United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
This bill requires hospitals with emergency departments to be equipped with sexual assault forensic examiners as a condition of participation in the 340B drug pricing program (i.e., a program that allows entities to receive covered outpatient drugs at reduced prices from manufacturers). Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services must designate the hospital as a facility in which a sexual assault forensic examiner is available or on call 24-7. Hospitals that do not receive this designation after one year must take action to become designated within the following year. They must also implement an interim policy that allows emergency department patients to choose to be transferred free of charge to already-designated facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act or the Safe RESEARCH Act This bill prohibits the use of tissue from an induced abortion in research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research with human fetal tissue or alternatives to human fetal tissue (e.g., stem cells) conducted or supported by the NIH must meet requirements currently applied only to research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes, including requirements for the informed consent of the donor and researcher. Research conducted or supported by the NIH may use human fetal tissue only if the tissue was obtained in accordance with state law regulating anatomical gifts. Currently, executive branch officials may not prohibit the NIH from conducting or supporting research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. The bill repeals that limitation on executive branch officials. The bill repeals a requirement that the NIH fund certain proposals for research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2019 or the SAFE for America Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program, which makes immigrant visas available to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Veteran Entrepreneurs Act of 201 9 This bill allows a business-related tax credit of up to $400,000 for 25% of the franchise fees paid or incurred by an eligible veteran for the purchase of a franchise. The bill reduces the amount of such credit if the veteran does not own 100% of the stock or capital or profits interest of the franchisee. An "eligible veteran" is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service; was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable; and who pays or incurs a franchise fee in connection with a franchise agreement with a franchisor. The veteran may elect to transfer the credit to an eligible franchisor in exchange for a discount in the franchise fee commensurate with the value of the credit. The Small Business Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs must provide information about the tax credit allowed by this bill to veterans service organizations and veteran advocacy groups.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019 This bill temporarily restricts federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Specifically, the bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to this entity, or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. This restriction does not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this bill. Additional funding for community health centers is provided for the one-year period described above (subject to the same abortion-related restrictions and exceptions).
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 · 8 January 2019
Preserving America's Battlefields Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program and expands the purposes of the American Battlefield Preservation Program to include the preservation and protection of nationally significant battlefields of not only the Civil War but also the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and the enhancement of visitors' experiences at those battlefields.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act This bill modifies provisions related to military retired pay. Specifically, the bill authorizes veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation. The bill also makes qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service eligible for concurrent receipt, subject to specified reductions in retired pay.
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
Pay Our Coast Guard Act of 2019 This bill provides FY2019 continuing appropriations to the U.S. Coast Guard for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for the Coast Guard are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; and the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty. The appropriations are provided until the earlier of September 30, 2019, or the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Sanctity of Human Life Act This bill declares that (1) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human and is a person's most fundamental right; (2) each human life begins with fertilization, cloning, or its equivalent, at which time every human has all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and each U.S. territory have the authority to protect all human lives.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Medicaid Patient Abuse Prevention Act This bill allows state Medicaid fraud control units to investigate complaints of patient abuse or neglect in additional settings. Specifically, the bill allows a unit to review complaints regarding Medicaid patients who are in noninstitutional or other settings. Currently, such units may review complaints regarding patients who are in Medicaid-funded health care facilities or certain board-and-care facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Boundary Adjustment Act This bill modifies the boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia to include approximately eight acres of land or interests in land identified as Wallis House and Harriston Hill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
This bill expands the boundary of the Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and increases the maximum number of acres that may be included in the monument from 250 to 305 acres.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Defending Domestic Produce Production Act This bill establishes a process by which a core seasonal industry may petition for countervailing and antidumping duties.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Patients First Act of 2019 This bill requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support stem cell research. Specifically, the NIH must conduct and support basic and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, testing, and human clinical use of stem cells that may result in improved understanding of, or treatments for, diseases and other adverse health conditions. However, such techniques must not involve (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo; or (3) the use of any stem cell the derivation or provision of which would be inconsistent with this bill. The NIH must also report on peer-reviewed stem cell research proposals that were not funded.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Buy a Brick, Build the Wall Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to accept gifts of money for designing, constructing, or maintaining a barrier on the U.S. and Mexico border. Treasury shall establish a trust fund and website for that purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Thin Blue Line Act This bill expands the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
