United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2018
Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver Act or the WILD Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2023 the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. Federal agencies that have duties relating to invasive species management for the protection of water and wildlife must: (1) inhibit or reduce the populations of invasive species and effectuate restoration or reclamation efforts on land they manage, and (2) develop a strategic plan for implementing an invasive species program designed to achieve a substantive annual net reduction of invasive species populations or infested acreage in managed areas. This bill amends the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000, including to authorize the Department of the Interior to award a multi-year grant for carrying out a project that is an effective, long-term conservation strategy for great apes (defined in the Act as chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons) and their habitats. This bill amends the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to expand eligibility for financial assistance to include: (1) a wildlife management authority of a U.S. territory, and (2) projects for the conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must establish Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prizes for: (1) prevention of wildlife poaching and trafficking, (2) promotion of wildlife conservation, (3) management of invasive species, (4) protection of endangered species, and (5) nonlethal management of human-wildlife conflicts. The bill establishes advisory boards for those prizes.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2018
Water Resources Development Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes, deauthorizes, and modifies various projects under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and the National Dam Safety Program Act and provides for specified studies. The bill extends the National Levee Safety Program and the National Dam Safety Program through FY2023. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shall issue guidance on the use of mitigation banks (sites where resources such as wetlands or streams are restored, established, enhanced, or preserved to compensate for the impact of authorized activity) to meet specified goals. Before developing implementation guidance for certain water resources development laws, the Corps of Engineers shall: (1) inform nonfederal stakeholders of the intent to develop guidance, and (2) provide an opportunity for such stakeholders to provide input and recommendations. The Corps of Engineers shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to study: (1) the ability of the Corps to carry out its statutory missions and responsibilities, and (2) improving the Corps's project delivery processes. The bill extends the nonfederal implementation pilot program through FY2023. The Corps of Engineers must develop a list of water resources development projects to deauthorize. A water resources development project, or separable element thereof, authorized by this bill is deauthorized after 10 years unless: (1) funds have been obligated for construction or a postauthorization study, or (2) the authorization has been modified by a subsequent Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018 This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) international mail shipments. Among other requirements, the bill requires USPS to gather advanced data on its shipments and share such information with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and assesses a fee on on overseas inbound express mail.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Opioid Workforce Act of 2018 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for hospitals that have addiction or pain management programs, with an aggregate increase of 1,000 positions over a five-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act or the 21st Century IDEA (Sec. 3) This bill requires an executive agency that creates a public website or digital service, or that redesigns an existing public legacy website or digital service, to ensure that the website or service: is accessible to individuals with disabilities, has a consistent appearance, does not overlap with or duplicate any legacy websites; contains a search function, is provided through an industry standard secure connection, is designed around user needs, provides users with the option for a more customized digital experience that allows users to complete digital transactions in an efficient and accurate manner, and is fully functional and usable on common mobile devices. Each agency that maintains a public website or digital service shall report: (1) to Congress on those websites and services, including the cost of modernization, and (2) annually to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on the agency's progress in implementing the requirements. Agencies must ensure that Intranets established after enactment of this bill conform to the requirements for public websites. Any website of an agency that is made available to the public after enactment shall be in compliance with the website standards of the Technology Transformation Services of the General Services Administration (GSA). (Sec. 4) The OMB shall issue guidance to each agency to: (1) identify public nondigital, paper-based, or in person government services; and (2) include in the agency's budget request a list of nondigital services with the greatest impact that could be made available to the public through an online, mobile-friendly, digital service option in a manner that decreases cost, increases digital conversion rates, and improves customer experience, and an estimation of the cost and schedule associated with carrying out such modernization. Agencies must make forms used by the public available digitally and report on forms, services, and processes that cannot be digitized. Each agency shall maintain an accessible method of completing digital services through in-person, paper-based, or other means, such that individuals without the ability to use digital services are not deprived of, or impeded in, access to such services. (Sec. 5) Each agency shall submit to the OMB and Congress a plan to accelerate the use of electronic signatures. (Sec. 6) Each agency's Chief Information Officer shall: coordinate and ensure alignment of the internal and external customer experience programs and strategy of the agency, coordinate with the management leaders of the agency to ensure proper funding to support this bill's implementation, continually examine the agency's public digital service delivery strategy and submit recommendations providing guidance and best practices, identify areas of concern that need improvement using data relating to customer experience and satisfaction, and coordinate and ensure compliance with requirements for federal websites to be mobile friendly. (Sec. 7) Each agency shall: (1) seek to maintain as much standardization and commonality with other agencies as practicable in implementing this bill's requirements to best enable future transitions to centralized shared services; and (2) coordinate the implementation of such requirements, including the development of standards and commonalities. The GSA must make available under a Federal Supply Schedule the systems and services necessary to fulfill this bill's requirements. Such schedule shall ensure interoperability between agencies, compliance with industry standards, and adherence to best practices for design, accessibility, and information security.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Supports the designation of National Lyme Disease Awareness Month to increase public knowledge of the disease, raise awareness about the prevention of tick bites, and advance the vision of finding a cure through critical research.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2018
Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act or the PIRATE Act This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to address unlawful radio broadcasting (called "pirating"), including: making the fine for a pirate radio broadcasting violation up to $100,000 per day (Currently, there is a general penalty of up to $10,000 for any wire and radio communications law violation.); establishing a fine of up to $2,000,000 for any person who facilitates pirate radio broadcasting ("facilitating" includes providing access to property or providing physical goods or services); and requiring the Federal Communications Commission to focus on the top five radio markets twice a year to eliminate pirate radio broadcasting.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2018
Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide Medicare beneficiaries with educational resources regarding opioid use and pain management, as well as descriptions of covered alternative (non-opioid) pain-management treatments.
