United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2018 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTI people. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Per-Country Minimum Act This bill modifies the tax treatment of foreign source income of domestic corporations to: (1) increase taxes that apply to global intangible income by reducing the deduction that is allowed under current law, (2) eliminate a provision that allows companies to deduct a portion of the tangible assets of their controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) before the tax on foreign income applies, and (3) require net CFC tested income to be determined on a country-by-country basis rather than globally.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act This bill prohibits the Bureau of Land Management from administering an oil and gas leasing, development, production, and transportation program in and from the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2018
Energizing American Shipbuilding Act This bill amends (1) the Natural Gas Act to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to require specified percentages of liquefied natural gas exports to be transported on vessels built in the United States and documented under its laws, and (2) the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 to direct the President to require specified percentages of crude oil exports to be transported on vessels built in the United States and documented under its laws. DOE and the President may waive these requirements under specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2018
Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2018 This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. merchant mariners of World War II, in recognition of their service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2018
Water Resources Development Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes, deauthorizes, and modifies various projects under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and the National Dam Safety Program Act and provides for specified studies. The bill extends the National Levee Safety Program and the National Dam Safety Program through FY2023. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shall issue guidance on the use of mitigation banks (sites where resources such as wetlands or streams are restored, established, enhanced, or preserved to compensate for the impact of authorized activity) to meet specified goals. Before developing implementation guidance for certain water resources development laws, the Corps of Engineers shall: (1) inform nonfederal stakeholders of the intent to develop guidance, and (2) provide an opportunity for such stakeholders to provide input and recommendations. The Corps of Engineers shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to study: (1) the ability of the Corps to carry out its statutory missions and responsibilities, and (2) improving the Corps's project delivery processes. The bill extends the nonfederal implementation pilot program through FY2023. The Corps of Engineers must develop a list of water resources development projects to deauthorize. A water resources development project, or separable element thereof, authorized by this bill is deauthorized after 10 years unless: (1) funds have been obligated for construction or a postauthorization study, or (2) the authorization has been modified by a subsequent Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2018
Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act This bill directs certain aviation and rail transportation carriers (i.e., covered entities) and passenger vessels to issue a formal policy with respect to transportation sexual assault or harassment incidents. Such policy shall include a statement that no transportation sexual assault or harassment incident is acceptable under any circumstances. The bill expands the prohibition against interference with cabin or flight crew by including sexual assaults against such personnel and increasing the penalty for such interference. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall establish a program to annually collect and maintain data from each covered entity on: (1) the number of transportation sexual assault or harassment incidents committed against passengers and personnel, and (2) the number of transportation sexual assault or harassment incidents reported to law enforcement. Such data must be made publicly available on the primary website of DOT.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2018
Disclosing Official Spending at Presidential Businesses Act This bill requires each executive agency to submit a quarterly report to the Office of Government Ethics listing each instance that the agency obligated or expended federal funds with any privately held company that is owned by the President. With respect to each such instance, the report shall include the amount of the obligation or expenditure and the name of the company. Not later than 10 days after receiving a report, the office shall publish the report on its public website.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2018
This bill includes within authorized Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) work-study activities in connection with VA rehabilitation, education, or training programs the following activities carried out at offices of Members of Congress: (1) the distribution of information to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents concerning benefits and services; and (2) the preparation of documents used to file veterans benefits claims.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2018
Promoting Flood Risk Mitigation Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to assess: (1) the efficacy of practices or programs under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides assistance to state and local governments to acquire flood-damaged properties (buyout practices), and (2) ways to streamline the buyout practices. The study must consider and analyze certain factors, such as current and future trends regarding repetitive loss structures that are insured under the National Flood Insurance Program and constraints on buyout practices. The GAO shall submit to specified congressional committees and FEMA a report on the buyout practices study and the feasibility of FEMA establishing an alternative buyout program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act This bill aligns federal privacy standards for substance use disorder patient records more closely with standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, including authorized disclosures and penalty structures for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2018
