United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program, which is a grant program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The program focuses on improving emergency health care for children who are seriously ill or injured.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2019
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2019 This bill expands educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program to include application fees for institutions of higher learning. The amount of such assistance payable to an individual shall be the lesser of the total application fees charged to the individual by the institutions, or $750.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2019
Pay Our TSA Screeners Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to use security service fees to pay Transportation Security Officer salaries during a lapse in appropriations for the TSA. The TSA must notify Congress when using the authority provided by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2019
Pre-existing Conditions Protection Act of 2019 This bill reestablishes requirements for private health insurance plans with respect to preexisting conditions, guaranteed enrollment, and discrimination based on health-related factors if they are repealed by another law. In such event, the bill prohibits private health insurance plans from (1) limiting or excluding benefits covering preexisting conditions; (2) denying enrollment to employers or individual applicants, subject to specified limits; (3) establishing rules for eligibility based on an individual's health status; or (4) requiring an individual to a pay higher premium than similarly situated individuals enrolled in the plan based the individual's health status. The bill also prohibits plans from collecting genetic information in connection with issuing health insurance and provides requirements for workplace wellness programs connected to health insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take a series of actions relating to palliative-care training. Specifically, HHS must provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. The centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced-education nursing degrees, social-work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician-assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to medical schools, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical-education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development, (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center, (3) support individuals in specified fields who are pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields, and (4) award grants to nursing programs to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
This resolution affirms the House of Representatives' obligation to fulfill the promises made to senior citizens of the United States regarding access to Medicare and Social Security. It also rejects any changes to Medicare or Social Security that diminish benefits for Americans currently enrolled, or soon to be enrolled, in the Medicare program or the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program. The resolution also expresses the House's commitment that these programs should be strengthened and preserved, and expresses support for efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in these programs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Burn Pits Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the military departments to evaluate whether each member of the Armed Forces has been (1) based or stationed where an open air burn pit was used to dispose of waste, or (2) exposed to toxic airborne chemicals. Members located where an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals must be enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless the member elects not to enroll. The evaluations must be included in periodic health assessments, physical exams conducted immediately prior to separation from active duty, and deployment assessments. DOD must share the results of the evaluations with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Indiana Dunes National Park Act This bill renames the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as the Indiana Dunes National Park. The bill redesignates the 1.6-mile Miller-Woods Trail within the park as the Paul H. Douglas Trail.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act or the PIRATE Act This bill addresses unlicensed radio broadcasting (called pirating), including by increasing the maximum fine for a pirate radio broadcasting violation to $2 million and imposing a fine of up to $100,000 per day for pirating violations subject to the $2 million limit. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must (1) annually submit to Congress a report summarizing implementation of this bill and associated enforcement activities for the previous fiscal year; and (2) at least once a year, assign appropriate enforcement personnel to focus specific and sustained attention on the elimination of pirate radio broadcasting within the top five radio markets. The FCC may not preempt any state or local law prohibiting pirate radio broadcasting. The FCC shall (1) revise its rules to require that, absent good cause, in any case alleging a violation, it shall proceed directly to issue a Notice of Apparent Liability without first issuing a Notice of Unlicensed Operation; and (2) publish a database of all licensed radio stations operating in the AM and FM band that includes each licensed station and all entities that have received a Notice of Unlicensed Operation, Notice of Apparent Liability, or Forfeiture Order issued by the FCC.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide veterans with the option to grant read-only access to their records in the databases of the Veterans Benefits Administration to covered congressional employees. The covered congressional employees must be employed in the office of the Member of Congress who represents the district where the veteran resides. Under the bill, a covered congressional employee is (1) a permanent, full-time employee of a Member of Congress who is responsible for assisting constituents with federal agencies and departments; (2) designated by the Member; and (3) someone who satisfies the criteria required by the VA for recognition as an agent or attorney. However, the bill specifies that a covered congressional employee may not be recognized as an agent or attorney with respect to veterans' benefit claims.