FairTax Act of 201 9 This bill imposes a national sales tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services in lieu of the current income taxes, payroll taxes, and estate and gift taxes. The rate of the sales tax will be 23% in 2021, with adjustments to the rate in subsequent years. There are exemptions from the tax for used and intangible property; for property or services purchased for business, export, or investment purposes; and for state government functions. Under the bill, family members who are lawful U.S. residents receive a monthly sales tax rebate (Family Consumption Allowance) based upon criteria related to family size and poverty guidelines. The states have the responsibility for administering, collecting, and remitting the sales tax to the Treasury. Tax revenues are to be allocated among (1) the general revenue, (2) the old-age and survivors insurance trust fund, (3) the disability insurance trust fund, (4) the hospital insurance trust fund, and (5) the federal supplementary medical insurance trust fund. No funding is authorized for the operations of the Internal Revenue Service after FY2023. Finally, the bill terminates the national sales tax if the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (authorizing an income tax) is not repealed within seven years after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2019 This bill establishes requirements regarding audits of certain financial agencies performed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Specifically, the bill directs the GAO to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2018
Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act of 2018 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to modify provisions relating to the enforcement of immigration laws. Specifically, the bill prohibits any individual (e.g., an employer) from restricting or interfering with the enforcement of the immigration laws by federal officials. It also denies states or localities (i.e., sanctuary jurisdictions) that fail to cooperate in the enforcement of the immigration laws eligibility for federal funds and law enforcement grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The bill amends detainer provisions to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to issue detainers for the arrest of an illegal alien if there is probable cause to believe that the alien is inadmissible or deportable. It also provides qualified immunity to governmental and certain nongovernmental entities that detain an alien, except in cases of mistreatment, and allows a private right of action to relatives of victims of crime committed by an alien released from custody by a state or local governmental entity that failed to honor a detainer. The bill also revises provisions requiring detention of aliens during the pendency of removal proceedings to require indefinite detention of aliens who have committed certain serious crimes; enhances penalties for the criminal offense of reentry after removal; establishes new and specific grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for aliens who are members of designated criminal gangs (consisting of five or more persons); and provides funding for border barriers, technology and other resources at the southern border to prevent illegal entry.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2018
Agricultural Trade Improvement Act of 2018 This bill establishes a process by which a core seasonal industry may petition for countervailing and antidumping duties.
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.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act This bill establishes the National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund and requires 50% of all energy development revenues for FY2019-FY2023 to be deposited into such fund. Amounts deposited in the fund must not exceed $1.3 billion for any fiscal year and must be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2018
Law Enforcement Retirement Enhancement Act This bill broadens the definition of "law enforcement officer" for purposes of enhanced retirement benefits under the Federal Employees' Retirement System. Specifically, it includes, as a law enforcement officer, a member of the Capitol Police who transfers to a supervisory or administrative position with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2018
Taxpayer Identity Protection Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service to submit to Congress a report regarding the Taxpayer Identification Number Perfection Program, including an explanation of the extent to which the information could be used to identify individuals receiving wages without work authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Efficient Drug Disposal Act of 2018 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to exempt certain solid waste incinerators from performance standards, including emission requirements. Specifically, incinerators used by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to destroy contraband or household pharmaceuticals are exempt from these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Drug Discount Accountability Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to collect a user fee from certain entities participating in the 340B drug pricing program, including critical access hospitals, for activities relating to program oversight and improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2018
Protect Kids and Parents Act This bill requires that a child of alien parents or legal guardians who are asylum applicants must be detained in the same facility. A "child" is defined as an individual who has not reached the age of 18, has no permanent immigration status, and was in the custody and presence of a parent or legal guardian when the parent or legal guardian was detained for illegally entering the United States. The bill also: directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase the total number of immigration judges and Board of Immigration staff attorneys; directs Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the total number of DHS personnel who process asylum applications; requires DOJ and DHS to establish procedures for expedited consideration and processing of asylum applications; requires expedited removal of asylum applicants whose applications have been denied; establishes a strong presumption in favor of family unity; requires DHS to publish guidance for locating separated children; and requires the Government Accountability Office to study, and report on, the prosecution of asylum seekers between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Preserving America's Battlefields Act This bill reauthorizes though FY2028 the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program and expands the purposes of the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002. Specifically, the Act's purposes shall include: the preservation and protection of nationally significant battlefields of not only the Civil War but also the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and the enhancement of visitors' experiences at those battlefields.