Kittens In Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act of 2018 or the KITTEN Act of 2018 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the Department of Agriculture from using cats in experiments that may cause pain or stress, unless the pain or stress is a result of a physical exam or training program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act This bill authorizes the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to promulgate regulations to implement and enforce the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, done at Cape Town, South Africa, on February 2, 2001. This bill authorizes USFWS and NMFS to take action to conserve albatrosses and petrels, including to: reestablish albatrosses and petrels; prevent the introduction of, eradicate, or control invasive and nonnative species that have or may have an adverse effect on albatrosses and petrels; conserve, protect, and restore breeding sites; undertake measures for the conservation and protection of albatross and petrel habitat and other marine habitats that provide food for albatrosses and petrels; undertake scientific research to assess the effects of pollutants and marine debris on albatrosses and petrels; develop and implement measures to prevent, minimize, or mitigate the taking or disturbance of albatrosses and petrels in U.S. waters or by U.S. vessels; develop and undertake measures to minimize the bycatch of albatrosses and petrels; and share information on the conservation status of albatrosses and petrels, the threats facing albatrosses and petrels, and any actions taken under this bill. This bill prohibits the taking of an albatross or petrel without a permit, authorization, or exemption. USFWS, in consultation with NMFS, may authorize the taking of an albatross or petrel under exceptional circumstances or incidental to otherwise lawful activities. This bill gives the USFWS, the NMFS, and the Coast Guard authority to enforce this bill. This bill authorizes cooperation with other countries to achieve and maintain a favorable conservation status of albatrosses and petrels.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2018
Workplace Democracy Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and related labor laws to preserve workers' rights to join labor organizations and engage in collective bargaining. Specifically, it prohibits employers from classifying employees as independent contractors or supervisors to avoid employee participation in union activities; allows the National Labor Relation Board to certify a union, without a secret election, if it receives the consent of the majority of eligible workers; requires employers to begin negotiating with a new union within 10 days of its certification; prohibits coercion of employees to to participate in campaign activities unrelated to their job duties; requires employers to make disclosures of anti-labor organization activities; and repeals provisions allowing states to prevent labor organizations from collecting dues from nonunion workers who benefit from union representation (right to work laws).
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2018
Expresses appreciation of the goals of American Craft Beer Week, established by the Brewers Association, which represents small and independent craft brewers. Recognizes the significant contributions of such brewers to the economy and to the communities in which they are located.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2018
National Guard Promotion Accountability Act This bill permits the date of promotion of a commmissioned officer of the National Guard to be backdated, after federal recognition is granted, to the date such officer's promotion was published by the state.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that compensation of public school teachers should be comparable to other college graduates with years in the workforce where the teachers are employed.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2018
Afghan Allies Protection Amendments Act of 2018 This bill amends the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to authorize, in addition to any unused visas in prior fiscal years, up to 4,000 visas in FY2019 for the Afghan special immigrant visa program. That program provides special immigrant visa status for Afghans (and certain family members) who are threatened because of their work as translators, interpreters, or support staff for the U.S. government or its Armed Forces in Afghanistan. The bill also requires that the period of employment for Afghans eligible for the special visa end by December 31, 2021, and that Afghans seeking special immigrant status must apply to the Chief of Mission in Afghanistan by that same date.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2018
Burn Pits Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the military departments to evaluate whether each member of the Armed Forces has been (1) based or stationed where an open air burn pit was used to dispose of waste, or (2) exposed to toxic airborne chemicals. Members located where an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals must be enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless the member elects not to enroll. The evaluations must be included in periodic health assessments, physical exams conducted immediately prior to separation from active duty, and deployment assessments. DOD must share the results of the evaluations with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2018
State Access to Firearms Evading Revocation Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person: (1) whose state permit or license to purchase, own, or possess a firearm was revoked and not reinstated; or (2) who was ordered by a state court to surrender all firearms, and such firearms have not been lawfully returned.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2018
Encourages the people of the United States to recognize the contributions of senior volunteers and join in the celebration of National Senior Corps Week. Supports adequately funding and growing the proven Senior Corps programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2018
This bill requires imported paper products to be manufactured in accordance with requirements that meet or exceed requirements under the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act).
