United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
S tability and Democracy for Ukraine Act or the STAND for Ukraine Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to assist the government of Ukraine in restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to reverse and deter Russian aggression in Ukraine. The bill prohibits: (1) a federal agency from taking any action or extending any assistance that recognizes Russian sovereignty over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters; and (2) the Government Publishing Office from printing any document indicating Crimea as part of the Russian Federation (Russia). U.S. sanctions provided for in Executive Order 13685 (blocking property of certain persons and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to the Crimea region of Ukraine) shall remain in effect until the President certifies to Congress that Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea has been restored. The Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 is amended to authorize the President to block and prohibit a foreign person's transactions of property or property interests that are U.S.-sited or controlled by a U.S. person if the foreign person has knowingly: (1) violated Executive Orders 13685 or Executive Orders 13360 or 13661(blocking property of persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine), or (2) facilitated deceptive or structured transactions for, or on behalf of, any person subject to U.S. sanctions against Russia. The President is authorized to impose similar sanctions against a foreign person: (1) who is responsible for, or complicit in, the commission of serious human rights abuses in any territory occupied or controlled by Russia; or (2) has materially assisted, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, such a person or is controlled by such a person. The President shall: (1) use U.S. influence to seek North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) adoption of a policy that opposes the transfer of defense articles and services to Russia while Russia occupies the territory of Ukraine or of a NATO member, and (2) direct appropriate U.S. agencies to monitor and identify transfers by NATO members of defense articles and services that are contrary to U.S policy. The Department of State shall develop and implement a strategy to respond to Russian-supported disinformation and propaganda efforts against persons in countries bordering Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2017 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with selected cancers that have the least effective treatments in order to achieve a better understanding of these cancers and the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2022 and revised to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to state cancer registries to improve tracking of childhood cancers. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) establish a task force to develop and test standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (3) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. HHS must convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors. The NIH may support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Federal Accountability in Chemical Testing Act or the FACT Act This bill amends the ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 to require the reports of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) to include a description of the progress on the development and use of alternative methods for toxicological testing by participating federal agencies. Federal agencies that require or recommend toxicological testing must provide the ICCVAM with the information needed to carry out the Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the receipts and disbursements of the Crime Victims Fund from being counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of: (1) the budget of the U.S. government, as submitted by the President; or (2) the congressional budget. The bill also establishes a point of order against considering legislation in the House or the Senate that authorizes the use of, or appropriates, amounts in the Crime Victims Fund for any purpose other than a purpose authorized by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984. In the Senate, the point of order may be waived or suspended only by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn (currently 60 votes).
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 This bill repeals existing caps on Medicare payment for certain outpatient physical-therapy services and speech-language pathology services. Under current law, annual payment for such services is capped at $1,980 in 2017, with specified percentage increases to that limit in subsequent years.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Fighting for Orange-Stricken Territories in the Eastern Region Act This bill provides presumptive service connection to herbicide exposure, for purposes of eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs health benefits, for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa during the Vietnam War and who show symptoms of medical conditions associated with such exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans by an employer to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Anwar Sadat in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions to attain comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. The nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board must include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole menu item; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per common unit of the item, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Nutritional information may be provided solely by a remote-access menu (e.g., an Internet menu) for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises. Establishments with self-serve food may comply with the requirements for restaurants or place signs with nutritional information adjacent to each food item. An establishment's nutrient content disclosures may vary from actual nutrient content if the disclosures comply with current standards for reasonable basis. Establishments with standard menu items that come in different flavors, varieties, or combinations, that are listed as a single menu item may determine and disclose nutritional information using specified methods or methods allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Regulations pursuant to this bill or the clause amended by this bill may not take effect earlier than two years after final regulations are promulgated. The FDA may not exempt states from nutrition labeling requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2017 This bill allows a beneficiary of a Holocaust-era life, dowry, education, annuity, property, or other insurance policy to bring a civil action in a U.S. district