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United States · Official source
1,290 records where Rep. Farenthold, Blake [R-TX-27] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016
Protect the Flag Act This bill makes an institution of higher education ineligible for federal funds if it has an official policy that prohibits or limits the display of the U.S. flag.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016
This bill amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to include the following named areas as part of the high priority Central Texas Corridor of the National Highway System in Texas: certain routes in the Corridor and the I-14 system in Texas, beginning in the vicinity of State Highway 338 in Odessa, Texas, running eastward concurrent with Interstate 20, connecting to State Highway 158 in the vicinity of Midland, Texas, then following State Highway 158 eastward to US 87 and then following US 87 southeastward, passing in the vicinity of San Angelo, and connecting to US 190 in the vicinity of Brady, Texas; US 83 southward from the vicinity of Eden, Texas, to a logical connection to Interstate 10 at Junction, Texas; US 96 from I-10 at Beaumont, Texas, north to US 84 in the vicinity of Tenaha, Texas; and US 69 from I-10 at Beaumont north to US 59 in the vicinity of Lufkin, Texas. The Corridor shall not include the section of US 190 from I-10 in Pecos County to Brady in McCullough County, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2016
Norman Yoshio Mineta 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 Norman Yoshio Mineta in recognition of his dedication to public service, civic engagement, and civil rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Norman Yoshio Mineta 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 Norman Yoshio Mineta in recognition of his dedication to public service, civic engagement, and civil rights.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
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 Don Stephens, President and Founder of Mercy Ships.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Finds that, as the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton failed to meet minimum standards of care with respect to the handling of classified and sensitive material.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act This bill postpones from December 1, 2016, until June 1, 2017, the effective date of a final rule of the Department of Labor revising income thresholds for determining overtime pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer ("white collar") employees exempt from regular minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016
Condemns the government of Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and for denying the evidence of crimes against humanity. Urges: (1) the Administration and U.S. allies to condemn the massacre and pressure the Iranian government to provide detailed information to the victims' families about their loved ones and their final resting places; and (2) the United Nations (U.N.) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the U.N. Human Rights Council to create a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the massacre, gather evidence, identify the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2016
Extending Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise the statute of limitations for a victim of a human trafficking offense or federal sexual offense to file a civil action to recover damages. Under current law, the statute of limitations is 10 years from the date the cause of action arose. This bill sets a 10-year statute of limitations from the date the victim discovers the offense or injury. Additionally, it extends the statute of limitations for a minor victim of a federal sex offense to file a civil action to 10 years (currently 3 years) from the date such individual reaches age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2016
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Amendments Act of 2016 This bill makes several changes to the U.S. Coast Guard major acquisition system. The changes are designed to establish a customer-oriented acquisition system. The bill expands the acquisition responsibilities of the Coast Guard's Chief Acquisition Officer and Vice Commandant. Additionally, the bill limits the Coast Guard's authority to procure unmanned aerial systems (drones). The Coast Guard may extend an acquisition contract without competition if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approves. DHS must study the effects that multi-year contracting has on Coast Guard acquisition programs. The bill also requires the Coast Guard to make payment based on a predetermined fixed amount to the Department of Defense (DOD) for medical care of current or former members of the Coast Guard and their dependents at DOD facilities. The bill revises the deadline for when certain fishing vessels must be in compliance with the alternative safety compliance program. National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2016 The Coast Guard must also develop a land-based system to backup its Global Positioning System (GPS). The Coast Guard is authorized to reimburse private entities for costs incurred to construct projects that facilitate safe and efficient marine transportation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016
United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, the value of any medal or prize money received on account of competition in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016
Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act of 2016 or the Dialysis Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists, Treatment, and Services Demonstration Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into palliative care; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models. An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries. A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model. The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Protect and Grow American Jobs Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant" to eliminate the masters or higher degree requirement and raise the annual salary threshold requirement from $60,000 to $100,000. (An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is a nonimmigrant H-1B [specialty occupation] worker meeting certain criteria whom an H-1B dependent employer may hire without having to satisfy certain otherwise applicable H-1B hiring criteria. An H-1B dependent employer is generally one whose H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of the employer's total workforce, with different thresholds applying to smaller employers.) The bill requires an inflation adjustment to the salary threshold every third fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the admission of covered aliens into the United States for four years unless Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to admit them. No covered alien may be admitted into the United States after such four-year period. "Covered alien" means an alien applying for refugee admission to the United States who: (1) is a national of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen; or (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. The Government Accountability Office shall report on: (1) the national security impact of refugee admissions; and (2) specified costs of providing refugees with benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