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Achieving Independence through Degrees Act or the AID Act This bill provides assistance to students of institutions of higher education, including by increasing the maximum amount of and access to Pell Grants, expanding loan counseling requirements, simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and expanding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits to students.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Helping Individuals Get a Higher Education while Reducing Education Debt Act or the HIGHER ED Act This bill assists certain student borrowers with reducing their debt for higher education. Among other things, the bill allows existing public and private students loans to be refinanced into federal loans, broadly changes loan terms, such as repayment and interest for student loans, authorizes graduate and professional students to receive subsidized Stafford Loans, and makes federal student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act of 2018 This bill establishes a series of grant programs to assist localities with addressing the opioid epidemic, such as through prevention and treatment services, training centers, and research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018
Special Counsel Transparency Act of 2018 This bill establishes reporting requirements with respect to a special counsel appointed under Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations. Specifically, it establishes these requirements: a special counsel must report periodically on the status of an investigation; a special counsel who is removed from office must report on the status of an investigation, as of the date of dismissal; and DOJ must report on the status of an investigation following the removal of a special counsel.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2018
VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of certain forms of cannabis and cannabis delivery for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system diagnosed with conditions such as chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder. Collected data shall be preserved in a manner that facilitates further research.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2018 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes and extends the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and associated programs through FY2023 at increased levels. The Department of Transportation's (DOT's) State block grant program is expanded. The Air Traffic Control Contract Program is modified. Grant authority for competitive land use planning and projects by state and local governments is extended. Various requirements are imposed on the FAA, including those for: (1) conducting a review of the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and its effects on communities around airports; (2) establishing a Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee; and (3) convening a multidisciplinary expert review panel to conduct a survey of Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) holders and ODA program applicants to document and assess FAA certification and oversight activities. The General Accountability Office shall conduct a review to assess the workforce and training needs of the FAA Office of Aviation Safety in the anticipated budgetary environment. Safety provisions are outlined, which include safety critical staffing provisions, as well as air service improvement provisions, which include a cell phone voice communication ban. Provisions with regard to aviation consumers with disabilities are also outlined. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is amended with respect to wild fire prevention, eligibility for code implementation and enforcement, and program improvements. FAA Leadership in Groundbreaking High-Tech Research and Development Act or the FLIGHT R&D Act Appropriations are authorized with respect to various research and development (R&D) related matters including Safety Research and Development programs. FAA shall appoint an Associate Administrator for Research and Development. Provisions are set forth regarding unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity, and FAA R&D activities. The Internal Revenue Code is amended with regard to: (1) expenditure authority from the airport and airway trust fund; and (2) extension of taxes funding such trust fund.
