United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require private health insurance plans that cover obstetrical services to also cover infertility treatments (e.g., in vitro fertilization). The bill also extends coverage to federal employees, members of the U.S. military, and veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Condemns all forms of physical, mental, and sexual violence against children and youth globally. Commends the End Violence Against Children Solution Summit 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden, for its leadership.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2018 This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements relating to the health of minority populations, including provisions to improve data collection, health literacy, health workforce diversity, and overall access to health care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Students Over Special Interests Act This bill terminates the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and forgives the outstanding balance of interest and principal due on federal student loans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation Act or the POWER Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand the nonimmigrant U-visa category (crime victims and their immediate family members) to include an alien who: has suffered substantial abuse or harm resulting from a workplace violation claim; is a victim of specified criminal activity or a workplace violation and would suffer extreme hardship upon removal; has been helpful in a workplace violation investigation; or has filed, is a material witness in, or is likely to be helpful in the investigation of, a workplace claim and reasonably fears, or has been the victim of, employer retaliation. An alien who is a material witness in a workplace claim and who has been helpful in a related law enforcement action may remain and work temporarily in the United States. In a Department of Homeland Security workplace enforcement action a detained alien: (1) who is necessary as a witness shall not be removed until the appropriate law enforcement agency is notified and has an opportunity to interview such individual, and (2) who is entitled to a stay or abeyance of removal shall not be removed. An alien in removal proceedings who is a witness in a workplace claim or who has filed for U-visa status shall be entitled to a stay or abeyance of removal and permitted to work until the claim's disposition unless the alien has been convicted of a felony or filed a bad faith claim.
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 · 15 May 2018
Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2018 or the BURMA Act of 2018 This bill provides humanitarian assistance for Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh and imposes sanctions on Burmese military or security officials responsible for serious human rights abuses. The bill provides humanitarian assistance for Burma, Bangladesh, and the surrounding region, including assistance for the Rohingya minority. The Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Agency for International Development shall jointly submit to Congress a strategy for promoting economic growth in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2018
Jobs and Justice Act of 2018 This bill addresses a wide variety of domestic policy matters and focuses on economically distressed communities, opportunities for minorities and the disadvantaged, and civil rights enforcement. Included in the programs and requirements affected are those concerning: diversity in contracting; infrastructure development; areas of persistent poverty; job training for youth and older Americans; education of girls and minorities in STEM fields; the federal minimum wage; military family benefits; health care coverage and access; small business investment; commercial investment in underserved areas, including through tax benefits; housing, including affordability and homelessness programs, landlord-tenant matters, public housing, foreclosure mitigation, and discrimination; access to higher education, including through community college attendance; science, technology, and information security education; hate crimes; law enforcement officer conduct; law enforcement resources and administration; juvenile justice; sentencing procedures; voting rights and administration; prison administration; and firearms sales and possession.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great world religions. Acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.
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 · 8 May 2018
Directs the Department of Commerce to transmit to the House of Representatives, by 14 days after the adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, correspondence, or other communication that refers or relates to: (1) the addition of a question on citizenship to the 2020 decennial census of population; and (2) the December 12, 2017, letter from Arthur E. Gary, General Counsel, Justice Management Division, Department of Justice, to Ron Jarmin, Acting Director, Bureau of the Census.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2018
The Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2018 This bill establishes the National Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Commission: (1) to study the impact of solitary confinement in correctional facilities on governments, communities, and social institutions; (2) to report findings; and (3) to recommend national standards to reduce the use of solitary confinement. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish national standards to reduce solitary confinement in correctional facilities. The Bureau of Prisons must comply with the national standards immediately. A state or local government must certify compliance with the national standards to be eligible for DOJ-administered grant program funding to construct, maintain, or operate correctional facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2018
Expresses support for a bold and sustained expansion of federal investments in affordable and accessible rental homes to help more low-income families.
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
Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act or the FIRST STEP Act This bill amends various provisions of law and sets forth new provisions: to require the Department of Justice to establish and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to implement a risk and needs assessment system to assess prisoner recidivism risk; guide housing, grouping, and program assignments; and incentivize and reward participation in and completion of recidivism reduction programs and productive activities; to modify the computation of good time credit; to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison; to limit the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery; to require a prisoner to be placed at a facility not more than 500 driving miles away from the prisoner's primary residence; to require low-risk prisoners to be placed on home confinement for the maximum amount of time permitted; to reauthorize through FY2022 and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program; to require the BOP to help prisoners obtain identification documents prior to release, to incorporate de-escalation procedures into training programs, and to make tampons and sanitary napkins available free of charge; to repeal the National Institute of Corrections; to authorize Federal Prison Industries to sell products to additional markets; to require probation and pretrial services officers to perform court-directed supervision of sex offenders conditionally released from civil commitment; to require auditors who monitor compliance with national prison rape standards be certified; and to require the BOP to establish pilot programs on youth mentorship and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals.