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
Wholesome Healthy Original Lactic Excellence Making Intelligent Literate Kids Act or the WHOLE MILK Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to serve unflavored whole milk.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2018
Flooded Homeowner Financial Relief Act of 2018 This bill exempts certain property from the National Flood Insurance Program's mandatory purchase requirement. Specifically, a flood-hazard-area property that is part of a binding agreement for open-space conversion under an approved buy-out program shall be exempt from the requirement to purchase flood insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Celebrates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. Encourages equitable treatment of Israel in international fora and the diplomatic recognition of Israel from governments worldwide. Reiterates support for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement leading to a two-state solution.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
Recognizes Estonia's, Latvia's, and Lithuania's 100th anniversary of independence, the 27th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet Union, and their political, economic, social, and military progress. Reiterates support for the European Deterrence Initiative as a means to enhance deterrence and increase military capabilities on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's eastern flank.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2018
FDR Historic Preservation Act This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire, by donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange, approximately 89 acres of land to be added to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 25 2nd Avenue in Brentwood, New York, as the "Army Specialist Jose L. Ruiz Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 116 Main Street in Dansville, New York, as the "Staff Sergeant Alexandria Gleason-Morrow Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Recognizes: (1) the economic and ecological value of the Upper Delaware River, and (2) the importance of federal and state programs that will protect and restore that river and generate economic benefits for the people who rely on it for their livelihoods.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act or the DRIVE-Safe Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue regulations relating to an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
This bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to reauthorize the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program through FY2023. (The program is administered by the Department of Agriculture and awards grants to states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribal governments to provide low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018
Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act of 2018 This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) establish the Global Initiative to Reduce Fragility and Violence, related to reducing and addressing the causes of violence, violent conflict, and fragility, with a focus on 10 pilot countries to be determined by USAID; and (2) develop and submit to Congress an initial interagency implementing strategy which shall include individual pilot country plans. The bill provides for initiative and pilot plan updates. The Government Accountability Office shall review U.S. government activities in each pilot country.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018
Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to modify requirements for tax-favored retirement savings accounts, employer-provided retirement plans, and retirement benefits for federal judges. With respect to employer-provided plans, the bill modifies requirements regarding: multiple employer plans, automatic enrollment and nonelective contributions, loans, terminating or transferring plans, reporting and disclosure rules, nondiscrimination rules, selecting lifetime income providers, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation premiums. The bill also increases the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs and allows a tax credit for small employers that establish retirement plans that include automatic enrollment. With respect to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), the bill: treats taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation, repeals the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, and permits any IRA to be a shareholder of any S corporation that is a bank. The bill makes several modifications to retirement benefits for magistrate judges of the U.S. Tax Court and other federal judges. The bill also modifies various tax provisions to: reinstate and increase the tax exclusion for benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders, revise the required distribution rules for pension plans, increase penalties for failing to file tax or retirement plan returns, and require the Internal Revenue Service to share returns and return information with U.S. Customs Border Protection to administer the heavy vehicle use tax.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018
Congratulates Chris Mazdzer and his hometown of Saranac Lake, New York, on his performance at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Recognizes Mazdzer for skillfully representing the United States at three consecutive Olympic Winter Games.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt, from specified requirements and restrictions under that Act and other laws, the provision of certain unapproved, investigational drugs to a terminally ill patient who has exhausted approved treatment options and is unable to participate in a clinical trial involving the drugs. The manufacturer or sponsor of an eligible investigational drug must publish annual summaries on any use of the drug in accordance with these provisions. The bill limits the liability of a sponsor, manufacturer, licensed physician, clinical investigator, or hospital that provides, or declines to provide, an eligible investigational drug to an eligible patient in accordance with the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Stemming the Tide of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide Act or the STRESS Act This bill amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network, which is a Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to provide grants for programs that provide mental health services to individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations. The bill also sets forth requirements for USDA to review and evaluate the stress assistance programs carried out using the grants.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to reauthorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones Program through FY2023. (The program assists rural communities suffering from out-migration, lack of employment opportunities, and geographic isolation by providing technical assistance, financial assistance, and priority consideration for certain USDA loan and grant programs.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Olive Oil Consumer Standards Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) report to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on whether an appropriate federal standard of identity for olive oil would be in the interest of consumers, the olive oil industry, and U.S. agriculture; and (2) take the necessary steps to apply for U.S. membership in the International Olive Council. In preparing the report for the FDA, USDA must consider the citizen petition titled "Standard of Identity for Olive Oil and Olive-Pomace Oil" and filed with the FDA on July 9, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1234 Saint Johns Place in Brooklyn, New York, as the "Major Robert Odell Owens Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2018