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 · 11 April 2018
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and values of the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and (2) activities to celebrate the historical milestones represented by such anniversaries.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed official: may only be removed by the Attorney General or the most senior Senate-confirmed DOJ official, in certain circumstances; may only be removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause; must be provided written notice that specifies the reason for removal; and may file an action to challenge the removal not later than 10 days after notice was provided.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018
Reduce Unemployment for Veterans of All Ages Act of 2018 This bill makes all veterans with qualifying employment handicaps or service-connected disabilities eligible for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs by eliminating the 12-year period of program eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2018
Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs Act of 2018 or the SIREN Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 and revises the Rural Emergency Medical Service Training and Equipment Assistance Program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2018 This bill prohibits discrimination, under a federally assisted program, against public school students on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. The bill authorizes federal departments and agencies to terminate the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating this prohibition. An aggrieved individual may assert a violation of this bill in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
2020 Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy Act or the 2020 Census IDEA Act This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce, in the 2020 decennial census and each decennial census thereafter, from: (1) implementing any major operational design that has not been researched, studied, and tested for at least three years before the date on which the applicable census occurs; or (2) including on the questionnaire for the census any subject, type of information, or question that was not submitted to Congress. The Government Accountability Office must certify to Congress that the subjects, types of information, and questions to be included in a decennial census have been adequately researched, studied, and tested to the same degree as in previous decennial censuses.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources, and Care Act or the EMPOWER Care Act This bill amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend funding through FY2022 for the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and to otherwise revise the program. (Under this program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must award grants to state Medicaid programs to assist in rebalancing states' long-term care systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Benefit Adjustment of Social Security Income Compensation Act or the BASIC Act This bill requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to continue monthly insurance benefit payments to a beneficiary, on a prorated basis, through the month of the beneficiary's death. The bill also revises the SSA's methodology for calculating certain lump-sum payments to survivors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act This bill makes veterans who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for any mental illness through the Department of Veterans Affairs, notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the mental illness is attributable to such service.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from requiring a veteran's surviving spouse to return payments of dependent's compensation or of a pension as a married veteran for the month in which the veteran dies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018
Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to modify requirements for tax-favored retirement savings accounts, employer-provided retirement plans, and retirement benefits for federal judges. With respect to employer-provided plans, the bill modifies requirements regarding: multiple employer plans, automatic enrollment and nonelective contributions, loans, terminating or transferring plans, reporting and disclosure rules, nondiscrimination rules, selecting lifetime income providers, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation premiums. The bill also increases the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs and allows a tax credit for small employers that establish retirement plans that include automatic enrollment. With respect to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), the bill: treats taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation, repeals the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, and permits any IRA to be a shareholder of any S corporation that is a bank. The bill makes several modifications to retirement benefits for magistrate judges of the U.S. Tax Court and other federal judges. The bill also modifies various tax provisions to: reinstate and increase the tax exclusion for benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders, revise the required distribution rules for pension plans, increase penalties for failing to file tax or retirement plan returns, and require the Internal Revenue Service to share returns and return information with U.S. Customs Border Protection to administer the heavy vehicle use tax.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2018
Recognizes: (1) the contributions of American wines and distinctive American wine-growing regions; and (2) the value of promoting wines from the regions, including those protected by American Viticultural Area designations or other appellations of origin. Supports efforts to promote awareness of and appreciation for the regions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify various requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs). The bill allows: individuals participating in an HSA to receive or be eligible to receive specified items and services at onsite employee clinics and retail health clinics, individuals who are covered by a spouse's health flexible spending arrangement to contribute to an HSA, high deductible health plans that are required for an HSA to include coverage with no deductible for care and prescription medications related to the treatment of medically complex chronic conditions, and HSAs to be used for certain sports and fitness expenses. The bill also: expands the definition of insurance that is permitted under an HSA to include insurance consisting of coverage for excepted benefits (Excepted benefits are not subject to certain requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.), modifies the definition of a dependent to include a child who has not attained the age of 27, and modifies the eligibility rules and other requirements for individuals who also participate in health flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Global Food Security Act of 2016 to revise policy objectives and to: (1) extend through FY2021 the program to carry out those portions of the global food security strategy that relate to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and (2) expand requirements for reporting by the President regarding strategy implementation. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to extend through FY2021 the assistance program for international disaster relief and rehabilitation, including the set-aside for the emergency food security program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Medicare Enrollment Protection Act This bill creates a special Medicare enrollment period for individuals enrolled in, or transitioning out of, continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). The bill exempts such individuals from certain monthly premium increases associated with delaying Medicare coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Rare disease Advancement, Research, and Education Act of 2018 or the RARE Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes through FY2023 the Office of Rare Diseases in the National Institutes of Health. The bill requires (1) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand infrastructure and activities to track the epidemiology of rare diseases and conditions and to incorporate this information into a National Rare Disease or Condition Surveillance System, and (2) the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to expand its activities to increase providers' awareness of rare diseases and conditions.
![Official portrait of Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000191_200.jpg)