United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Miners Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to provide health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families. The bill expands the group whose retiree health benefits are taken into account in determining the amount that the Department of the Treasury must transfer from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan. A voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) established as a result of certain bankruptcy proceedings must transfer to the plan any amounts received as a result of the bankruptcy proceeding, reduced by the amount of the VEBA's administrative costs. Transfers by Treasury are reduced by the amount of the VEBA transfers. Treasury must also transfer additional funds to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill also: (1) prohibits the pension plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received, and (2) establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan. The bill repeals requirements for current and former signatories to labor agreements with the UMWA to pay unassigned beneficiaries premiums or backstop premiums if transfers under SMCRA are less than the amount required to be transferred.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Original Living Wage Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to the minimum hourly wage sufficient for a person working for 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, to earn an annual income 15% higher than the federal poverty threshold for a four-person household, with two children under age 18, and living in the 48 contiguous states. The Department of Labor (DOL) shall determine the minimum wage rate by June 1, 2017, and review it every four years. DOL may not adjust the minimum wage to a lower rate.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2016
Honors: (1) the individuals who lost their lives in the tragic fire in Oakland, California, on December 2, 2016; and (2) the sacrifice of the individuals who put themselves in harm's way to help save lives and to respond to the fire. Expresses support for Oakland's continued emergency response efforts and work to assist the victims' families. Offers condolences and support to the victims' families and loved ones. Expresses solidarity with the people of the East Bay of California as they work to heal their community. Reaffirms a commitment to support long-term recovery efforts in partnership with local and state governments, citizens, and businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
National Observations of Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality Act of 2016 or the NO HATE Act of 2016 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to report hate crime information to the Department of Justice (DOJ). DOJ must reduce the JAG allocation of a state or local government state that fails to comply. The bill directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation to include hate crime information in the Uniform Crime Reports and the National Incident-Based Reporting System.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) mourns the death of Ms. Jacqueline A. Ellis, (2) expresses condolences to her family, and (3) celebrates her life and righteous accomplishments and honorable deeds.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Commends the leadership, staff, scholars, designers, construction workers, volunteers, charter members, and donors who worked tirelessly to realize the venerable dream of opening the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution. Encourages all citizens and residents of, and visitors to, the United States to visit the museum when touring the nation's capital.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Eastern North Carolina Gateway Act of 2016 This bill amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, as amended, to declare as high priority corridors on the National Highway System as well as segments of the Interstate System: U.S. Route 264 from its intersection with U.S. Route 64 (High Priority Corridor 13) near Zebulon, North Carolina, to Greenville, North Carolina; and the Eastern North Carolina Gateway Corridor from U.S. Route 70 (High Priority Corridor 82) in the vicinity of Kinston, North Carolina, passing in the vicinity of Greenville, North Carolina, to U.S. 64 (High Priority Corridor 13) in the vicinity of Bethel, North Carolina, and generally along the routes of U.S. Route 13 and North Carolina Highway 11.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Computer Science for All Act of 2016 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education (ED) shall award grants to states, local educational agencies, and eligible tribal schools to serve as models for national replication of computer education expansion efforts. A grant application shall include specified plans that demonstrate the applicant's ability to carry out an ambitious expansion effort for all students, including traditionally underrepresented students. A grant recipient shall use the grant funds to: train teachers to teach computer science; expand access to high-quality learning materials and online learning options; create plans for expanding overall access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) classes; utilize computer science as a catalyst for increased interest in STEAM more broadly; reduce course equity gaps for all students; and ensure additional support and resources. A grantee may also use grant funds to: build effective regional collaborations, recruit and hire instructional personnel, prepare for effectively sustaining project activities after the grant period ends, and disseminate information about effective practices. At least semi-annually, a grantee must report to ED on specified data related to the number of students served through program activities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) designate voting systems used in the United States as critical infrastructure; (2) include threats of compromise, disruption, or destruction of voting systems in national planning scenarios; and (3) conduct a campaign to proactively educate local election officials about the designation of voting systems as critical infrastructure and election officials at all levels of government of voting system threats. In furtherance of local election official preparedness and response, DHS shall conduct research and development to mitigate the consequences of voting systems threats. DHS shall prepare and submit to Congress a comprehensive plan to protect and prepare the critical infrastructure of the voting systems used in the United States against threats, including from acts of terrorism. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall develop standards for ensuring the operational security of the voting systems used in elections for federal office. This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a state, in operating the voting system, to comply with applicable standards for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. The testing and certification of voting systems hardware and software shall test whether voting systems are in compliance with applicable standards developed by NIST for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. NIST shall develop standards for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. States shall comply with applicable standards, in operating the voting system, for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. The National Science Foundation shall establish an election technology innovation research and development program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2016