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act This bill reaffirms the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe reservation as trust land in Massachusetts. In addition, the bill requires actions, including actions pending in federal court, relating to the land to be dismissed.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2018
Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a three-year demonstration program awarding grants to hospitals and emergency departments to develop, implement, enhance, or study alternative pain management protocols and treatments that promote limited use of opioids in emergency departments.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2018
Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program to: (1) develop protocols for discharging patients who are treated for a drug overdose, and (2) enhance the integration and coordination of postdischarge care and treatment options for individuals with a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2018
Local Taxpayer Protection Act of 2018 This bill requires certain hydropower facility licensees to make an annual payment of $1.8 million to the county in which the licensed hydropower facility is located. Subsequent payments must increase by 2% of the preceding annual payment. The fee applies to a state, or a subdivision of the state, that (1) received a license for a pumped-storage facility, and (2) filed for the license in April 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 This bill extends Military Financing Program grants for Israel through FY2023. The Department of Defense shall conduct a joint assessment with Israel regarding: (1) precision guided munitions needed by Israel in a sustained armed confrontation with Hezbollah and other armed groups and terrorist organizations, and (2) related U.S. assistance and resupply planning. The President may utilize the Special Defense Acquisition Fund to transfer precision guided munitions and related defense articles and services to reserve stocks for Israel. Authorities for loan guarantees and the war reserves stockpile for Israel are extended through FY2023. The Department of Homeland Security shall establish a seven-year grant program with Israel to support: (1) cybersecurity research and development, and (2) commercialization of cybersecurity technology. The U.S. Agency for International Development may enter into memoranda of understanding with Israel to advance common goals on energy, agriculture and food security, democracy, economic growth, education, and health. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall continue to work with the Israel Space Agency to pursue peaceful space exploration and science initiatives. The President may enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel to carry out research and joint production of defense articles and services to detect and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., drones) that threaten the United States or Israel. The bill states that it is U.S. policy to ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Economic Exclusion Act This bill expands sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The President shall report to Congress regarding: foreign and domestic supply chains that significantly aid the IRGC; Iranian state-owned entities that provide support to terrorist entities, including Mahan Air; and foreign persons owned or controlled by the IRGC, including companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange or companies with a value in excess of $100 million. The bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran's membership in the World Trade Organization and similar international bodies as long as Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
USA Workforce Tax Credit Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for charitable contributions to certain nonprofit organizations with the exclusive purpose of providing: (1) workforce development and apprenticeship training, or (2) scholarships for elementary and secondary education expenses of students from households with income that does not exceed 200% of the median gross income. The bill limits the credits to specified amounts for individuals and corporations. It also: (1) imposes a tax on workforce development, apprenticeship training, and scholarship granting organizations that fail to distribute a specified portion of their receipts; and (2) establishes a $2 billion annual volume cap for the tax credits allowed under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify various requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs). The bill allows: individuals participating in an HSA to receive or be eligible to receive specified items and services at onsite employee clinics and retail health clinics, individuals who are covered by a spouse's health flexible spending arrangement to contribute to an HSA, high deductible health plans that are required for an HSA to include coverage with no deductible for care and prescription medications related to the treatment of medically complex chronic conditions, and HSAs to be used for certain sports and fitness expenses. The bill also: expands the definition of insurance that is permitted under an HSA to include insurance consisting of coverage for excepted benefits (Excepted benefits are not subject to certain requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.), modifies the definition of a dependent to include a child who has not attained the age of 27, and modifies the eligibility rules and other requirements for individuals who also participate in health flexible spending arrangements or health reimbursement arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Challenges & Prizes for Climate Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a Climate Solutions Challenges program for carrying out competitions that award cash and other incentives for climate and energy solutions, such as: capturing carbon and converting the carbon into a beneficial use, achieving transformative increases in energy efficiency, achieving implementation or grid integration of advanced energy storage technology, providing approaches to mitigating or adapting to the effects of climate change, and providing data analytics on the climate and related phenomena.