United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2019
This resolution opposes the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) and other efforts targeting Israel, and states that BDS undermines the possibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The resolution urges both sides to return to direct negotiations and expresses support for a solution resulting in the state of Israel existing alongside a democratic Palestinian state.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2019
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2021. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to support the mission of such organization, including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act This bill renames the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) program, reauthorizes the program through FY2024, and makes changes relating to work requirements for beneficiaries. States providing aid under the program shall create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary. States shall impose work requirements on all work-eligible beneficiaries, and shall reduce benefits for noncompliance. (Currently, individual plans are optional under TANF, and states have discretion as to whether to reduce benefits for noncompliant individuals.) States providing aid shall meet annual performance targets related to the number of beneficiaries who exit the program and find unsubsidized employment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall reduce grants to states that fail to meet such targets. States shall provide data related to beneficiary employment and wages to HHS, which shall be publicly available. The bill modifies various limitations on the use of funds for various purposes, and establishes that at least 25% of funds from various grants shall be spent on core activities. Certain existing laws relating to monitoring and recovering improper benefits payments shall apply to the JOBS program. The bill eliminates programs providing (1) supplemental grants for population increases, (2) bonuses for high performance states, (3) welfare-to-work grants, and (4) contingency funds for state welfare programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2019
Physician Assistant Higher Education Modernization Act of 2019 This bill assists qualified individuals in receiving the education and training needed to become a physician assistant. Graduate students enrolled in physician assistant education programs are eligible for (1) increased Unsubsidized Stafford Loan limits, and (2) loan forgiveness programs for those who serve in areas of national need upon graduation. The Department of Education (ED) must provide historically Black colleges and universities and predominantly Black institutions with grants to fund physician assistant studies at the masters level, prioritize the awarding of grants for physician assistant education programs at the postbaccalaureate level that will benefit Hispanics and low-income students, and provide grants to prepare certified physician assistants to become faculty members in accredited graduate-level physician assistant education programs. In addition, ED is authorized to award grants to rural-serving institutions of higher education for (1) increasing enrollment and graduation rates of students from rural areas in postbaccalaureate physician assistant education programs, and (2) training physician assistants in rural areas through the creation and expansion of physician assistant education programs in rural areas. ED may also award grants to physician assistant education programs for enhancing the programs and improving patient safety by supporting the purchase of new infrastructure and technology.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2019
Agricultural Trucking Relief Act of 2019 This bill revises regulations related to the transportation of agricultural commodities. Specifically, the bill expands the definition of agricultural commodity to include (1) aquaculture, horticultural, and floricultural commodities; (2) fruits; (3) vegetables; (4) any non-human living animal and the products thereof; and (5) other agricultural products that are sensitive to temperature or climate and at risk of perishing in transit. Under current law, an agricultural commodity means any agricultural commodity, non-processed food, feed, fiber, or livestock.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2019
Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act This bill authorizes The American Legion to expand membership eligibility to include veterans and service members who served during times that were not designated periods of war. Currently, only veterans and service members who served during periods of time specified by Congress are eligible to join The American Legion.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2019
Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act of 2019 or the 911 SAVES Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget, by 30 days after the bill's enactment, to categorize public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification System.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2019
Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish a program to provide children with parents on active duty in the uniformed services with funds to pay educational expenses. Specifically, ED shall establish a tax-exempt Military Education Savings Account for dependent children of parents in the uniformed services for the payment of the children's educational expenses. Funds in the savings account may be used for, among other things, the cost of attendance at a private elementary or secondary school or institution of higher education, private tutoring, or costs associated with an apprenticeship or other vocational training program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act This bill allows individual and corporate taxpayers a tax credit for cash contributions to tax-exempt scholarship-granting organizations for elementary and secondary education expenses. It imposes a cap of $5 billion on the amount of contributions that qualify for a tax credit. The bill directs the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department of the Treasury, to establish, host, and maintain a web portal that (1) lists all eligible scholarship-granting organizations; (2) enables contributions to such organizations; (3) provides information about the benefits of this bill; and (4) enables a state to submit and update information about its programs and scholarship-granting organizations, including information on student eligibility and allowable educational expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of one Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician; one Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Christine Darden, for her service to the United States as an aeronautical engineer; two Congressional Gold Medals in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in recognition of their service to the United States during the Space Race; and one Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) between the 1930s and the 1970s.