No Resettlement Without Consent Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that: (1) the Office of Refugee Resettlement shall not place or resettle a refugee within a state without the governor's approval; and (2) notwithstanding such approval, the office shall not place or resettle a refugee in any locality within a state if the locality has in effect a law, or a policy with the effect of law, disapproving of refugee resettlement in that locality.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Second Amendment protects the individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense and that such right is fully applicable to the states.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Supports the designation of April 11 as National Pet Adoption Day and the month of April as National Pet Adoption Month.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) provide for an operation on a live donor to carry out a transplant procedure for an eligible veteran notwithstanding that the live donor may not be eligible for VA health care, and (2) provide for such an operation at a VA or a non-VA facility. The VA shall furnish to such a donor any care or services that may be required before and after conducting with such procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Taking Responsibility Using Secured Technologies Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should have any security clearance she holds revoked and should be denied access to classified information unless she earns the legal right to such access, and (2) any of her colleagues who demonstrated extreme carelessness in their handling of classified information should no longer have access to that information. The bill prohibits granting a security clearance to, and requires revocation of the security clearance of, any federal officer or employee who has exercised extreme carelessness in the handling of classified information. The bill also amends a provision of the federal criminal code that subjects to criminal penalties anyone entrusted with, or having lawful possession or control of, national defense information who, through gross negligence, permits that information to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone or to be lost, stolen, abstracted, or destroyed. The bill explicitly states that "gross negligence," for these purposes, includes extreme or reckless carelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 810 N US Highway 83 in Zapata, Texas, as the "Zapata Veterans Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2016
Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2016 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, transport, or trade 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 · 20 June 2016
Miscellaneous Maritime Transportation Amendments Act of 2016 National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2016 This bill directs the U.S. Coast Guard to develop a land-based system to backup its Global Position System (GPS). The bill revises the deadline for when certain fishing vessels must be in compliance with the alternate safety compliance program. Additionally, the Coast Guard is authorized to reimburse private entities for costs incurred to construct and establish an aid to navigation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Agency Accountability Act of 2016 This bill requires any agency that receives a fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement to deposit the amount in the general fund of the Treasury. The funds may not be used unless the funding is provided in advance in an appropriations bill. Any amounts deposited during the fiscal year in which this bill is enacted may not be obligated during the fiscal year and must be used for deficit reduction. The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require offsetting receipts and collections to be treated as revenue. (Offsetting receipts and collections are funds collected by agencies from other government accounts or from the public in businesslike or market-oriented transactions. Under current law, the collections are treated as negative budget authority and outlays rather than revenue and may be used to offset spending for budget enforcement purposes.) The requirements of the bill do not apply to the U.S. Postal Service or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO must submit annually to Congress a report describing any fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement collected by the USPTO during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Dialysis PATIENT Demonstration Act of 2016 or the Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists and Treatment Demonstration Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into palliative care; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models. An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries. A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model. The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016
Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide training for administering community awareness briefings and related activities in furtherance of its efforts to counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly identify terrorism threats, including the travel of individuals from the United States to support a foreign terrorist organization abroad. DHS shall: (1) assess its efforts to support countering violent extremism at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels; (2) notify Congress of the number of employees of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments with security clearances sponsored by DHS; and (3) incorporate the public testimonials of former extremists into its efforts to combat terrorist recruitment. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS a board to coordinate and integrate DHS's intelligence, activities, and policy related to its counterterrorism mission and functions. The board shall advise DHS on the issuance of terrorism alerts. DHS shall appoint a Coordinator for Counterterrorism to serve as the chair of the board.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016