court against the insurer for the covered policy to recover proceeds due or, otherwise, to enforce any rights under the policy. The bill covers any policy that was: (1) in effect at any time from January 31, 1933, to December 31, 1945; and (2) issued to a policy holder domiciled in any area that was occupied or controlled by Nazi Germany, an ally or friendly government, or the territorial jurisdiction of Switzerland. The bill requires the award: (1) to a prevailing beneficiary of the amount of the proceeds due under the policy, plus prejudgment interest at 6% per year, compounded annually, calculated from the date the amount was originally due; and (2) of treble damages against any insurer that acted in bad faith. A civil action under this bill must be filed within 10 years after enactment of this bill. A prior judgment or release entered for any claim arising under a covered policy in any civil action in a federal or state court shall not impair a claim brought under this bill. Any executive agreement between the United States and a foreign government or any executive foreign policy of the U.S. government shall not supercede or preempt any state law or compromise, settle, extinguish, waive, preclude, bar, or foreclose any claim brought under this bill. A claim brought under state law within 10 years after enactment of this bill shall not be deemed untimely on the basis of any state or federal statute of limitations or on the basis of any other legal or equitable rule or doctrine governing timeliness.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a separate Medicare benefit category for complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) items that: (1) are designed or configured to meet an individual's unique needs and capacities; (2) are primarily used to serve a medical or functional purpose; and (3) require certain services to ensure appropriate design, configuration, and use. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall designate CRT items and establish eligibility criteria with respect to such items, in accordance with specified exclusions and other requirements. The CMS must also establish: (1) a payment system applicable to CRT items, subject to clinical conditions and other specified requirements; (2) quality standards for suppliers of CRT items; and (3) a formal process for the submission of certain CRT code-set modification requests by stakeholder groups. If specified requirements are met, Medicare payment must be made for the replacement of a CRT item (or item part), without regard to certain continuous-use or useful-lifetime restrictions applicable to items of durable medical equipment. In addition, Medicare payment may be made for the temporary rental of a CRT item if such an item owned by a qualified enrollee is undergoing necessary repairs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. ("DIPG" is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.) Encourages the National Cancer Institute and other research funders to elevate their consideration of the mortality rate of a type of cancer as well as the life years lost as factors considered during the grant application process.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages, to: exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; modify the small wine producer tax credit to increase the amount of the credit, expand the producers that are covered, and specify an adjustment for hard cider; modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes; specify definitions for "mead" and "low alcohol by volume wine;" modify requirements for records, statements, and returns for certain breweries; and permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Stem the Tide of Overdose Prevalence from Opiate Drugs Act of 2017 or as the STOP OD Act of 2017 This bill permits the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants: (1) to expand educational efforts to prevent abuse of opioids, which are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin; (2) to promote treatment of persons who abuse opioids; and (3) to promote understanding of addiction. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants to: (1) support first responders carrying and administering naloxone, which is a prescription drug used to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose; (2) establish processes for referral to treatment for opioid abuse; and (3) reimburse for testing for fentanyl in opioid overdoses and reporting the results to the CDC. This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to impose a fee on persons convicted of drug offenses. Collected amounts are made available for the HHS grants in this bill. Specified agencies must submit to the Office of E-Government and Information Technology of the Office of Management and Budget an inventory of agency data centers and a strategy to consolidate and optimize the data centers. The bill revises reporting requirements for the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding data centers. DOD and the Director of National Intelligence may waive this bill's data center requirements for any national security system. The bill sets forth requirements for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology, including that the office must publish a goal for cost savings and optimization. The bill's provisions regarding data centers are repealed at the start of FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Expresses support for: (1) the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the contributions of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States; and (2) the continued dedication of Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers toward academic excellence and the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Merrill's Marauders 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 the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), commonly known as Merrill's Marauders, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in the jungles of Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be displayed and made available for research. It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with Merrill's Marauders.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Death Tax Repeal Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. The bill provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives to remove any sign stating "Members Only" from, and to ensure that no such sign is placed anywhere in, the House wing of the U.S. Capitol or any House office building.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2017
This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the "Abie Abraham VA Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2017
VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The VA may remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. A demoted individual shall not be placed on administrative leave or any other category of paid leave during the appeals period and can receive pay only if he or she reports for duty. The bill: (1) establishes an expedited appeals process by the Merit Systems Protection Board, (2) amends the disability benefits appeals process, (3) prescribes restrictions on the VA's authority to remove or demote an employee, and (4) establishes whistleblower protections. The VA shall reduce the federal annuity of an individual removed from the VA Senior Executive Service (SES) who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position. The VA may reduce the federal annuity of an individual who was convicted of such a felony and was subject to removal or transfer from the SES but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to a VA employee under specified circumstances. The VA may suspend, reprimand or admonish an SES employee for misconduct or performance that does not merit removal. Appeals may be made to the Senior Executive Disciplinary Appeals Board (as provided for by this bill). The bill amends the disability benefits appeals process. The bill prohibits payment of an award or bonus to any SES employee during each of FY2017-FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2017
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that: (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of a hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service with liability protection provided by the United States for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency or post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Taiwan Travel Act This bill states that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) allow officials at all levels of the U.S. government to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts; (2) permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, including officials from the Department of State and the Department of Defense; and (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan, to conduct business in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Checkpoint Safety Act of 2017 This bill revises minimum requirements for the deployment of armed law enforcement personnel at security screening locations at certain airports. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), formerly the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Department of Transportation, shall order the deployment of at least one armed law enforcement officer within 300 feet of the security screening location and within the terminal during operating hours of each airport having annual enplanements of 8 million or more or international enplanements of 1 million or more. The TSA shall order the deployment of additional armed law enforcement officers at such airports if deemed necessary to ensure airport security. The bill revises air transportation security program requirements to require that such programs ensure: law enforcement presence at each airport is adequate to ensure the safety of passengers, as under current law, and their property; close cooperation between all relevant parties in ensuring airport security; high training standards for all security and law enforcement personnel; prompt notification of, and law enforcement response to, any security incidents at airports, including detention of persons who attempt to evade transportation security screening; and multiple means for TSA Officers or members of the public to request prompt law enforcement assistance in the airport. The bill repeals TSA authority for allowing deputized state and local law enforcement officers to be stationed other than at airport security screening locations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
529 and ABLE Account Improvement Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the tax treatment of qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) and ABLE accounts. (Tax-favored ABLE [Achieving a Better Life Experience] accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses.) The bill excludes from gross income a fringe benefit consisting of up to $100 per year (adjusted for inflation after 2017) of employer contributions to an employee's 529 or ABLE account. The employer contribution must be made: (1) to an account for which the designated beneficiary is the employee or a member of the employee's family, and (2) in connection with a payroll deduction contribution program established by the employer. The bill also: (1) expands the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs to include the costs of establishing a payroll deduction contribution program for 529 plans and ABLE accounts, (2) permits 529 funds to be used for education loan payments or charitable contributions without being subject to the additional tax for distributions that are not used for qualified higher education expenses, and (3) permits tax-free rollovers of funds between 529 and ABLE accounts for the benefit of the same beneficiary or a family member of the beneficiary. For the purpose of current law restrictions on the frequency of investment directions that a beneficiary or contributor may provide for a 529 or ABLE account, rebalancing investments among broad-based investment strategies established under the program is not an investment direction unless the beneficiary or contributor directs the specific investments within the strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
This bill amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. No less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount or $10 million, whichever is greater, shall be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy Act or the BRIDGE Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): (1) shall grant a three-year provisional protected presence to a qualifying alien, (2) may not remove the alien from the United States unless such protected presence is rescinded, and (3) shall provide such alien with employment authorization. An alien is eligible for such protected presence and employment authorization if the alien: (1) was born after June 15, 1981; (2) entered the United States before attaining 16 years of age; (3) continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007; (4) was physically but unlawfully present in the United States on June 15; (5) on the date the alien files an application the alien is present in the United States, is enrolled in school or in an education program assisting students in obtaining a high school diploma, has graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school or a general educational development certificate, or is an honorably discharged U.S. Coast Guard or Armed Forces veteran; (6) has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors not occurring on the same date and not arising out of the same act; and (7) does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or a threat to public safety. The bill: (1) provides for confidentiality of application information, with certain national security and law enforcement exceptions; and (2) sets forth the criteria under which DHS may rescind protected presence. An alien granted protected presence is not considered to be unlawfully present in the United States during such period. An alien must be at least 15 years old, unless in removal proceedings, to apply for protected presence. DHS may provide for an application fee and for fee exemptions. DHS may not: (1) remove an alien who appears prima facie eligible for protected presence while the alien's application is pending, or (2) refer individuals whose cases have been deferred pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) or who have been granted protected presence to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A DACA alien is deemed to have protected presence through the expiration date of his or her deferred action status.