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Illegal Alien NICS Alert Act This bill requires the national instant criminal background check system to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and relevant state and local law enforcement agencies when the system indicates that a prospective firearm transferee is illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Notify ICE Act This bill requires the national instant criminal background check system to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the individuals determined to be ineligible to receive a firearm due to their illegal or unlawful presence in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Aluminum Pricing Examination Act or the APEX Act This bill authorizes the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to set reference prices for aluminum premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Health Insurance Tax Relief Act of 2019 This bill delays reimposition of the annual fee on health insurers until 2022. Under current law, the annual fee for a health insurer is calculated based on the insurer's share of total premiums from the preceding year. The fee is suspended for 2019 (i.e., there is no fee based on premiums from 2018); reimposition is scheduled for 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 This bill eliminates the five-month waiting period for disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord). Under current law, individuals must wait five months after becoming disabled before their disability insurance benefit payments may begin.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act or the DRIVE-Safe Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
This resolution recognizes that the national debt is a threat to national security and that deficits are unsustainable, irresponsible, and dangerous. It also commits to restoring regular order to the appropriations process and addressing the fiscal crisis faced by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act This bill funds through FY2090 the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Additionally, the bill modifies the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): to allow claims to be filed until October 2089, to require VCF policies and procedures to be reassessed at least once every five years (currently, at least once annually), to require claimants to be paid for the amount by which a claim was reduced on the basis of insufficient funding, to remove the cap on noneconomic damages in certain circumstances, and to adjust the annual limit on economic loss compensation for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
The Mass Violence Prevention Act of 2019 or the MVP Act of 2019 This bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense involving the theft of a firearm from a federal firearms licensee. It also directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take specified actions to prevent gun violence. First, the bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense involving the theft of a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. Specifically, the bill (1) increases from 10 to 20 years the maximum prison term, and (2) creates a 3- or 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an offense that occurs during the commission of a burglary or robbery. Further, an attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense. Next, the bill establishes a Mass Violence Prevention Center in DOJ to, among other things, serve as the primary government organization for analyzing and integrating all government intelligence pertaining to threats of mass violence. Finally, the bill authorizes DOJ to appoint no fewer than 50 Assistant U.S. Attorneys to implement Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a national initiative to reduce gun violence in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act This bill establishes the National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund into which, through FY2024, there shall be deposited an amount equal to 50% of all energy development revenues due to the federal government from oil, gas, coal, or alternative or renewable energy development on federal lands and waters. Deposited amounts must not exceed $1.3 billion for any fiscal year. From such amounts 80% shall be allocated to the National Park Service for high-priority deferred maintenance projects, ensuring parity between transportation and nontransportation projects; 10% shall be for the national wildlife refuge system maintenance backlog; 5% shall be for the public access and recreation backlog on public lands; and 5% shall be for school construction and deferred maintenance backlogs. The Department of the Interior must submit to Congress, with the President's annual budget submission, a list of projects receiving allocations from the fund and a description of each such project. Interior, and other specified agencies, may accept cash or in-kind donations that advance efforts to reduce maintenance backlogs and encourage public-private partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
African-American Burial Grounds Network Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the U.S. African-American Burial Grounds Network within the National Park Service (NPS). In carrying out the network, Interior, among other things, must review existing and new studies and reports to inform consideration of sites for the network; furnish specified technical assistance; develop a program to train states, units of local government, regional governmental bodies, organizations, educational institutions, and private entities to carry out the purposes of this bill; and produce and disseminate educational and training materials related to African-American burial ground identification methods and best practices for caring for artifacts, developing interpretive tours and exhibits, preserving burial ground landscapes, heritage tourism initiatives and sources for grants (e.g., handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information). A burial ground shall only be considered for addition to the network with the property owner's consent and at the request of an individual, landowner, private or nonprofit organization, state or local government, or another entity.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Electronic Court Records Reform Act of 2019 This bill directs the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, in coordination with the General Services Administration, to consolidate the Case Management/Electronic Case Files system into one system. Additionally, it establishes certain requirements for the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, including the following: documents filed with a federal court must be publicly accessible upon filing, and documents on PACER must be available to the public and to parties before the court free of charge.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
