United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Expanding Broadcast Ownership Opportunities Act of 2019 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase diversity of ownership in the broadcasting industry. Specifically, the bill allows companies engaged in the qualifying sale of a broadcast station to receive favorable tax treatment by electing nonrecognition of the gain or loss resulting from the sale. To qualify for this treatment, the sale must result in or preserve ownership of a broadcast station by socially disadvantaged individuals. The bill also requires the FCC to foster investment in broadcast stations owned by socially disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of certain audiologist services. Specifically, the bill expands coverage to include diagnostic and treatment services that are furnished by audiologists and that would otherwise be covered if provided by a physician, including incidental services, regardless of whether such services are provided pursuant to a referral from, or under the supervision of, a physician or other health care practitioner.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 This bill establishes the Social Determinants Accelerator Interagency Council and provides funds for the council to (1) assist the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in awarding specified grants, (2) increase coordination among health and social service programs, and (3) provide program evaluation guidance and technical assistance to increase the impact of social service programs. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the CMS to award up to 25 grants to state, local, or tribal health or human services agencies for the development of social determinants accelerator plans that address at least one health and one social outcome for a specified target population.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Clean School Bus Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the Clean School Bus Grant Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Under the program, DOE must award grants for the replacement of existing school buses with electric buses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
This resolution commends the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and its partners for their contributions to ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The resolution also affirms previous U.S. commitments to provide 33% of the fund's budget, including for the Sixth Global Fund Replenishment, as demonstrated by legislation passed by the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 or the MORE Act of 2019 This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. The bill also makes other changes, including the following: replaces statutory references to marijuana and marihuana with cannabis , requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees, establishes a trust fund to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs, imposes a 5% tax on cannabis products and requires revenues to be deposited into the trust fund, makes Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate businesses or service providers, prohibits the denial of federal public benefits to a person on the basis of certain cannabis-related conduct or convictions, prohibits the denial of benefits and protections under immigration laws on the basis of a cannabis-related event (e.g., conduct or a conviction), and establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Black Lung Benefits Disability Trust Fund Solvency Act This bill extends until December 31, 2029, the excise tax on coal from U.S. mines. The tax is a source of funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2019
PrEP Access and Coverage Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent the acquisition of HIV, and any related screenings, diagnostic procedures, or clinical follow-ups, without any cost-sharing obligation for the plan holder. Further, insurance plans must not impose any preauthorization requirement for this coverage. These coverage requirements also apply to public health insurance programs, including, among others, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill prohibits denying, limiting, or qualifying coverage or increasing premiums for disability insurance, long-term care insurance, or life insurance policies based on a person taking medication for HIV prevention. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states, or directly to eligible local organizations, to provide uninsured individuals access to prescription drugs and related services that prevent HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must develop a public awareness campaign that focuses efforts in communities with a high need for HIV prevention treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2019
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2019 This bill increases the amount of compensation provided to individuals exposed to radiation and expands eligibility requirements for compensation to include additional individuals. Specifically, the bill extends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 45 years after this bill's enactment. The trust fund compensates individuals who contract cancer or other diseases as a result of their exposure to radiation during nuclear testing undertaken by the United States during the Cold War. The bill revises the requirements governing the compensation of individuals who were exposed to radiation, including by increasing the amount of compensation that an individual may receive; expanding the affected area to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico; expanding eligibility requirements to include additional individuals, such as certain employees of uranium mines or mills; and extending until 45 years after this bill's enactment the statute of limitations for the filing of claims. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences must establish a grant program for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals. The bill also expands eligibility requirements for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program with respect to certain employees with a specified cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2019
This resolution expresses congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Internal Revenue Service relating to charitable contribution and estate tax deductions when a taxpayer receives or expects to receive a corresponding state or local tax credit, and such rule shall have no force or effect.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2019
Justice for Student Borrowers Act This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of a dispute relating to a private education loan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2019
This resolution states that immigrants and their descendants have made America stronger and naturalized citizens are just as American as those whose families have been in the United States for generations. It also expresses a commitment to keep America open to those who lawfully seek refuge from violence and oppression and those willing to work hard to achieve the American Dream, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin. The resolution strongly condemns as racist the President’s comments about immigrants and those who look to the President like immigrants and states that these have legitimized hatred of new Americans and people of color, including his reference to immigrants and asylum seekers as “invaders.”