Supports the designation of U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Month in honor of the role aircraft carriers have held for almost 90 years serving the Nation's interests in times of war and peace. Pledges to celebrate aircraft carrier contributions and heritage in each district.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14231 TX-150 in Coldspring, Texas, as the "E. Marie Youngblood Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
This bill prohibits U.S. agency funds from being used until the earlier of the enactment date of an Act authorizing FY2017 appropriations for military activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) or January 1, 2017, for the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions or to any foreign country or entity of an individual detained at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "Individual detained at Guantanamo" means an individual located at Guantanamo as of October 1, 2009, who: (1) is not a U.S. national or a member of the Armed Forces, and (2) is in the custody or under the control of DOD or otherwise detained at Guantanamo.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Stopping Mass Hacking Act This bill rejects an amendment to rule 41 (Search and Seizure) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court and transmitted to Congress for review on April 28, 2016. (The amendment allows a federal magistrate judge to issue a warrant to use remote access to search computers and seize electronically stored information located inside or outside that judge's district in specific circumstances.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Student Privacy Protection and Safety Act of 2016 This bill invalidates the Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, dated May 13, 2016, that was issued by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to provide guidance to schools receiving federal financial assistance about the treatment of transgender students under the prohibitions against sex discrimination in title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The invalidation applies until superseded by an Act of Congress that directs federal departments to issue guidance on transgender issues.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Prohibiting the Usurpation of Bathroom Laws through Independent Choice School Act (PUBLIC School Act) of 2016 This bill declares that it shall not be unlawful under federal law for a state or local government to enact or enforce a policy regarding the use of sex-segregated bathrooms or locker rooms of educational institutions on the basis of gender identity. The bill prohibits the reduction or denial of federal financial assistance on the basis that a state or local government enacts or enforces such a policy.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of State to assign, in a risk-based manner, State Department employees to at least 30 visa-issuing diplomatic and consular posts based upon the following criteria: the number of nationals of a country in which such posts are located who were identified in U.S. terrorist databases, such a country's counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, the adequacy of border and immigration control of such country, terrorist organization activity in such country, and the number of negative security advisory opinions regarding nationals of such country. Such employees shall, in addition to other duties, screen admissions applications against federal criminal, national security, and terrorism databases. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a visa security advisory opinion unit to respond to State Department requests for visa security reviews; and provide, in a risk-based manner, for remote pre-adjudicated visa security assistance at posts that are not assigned such employees. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall: screen electronic passports at U.S. entry airports by reading each passport's embedded chip, and utilize facial recognition or other biometric technology to screen travelers at such airports. Electronic passport screening shall apply to U.S. citizens, nationals of a visa waiver program country, and nationals of any other foreign country that issues electronic passports. Facial recognition or other biometric technology shall apply to nationals of a visa waiver program country. The CBP shall, in a risk-based manner, continuously screen individuals issued any visa and individuals who are visa waiver program nationals against criminal, national security, and terrorism databases. The annual visa overstay report is revised. DHS shall ensure that certain foreign student information is available at each U.S. port of entry to CBP officers who inspect aliens seeking U.S. admission.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Regulatory Integrity Act of 2016 This bill directs each executive agency to make publicly available on the agency website or in the rule making docket on Regulations.gov a list of each pending agency regulatory action, the date the agency began to develop or consider the action, its status, an estimate of the date it will be final and in effect, a brief description of such action, and each public communication about the action issued by the agency, including the date of the communication, its intended audience, the method of communication, and a copy of the original communication. Each agency shall publish the information required within 24 hours after such communication is issued and maintain the public availability of such information for at least 5 years after the action is finalized. Any public communication issued by an agency that refers to a pending agency regulatory action: shall specify whether the agency is considering alternatives and accepting comments; shall expressly disclose that the agency is the source of the information to the intended recipients; and may not solicit support for or promote the action nor include statements of aggrandizement for the agency, any federal employee, or the action.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Reaffirms: that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner, that it is U.S. policy and law to ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge and self-defense capacity, and support of an Israeli tiered missile defense program. Urges finalization of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel. Supports a long-term Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel that increases the amount of aid from previous agreements and enhances Israel's military capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit financial assistance to a foreign country that refuses or unreasonably delays the acceptance of an alien who: (1) is a citizen, subject, national, or resident of such country; and (2) has received a final order of removal from the United States. A country shall be deemed to have refused or unreasonably delayed acceptance of an alien if it does not accept such alien within 90 days of receiving an authorized repatriation request. The Department of Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress every three months that: (1) lists the countries that refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation; and (2) includes the total number of aliens who were refused repatriation, organized by country, detention status, and criminal status. A listed country shall be subject to U.S. entry and financial assistance prohibitions unless it issues appropriate travel documents: (1) within 100 days after such report's submission for aliens convicted of a crime committed in the United States, and (2) within 200 days after such report's submission for all other aliens. A victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal shall have standing in federal district court to enforce entry and financial prohibitions. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to: (1) discontinue granting visas to a subject, national, or resident of a listed country unless the country has issued the appropriate travel documents pursuant to this bill; and (2) grant standing to enforce such provision in federal district court to a victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Corps' Obligation to Assist in Safeguarding Texas Act or the COAST Act This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the: (1) completion of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study by taking into consideration information developed by the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District, (2) completion of the reports for the study, and (3) congressional approval process of coastal protection projects along the Texas coast by allowing projects that are justified by the Corps of Engineers in the reports to proceed directly to project preconstruction, engineering, and design. (The study will evaluate the feasibility of developing a comprehensive plan for flood risk management, hurricane and storm risk management, and ecosystem restoration for Texas coastal areas.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Fertilizer Access and Responsible Management Act or the FARM Act This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to withdraw its revised enforcement policy published on July 22, 2015, concerning the exemption of retail facilities from coverage of the process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals standard. (The standard contains requirements for managing hazards associated with processes using highly hazardous chemicals.) OSHA may publish a proposed rule relating to that exception only if: (1) it arranges for an independent third party to conduct a cost analysis of the proposed rule, and (2) the U.S. Census Bureau establishes a code for farm supply retailers under the North American Industry Classification System in a sector relating to retail trade. OSHA, when promulgating a rule relating to the exemption of retail facilities from coverage of the standards, must provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments as specified by the bill and invite meaningful public input in the rulemaking.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
State Outreach for Local Veterans Employment Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the Department of Labor from rejecting a disabled veterans training and employment outreach plan submitted by a state based solely on which agency the state selected to carry out the plan. Labor shall encourage each state to: (1) colocate its disabled veterans outreach program specialists and local veterans employment representatives with one or more one-stop centers, and (2) tailor its plan to meet the employment and training needs of in-state veterans. If a plan addresses a significant employment barrier, a state may propose such barriers as appropriate in order to allow additional categories of veterans to receive outreach and local veterans employment representative services. Labor shall, if it objects to only a portion of a state's plan: (1) approve those portions of the plan that it does not object to, (2) submit to the state an explanation of which portions were not approved and why, and (3) allow the state to submit revisions to such portions for approval.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the renewable fuel program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must cap the total volume of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply at 9.7% of projected gasoline demand as determined by the Energy Information Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Fourth Amendment Integrity Restoration in Surveillance Act of 2016 or the F.A.I.R. Surveillance Act of 2016 This bill specifies that an agreement between a federal and state or local law enforcement agency regarding the acquisition or use of a cell simulator device must require such state or local law enforcement agency to use the device in compliance with the federal agency's guidance and policies. The term "cell simulator device" means a device that: (1) simulates a cell tower to provide an electronic communication service, or (2) functions as a cell tower to locate cellular devices or identify their unique identifiers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2016 This bill prohibits government officials from entering into a settlement agreement resolving a civil action on behalf of the United States, or from enforcing such a settlement agreement, if that agreement requires a donation to be made to any person by any party (other than the United States) to such agreement. Government officials or agents who violate this prohibition may be removed from office or required to forfeit to the government any money they hold for such purposes to which they may otherwise be entitled. The term "donation" excludes a payment by a party to provide restitution for or otherwise remedy the actual harm caused by the alleged conduct that is the basis for the settlement agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act or the OPEN Government Data Act This bill requires government data assets made available by federal agencies (excluding the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Election Commission, and certain other government entities) to be published as machine-readable data. When not otherwise prohibited by law, the data must be available: (1) in an open format that does not impede use or reuse and that has standards maintained by a standards organization; and (2) under open licenses with a legal guarantee that the data be available at no cost to the public with no restrictions on copying, publication, distribution, transmittal, citing, or adaptation. If published government data assets are not available under an open license, the data must be considered part of the worldwide public domain. Agencies may engage with outside organizations and citizens to leverage public data assets for innovation in public and private sectors. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must oversee the completeness and public availability of an enterprise data inventory that agencies must develop to account for any data assets that they create, collect, control, or maintain. Agencies must: (1) make their enterprise data inventories available to the public on Data.gov, and (2) designate a point of contact to assist the public and respond to complaints about adherence to open data requirements. For privacy, security, confidentiality, or regulatory reasons, agencies may maintain a nonpublic portion of their inventories. The OMB's Office of Electronic Government is renamed the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer. Agencies are not required to publish notices in the Federal Register about information collection that is focused on gathering input about the performance of, or public satisfaction with, the agency's service if the collection is: (1) online and electronic, (2) voluntary with no benefit to the provider of the information, and (3) an extremely low burden that is typically completed in five minutes or less. But agencies must publish representative summaries of such information collections. The General Services Administration must maintain a single public interface online as a point of entry dedicated to sharing open government data with the public. The Chief Information Officers Council must work with the Office of Government Information Services and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to promote data interoperability and comparability of data assets across the government. The OMB must assess the extent of each agency's use of data assets to support decisionmaking, cost savings, and performance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
Protecting Veterans' Educational Choice Act of 2016 This bill requires Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) counselors who provide specified educational or vocational counseling services to provide a requesting veteran or member of the Armed Forces with information about the articulation agreements (agreements governing the transferability of credits toward meeting specific degree or program requirements) of each institution of higher learning in which the individual is interested. The VA shall provide a veteran who is certified as eligible for VA educational assistance with information on education counseling services and articulation agreements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reauthorize the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) through FY2020. SCAAP provides payments to state, local, and tribal governments to offset the costs of incarcerating certain undocumented criminal aliens. It expands the definition of “undocumented criminal alien” to include an alien who has been charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Justice to reimburse a state, local, or tribal government for costs to incarcerate a criminal alien whose immigration status cannot be verified by the Department of Homeland Security. (Currently, a criminal alien with lawful immigration status does not meet the criteria for SCAAP reimbursement.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Flexibility in Electronic Health Record Reporting Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, with respect to electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use incentive programs under Medicare and Medicaid, to continue through 2016 to allow the use of quarterly reporting without regard to the payment year or the stage of meaningful use criteria involved.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Stop Animal Fat Tax Credits Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make fuels derived from animal fats ineligible for the tax credits for: (1) biodiesel and renewable diesel, and (2) alternative fuels.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
End Executive Overreach Act This bill prohibits, until January 21, 2017, the use of federal funds, fees, or resources to implement an executive order issued on or after the enactment of this bill. The bill prohibits any agency, until such date, from making or finalizing: a major rule (a rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more); a rule that may raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set forth in Executive Order 12866 (which requires that significant regulatory actions be submitted for review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget); or a rule that may create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action taken or planned by another agency.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2016
Free File Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program. The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to: provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income; provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services. Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns. The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to: simplify the tax system, reduce compliance and reporting burdens, increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication, strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration, avoid duplication, and maximize the use of electronic technology.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2016 This bill imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent; (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion; (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Violations or attempted violations shall result in fines and/or imprisonment for up to five years. The bill authorizes civil actions (for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages) by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; or (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion. To prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this bill, the bill authorizes injunctive relief to be obtained by: (1) the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, (2) a maternal grandparent of the unborn child if the woman is an unemancipated minor, (3) the father of such an unborn child, or (4) the Department of Justice. Violations of this bill are deemed to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Medical or mental health professionals must report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Criminal penalties are established for a failure to so report. A woman having such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable. Courts must make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. In the absence of such a woman's written consent, any party, other than a public official, who brings an action must use a pseudonym. For purposes of this bill, "abortion" is defined as the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child, unless the act is intended to: (1) save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, (2) remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or (3) remove an ectopic pregnancy.