LEOSA Reform Act This bill revises provisions related to the carrying of concealed firearms by certain active duty and retired law enforcement officers. Specifically, the bill allows qualified active duty and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms, including magazines and ammunition, in school zones; on state, local, and private property that is otherwise open to the public; in national parks; and in certain federal facilities that are open to the public. Additionally, states may reduce the frequency (currently, once during the most recent 12-month period) with which a retired law enforcement officer must meet firearms training standards to be certified to carry a concealed firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Horse Protection Amendments Act This bill addresses the protection of horses. Specifically, the bill replaces the Designated Qualified Persons program responsible for inspecting horses for soring with a new inspection system. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture must establish a single Horse Industry Organization (HIO) in order to establish a formal affiliation with the management of each horse sale, horse exhibition, and horse sale or auction, and appoint inspectors to conduct inspections. The Commissioners of Agriculture for Tennessee and Kentucky must appoint individuals to the HIO. Those individuals must appoint individuals representing the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019 This bill modifies the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages to exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; increase the amount of the small wine producer tax credit and expand the categories of producers covered by such credit; allow an adjustment to the producer credit for hard cider; and modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. The bill also increases funding for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 This bill increases the per-country cap on family-based immigrant visas from 7% of the total number of such visas available that year to 15%, and eliminates the 7% cap for employment-based immigrant visas. It also removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China. The bill also establishes transition rules for employment-based visas from FY2020-FY2022, by reserving a percentage of EB-2 (workers with advanced degrees or exceptional ability), EB-3 (skilled and other workers), and EB-5 (investors) visas for individuals not from the two countries with the largest number of recipients of such visas. Of the unreserved visas, not more than 85% shall be allotted to immigrants from any single country.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act This bill establishes additional requirements for prescription drug plan sponsors (PDPs) under Medicare and Medicare Advantage, as well as health insurance carriers under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, relating to the methodology of payments to pharmacies and the use of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). Specifically, such PDPs and carriers must disclose specified information to pharmacies regarding applicable standards for reimbursement that are based on drug costs, including the sources used to update such standards. Additionally, such PDPs and carriers may not contract with PBMs that require, or that provide an incentive for, plan enrollees to use pharmacies that have a shared ownership interest with the PBM.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Phair Pricing Act of 2019 This bill requires that certain negotiated prices for covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit be disclosed at the point-of-sale. Specifically, negotiated prices offered under a prescription drug plan (PDP) must be disclosed at the point-of-sale; the disclosed price must include specified adjustments, payments, and fees that are negotiated with the pharmacy (e.g., dispensing fees) by the PDP sponsor or pharmacy benefit manager. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish certain quality measures for PDP sponsors to use when determining incentive payments and adjustments (e.g., performance payments) to pharmacies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2019
SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Act This resolution establishes in the House of Representatives the Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program under which certain family members of a member of the Armed Forces who is a hostile casualty or died from a training-related injury may serve a 12-month fellowship in the office of a Member of the House.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. A health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to another child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) immediately admit the child to a hospital. The bill also requires a health care practitioner or other employee to immediately report any failure to comply with this requirement to law enforcement. A person who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. Additionally, an individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate these provisions, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony. A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
This concurrent resolution designates the George C. Marshall Museum and George C. Marshall Research Library in Lexington, Virginia, as the "National George C. Marshall Museum and Library."
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2019
No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2019 or NOPEC This bill prohibits a foreign state from engaging in collective action impacting the market, supply, price, or distribution of oil, natural gas, or other petroleum product in the U.S. Specifically, a foreign state is prohibited from collective action that limits the production or distribution of such product, collective action to set or maintain the price of such product, or any other action that restrains trade of such product. Specified defenses such as sovereign immunity (i.e., a foreign state's immunity from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts) and the act of state doctrine (i.e., the prohibition of a court invalidating an official act of a foreign sovereign performed within its own territory) shall not apply to a foreign state's violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Nuclear Family Priority Act This bill imposes limits on various types of family-sponsored immigration visas. The alien parents of U.S. citizens shall not qualify for visas for "immediate relatives," which are not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives. The bill also creates a nonimmigrant visa for such parents of citizens. Such aliens shall not be eligible for employment or any public benefits. The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for various family-sponsored visas shall be eliminated, including those for the siblings and married children of citizens. The bill provides for a preference allocation for the unmarried children under 21 and spouses of permanent alien residents, subject to the 88,000 annual cap.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
This concurrent resolution authorizes the use of the rotunda of the Capitol to honor, upon death, the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient for acts performed during World War II, at the election of the individual or their next of kin.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2019
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill allows a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 201 9 This bill repeals the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans). The repeal applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for performing or attempting to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. The bill provides exceptions for an abortion (1) that is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
This bill designates the federal building and U.S. courthouse at 180 West Main Street in Abingdon, Virginia, as the "H. Emory Widener, Jr., Federal Building and United States Courthouse."