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 · 7 June 2018
Protecting Rational Incentives in Newsprint Trade Act of 2018 or the PRINT Act This bill directs the Department of Commerce to conduct a study of, and to report to Congress regarding, the economic well-being, health, and vitality of the newsprint industry and the local newspaper publishing industry in the United States, including an assessment of: the trends in demand for newsprint and traditional printed newspapers, in demand for digital or online consumption of news, and in the U.S. pulp and paper industry and the effect of declining demand for newsprint on the health of such industry; measures undertaken by printers and newspaper publishers to reduce costs in response to increased costs for newsprint in the United States, and whether such measures have harmed local news coverage or reduced employment in the newspaper and publishing industries; whether measures undertaken by publishers and printers to reduce costs have harmed local businesses that advertise in local newspapers; and the global production capacity for newsprint in light of the declining demand for newsprint. Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission may not give effect to an affirmative determination in an antidumping or countervailing duty investigation relating to imports of uncoated groundwood paper until the President certifies that he has received the report and has concluded that giving effect to the determination is in the economic interest of the United States. Until such time as the President issues the certification, the administering authority shall order a rate of zero for deposits posted in such an investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Accurate Labels Act This bill restricts the authority of state and federal agencies to establish or enforce labeling requirements with respect to the chemical composition of, or radiation emitted by, consumer products. Specifically, such requirements (1) must exempt nonfunctional or naturally occurring substances; (2) must exempt the inclusion of trade secrets; (3) may not preclude the delivery of certain supplemental or clarifying information; (4) shall not apply to a substance if the concentration of the substance in the product is below a specified level; (5) shall not apply, with respect to the emission of radiation, if the level of emission is below a specified level; (6) must allow for certain information to be communicated to consumers electronically or digitally; and (7) must be risk-based and meet other specified standards.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Phair Pricing Act of 2018 This bill requires that negotiated prices for covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit be disclosed at the point-of-sale.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Small Carrier Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act of 2018 This bill creates an exemption from electronic logging device requirements for motor carriers that own or operate 10 or fewer commercial vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Protecting the Dignity of Unborn Children Act of 2018 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to recklessly dispose of or abandon fetal remains in a landfill or in any navigable waters of the United States. The term "fetal remains" means any part (except a cremated part) of a deceased human fetus following an abortion. A violator is subject to a fine, up to three years in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2018
340B Optimization Act This bill requires federally-qualified health centers, children's hospitals, and other covered entities participating in the 340B drug discount program to report annually on information regarding low-income outpatient utilization rates.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2018
Abuse Deterrent Access Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to report to Congress on the adequacy of access to abuse-deterrent opioid formulations for individuals with chronic pain enrolled in a prescription drug plan under Medicare or Medicare Advantage (MA). The report must account for any barriers preventing enrollees from accessing such formulations under Medicare or MA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2018
This bill limits the authority of the Department of State with respect to international postal agreements that would require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to establish a classification, rate, or fee for any postal service. The Board of Governors of the USPS must establish reasonable and equitable classes of mail and reasonable and equitable rates of postage and fees for the transportation and delivery within the United States of documents and goods received from other countries. Such classifications, rates, and fees shall be regulated by the Postal Regulatory Commission in the same manner as comparable domestic classifications, rates, and fees, and shall be available to users of domestic postal services under the same terms and conditions as provided to foreign post offices and other entities tendering documents and goods from other countries to the USPS. The classifications, rates, and fees established by the USPS shall not discriminate between documents or goods received from other countries based on the country of origin, the nationality of the sender, or the ownership or governmental designation of the entity tendering the documents or goods to it. The State Department may not conclude a treaty, convention, or other intergovernmental agreement that requires the USPS to provide preferential classifications, rates, or fees for the transportation and delivery within the United States of documents and goods received from other countries unless specified conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Special Registration for Telemedicine Clarification Act of 2018 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish a deadline for the Drug Enforcement Administration to promulgate regulations for the special registration of practitioners to practice telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018
Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018 This bill extends access to Department of Defense commissaries and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) facilities to Purple Heart recipients, veterans with a service-connected disability, Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war, and veteran caregivers. (Commissaries are grocery/department stores on military installations that sell food and some household items. MWR facilities offer a range of services on bases including libraries, outdoor recreation, dining, golf courses, and sports and fitness centers.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018
Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2023 the program that provides payments to children's hospitals that operate graduate medical education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2018
Prescription Transparency Act of 2018 This bill prohibits contract provisions between a health insurer and a pharmacy that prohibit or penalize a pharmacist's disclosure to an individual purchasing a prescription drug of information regarding (1) the cost of the drug, (2) the availability of any therapeutically equivalent alternative drug, or (3) less expensive methods of purchasing the drug.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Supports: (1) U.S.-Israel cooperation to counter Iran's destabilizing activities, (2) enhancing Israel's deterrence capabilities, (3) including Israel in the first tier of countries receiving strategic trade authorization, and (4) the U.S. declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001103_200.jpg)