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2019
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2019 This bill provides funding for (1) the conservation or restoration of wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need; (2) the wildlife conservation strategies of states, Indian tribes, or territories; or (3) wildlife conservation education and recreation projects. The Department of the Interior must use a portion of the funding for a grant program. The grants must be used for innovative recovery efforts for species of greatest conservation need, species listed as endangered or threatened species, or the habitats of such species.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Nutrition Counseling Aiding Recovery for Eating Disorders Act of 2019 or the Nutrition CARE Act of 2019 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for individuals with eating disorders. Such services must be furnished by a registered dietitian or nutrition professional pursuant to a referral from a physician, psychologist, or other authorized mental health professional.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineman Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineman is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2019
Federally Requiring Earned Education-debt Discharges for Vets Act or the FREED Vets Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to automatically discharge loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program for certain borrowers who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Specifically, ED must automatically discharge a veteran borrower's loan when the Department of Veterans Affairs has assigned the borrower a rating of total disability for a service-connected disability or has determined the borrower to be unemployable due to a service-connected condition, determine whether a state might impose a tax liability for the discharge of such a loan, and provide the borrower with a notification related to potential tax liability and an opportunity to opt out of such loan discharge.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Greg LeMond 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 presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Greg LeMond, in recognition of his contributions to the nation as an athlete, activist, role model, and community leader.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2019 This bill prohibits commercial conversion therapy, which is a practice or treatment designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or otherwise change behaviors, thoughts, or expressions related to gender or sexual attraction. This prohibition does not apply to treatment that assists an individual undergoing a gender transition or facilitates identity exploration and development.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants for a period of three years to eligible entities for the provision of suicide prevention services to veterans and their families. Under the bill, eligible entities include tribally designated housing entities, community-based organizations, and other private entities that meet certain requirements. Entities must submit an application to receive financial assistance that includes a description of the services they propose to provide, among other elements. The bill requires the VA to equitably distribute grants across geographic regions and areas with the most need. Additionally, the VA shall give preference to entities that are experienced in providing suicide prevention services. Entities receiving funding must notify service recipients that funding is wholly or partially from the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
This resolution expresses support for (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBTQ Equality Day on June 26 to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on that day in 2003, 2013, and 2015. The resolution also acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to review existing data sets to determine in which data sets information about sexual orientation and gender identity is not included, and to assess needed changes in survey methods related to asking questions on sexual orientation and gender identity. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Integration of Baseball 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 in recognition and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the integration of the game of baseball. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges. All surcharges received by Treasury shall be distributed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with the understanding that the Hall of Fame shall work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to develop and operate education programs about the integration of the game of baseball and to preserve artifacts related to the integration of the game.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill (1) converts the Corporation for National and Community Service into the National and Community Service Administration; (2) reauthorizes programs carried out by the administration; (3) establishes a National Service Foundation to accept and administer gifts on behalf of the administration; and (4) modifies the calculation of national service educational awards. Furthermore, the bill creates a 21st Century American Service Outreach Program to notify individuals age 17 and not more than age 30 about their eligibility to participate in national service programs,; increases living stipends for such volunteers and the cap on such full-time positions; provides a living allowance to members of the National Civilian Community Corps, under specified conditions; and provides an exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, for such educational awards and living allowances.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2019 This bill prohibits strikes by certain individuals and requires the issuance of rules that provide for federal minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) shall determine for each state whether the laws of such state substantially provide for each of the minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures specified by this bill, including the right of public employees and supervisory employees to self-organize, form or join a labor organization, or collectively bargain. The FLRA must issue rules and take actions to establish and administer bargaining rights and procedures for those states that do not substantially provide for them. No employers, emergency services employees, or law enforcement officers may engage in a lockout, strike, or any other organized job action that would probably result in a measurable disruption of the delivery of emergency or public safety services. Furthermore, no labor organization may be the cause of a violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