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019 This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, abortions. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions. Such restrictions extend to the use of funds in the budget of the District of Columbia. Additionally, abortions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Historically, language has been included in annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions—such language is commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. Similar language is also frequently included in appropriations bills for other federal agencies and the District of Columbia. The bill makes these restrictions permanent and extends the restrictions to all federal funds (rather than specific agencies). The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where a physical disorder, injury, or illness endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Hyde Amendment provides the same exceptions. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions. Currently, qualified health plans may cover abortion, but the portion of the premium attributable to abortion coverage is not eligible for subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act This bill modifies immigration law provisions relating to unaccompanied alien minors and to asylum seekers. For certain unaccompanied inadmissible alien children, generally those not at risk of being trafficking victims nor having a fear of persecution, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall repatriate the child. Currently, only inadmissible unaccompanied aliens from neighboring countries are subject to repatriation, and DHS has discretion whether to repatriate. When HHS releases an unaccompanied child to an individual, it shall provide DHS with certain information about that individual, including Social Security number and immigration status. The bill amends the definition of "credible fear of persecution" to require that such fear can be established by statements that are more probable than not. The bill also imposes certain rules relating to credible fear interviews, including requirements for recordings and interpreters. If an alien is granted asylum because of fear of persecution in a country, the alien is deemed to have renounced asylum status by returning to that country, if there has been no change in the country's conditions. DHS may waive such renunciation if there was a compelling reason for the return. The bill expands the definition of a frivolous asylum application to include an application so insufficient in substance that it is clear that it was filed to delay removal or seek employment authorization. Any individual who knowingly and willfully makes materially false statements or uses fraudulent documents in asylum-related proceedings shall be fined or imprisoned up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Middle Class Savings Act This bill modifies the tax brackets that apply to taxes on capital gains. The bill aligns the thresholds with the brackets for the regular income tax rates enacted in P.L. 115-97 (commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act).
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This resolution supports the recognition of January 22 each year as the Day of Tears in the United States, and encourages citizens to lower their flags to half-staff to memorialize the unborn.
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
Lessening Regulatory Costs and Establishing a Federal Regulatory Budget Act of 2019 This bill establishes procedures and provides statutory authority to reduce the number of federal regulations. Specifically, it requires each agency to establish a regulatory reform task force chaired by a designated regulatory reform officer. Each task force must, among other duties (1) review each existing agency regulation; (2) estimate the potential cost savings of repealing or modifying each regulation; and (3) identify regulations that are appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification based on cost, effectiveness, and impact on employment. The bill further provides statutory authority for the executive order prohibiting agencies from issuing a new regulation with an economic impact of at least $100 million without identifying two regulations for repeal that will offset the cost of the proposed new regulation. Agencies also must submit a list of all planned regulatory actions for inclusion in the semiannual Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, including (1) the estimated economic effect of each action, and (2) proposed deregulatory actions to offset the cost of each proposed new regulation. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget must establish an annual regulatory budget for each federal agency that specifies the net allowable increase in regulatory costs for each agency during the next fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Protecting Life and Integrity in Research Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research that involves the use of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion. The bill also prohibits soliciting or acquiring a donation of human fetal tissue from an induced abortion, other than for purposes of an autopsy or burial. The bill applies requirements on the research of transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to research on fetal tissue in general.
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 · 10 January 2019
Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation to amend regulations on hours of service for commercial drivers who transport live covered animals (i.e., livestock, honey bees, insects, fish, and crawfish) within a 300 air-mile radius from where the on-duty time of the driver begins. The regulations must (1) exclude from the driver's on-duty time certain activities, such as loading or unloading a commercial motor vehicle; (2) change the driving time requirement to a maximum of not less than 15, and not more than 18, hours within a 24-hour period; (3) permit the driver to take one or more rest periods during the trip, which shall not be included in the calculation of the driving time; (4) require the driver, after completion of the trip, to take a rest break for a period that is five hours less than the maximum driving time; (5) exclude from the calculation of the driving time up to two additional hours, if the driver is within 150 air-miles of the point of delivery; and (6) make inapplicable the requirement that the driver take a 10-hour rest period before driving.
![Official portrait of Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/69825a92eb30d32718993747_200.jpg)