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act This bill expands TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility to include members of the Selected Reserve who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 This bill provides for a Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded to the U.S. Merchant Mariners of World War II, in recognition of their service during World War II. Following the award of the medal, it shall be given to the American Merchant Marine Museum, where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill updates the Department of Defense's Survivor Benefit Plan and how it operates in relation to other benefits. The plan currently provides a monthly annuity (based on a percentage of a service member's retirement pay) to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the service member. Currently, if a surviving spouse is also entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation, the annuity paid under the plan will be reduced. The bill repeals certain provisions that require the offset of the plan annuity from amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation. Under current law, upon the request of the surviving spouse, the military branch concerned is authorized to pay an annuity to the member's dependent children instead of to the surviving spouse. The bill restores the annuity to an eligible spouse who previously elected to transfer payment to a dependent child.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Financial Relief for Feds Act of 2019 This bill allows certain employees who are not paid during a lapse in federal appropriations to make penalty-free withdrawals from retirement accounts. The bill applies to employees of the federal government, federal contractors, federal grantees, and the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2019 This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons that use violence to threaten peace and stability in Iraq or to undermine the country's democratic processes and economic reconstruction. The sanctions include blocking property transactions involving such a sanctioned individual and blocking such a person's entry into the United States. Any current visas belonging to a sanctioned individual shall be revoked. The Department of State shall report to Congress whether certain groups, including Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba, qualify as foreign terrorist organizations and whether such groups and individuals affiliated with such groups should be subject to various sanctions. The State Department shall also report to Congress whether certain individuals, including Qais al-Khazali and Laith al-Khazali, would be subject to the sanctions prescribed in this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans who have not previously operated a farm or ranch.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Poison Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes for FY2020-FY2024 and revises the national toll-free phone number, public awareness campaign, and grant program relating to poison control centers. Among other changes, the bill supports enhancements of the national toll-free phone number, such as texting capabilities; expands the public awareness campaign to include education about drug misuse; and authorizes poison control centers and professional organizations to use grant funds for preventing and treating the misuse of opioids and other drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act of 2019 or the BRACE Act of 2019 This bill permanently extends the tax credit for railroad track maintenance. The extension applies to expenditures paid or incurred during tax years beginning after 2017. Assignments of miles of railroad track, including related expenditures, for tax years ending after 2017 must be treated as timely if they are made pursuant to a written agreement entered into within 90 days of the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. The design of the coins shall bear an image and the name of Christa McAuliffe on the obverse side and a design on the reverse side that depicts the legacy of McAuliffe as a teacher. Treasury may issue the coins from January 1-December 31, 2020. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be paid to the FIRST robotics program for the purpose of engaging and inspiring young people, through mentor-based programs, to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Reducing the Demand for Human Trafficking Act of 2019 This bill modifies the requirements regarding trafficking victim services grants. Specifically, it creates a preference for applicants who use the grant funds to investigate and prosecute individuals who solicit or purchase commercial sex.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Continuing Coverage for Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 This bill establishes severability between provisions relating to the requirement to maintain minimum essential health care coverage (i.e., the individual mandate) and other provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the bill provides that if the individual mandate is found to be illegal or incapable of being enforced, such findings do not affect the validity of other provisions relating to (1) the availability and renewability of coverage, or (2) the prohibitions against discriminatory coverage practices based on preexisting conditions or health status.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Honoring Our Fallen TSA Officers Act This bill extends public safety officers' death benefits to Transportation Security Administration employees performing official duties related to protecting the nation's transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Pay Our Protectors Act This bill provides appropriations to pay the salaries and expenses of certain federal employees who are working during the lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and resulted in a partial government shutdown. The bill applies to employees of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, and the E-Verify program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 This bill addresses certain health benefit and home loan programs for veterans. Specifically, the bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served (1) offshore of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or (2) in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill extends eligibility for health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance to children with spina bifida who have at least one veteran parent who may have been exposed to an herbicide agent while serving in Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Additionally, the bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan guaranty program to adjust loan fee rates and eliminate the limit on the amount of a loan for which the VA may provide a guaranty of 25%. Under current law, these loan guarantees are subject to a limit on loan size determined by Freddie Mac. The bill also waives loan fees for active duty Purple Heart recipients. The VA shall permit a VA-approved appraiser to make a housing loan appraisal based solely on information gathered by a person with whom the appraiser has entered into an agreement for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 This bill authorizes assistance and weapons transfers to Israel, and extends defense cooperation with Jordan. It establishes additional sanctions related to the conflict in Syria, and allows states to divest from entities boycotting Israel. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2019 The bill reauthorizes through FY2028 Foreign Military Financing to Israel. It extends loan guarantees to Israel through FY2023, and authorizes the President to transfer precision-guided munitions to the country. The bill directs the President to report on steps taken to help Israel secure a strategic trade authorization exception. United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act The bill extends through 2022 arrangements that allow certain defense articles to be transferred to Jordan on an expedited basis. The bill also directs the President to submit a report to Congress assessing the costs and benefits of establishing a fund to support private investment in Jordan. Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 The bill directs the Department of the Treasury to determine whether the Central Bank of Syria is a primary money-laundering concern and, if so, impose special measures on transactions involving the bank. The bill also imposes sanctions on individuals providing support for the Syrian government. Combating BDS Act of 2019 The bill allows a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities using boycotts, divestments, or sanctions to influence Israel's policies. Such measures shall meet various requirements, including those related to written notice and comment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. Individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019 This bill (1) reauthorizes, revises, and establishes several programs and entities relating to public-health emergency preparedness and response; and (2) addresses the approval process for over-the counter (OTC) drugs. Among other programs, the bill reauthorizes through FY2023 and revises the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative-agreement program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Hospital Preparedness Program, the CDC situational-awareness and biosurveillance program, the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, the National Disaster Medical System, the Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps, the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters, the Strategic National Stockpile, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. In addition, the bill provides statutory authority for existing programs, including the CDC's Children's Preparedness Unit and the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise. The bill also establishes new programs and entities, including a trauma-center grant program to support military trauma teams. The bill further modifies the approval process for OTC drugs by providing statutory authority for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to (1) regulate certain OTC drugs that are marketed without an approved new-drug application, and (2) issue administrative orders specifying the conditions under which an OTC drug may be deemed safe and effective and not subject to approval as a new drug. The FDA must assess and collect user fees for OTC drugs, including OTC-drug facility and OTC-drug order-request fees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Providing Pay for Essential Employees Act This bill provides appropriations to pay the salaries and expenses of federal employees who are working during the lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and resulted in a partial government shutdown.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
No Work Without Pay Act This bill provides appropriations to pay the salaries and expenses of federal employees who are working during the lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and resulted in a partial government shutdown.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Homeless Veteran Families Act This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for entities furnishing services to homeless veterans to include funding for a minor dependent. The rate for per diem payments is the daily cost of care as estimated by the grant recipient or eligible entity. This bill would expand the per diem payment amount for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent to the daily cost of care plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of such daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 This bill establishes additional sanctions and financial restrictions on institutions and individuals related to the conflict in Syria. The Department of the Treasury shall determine whether the Central Bank of Syria is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern and, if so, impose one or more special measures, such as requiring domestic financial institutions to maintain additional records on transactions involving the bank. The President shall impose sanctions on foreign persons that provide significant support to or engage in a significant transaction with the Syrian government or the military forces or contractors acting on behalf of Syria, Russia, or Iran. The bill also imposes sanctions on those that knowingly sell or provide significant goods, services, technology, or information that facilitates or expands the Syrian government's domestic petroleum production; aircraft, parts, or related services used by military forces related to the Syrian government; or construction or engineering