Election Integrity Act of 2016 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to: (1) prohibit states or jurisdictions from purchasing or otherwise acquiring for use in an election for federal office a direct recording electronic voting system or other electronic voting system that does not produce a voter-verified paper record; (2) prohibit imposition of conditions on voting by mail; (3) make mandatory the availability of early voting; and (4) require sufficient polling places, equipment, and resources to facilitate voting. The Director of the National Science Foundation shall make grants to eligible entities to study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy. Each state shall, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. Mandatory response by the Attorney General is required to allegations of voter intimidation or suppression by law enforcement officers and other government officials. The Election Assistance Commission shall study and, on the basis of the findings of the study, issue standards for states to follow in establishing an appropriate number and geographic distribution of voting sites in elections for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that a National Voting Rights Act Mobilization Day should be designated to remind all Americans of the critical role that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 continues to play in protecting the right to vote, and to be an occasion for them to voice their support for this landmark civil rights law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2016
Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act This bill establishes within the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Office of the Staff Director the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to make a systemic study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys in America.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children Act or the RACE for Children Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand requirements for assessing the use of medications in pediatric populations. Applications and supplements to applications for certain drugs and biological products, including orphan drugs, that could be used to treat pediatric cancer must include an assessment of pediatric use. Upon request, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must meet with the sponsor of such a medication to discuss the plan for pediatric studies. The FDA may require the sponsor of an approved medication that could be used to treat pediatric cancer to complete a pediatric assessment if: (1) the medication is used for a substantial number of pediatric cancer patients, or (2) there is reason to believe the medication would have a meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing therapies for pediatric cancer patients. The bill limits waivers of pediatric assessment requirements for certain medications that could be used to treat a pediatric cancer for which there is a need for additional treatment options. The FDA must meet with medication sponsors to discuss a deferral or waiver of the pediatric assessment requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting the federal government, states, or places subject to their jurisdiction from denying persons the right to a fair and equal education. The amendment makes it the responsibility of the states, Indian tribes, and territories to provide a quality education to all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that governments should: assure that travelers are informed about the mosquito transmission of the Zika virus, assure that athletes traveling to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil are informed about the presence of the Zika virus and that Brazil has taken appropriate protective measures, urge travelers to take steps to reduce the chances of contracting the illness, and urge travelers returning from an area where mosquito transmission is actively occurring to take precautions to protect others from Zika virus exposure and to seek medical advice should disease symptoms occur.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Urban Progress Act of 2016 This bill provides support (e.g. grant programs or tax credits) for: the Rental Assistance Demonstration program that improves public housing, qualified ex-felons and employers who hire them, economically disadvantaged communities, a training program for workers, a program for providing eligible youth with summer employment opportunities, a plan to reduce the number of children living in poverty, benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for children who attend summer school, families that have children and are under 150% of the poverty line, a process to expunge and seal certain youth criminal records, an effort in preventing juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and a program for increasing the racial diversity of law enforcement agencies. The bill also addresses gun violence, including by: (1) making trafficking in firearms a crime, (2) establishing firearm prohibitions for certain high-risk individuals, (3) establishing background check requirements, and (4) requiring gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm to Department of Justice and local law enforcement authorities within 48 hours of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Condemns the June 12, 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed and expresses hope for the recovery of those who were wounded. Applauds the bravery and dedication of the law enforcement officials, emergency medical responders, and others who offered their support and assistance. Declares that the House of Representatives stands together united against terrorism and hatred.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day. Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future, and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act (SSAct) to expand the collection and analysis of data in programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bill sets forth provisions regarding cultural competence in federal health care programs and services, including provisions establishing the Robert T. Matsui Center for Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care. HHS must engage in activities regarding health workforce diversity, including: (1) establishing a working group and a technical clearinghouse; (2) awarding grants to academic institutions; (3) establishing a health and health care disparities education program; and (4) providing for scholarships, student loan repayment and loan forgiveness, and research fellowships. Health Empowerment Zone Act of 2016 HHS may designate areas as health empowerment zones in communities that experience disproportionate disparities in health status and health care. HHS must engage in activities regarding the quality of and access to health care, including expanding access to health care and health care insurance for immigrants, designating centers of excellence at public hospitals and other health systems serving minority patients, increasing Medicaid payments to territories and to Native Hawaiian health centers, and providing for border health grants. The bill establishes: (1) programs to reduce health disparities affecting minorities and rural residents, and (2) an Office of Minority Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to revise requirements for qualified health plans, including to require plans to provide information on the availability of care in languages other than English. (Qualified health plans are sold on health insurance exchanges, are the only plans eligible for premium subsidies, and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.) The bill sets forth provisions regarding the health of women and children, including provisions to expand access to federal programs for immigrant women and children, eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes, and establish programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must develop a multisite gestational diabetes research project. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct to expand coverage of marriage and family therapist services, mental health counselor services, and substance abuse counselor services. Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2016 HHS must implement the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Program to achieve a reduction of at least 25% in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2020. Prostate Research, Outreach, Screening, Testing, Access, and Treatment Effectiveness Act of 2016 or the PROSTATE Act The VA must take action to address prostate cancer, including by establishing the Interagency Prostate Cancer Coordination and Education Task Force. Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2016 HHS must implement programs to address hepatitis B and C. Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research and Treatment Act of 2016 The CDC must establish the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must develop guidelines to screen minority patient populations which have a higher than average risk for many chronic diseases and cancers. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the SSAct, including to expand coverage to include routine medical costs when a beneficiary is in an approved clinical trial. HHS must expand HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention activities, including: (1) identification of issues that impede disease status awareness and retention in appropriate care, (2) research into treatment adherence strategies, (3) grants to public health agencies and faith-based organizations, (4) the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, and (5) health workforce training for culturally competent care. HHS must award grants for comprehensive sex education programs for adolescents. A program that supports abstinence education is eliminated. Community organizations may distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and engage in sexually transmitted infection counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Stop AIDS in Prison Act The Bureau of Prisons must develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates. Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disorders Health Disparities Act The National Institutes of Health must expand research addressing sleep health disparities. The CDC must expand activities regarding sleep disorders. The bill sets forth provisions regarding the use of health information technology to reduce health disparities, particularly in racial and ethnic minority communities. The bill prohibits discrimination in federal health care programs and research activities. HHS must establish: (1) the Office of Health Disparities in the Office for Civil Rights, (2) civil rights compliance offices in each HHS agency that administers health programs, and (3) a program at the National Center for Environmental Health on health impact assessment, which is the process of determining the potential effects of a policy, program, or project on health.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016
Stop Mass Killings By Violent Terrorists Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a federally licensed firearms dealer, importer, or manufacturer from transferring, to a person who is a non-licensee, a large capacity ammunition feeding device, unless: (1) the licensee has conducted a criminal background check of the person, and (2) the Department of Justice (DOJ) has verified the truthfulness of certain written responses given by the person with respect to recent contacts by federal law enforcement authorities. In addition, the bill prohibits a federally licensed firearms dealer, importer, or manufacturer from transferring, to a person who is a non-licensee, a semiautomatic weapon (for which a criminal background check is already required under current law), unless DOJ has verified the truthfulness of the person's written responses with respect to recent contacts by federal law enforcement authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016
SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pilot program, to be known as Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training (or SOAR to Health and Wellness Training), to train health care providers and other related providers to: identify potential human trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims, refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances, and consider integrating this training with existing training programs. The pilot program must include the functions of the training program with the same name that was operating before this bill's enactment and the following initiatives: engaging stakeholders to develop a flexible training module, supporting training in diverse health care sites, providing technical assistance to health education programs, developing a strategy to incentivize the use of training materials developed under this bill and the implementation of a nationwide health care protocol, and developing a methodology for collecting and reporting data on the number of human trafficking victims served in health care settings or other related provider settings. The pilot program is authorized through FY2022. HHS must report on the number of facilities operating under the pilot program, the number of providers trained through the pilot program, and these numbers for the program operating before the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start for Infants program for FY2017-FY2022. (The purpose of this program is to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Declares that Congress supports efforts to: increase diversity and inclusion in the technology sector; eliminate barriers faced by people of color and other underrepresented groups when breaking into the technology sector; ensure all students have access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education for a 21st century economy; strengthen investments in and collaborations with minority-serving educational institutions to sustain a pipeline of diverse STEAM graduates ready to enter the technology sector; and improve data collection, disaggregation, and dissemination of information for greater understanding and transparency of diversity in STEAM education and across the workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Expresses support for the designation of