National Green Bank Act of 2019 This bill establishes a U.S. Green Bank to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation projects at the state and local level by capitalizing regional, state, and municipal green banks. The Department of the Treasury must issue green bonds to provide the bank with (1) an initial capitalization of $10 billion; and (2) additional capitalization, upon the bank's request, of no more than $50 billion in aggregate at any one time. The bill also establishes in the Treasury a revolving Green Bank Establishment Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act This bill addresses dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking incidents on college campuses, including by expanding requirements governing the disclosure of such incidents and efforts to prevent them. The bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to develop a biennial sexual violence climate survey. Statistics from the survey must be included in the annual campus security report provided by institutions of higher education (IHEs) to current and prospective students and employees. The bill permits ED to impose civil penalties on IHEs that have violated a law under the jurisdiction of its Office for Civil Rights. It also directs ED, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice to create a campus sexual violence task force.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Stopping Bad Robocalls Act This bill updates various policies and regulations relating to robocalls. Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect consumer privacy as it relates to robocalls. The FCC must update regulations involving certain robocalls that are exempt from criminal liability to include specific requirements identifying classes of parties who may make such calls, parties who may be called, and how many times they may be called. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that a citation be issued prior to a forfeiture penalty being imposed in cases where violations involving illegal robocalls have been intentional and where inaccurate caller identification information has been provided. The bill also implements a three-year statute of limitation for such violations requiring notice, and a four-year statute of limitation where an intentional violation has occurred. The FCC must promulgate regulations to address requirements for effective call authentication technology as well as to establish a process to streamline the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with FCC information relating to an illegal call or text or for calls with misleading or inaccurate caller identification information. Finally, the bill requires the FCC to ensure robocall blocking services provided on an opt-out basis are provided free of cost with transparency and redress options for consumers and callers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Nuclear Energy Leadership Act This bill addresses nuclear energy innovation. Among other things, the bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to (1) establish a long-term nuclear power purchase agreement pilot program; (2) advance the research and development of domestic advanced, affordable, and clean nuclear energy; (3) develop a 10-year strategic plan for its Office of Nuclear Energy; (4) provide for a versatile, reactor-based fast neutron source; (5) establish a program to make available high-assay, low-enriched uranium for use in commercial or noncommercial advanced nuclear reactors; and (6) provide competitive grants to develop the capability to transport high-assay, low enriched uranium. DOE, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must jointly establish a University Nuclear Leadership Program to provide financial assistance for scholarships, fellowships, and research and development projects at institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Neighborhood Homes Investment Act This bill establishes a new business-related tax credit to finance home building and rehabilitation in neighborhoods that meet certain eligibility criteria relating to poverty rates, income, and home values. The credit is limited to 35% of the lesser of the qualified development cost (i.e., the cost of construction, substantial rehabilitation, demolition, and environmental remediation of residential properties) or 80% of the national median sale price for new homes. The credit applies to single family homes containing four or fewer residential units, condominiums, or houses or apartments owned by cooperative housing corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Connect America Act of 2019 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish a funding program to expand broadband access for unserved and underserved areas and unserved anchor institutions, such as schools or libraries. The program shall consist of both a national reverse auction and population-based grants to states.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act This bill imposes requirements and standards related to the care of aliens in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody. CBP shall conduct an initial health screening of each alien in custody to identify those with acute conditions and high-risk vulnerabilities and to provide appropriate healthcare. CBP shall conduct the screening within 12 hours of each alien's initial detention, and within 3 hours for certain priority individuals such as children, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. The bill imposes various requirements related to the services, personnel, and infrastructure for providing such screenings, such as providing interpreters, chaperones, and mental health treatment when necessary. CBP shall ensure detainees have access to drinking water, toilets, sanitation facilities, hygiene products, food, and shelter. The bill imposes certain standards relating to such requirements, such as the minimum amount of drinking water and space for each detainee. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall enter into memoranda of understanding with various emergency government relief agencies to address instances when surge capacity is necessary. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct unannounced inspections of ports of entry, border patrol stations, and detention facilities and report the results to Congress. The Government Accountability Office shall assess CBP's management of such facilities and whether CBP and DHS processes are in compliance with this bill's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out the proposed Department of Homeland Security rule entitled Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds . The rule makes aliens who are likely at any time to become a public charge and receive certain public benefits inadmissible.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2019 This bill establishes restrictions on businesses that relocate call centers or redirect customer service calls to locations outside the United States. Specifically, a business must notify the Department of Labor that it intends to move its customer service call center overseas and Labor must maintain a publicly available list of such businesses. Subject to narrow exceptions, a business appearing on such list is ineligible to receive federal grants or guaranteed loans for five years after the business is added to the list. Further, agencies must condition the awarding of government contracts on the requirement that any call center activity pursuant to the contract must be performed in the United States. Additionally, the bill requires call center employees to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each call initiated or received, unless all employees of the business participating in the communication are located in the United States, among other exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 114 Mill Street in Hookstown, Pennslyvania, as the "Staff Sergeant Dylan Elchin Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act This bill makes permanent, beginning in FY2020, funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The President shall annually submit to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress may provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2019
