The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Duncan, John J., Jr. [R-TN-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000533_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
4,001 records where Rep. Duncan, John J., Jr. [R-TN-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Reef Assassin Act This bill directs the Department of Commerce to issue regulations under which a participating state may allow individuals to exchange 100 lionfish for one tag that authorizes recreational or commercial fishing for covered species. (Covered species are red snapper, gag grouper, triggerfish, and amberjack.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any Social Security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income for income tax purposes. The bill also: (1) appropriates funds to cover reductions in transfers to the Social Security and Railroad Retirement Trust Funds resulting from the enactment of this bill, and (2) expresses the sense of Congress against using tax increases to provide revenue necessary to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2017 The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize through FY2022: programs for preventing and reducing pollution through research, investigations, and training; state and interstate water pollution control programs; wet weather watershed pilot projects; a grant program for implementing state management programs for controlling pollution added from nonpoint sources (e.g., pollution on the ground picked up by rain) to navigable waters; a grant program for protecting groundwater quality; clean water state revolving funds; a pilot program for alternative water source projects; and sewer overflow and stormwater reuse municipal grants (formally known as sewer overflow control grants). The bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to rural, small, and tribal municipalities for addressing pollution. The bill revises requirements governing capitalization grant agreements, clean water state revolving funds, and sewer overflow and stormwater reuse municipal grants.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the Federal Perkins Loans program through September 30, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it provides grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment. An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran: coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy, hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran, payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more over 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training. The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the methodology used for the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
School-Based Respiratory Health Management Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the conditions under which the Department of Health and Human Services, in making asthma-related grants, gives preference to a state. A preference is given to states that require elementary and secondary schools to have: (1) on the premises during operating hours at least one individual trained in the administration of rescue medications for allergies and reversible lower airway disorders, and (2) an allergies and reversible lower airway disorders management program. Currently, this preference is given to states that require schools to have on the premises an individual trained in the administration of epinephrine to a student having a severe allergic reaction. To be eligible for this preference, a state must have civil liability protections for trained individuals who administer rescue medications for allergies and reversible lower airway disorders.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Audiology Patient Choice Act of 2017 This bill amends expands the definition of "physician," for purposes of the Medicare program, to include an audiologist with respect to the furnishing of audiology services. Additionally, the bill expands the scope of audiology services covered under Medicare and allows payment for such services regardless of whether an enrollee is under the care of (or referred by) a physician or other health care provider or whether the services are provided under the supervision of a physician or other health care provider.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Creating and Restoring Equal Access To Equivalent Samples Act of 2017 or the CREATES Act of 2017 This bill permits the developer of a drug or biological product to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved drug or biological product if the holder has declined to make available sufficient quantities of the approved drug or product for the developer's testing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the treatment of certain employer contributions made to public retirement plans as picked up by a governmental employing unit regardless of whether the participating employee is allowed to make an irrevocable election between the application of two alternative benefit formulas involving the same or different levels of employee contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Unaccompanied Alien Children Placement Transparency Act of 2017 This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security to provide the following information to the governor and each appropriate agency of a state within 60 days after the custodial placement in such state of an unaccompanied alien child who is in federal custody by reason of the child's immigration status: the child's medical records if the child will be attending state public schools, the custodian's address and immigration status, any federal public benefit that the child will receive, and any federal public benefit that the custodian will receive as a result of such custody.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Acre In, Acre Out Act This bill prescribes a new requirement for any acquisition of land by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture that would result in a net increase of total land acreage under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the Forest Service. The department concerned must offer for sale an equal number of acres of federal land that is under the same jurisdictional status. The bill exempts from this requirement any easements acquired to facilitate management of federal lands. Land sold pursuant to this bill shall be offered for sale at fair market value (based on local comparable sales), with monthly price reductions if the land is not sold in six months. All net proceeds from the sale of federal lands pursuant to this bill shall be deposited directly into the Treasury for reduction of the public debt.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Condemns the government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Urges the President and the Department of State to: (1) condemn the Iranian government's continued violation of human rights and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion, and (2) impose sanctions on Iranian officials and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Buses United for Safety, Regulatory Reform, and Enhanced Growth for the 21st Century Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT): (1) within 14 days after a person submits an application for motor carrier operating authority to transport passengers, to either approve such application or provide the applicant the reason for withholding such approval; and (2) to approve an application within five days after receiving information that satisfies the reason approval was withheld. DOT: shall issue written guidance to new entrant motorcoach carriers on complying with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, and may not increase new entrant application registration fees above $350. The bill prescribes requirements for, and limitations on the use of, DOT motorcoach carrier safety fitness determinations. The bill amends the FAST Act to prohibit crash data developed under the FMCSA Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program for a motorcoach carrier (including any private school bus operator) determined not at fault from being made available to the public until the DOT Inspector General makes certain certifications, but allows such carrier access to data that relates directly to them. DOT shall exempt commercial motorcoach drivers, motorcoach carriers, and private school bus carriers from certain proposed FMCSA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirements relating to: obstructive sleep apnea, financial responsibility, and installation of speed limiting devices. DOT shall rescind a specified proposed FMCSA rule regarding the lease and interchange of motorcoach vehicles. The bill prescribes requirements for the review and approval of motorcoach carrier corrective action plans. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall conduct a study assessing the effects of FMCSA and NHTSA regulations affecting motor carriers of passengers that were finalized in the preceding ten years. DOT shall carry out a pilot program to compare the effectiveness of prescheduled inspections with random destination inspections on such carriers. The bill prohibits DOT from promulgating any new regulatory mandates for motorcoaches or school buses that are not based solely on sound data and science that will directly reduce crashes. DOT shall require a recipient of public transportation funds to report any instance in which a private sector motor carrier of passengers or a private sector school bus passenger carrier providing charter or scheduled service is displaced by a public transportation provider receiving financial assistance through such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Civil Rights Legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers 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 Myrlie Evers-Williams in recognition of the contributions and sacrifice that she and her husband, assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers, made in the fight for racial equality in the United States. Following its award, the medal shall be given to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, where it is to be available for display or for temporary loan to be displayed elsewhere.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to carry out a demonstration project to evaluate the fiscal impact of covering low-vision devices under Medicare in the same manner as Medicare coverage is provided for durable medical equipment. "Low-vision device" means a physician-prescribed device that magnifies, enhances, or otherwise augments or interprets visual images; the term does not include ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses. The bill appropriates $2.5 million for FY2018 and each of the next four fiscal years for the CMS to carry out the project.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Restoring the Patient's Voice Act of 2017 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer. To warrant an exception to the protocol, at least one of the following circumstances must be met: (1) the treatment is contraindicated, (2) the treatment is expected to be ineffective, (3) the treatment will cause or is likely to cause an adverse reaction to the individual, (4) the treatment is expected to decrease the individual's ability either to perform daily activities or occupational responsibilities or adhere to the treatment plan, or (5) the individual is stable based on the prescription drugs already selected. The bill requires a group health plan to implement a clear process for an individual to request an exception to the protocol. The process shall be readily available on the website of the group health plan and must list the requirements for a request and any necessary forms and contact information. Requests shall be granted no later than three days after receipt of the request. In certain cases where the life, health, and ability of the individual are jeopardized by the protocol, the request shall be granted no later than 24 hours after receipt of the request.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act of 201 7 This bill prohibits state or local taxes that discriminate against the rental of motor vehicles, the business of renting motor vehicles, or motor vehicle rental property, except where such tax is imposed as of the enactment date of this bill, the tax does not lapse, the tax rate does not increase, and the tax base for such tax does not change. A tax that is imposed on the rental of motor vehicles or a motor vehicle rental business is discriminatory if: (1) it is not generally applicable to more than 51% of other rentals of tangible personal property or businesses within a state or locality, or (2) the rate exceeds the generally applicable tax rate on at least 51% of the other rentals of tangible personal property or businesses within the jurisdiction. A tax discriminates against motor vehicle rental property if a state or locality: (1) assesses the property at a value that has a higher ratio to the true market value of the property than the ratio applicable to commercial and industrial property, or (2) levies or collects either a tax on an assessment prohibited by this bill or an ad valorem property tax on motor vehicle rental property at a generally applicable rate that exceeds the rate for commercial and industrial property in the jurisdiction. A person who is aggrieved by a discriminatory tax may bring a civil action in a U.S. district court for damages, injunctive relief, other legal or equitable relief, or declaratory relief.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
CPI for Seniors Act of 2017 This bill directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics to prepare and publish a monthly index, to be known as the "Consumer Price Index for Seniors," that indicates changes in expenditures typical for U.S. consumers aged 62 or older.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017 This bill modifies requirements regarding access to preferred pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies that provide reduced enrollee cost sharing for prescription drugs) under a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP). Specifically, if a Medicare PDP has, in its pharmacy network, one or more preferred pharmacies located in a health shortage or medically underserved area, then the PDP sponsor must allow any pharmacy in the health shortage or medically underserved area to join the preferred pharmacy network under comparable terms and conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Health Care Options Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to temporarily permit certain individuals to use the premium assistance tax credit to purchase health insurance outside of an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (PPACA). The bill applies to individuals who reside in a rating area or county that the Department of Health and Human Services has certified has no qualified health plans offered through an exchange established under PPACA. Individuals residing in the areas or counties may use the premium assistance tax credit through 2019 to enroll in a plan outside of an exchange if the plan is: (1) authorized by the state in which the taxpayer resides to be offered in the individual market, or (2) is a not-for-profit membership organization that is organized and authorized under state law to accept member contributions to fund health care benefits for members and their families. The bill prohibits advance payments of the credit from being made with respect to the off-exchange plans and specifies reporting requirements for the plans. Through 2019, the bill also exempts the individuals residing in the counties or areas from the requirement to maintain minimum essential health coverage (commonly referred to as the individual mandate).