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 · 26 April 2018
Restoring and Improving Merger Enforcement Act of 2018 This bill revises the standard for determining whether a proposed corporate acquisition would substantially lessen competition. Specifically, the bill establishes that a court may consider a claim that the acquisition would increase efficiency only if such increased efficiency (1) is verifiable, (2) could not be accomplished without the acquisition, and (3) would promote competition. The bill also places the burden of proof on the defendant claiming that increased efficiency will eliminate the substantial lessening of competition that would result from the proposed acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
End Employer Collusion Act This bill makes it unlawful for any entity to enter into a restrictive employment agreement, or enforce or threaten to enforce a restrictive employment agreement. A "restrictive employment agreement" is any agreement between two or more employers that prohibits or restricts one employer from soliciting or hiring another employer's employees or former employees. The bill allows aggrieved individuals to bring a civil action for actual and punitive damages, plus attorney's fees, against an entity that enters into, or threatens to enforce, a restrictive employment agreement. The bill grants the Federal Trade Commission the power to enforce the requirements of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Workforce Mobility Act of 2018 This bill prohibits an employer from entering into a covenant not to compete with any employee of such employer. A "covenant not to compete" is an agreement between an employer and employee that restricts such employee from performing any work for another employer for a specified period of time, any work in a specified geographic area, or any work for another employer that is similar to the work performed for the employer who is a party to such agreement. Such an agreement in an employment contract is presumed to be illegal as anticompetitive unless the employer establishes otherwise. An aggrieved party may file a civil action for actual and punitive damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs if the action is successful.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Economic Freedom and Financial Security for Working People Act of 2018 This bill amends the Clayton Act to establish that a corporate acquisition that tends to create a monopsony (i.e., a situation where a single buyer substantially controls the purchasing power in a market for a good or service) is a violation of antitrust law. Currently, the Clayton Act prohibits only acquisitions that would lead to a monopoly (i.e., where a single supplier of a good or service substantially controls the market).
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Affirms a commitment to elevate the voices, leadership, and needs of disenfranchised and underserved communities in the effort to end sexual violence and support survivors of sexual violence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Farmers Conserving Agricultural Resources through EQIP Act or the Farmers CARE Act This bill reauthorizes and modifies the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). (EQIP provides financial and technical assistance for agricultural producers and land owners to implement certain conservation practices.) The bill expands and modifies the purposes of the program. It also includes modifications that: increase payments for certain land management and vegetative practices that result in highly cost-effective treatment of priority resource concerns; prohibit payments for large confined animal feeding operations to construct an animal waste management facility or any associated waste transport or transfer device; repeal the allocation of funding for practices relating to livestock production; increase the allocation of funding for practices relating to improving fish and wildlife habitat; specify an allocation of funding for producers who participate in an independent animal welfare certification program; add payments for certain practices that promote ground and surface water conservation; remove the payment limitation for practices related to organic production; add payments for certain conservation practices related to antibiotic use and pasture-based production systems; prioritize applications that address priority resource concerns identified by USDA; and reduce the limitation on total EQIP payments.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2018
Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish a Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Trust Fund; and (2) increase the corporate income tax rate to 24.5% to provide revenues for programs created by this bill. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture must allocate funds from the trust fund to clean water programs, drinking water programs, and water well systems. The bill amends Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the EPA to make grants for providing technical assistance for water and sanitation infrastructure and drinking water systems to rural and small municipalities and tribal governments. The EPA must establish a grant program for repairing, replacing, or upgrading septic tanks and drainage fields. The bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make permanent a grant program for household water well systems in rural areas. The bill revises requirements concerning the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) and the drinking water SRF. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the EPA to make grants to local educational agencies for: (1) infrastructure to ensure that drinking water in schools is lead free, and (2) testing drinking water in schools for lead.
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 · 13 April 2018
Reentry and Reunification Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to admit an otherwise inadmissible alien for lawful permanent residence if such person is the spouse, parent, or guardian of a U.S. citizen; has been a person of good moral character; has been removed from the United States or is subject to removal; is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds; has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion; has not been convicted of federal or state crimes with a term of imprisonment of more than one year; and in the case of an alien subject to removal, has been continuously present in the United States for four years.