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Rapid DNA Act of 2017 This bill amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to issue standards and procedures for using Rapid DNA instruments to analyze DNA samples of criminal offenders. Rapid DNA instruments carry out a fully automated process to create a DNA analysis from a DNA sample. DNA samples prepared by criminal justice agencies using Rapid DNA instruments in compliance the FBI-issued standards and procedures may be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to allow the FBI to waive certain existing requirements if a DNA sample is analyzed using Rapid DNA instruments and the results are included in CODIS.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act This bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to declare that, pursuant to the minimum standards for the elimination of sex trafficking, if a government has the authority to prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts but fails to do so, it shall be deemed to have failed to make serious and sustained efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) ensure that each border security technology acquisition program that is determined to be a major acquisition program has an acquisition program baseline approved by the relevant acquisition decision authority; (2) document that each such program is meeting the cost, schedule, and performance thresholds specified in such baseline in compliance with relevant departmental acquisition policies and the Federal Acquisition Regulation; and (3) have a plan for each such program to meet program implementation objectives by managing contractor performance. "Major acquisition program" means a DHS acquisition program that is estimated by DHS to require an eventual total expenditure of at least $300 million over its life cycle cost. DHS must ensure that border security technology acquisition program managers adhere to relevant internal control standards identified by the Government Accountability Office. DHS shall submit a plan for testing and evaluation, as well as for the use of independent verification and validation resources, for border security technology so that new border security technologies are evaluated through a series of assessments, processes, and audits to ensure compliance with relevant departmental acquisition policies and the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the effectiveness of taxpayer dollars.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2017
Synthetic Drug Awareness Act of 2017 This bill requires the Surgeon General to report to Congress on the public health effects of the increased use since January 2010 by individuals who are 12 to 18 years old of drugs developed and manufactured to avoid control under the Controlled Substances Act (e.g., synthetic marijuana, also known as "spice," and synthetic amphetamines, also known as "bath salts").
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of State to provide assistance to entities taking specified criminal and judicial actions against individuals who are suspected of committing genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes in Iraq since January 2014 or in Syria since March 2011. The State Department shall encourage foreign governments to identify and prosecute individuals who are suspected of committing such crimes, including members of foreign terrorist organizations operating in Iraq or Syria. The Department of Justice shall review existing criminal statutes concerning genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes to determine: the extent to which U.S. courts have jurisdiction over such crimes where the perpetrators or victims are U.S. nationals, residents, or persons present in a U.S. territory; current statutes that would apply to such conduct and whether additional statutory authorities are necessary; and the extent to which the absence of criminal statutes defining the crimes or granting jurisdiction impede their prosecution in U.S. courts. The State Department shall identify: threats of persecution, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against members of Iraqi or Syrian religious or ethnic groups that are minorities in Iraq or in Syria with respect to whom the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has committed such crimes in Iraq or Syria since January 2014, or who are members of other persecuted religious or ethnic groups; humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs of these individuals; and assistance provided by the United States, the U.N., and other entities, including faith-based entities. Aliens who are, or were, a national and a resident of Iraq or Syria, and who share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution on account of membership in a religious or ethnic minority in that country: (1) are deemed to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States; and (2) shall be eligible for priority-2 processing under the refugee resettlement priority system. The Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 is amended to extend: (1) refugee set-asides for nationals of the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania; and (2) the period of eligibility for status adjustment from a parolee who was denied refugee status to a lawfully admitted permanent resident for certain aliens from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. The Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 is amended to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. The bill establishes a transition period during which a percentage of employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas are reserved as follows: for FY2017, 15% of such visas are allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011; for FY2018, 10% of such visas are allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012; and for FY2019, 10% of such visas are allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2015. During the transition period, not more than 25% of the total number of the reserved EB-2 and EB-3 visas shall be allotted to natives of a single country. For FY2015-FY2017, not more than 85% of the unreserved EB-2 and EB-3 visas shall be allotted to natives of a single country. Amendments made by this bill shall apply beginning in FY2017.