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2019 This bill increases and revises requirements for the refundable earned income and child tax credits. It also makes similar revisions to the earned income tax credit for residents of Puerto Rico. The bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to regulate the practice of tax return preparers and impose sanctions upon preparers found to be incompetent or disreputable. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on the sharing of information between Treasury and states regarding identification numbers issued to tax return preparers and minimum standards for preparers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2019 This bill generally prohibits a federal criminal defendant from asserting, as a defense, that the nonviolent sexual advance of an individual or a perception or belief of the gender, gender identify or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual excuses or justifies conduct or mitigates the severity of an offense.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2019 This bill provides for the establishment of program for the provision of service dogs to certain Armed Forces members. It requires the Department of Defense to establish a K-9 Service Corps Program to award grants to nonprofit organizations to assist them in planning, designing, establishing, or operating programs to provide assistance dogs to members with a disability who are receiving receiving medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; those in medical hold or medical holdover status; or those on the temporary disability retired list in cases where medical principles indicate that the disability may be of a permanent nature.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations for energy-efficiency materials to install in nonprofit buildings.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 This bill establishes several prohibitions, requirements, and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, the bill prohibits MA plans from instituting additional prior authorization requirements for surgeries (including related items) that are furnished to a patient during other surgeries for which prior authorization was not required or was already received. Additionally, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Partnership Fund for Peace Act of 2019 This bill requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish the Partnership Fund for Peace for promoting economic development in Palestine and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Specifically, the bill directs the USAID to establish this fund to finance (1) small and medium-sized Palestinian entrepreneurs and companies in order to promote the private sector and create jobs in Palestinian territories, and (2) people-to-people peacebuilding programs that support reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. An economic partnership, entrepreneur, or company requesting support from the fund must include a Palestinian entrepreneur or company as a partner. A people-to-people partnership requesting support from the fund must include a nonprofit organization that brings Palestinians and Israelis together for reconciliation or nonprofit organizations that further reconciliation between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 201 9 This bill modifies the tax deduction for student loan interest to (1) increase the maximum deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on the deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2019 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain housing projects, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits, and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, acquisition credits, and foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Better Energy Storage Technology Act or the BEST Act This bill addresses grid-scale energy storage systems. The bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish within its Office of Electricity a research, development, and demonstration program for grid-scale energy storage systems. DOE must enter into agreements to carry out not more than five demonstration projects and develop a 10-year strategic plan and cost targets for grid-scale energy storage systems.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Women's Health Protection Act of 2019 This bill prohibits state or local governments from imposing certain restrictions on access to abortion services. Specifically, state or local government may not require unnecessary tests or procedures in connection with the provision of abortion services, the same health care provider who provides abortion services to perform such tests or procedures, providers to offer medically inaccurate information to patients before or during abortion services, providers to refrain from prescribing certain drugs, certain hospital facility transfer agreements, one or more medically unnecessary in-person visits, or patients to disclose the reason for seeking abortion services. The bill also prohibits limitations or requirements that both single out and impede access to abortion services based on a number of factors (e.g., restrictions that are reasonably likely to decrease the availability of abortion services in a state). A state or local government also may not prohibit abortions prior to fetal viability nor prohibit abortions after fetal viability in cases where the health care provider determines that continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the patient's life or health. Additionally, the Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to prospectively enjoin a limitation or restriction that is prohibited by this bill. The bill further requires the government defending such a limitation or restriction to show that (1) it significantly advances the safety of abortion services or patient health, and (2) such advancement cannot be met by a less-restrictive measure.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Steel Industry Preservation Act This bill extends and modifies the production tax credit for steel industry fuel. (Under current law, steel industry fuel is a fuel which is: (1) produced through a process of liquefying coal waste sludge and distributing it on coal, and (2) used as a feedstock for the manufacture of coke.) The bill modifies the tax credit for steel industry fuel to extend the credit period and the placed-in-service date, revise the definition of "steel industry fuel" to allow blends of coal and petroleum coke or other coke feedstock in the fuel, set forth ownership requirements, and specify requirements for treating an owner as producing and selling steel industry fuel. A taxpayer that produces steel industry fuel may elect to accept an increased tax credit in lieu of certain deductions for expenses in connection with the production of steel industry fuel. The bill specifies the treatment of the credit for the purpose of the alternative minimum tax. It also exempts transactions related to steel industry fuel from rules that restrict deductions and other tax benefits for activities that are not engaged in for profit or that do not have economic substance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2019 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2019 This bill expands prohibitions and requires additional disclosures related to political spending. Specifically, foreign nationals are further restricted regarding their involvement in election related activity, including by prohibiting their participation in the decision-making process regarding an election expenditure. Existing foreign money prohibitions are expanded to prohibit disbursements for paid internet or digital communications. The Federal Election Commission must perform an audit after each election cycle to determine the incidence of illicit foreign money. In general, organizations making political expenditures must disclose donors who have contributed $10,000 or more during an election cycle. Certain of these organizations, including corporations, must also disclose their beneficial owners. The bill requires organizations to provide additional disclosures on certain political ads, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.
![Official portrait of Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_pa_18_doyle_michael_200.jpg)