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Child Tax Credit Protection Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the identification requirements for the child tax credit to require taxpayers to provide a valid identification number (i.e., a Social Security account number issued by the Social Security Administration) on their tax returns in addition to the name and taxpayer identification number of each qualifying child. A "valid identification number" does not include a taxpayer identification number issued by the Internal Revenue Service.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to shield a health care professional from liability under federal or state law for harm caused by any act or omission if: (1) the professional is serving as a volunteer in response to a disaster; and (2) the act or omission occurs during the period of the disaster, in the professional's capacity as a volunteer, and in a good faith belief that the individual being treated is in need of health care services. This protection from liability does not apply if: (1) the harm was caused by an act or omission constituting willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; or (2) the professional rendered the health care services under the influence of alcohol or an intoxicating drug.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment under Medicare for certain services furnished to hospice patients by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). With respect to a patient who elects to receive hospice care under Medicare, current law generally limits payment for services that are either duplicative of such care or related to the treatment of the individual's terminal illness. However, current law exempts from this limitation: (1) physicians' services furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program; and (2) services provided or arranged by the hospice program. The bill expands this exemption with regard to rural health clinic and FQHC services. Specifically, the payment limitation shall not apply to such services that: (1) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual unaffiliated with a rural health clinic or FQHC; and (2) are either arranged by the hospice program or furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2017 This bill allows Medicare payment for home health services ordered by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
VA Guidance for Organizational Reform and Data Integrity for Accountability Needs Key for Necessary and Optimal Transformation Act or the VA GORDIAN KNOT Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement for an independent assessment of its organization, which shall evaluate: (1) whether the VA's current organization is conducive to meeting its performance goals, and (2) the cost of providing hospital care and medical services to veterans at VA medical facilities compared to the cost of paying for such care and services furnished by a non-VA provider pursuant to the Veterans Choice Program. The VA shall ensure that: (1) each VA medical facility has a hiring plan, and (2) each VA employee who voluntarily separates is afforded the opportunity to complete an exit interview. The VA shall: (1) develop standard definitions for the actions that constitute the manipulation of data regarding scheduling health care appointments and the ways in which Veterans Health Administration employees are held accountable for such manipulation; (2) ensure that a single position in each VA medical facility and office is designated as being responsible for verifying the accuracy of reported health care data; (3) enter into an agreement for an independent assessment of whether such requirements improve the accuracy of VA data; and (4) study and report on VA health care data integrity and on costs relating to VA employees manipulating health care data, providing negligent management, and retaliating against whistleblowers. The VA shall: (1) make publicly available on its website the current wait times for a veteran enrolled in the VA health care system to receive an appointment at a VA facility, (2) enter into an agreement for an assessment of the accuracy of such wait times, and (3) publish information regarding such assessment. The VA may transfer specified amounts among its accounts to mitigate or remove any shortfall or justify not making such transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify prohibitions with respect to intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying religious real property. Specifically, the bill broadens the scope of prohibited conduct to also criminalize threats to deface, damage, or destroy religious real property. Additionally, it establishes a criminal penalty—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both—for a violation that results in damage or destruction to religious property. Finally, the bill broadens the definition of "religious real property" to include real property owned or leased by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated organization.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act of 2017 or the RECLAIM Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to make specified funds available to the Department of the Interior through FY2021 for distribution to states and Indian tribes to promote economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed communities through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining carried out before August 3, 1977. The bill prescribes general requirements for projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands and waters that are likely to create favorable conditions for the economic development of the project site or promote the general welfare through economic and community development of the area in which the project is conducted. Any such project shall be located in a community affected by a recent decline in mining. A state or Indian tribe that receives funds under this bill may retain a portion of them as necessary to supplement its acid mine drainage abatement and treatment fund for future operation and maintenance costs for the treatment of acid mine drainage associated with individual projects. The bill increases the minimum amount of funds that Interior must provide annually to states and Indian tribes for reclamation and restoration projects. The Government Accountability Office must conduct a study on the use of funds authorized by this bill. The Appalachian Regional Commission may provide grants to individuals or entities in the Appalachian region for projects that have been or that are eligible to be reclaimed or restored under SMCRA. The commission must relocate its headquarters from Washington, DC to the Appalachian region.