requires law enforcement officials (i.e., officers or agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or certain state or local officials carrying out the functions of an immigration officer) who initiate a patrol stop or who detain any individual beyond a brief and limited inquiry, such as a primary inspection at a checkpoint, to record certain data, including (1) the date, time, location, and duration of the contact; (2) the basis for the contact and if it was race-related; (3) a description of any items seized during any search; (4) whether a body-worn camera recorded the stop or detention; and (5) whether force was used by the law enforcement official. The bill also requires the CBP to collect data on the number of permanent and temporary checkpoints used by its officers, the location and a description of each checkpoint, and the dates on which a temporary checkpoint was used. The Department of Homeland Security must compile the data collected by ICE and the CBP and consider it in making policy and program decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2018
Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or the MOMMA's Act This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements to address maternal mortality in the United States, including expanded coverage under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for pregnant and postpartum women.
![Official portrait of Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000574_200.jpg)