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 · 22 March 2018
Debt-Free College Act This bill requires the Department of Education to: (1) award grants for state-federal partnerships that provide debt-free college for students at certain institutions of higher education, and (2) allow federal financial aid for higher education to be given to dreamer students (students who entered the country when they were under the age of 16 and who meet certain educational criteria) or students convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018
Recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar Estrada Chavez, pledges to promote his legacy, and encourages the people of the United States to commemorate his legacy and to always remember his rallying cry, "Si, se puede!" ("Si, se puede!" is Spanish for "Yes, we can!")
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 · 8 March 2018
Clean and Efficient Cars Act of 2018 This bill provides statutory authority for rules concerning corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for automobiles with model years 2021 through 2025 and greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles (e.g., trucks) with model years 2017 through 2025. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for rules issued in 2012 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the CAFE standards and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the greenhouse gas emission standards. NHTSA and the EPA may not take actions that could reduce the stringency of the standards.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2018
Directing Implementation of Sanctions and Accountability for Russian Mischief Act or the DISARM Act This bill directs the President to impose property-blocking and U.S. entry sanctions against certain senior Russian foreign political figures or oligarchs and parastatal entities (and associated individuals) not currently subject to sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
Close Tax Loopholes That Outsource American Jobs Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the tax deduction for a portion of a domestic corporation's foreign-derived intangible income and global intangible low-taxed income.
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
HBCU Parity Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to reauthorize and provide mandatory funding for Department of Agriculture grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. (Under current law funding for the grant program is subject to the annual appropriations process. Mandatory spending is not controlled by appropriations bills.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Original NAACP Resolution of 2018 Recognizes the 109th anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors the NAACP for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic rights of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled "Restoring Internet Freedom." The rule published on February 22, 2018: (1) restores the classification of broadband Internet access service as a lightly-regulated "information service"; (2) reinstates private mobile service classification of mobile broadband Internet access service; (3) requires Internet service providers to disclose information about their network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of service; and (4) eliminates the Internet Conduct Standard and the bright-line rules.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Expresses support for the designation of National Vitiligo Awareness Day. (Vitiligo is a condition in which skin color is lost in patches.) Recognizes the importance of providing support for individuals diagnosed with vitiligo.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
USAccounts: Investing in America's Future Act of 201 8 This bill establishes in the Treasury the USAccount Fund from which the Department of the Treasury must make an initial $500 automatic contribution and subsequent matching contributions of up to $500 annually to accounts known as USAccounts. USAccounts shall be established under this bill for individuals born after December 31, 2018, who have not yet attained age 18. The bill provides for contributions by the government and the private sector to such USAccounts and allows tax-exempt distributions from such accounts for higher education expenses and for funding the individual retirement accounts of an account holder, but prohibits any distributions before an account holder reaches age 18. The bill establishes in the executive branch a USAccount Fund Board to manage investments in the USAccount Fund. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt the USAccount Fund and USAccounts from income taxation, (2) increase the amount of the child tax credit by the applicable USAccount contribution amount, and (3) require the Internal Revenue Service to notify taxpayers of their potential eligibility for the earned income tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of the foreign-source income of domestic corporations, to: eliminate an exemption for certain returns from tangible investments made overseas, eliminate deductions for a domestic corporation's foreign-derived intangible income and global intangible low-taxed income, repeal a provision that excludes foreign oil and gas extraction income from the tested income of a controlled foreign corporation, limit the tax deduction for the interest expenses of a U.S. corporation that is a member of a financial reporting group (i.e., a group that prepares consolidated financial statements according to generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards), modify the rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States), and treat certain foreign corporations managed and controlled primarily in the United States as domestic corporations for tax purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Original Black History Month Resolution of 2018 Recognizes the significance of Black History Month as an important time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of African Americans in the nation's history, and encourages the continued celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all peoples of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2018
Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is: (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The legislation amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to require law enforcement agencies to be notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a grandfathered SAW. It also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 February 2018
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to adjust to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between November 20, 2014, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien. Adjustment applications must be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Reserve Component Benefits Parity Act of 2018 This bill makes reserve component members who are deployed to support pre-planned operations of a combatant command eligible for: (1) non-reduction in pay while serving in the uniformed services or National Guard, (2) consideration of active duty service to reduce the age for retired pay ; and (3) the high-deployment allowance for lengthy or numerous deployments and frequent mobilizations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
International Violence Against Women Act of 2018 This bill provides for a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the Department of State an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. The Ambassador-at-Large shall: (1) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender equality and the advancement of women and girls in foreign policy, and (2) develop or update periodically a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. The bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development the position of Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct policies, programs, and funding regarding gender equality and women's empowerment. The bill requires that U.S. assistance made available for humanitarian relief, conflict mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction prevents and responds to violence against women and girls. The Department of State shall also identify incidents that occur during armed conflict and implement emergency responses.