June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month and June 2, 2016, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Calls on the people of the United States to: promote greater awareness of gun violence and gun safety; wear orange on National Gun Violence Awareness Day; concentrate heightened attention on gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make the communities safer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Senate's Court Obligations Trump Unconstitutional Stalling Resolution or the SCOTUS Resolution Prohibits the House of Representatives or Senate from adjourning, remaining adjourned, or convening solely in a pro forma session for a period of more than two days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, except when the House or Senate is in session on such a day) during the remainder of the 114th Congress unless, at the time the period of adjournment begins, the Senate has taken action on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by: (1) holding a hearing on the nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee, or (2) holding a vote on the nomination in the Senate. Requires such prohibition to take effect July 19, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Senior Accessible Housing Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to create a nonrefundable personal tax credit for senior citizens who modify their residences to enhance their ability to remain living safely, independently, and comfortably in the residences. The credit applies to up to $30,000 of the expenses that individuals who are at least 60 years old incur over their lifetime to make modifications to their residences, including: the installation of entrance and exit ramps, the widening of doorways, the installation of handrails or grab bars, the installation of non-slip flooring, and other modifications that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) includes on a list of modifications that would enhance the ability of the individuals to remain living safely, independently, and comfortably in their residences. The IRS must establish and maintain the list of acceptable modifications after consulting with the Department of Health and Human Services and receiving input from the public
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2016 This bill appropriates funding for the activities in the bill. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to enter into cooperative agreements with states to expand opioid treatment capacity, make services more affordable to those who cannot afford them, and help individuals seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and certain pain medications.) Funding must be allocated to states based on the severity of the opioid epidemic in the state and the strength of the state's strategy to respond. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must expand efforts to support prescription drug monitoring programs and health information technology interoperability. The Bureau of Prisons must support drug treatment programs. The bill amends the Second Chance Act to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help justice-involved individuals successfully reintegrate into the community. The bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to permit DOJ to support the development of residential and aftercare services for substance-involved inmates. DOJ must establish new heroin enforcement groups within the Drug Enforcement Administration to target, disrupt, and dismantle heroin trafficking organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2016 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for disability insurance benefits for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and require their payment starting the first month during all of which the individual is under a disability and in which the individual becomes entitled to the benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Stop Infant Mortality And Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016 or the SIMARRA Act This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons to establish a pilot program to allow incarcerated women who give birth and children born during such incarceration to reside together in a separate prison housing unit. It sets forth inmate eligibility criteria and program participation requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Recognizes the significance of Fair Housing Month. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, upon the occasions of the 48th and 28th anniversaries of their enactment, respectively. Encourages all people and levels of government to rededicate themselves to the enforcement and ideals of fair housing laws.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Investing in America's Small Businesses Act of 2016 This bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to make grants to community development financial institutions to enable such institutions to establish a loan-loss reserve fund to defray the costs of a small business loan program. The bill defines "small business loan program" as a program in which a community development financial institution offers loans to small businesses that: (1) are made in amounts up to $50,000, (2) have no prepayment penalty, and (3) meet any affordability requirements established by Administrator of the Fund. A community development financial institution must provide non-federal matching funds equal to 50% of the amount of any grant received. The bill prohibits the use of such grants to make direct loans to small businesses. A community development financial institution may use such a grant to: (1) help recapture a portion or all of a defaulted loan made under its small business loan program, and (2) designate and utilize a fiscal agent for services the agent normally provides. The Fund shall make technical assistance grants to community development financial institutions to create, support, or maintain such a program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2016
Fair Chance at Housing Act of 2016 This bill amends the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 to replace the definition of "drug-related criminal activity" with "covered criminal activity" in connection with federally assisted housing, meaning any: criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants, employees, or the housing owner or a public housing agency (PHA); or violent criminal activity off the premises by a tenant or any member of the tenant's household that poses risk of future harm to other tenants, employees, or the PHA or owner. The bill requires a PHA or owner, when screening of applicants for federally assisted housing, to conduct an individualized review of the totality of the circumstances regarding an applicant's criminal background, including disability-related offenses, before denying a housing application. A PHA or owner: may not deny an application based on previous evictions or inconclusive evidence, and must give an applicant household the option to remove a culpable member before denying an application. The bill prohibits suspicionless drug and alcohol testing, and applies requirements similar to those for screening applicants to termination of tenancy and assistance for covered criminal activity. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shall require annual reports from PHAs and owners on the disposition of applications, especially denials. The United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended, with respect to administrative procedures for a grievance concerning an eviction or termination of tenancy, to eliminate reference to drug-related criminal activity and specify only covered violent criminal activity. A PHA may neither require nor request an applicant for admission to public housing to authorize the PHA to receive information from a drug abuse treatment facility. A PHA may prohibit visitation of a public housing dwelling unit by a non-tenant on the basis of the non-tenant's criminal activity only if it is covered criminal activity, and other criteria are met. The bill revises project-based and voucher assistance requirements for termination of tenancy and selection for section 8 (voucher) rental assistance to reflect only covered criminal activity and eliminate reference to drug-related activity. The Department of Agriculture shall revise regulations for applicant screening and tenancy termination in specified rural housing programs to become substantially similar to HUD regulations for housing assistance programs. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is amended, with respect to the continuum of care program, to require a grant recipient's plan to describe how the recipient will collaborate with local criminal justice systems and the coordinated entry system to create pathways to housing for those cycling between homelessness and incarceration. The bill authorizes bonuses or other incentives to collaborative applicants and PHAs whose applications propose innovative solutions for providing pathways to housing for formerly incarcerated individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill permanently reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 (Emmett Till Act) and expands the responsibilities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights statutes violations that resulted in a death, regardless of when the violations occurred. (Currently, the Emmett Till Act is scheduled to expire at the end of FY2017 and such investigations are limited to violations that occurred before 1970.) The bill expresses the sense of Congress that all authorities with jurisdiction should: (1) coordinate information sharing; (2) hold accountable individuals who were perpetrators of, or accomplices in, unsolved civil rights murders; and (3) comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. In investigating a complaint, DOJ may coordinate activities with entities that DOJ determines to be appropriate. DOJ shall reopen and review cases closed without an in-person investigation conducted by DOJ or the FBI. DOJ must establish a task force to conduct a thorough investigation of Emmett Till Act cases. In an annual report to Congress, DOJ must indicate: (1) the number of cases referred by a civil rights organization, an institution of higher education, or a state or local law enforcement agency; (2) the number of such cases that resulted in federal charges; (3) the date any such charges were filed; (4) whether DOJ has declined to prosecute or participate in an investigation of a referred case; and (5) any activity on reopened cases. DOJ may award grants to civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities for expenses associated with investigating offenses under the Emmett Till Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Free Credit Score Act of 2016 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require nationwide consumer reporting agencies to include the consumer's credit score when furnishing a consumer with a free annual report.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides appropriations to HHS for: the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.) The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for: the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2016 This bill requires the Surgeon General to report to Congress on the public health effects of the increased use since January 2010 by individuals who are 12 to 18 years old of drugs developed and manufactured to avoid control under the Controlled Substances Act (e.g., synthetic marijuana, also known as "spice," and synthetic amphetamines, also known as "bath salts").
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
2016 Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act This bill makes supplemental appropriations for FY2016 for the Army Corps of Engineers for construction for flood control and storm damage reduction projects in areas affected by flooding in Houston, Texas, that have received a major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Appropriated funds shall remain available through FY2026 and shall be designated as being for disaster relief under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month, which include bringing attention to the severe health disparities faced by minority populations in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Declares that, whenever a moment of silence related to a tragedy involving gun violence occurs on the floor of the House, the Speaker shall announce on the next legislative day the standing committee (or subcommittee) designated to hold a hearing on the event.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2016
Free File Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program. The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to: provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income; provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services. Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns. The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to: simplify the tax system, reduce compliance and reporting burdens, increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication, strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration, avoid duplication, and maximize the use of electronic technology.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of National Brain Tumor Awareness Month; (2) research to develop better treatments for brain tumors that will improve the quality of life and the long-term prognosis for those with brain tumors; and (3) those who are battling brain tumors and their families, friends, and caregivers. Encourages increased public awareness of brain tumors to honor individuals who are living with or who have lost their lives to brain tumors. Urges a collaborative public-private approach to brain tumor research.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2016
Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2016 Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2016 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise and rename the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program as the Missing Americans Alert Program and to reauthorize it through FY2021. It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants to state and local law enforcement or public safety agencies and nonprofit organizations to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2016
Recognizes the efforts of linemen in keeping the electrical power on and protecting public safety. Expresses support for the designation of National Lineman Appreciation Day.
![Official portrait of Rep. Butterfield, G. K. [D-NC-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001251_200.jpg)