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Help Extract Animals from Red Tape Act of 2017 or the HEART Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the notice period in civil forfeiture proceedings that involve the seizure of an animal involved in animal fighting. It requires the government to send notice of the seizure to interested parties within 30 days (currently, 60 days). The notice period may be extended only if a delay is warranted after considering certain factors, including the cost to the government of providing shelter for the animal, the health of the animal and the effect of a delay on its rehabilitation, and any increased risk that a delay could necessitate the euthanasia of the animal. The bill amends the federal judicial code to authorize the Department of Justice to use amounts from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs associated with a seized animal, including transportation, shelter, care, veterinary services, and humane euthanasia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act This bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under certain Economic Development Assistance Programs and the Community Development Block Grant Program. A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or political subdivision that has a statute, policy, or practice in effect that prohibits or restricts: (1) information sharing about an individual's immigration status, or (2) compliance with a lawfully issued detainer request or notification of release request. A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and is authorized to take actions to comply with the detainer. The bill limits the liability of a state or political subdivision, or an officer or employee of such state or political subdivision, for actions in compliance with the detainer.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
January 8th National Memorial Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the January 8th National Memorial in Tucson, Arizona, as an affiliated area of the National Park System in commemoration of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in Tucson on January 8, 2011. The memorial shall not be established until Interior certifies that Tucson's January 8th Memorial Foundation, which shall be the management entity for the memorial, has established a trust fund to receive donations and provide for the construction, operation, maintenance, and management of the memorial. Interior shall develop a general management plan for the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Primary Care Enhancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) permit an individual to pay primary care service arrangement costs from a health savings account; and (2) allow an eligible taxpayer enrolled in a high-deductible health plan to take a tax deduction for cash paid into a health savings account, even if the taxpayer is simultaneously enrolled in a primary care service arrangement. Under a "primary care service arrangement," an individual is provided coverage restricted to primary care services in exchange for a fixed periodic fee or payment for such services. For the purposes of certain tax-deductible expenses for medical care, the bill expands the definition of "medical care" to include periodic provider fees paid to a primary care physician for a defined set of medical services provided on an as-needed basis.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 This bill includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill: (1) allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only for a disability rated at 50% or more), and (2) repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on a health insurance provider based on its net premium income.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Trust Returned to the United States Taxpayer Act or the TRUST Act This bill denies retirement benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System to a Member of Congress who is convicted of any crime committed after the enactment of this bill that is a felony under federal or state law (currently, limited to specified felonies under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Fairness for Crime Victims Act of 2017 This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish points of order in the House of Representatives and the Senate against considering appropriations legislation that includes changes in mandatory programs (CHIMPs) that would cause the amount available for obligation during the fiscal year from the Crime Victims Fund to be less than the three-year average. A CHIMP is a provision that: (1) would have been estimated as affecting direct spending or receipts if the provision were included in legislation other than an appropriations bill; and (2) results in a net decrease in budget authority in the current year or the budget year, but does not result in a net decrease in outlays over the period of the total of the current year, the budget year, and all fiscal years covered under the most recently adopted budget resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safe Freight Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Summer Meals Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to redefine "areas in which poor economic conditions exist," where the summer food service program for children may operate, as areas in which at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children have been determined to be eligible for free or reduced price school meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs. The bill reimburses service institutions (other than school food authorities) for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar. (Currently, such institutions are reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children over the summer months or to children who are on vacation under a continuous school calendar.) The Department of Agriculture may award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation in the summer food service program for children at congregate feeding sites through innovative approaches to limited transportation and mobile meal trucks. Service institutions that are participating in the summer food service program for children may serve up to three meals, or two meals and one snack, during each day of operation. (Currently, this option is reserved for camps and service institutions that serve meals primarily to migrant children.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on the sale of a medical device by the manufacturer, producer, or importer.
![Official portrait of Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_pa_1_fitzpatrick_brian_200.jpg)