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act of 2018 This bill makes changes to benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Among other things, the bill increases the death and disability benefit and increases the monthly education assistance benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Securities Fraud Act of 2018 This bill amends various securities laws to: generally limit state regulation of securities fraud, and establish exclusive federal jurisdiction over civil actions alleging securities fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Rural Infrastructure Development and Partnerships Act This bill establishes within the Department of Agriculture a Rural Partnerships Office to be headed by a director appointed by the President. The duties of the office include: establishing and running a program to provide technical assistance to improve delivery, financing, operations, and maintenance of rural infrastructure; establishing an online clearinghouse of best practices; providing grants to assist rural communities in developing cost-effective infrastructure projects; and coordinating activities of rural liaisons to develop guidelines for rural funding or financing programs at federal agencies and identify opportunities to work across agencies. The bill also requires each federal agency that provides financial assistance to a rural community for an activity related to rural infrastructure to designate a rural liaison to: review and make recommendations regarding regulations, guidance, and procedures that present hardships to rural communities; participate in reviewing applications for technical assistance; serve as an ombudsperson for rural communities; and meet regularly with other rural liaisons to coordinate efforts and identify ways to work together to support rural infrastructure needs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to report to Congress regarding current notification protocols for ballistic missile threats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must conduct, and report on, a study to identify best practices of at least 13 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, California, Washington, and other states bordering or not bordering on an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, regarding civil defense emergencies. The bill requires key officials (defined to include the heads of DOD, FEMA, and the FCC) to submit to Congress and make publicly available unclassified reports on the actions of their respective departments or agencies regarding the ballistic missile false alarm that occurred on January 13, 2018, in Hawaii. Each report shall include recommendations for corrective actions to diminish the possibility of another ballistic missile false alarm. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must submit to Congress and publish online a report regarding the ability of HHS and health care providers to respond to attacks in the United States with biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear weapons. HHS must (1) develop and implement a public outreach program in coordination with state and local governments regarding recommendations in such report for improving readiness in responding to such attacks, and (2) consider the report's recommendations when issuing grants under the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement and the Hospital Preparedness Program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2018
STB Information Security Improvement Act This bill requires the Surface Transportation Board to develop a timeline and plan to implement the recommendations of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation in Report No. FI2018002 concerning information security.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2018
FRA Safety Data Improvement Act This bill directs the Federal Railroad Administration to develop a plan, and a timeline to carry out such plan, to implement the recommendations from the Inspector General Report No. ST2017045 of the Department of Transportation, issued on May 3, 2017, to improve its management and collection of railroad safety data.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 or the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to revise and reauthorize through FY2028 the Secure Our Schools grant program. This grant program provides grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to improve security, including the placement and use of metal detectors and other deterrent measures, at schools and on school grounds.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Securing Required Funding for Water Infrastructure Now Act or the SRF WIN Act This bill amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA) to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide additional financial assistance (e.g., low-interest loans) through FY2023 to state infrastructure financing authorities for drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs) and clean water SRFs to carry out certain water and wastewater infrastructure projects. For projects funded under this bill, the EPA: (1) must expedite their application and review process, (2) may provide up to 100% of the project costs, and (3) must provide financial assistance based on need and give equal consideration to drinking water projects and wastewater projects. Total financial assistance provided under this bill may not exceed $7 billion per state. The bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA to provide financial assistance under WIFIA to carry out projects for flood damage reduction, storm damage reduction, environmental restoration, or navigation improvement to certain waterways. Under current law, such financial assistance may be provided to only pilot projects.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
Pay Our Protectors Not Our Politicians Act of 2018 This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for military pay during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2018 are not in effect. The appropriations provided by this bill are available until the earlier of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) January 1, 2019. The bill provides continuing appropriations for pay and allowances of: members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service; members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who perform inactive-duty training; civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to members of the Armed Forces; and DHS employees who are performing national security activities. It also provides continuing appropriations for payments related to: death gratuities, funeral and burial expenses, authorized funeral travel and travel related to the dignified transfer of remains and unit memorial services, and the temporary continuation of a basic allowance of housing for dependents of members dying on active duty. The bill also prohibits Members of Congress from being paid when a government shutdown is in effect during the 116th and succeeding Congresses. During the 115th Congress, congressional pay must be withheld during a government shutdown and released at the end of the Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Healthcare Tax Relief Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to delay the imposition of an annual fee on health insurance providers until after December 31, 2018.