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to specify that a retailer of manufactured housing is generally not a "mortgage originator" subject to requirements under that Act. Similarly, the bill amends the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to specify that such a retailer is generally not a "loan originator" subject to requirements under that Act. In addition, the bill increases the annual percentage rates and transaction values at which mortgages for certain dwellings are considered "high-cost mortgages" under TILA.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Fannie and Freddie Open Records Act of 2017 This bill amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to require the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to be subject to FOIA's public information disclosure requirements during any period in which they are under conservatorship or receivership. The requirement applies to FOIA requests filed after enactment of this bill that relate to any record created before, on, or after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) support advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
This bill prohibits making funds available for activities in Afghanistan after one year following enactment of this bill. Such prohibition shall not apply to: (1) operations of the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, or (2) intelligence gathering activities. Such prohibition may be waived on a case-by-case basis if: (1) the President submits to Congress a certification that the availability of funds for such activities is in U.S. national interests; and (2) Congress, within 30 days after receipt of such certification, enacts a joint resolution authorizing the availability of funds for such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Verify First Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require taxpayers to provide their Social Security numbers on their tax returns to be eligible for the health insurance premium tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to rename the credit "the affordable housing credit" and make several modifications to the credit. The bill revises tenant eligibility requirements, with respect to: the average income test, income eligibility for rural projects, increased tenant income, student occupancy rules, and tenant voucher payments that are taken into account as rent. The bill revises various requirements to: establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain projects, permit relocation costs to be taken into account as rehabilitation expenditures, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, require housing credit agencies to make certain determinations regarding community revitalization plans, 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, increase the population cap for difficult development areas, and eliminate the basis reduction for a property that receives the tax credit for investments in energy property if the affordable housing credit is allowed for the property. The bill also modifies requirements regarding the reconstruction or replacement period after a casualty loss, rights related to building purchases, the prohibition on claiming acquisition credits for properties placed in service in the previous 10 years, foreclosures, and projects that assist Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Water Infrastructure Trust Fund Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury a Water Infrastructure Trust Fund and appropriates to it amounts equivalent to the fees received in the Treasury before January 1, 2023, under this bill. The bill requires 50% of amounts in the fund to be available to the Environmental Protection Agency for capitalization grants under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act or CWA) and 50% to be available for capitalization grants under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Amounts in the fund may not be made available for a fiscal year unless the amount of funds appropriated to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund through annual capitalization grants is not less than the average of the annual amounts provided in capitalization grants under the CWA for the immediately preceding five-fiscal-year period. The Department of the Treasury shall: (1) implement a program under which it provides a label suitable for placement on products (for a fee of three cents per unit) to inform consumers that the manufacturer, producer, or importer of the product and other stakeholders participate in the fund and are contributing to America's clean water; and (2) deposit amounts received in the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Protecting Foods and Beverages from Government Attack Act of 2017 This bill prohibits federal funding of print, radio, television or any other media advertisement, campaign, or form of publicity against the use of a food or beverage that is lawfully marketed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Student Agriculture Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of a student farmer up to $5,000 of the gain from the sale or exchange of personal property (including livestock, crops, and agricultural mechanics or shop products) produced or raised by the student farmer. A student farmer is an individual who is under 19 years of age and is enrolled in: (1) a program established by the National FFA Organization; (2) a 4-H Club or other program established by 4-H; or (3) a student agriculture program that is under the direction or guidance of an agricultural educator, advisor, or club leader. To qualify for the exclusion, the production and sale or exchange of the property must be supervised by one of the specified agriculture programs. The sale or exchange must also occur during qualified public entertainment or convention and trade show activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow 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 · 16 March 2017