services to the Syrian government. The sanctions include blocking of financial and property transactions and barring of entry into the United States. Such sanctions shall not apply to various nongovernmental organizations and activities related to providing humanitarian aid or supporting democratic institutions in Syria. The President may suspend some or all of the sanctions under certain conditions, including if it is in the United States' national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Iran Human Rights and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations related to Iran's government. The President shall impose sanctions on Iranian persons responsible for or complicit in politically-motivated harassment, abuse, extortion, or extended detention or trial of (1) U.S. citizens and permanent residents, (2) Iranian citizens and residents, or (3) persons of Iranian origin. The sanctions shall include denial and revocation of visas, blocking of property, and restrictions on financial transactions. The immediate family members of such sanctioned individuals shall be ineligible for admission into the United States, and current visas of such family members shall be revoked. The bill also directs the Department of State to report on a strategy to prevent the Iranian government from taking hostage of or arbitrarily detaining U.S. citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes, revises, and establishes several programs and entities relating to public health emergency preparedness and response; the bill also specifies requirements for certain over-the-counter drugs that are marketed without an approved application, including fees for associated manufacturing facilities and orders.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2018
Mobile Health Record Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a program that enables Medicare enrollees to connect claims data with trusted applications, services, and research programs. The program must allow an enrollee to access claim information through a mobile health record application that is chosen by the enrollee and that is also approved by the CMS, in accordance with specified requirements. Information must be made available to such applications in a similar manner as under the current Blue Button 2.0 program. The bill also allows states that choose to develop or purchase similar applications for Medicaid enrollees to receive federal payment for the associated costs. Currently, the CMS administers the Blue Button program, which allows Medicare enrollees to download and save health information on personal computers or other devices. The CMS subsequently launched the Blue Button 2.0 program, which allows enrollees to link health information with mobile applications (these applications are posted on the CMS website, but are not endorsed by the CMS).
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2018
Expresses: (1) appreciation for the profound public service of former President George H.W. Bush, and (2) deep sympathy to the entire family of the former President.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2018
This resolution expresses support for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, condemns the Assad regime and the governments of Russia and Iran for their continued support of war crimes, and calls on the President and the Department of State to work toward a sustainable political transition in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2018
Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into acquisition, assistance, or financing agreements to address societal, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. USAID's Senior Coordinators for International Basic Education Assistance and Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and the State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues shall oversee all U.S. resources and activities relating to educational opportunities for adolescent girls. The bill requires USAID to seek to ensure program adherence to monitoring, evaluation, and data requirements and gender equality guidance. The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues shall review, update, submit to Congress, and make publicly available a U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls. The U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, issued in March 2016, shall be deemed to fulfill such requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2018 This bill: (1) reauthorizes the Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) Program, and (2) establishes a CFATS Recognition Program with the goal of leveraging CFATS regulations and industry stewardship programs to further enhance security relating to hazardous chemicals.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Restore the Harmony Way Bridge Act This bill amends the Act of April 12, 1941 (creating the White County Bridge Commission) to transfer a bridge over the Wabash River to the states of Illinois and Indiana without the condition of tolls.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Violence Against Women Extension Act of 2018 This bill extends through March 31, 2019, 19 grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and subsequent legislation and administered by the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act or the Pregnant Women in Custody Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery. Additionally, it requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics to include, in the National Prison Statistics Program and Annual Survey of Jails, statistics on the health needs of incarcerated pregnant women. A Bureau of Prisons facility must provide appropriate services and programs to address the health and safety needs of women inmates related to pregnancy and childbirth. The Government Accountability Office must study the services and protections for pregnant incarcerated women in state and local correctional settings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should support protections in law for individuals with pre-existing conditions and, in the case of a court ruling that would hinder such protections, act swiftly to reinstate such protections.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2018
Know the Cost Act of 2018 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.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Brooks, Susan W. [R-IN-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001284_200.jpg)