Transportation and Logistics Hiring Reform Act of 2017 This bill establishes a national hiring standard for motor carriers. The bill defines an"entity" as a person acting as: a shipper (excluding an individual shipper) or a consignee; a broker, a freight forwarder, or a household goods freight forwarder; a non-vessel-operating common carrier, an ocean freight forwarder, or an ocean transportation intermediary; an indirect air carrier authorized to operate under a Standard Security Program approved by the Transportation Security Administration; a federally licensed customs broker; an interchange motor carrier; or a warehouse. Before tendering a shipment, but not more than 35 days before the pickup of a shipment by the hired motor carrier, an entity shall verify that the carrier: is registered with and authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to operate as a motor carrier or household goods motor carrier, has the minimum insurance coverage required by federal law, and does not have an unsatisfactory safety fitness rating issued by the FMCSA and has not otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations. Only evidence of an entity's compliance with this bill may be admitted as evidence in a civil action for damages resulting from a case or proceeding in which it is alleged that such entity's selection or retention of a motor carrier was negligent. No other motor carrier data created or maintained by the FMCSA, including safety measurement system data or analysis of such data, may be admitted in such case or proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2017 or the FAIR Act This bill modifies general rules governing civil forfeiture proceedings to: (1) ensure that a person contesting a civil forfeiture has legal representation without regard to whether the property subject to forfeiture is being used by such person as a primary residence; (2) increase the federal government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture proceedings to clear and convincing evidence; (3) require the government, in addition to showing a substantial connection between the seized property and an offense, to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of any interest in the seized property used the property with intent to facilitate the offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to the use of the property by another in connection with the offense; and (4) expand the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. To remove incentives for carrying out civil forfeitures, the bill requires proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. The bill adds a mens rea requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. A court shall conduct a probable cause hearing to determine if there is a violation of the prohibition against structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements involving a monetary instrument and to return such instrument if probable cause is not established.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Welfare Benefit Reform and Alignment Commission (BRAC) Act This bill establishes within the legislative branch the Benefit Reform and Alignment Commission to review certain means-tested welfare programs. A "means-tested welfare program" is any federal program that is designed to specifically provide assistance or benefits exclusively to low-income Americans. The bill specifies several programs that are either considered or not considered means-tested welfare programs for the purpose of this bill. The commission must identify changes in law to structure the programs so that: the receipt of aid by a beneficiary is temporary, that over time there is a reduction in the number of the programs in which an individual beneficiary or household is participating, and that over time the total number of recipients receiving such aid is reduced; and the programs increase employment, encourage healthy marriages, and further educational attainment so that households maintain an income above the poverty level without services and benefits from the federal government. The commission must also: (1) review the programs to evaluate whether certain programs should be consolidated, eliminated, or made subject to the annual appropriations process; and (2) recommend ways to reduce the cost or increase the efficiency of the programs by contracting with private entities or delegating authority to states. The commission may also review the offsetting receipts and discretionary appropriations of the federal government. The commission must submit to Congress a report including recommendations and proposed legislation. Congress must consider the proposal using specified expedited legislative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2017 This bill requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, except if: (1) such goods or services are required by law to be produced or performed by such agency; or (2) the agency determines and certifies that federal production, manufacture, or provision of a good or service is necessary for the national defense or homeland security, that a good or service is so critical to the agency's mission or so inherently governmental in nature that it is in the public interest to require production or performance by government employees, or that there is no private source capable of providing the good or service. This bill requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through: (1) the divestiture of federal involvement, (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures, or (3) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer. The bill authorizes an agency to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value. The OMB must carry out a study to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act This bill adds certain transparency requirements for pharmacy benefits managers under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, TRICARE, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Horse Protection Amendments Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to replace 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, appoint inspectors to conduct inspections, and otherwise ensure compliance with the Horse Protection Act. 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 · 2 March 2017
Assuring Law Enforcement Requests Are Timely Evaluated by the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2017 or the ALERTED Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, upon request by a federal, state, or local law enforcement official, to determine whether to issue a detainer to detain an alien arrested by such official for a violation of any law, not just one relating to controlled substances.