United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2019
Legal Services for Homeless Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter cooperative agreements or make grants to eligible entities that provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness. To be eligible, an entity must (1) be a public or nonprofit private entity with the capacity to effectively administer a grant or cooperative agreement, (2) demonstrate that adequate financial support will be available to provide legal services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk for homelessness, and (3) agree to meet the VA's established requirements and demonstrate a capacity to meet such requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
Hemp for Victory Act of 2019 This bill requires various federal agencies to research and provide guidance on a wide-range of potential uses for hemp. Among other things, the bill requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a grant program for land-grant colleges or universities to conduct research on establishing hemp as a domestic agricultural commodity; the Department of Health and Human Services to study the presence of pathogens in hemp-based and hemp-blended products and the impact of that presence on the health and safety of consumers; the Small Business Administration to develop a guidance manual for persons who seek to start up a small business concern in the hemp industry; the Department of Defense to report on the procurement of items for which a hemp-based or hemp-blended product may be substituted; the Department of Labor to report on the application of provisions of federal law to ensure the health and safety of individuals working in the hemp industry; the Environmental Protection Agency to study the effects of cultivating hemp within agriculture; the Department of Housing and Urban Development to study the use of hemp as it relates to affordable and sustainable housing; and the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out scientific and medical research into the safety and efficacy of the use of hemp extracts and isolates, including cannabidiol, by veterans diagnosed with certain illnesses and injuries.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that global warming has resulted in a climate emergency that demands a massive-scale mobilization of U.S. resources to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the consequences of the emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2019
Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2019 This bill establishes a process to vacate convictions and expunge arrest records for certain criminal offenses committed by victims of human trafficking that directly result from or relate to having been a trafficking victim. It defines the offenses eligible to be vacated or expunged and sets forth procedures for filing a motion.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2019
Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act This bill addresses the preservation and accessibility of waterfronts in coastal states. The bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a Working Waterfront Task Force that will be designed to identify and address critical working waterfront needs with respect to cultural and economic importance, environmental threats, and market conditions for water-dependent businesses. NOAA must also establish a Working Waterfront Grant Program. Under the program, NOAA may award grants to coastal states with approved working waterfront plans in place to preserve and expand access to coastal waters for people engaged in fishing, aquaculture, boat building, and other water-dependent businesses. In addition, NOAA is authorized to award grants to coastal states for the purpose of developing or revising working waterfront plans. States are allowed to allocate any grant money received to eligible local governments and other entities. Each state that is awarded a grant must contribute at least 25% of matching funds towards the total cost of the project carried out with the grant, subject to certain exceptions. The bill establishes the Working Waterfronts Preservation Loan Fund to provide loans to coastal states for the purpose of implementing working waterfront plans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
This bill establishes that a U.S. national who otherwise qualifies may become a citizen upon establishing residence and physical presence in a U.S. outlying possession (i.e. American Samoa and Swains Island). Currently, U.S. nationals must become a resident of a state to qualify for naturalization.Individuals born in an outlying possession are U.S. nationals but do not automatically acquire citizenship through birth in an outlying possession. The bill also waives certain naturalization requirements, including those related to English language proficiency and participation in a public ceremony, for individuals who have continuously resided in an outlying possession or state from birth to the approval of a naturalization application.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
College for All Act of 2019 This bill provides funding for (1) grants to eliminate tuition and required fees for eligible students at community colleges, public four-year institutions of higher education, and tribal colleges and universities; and (2) grants to eliminate or significantly reduce tuition and required fees for eligible students at private, nonprofit historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2019 This bill prohibits strikes by certain individuals and requires the issuance of rules that provide for federal minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) shall determine for each state whether the laws of such state substantially provide for each of the minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures specified by this bill, including the right of public employees and supervisory employees to self-organize, form or join a labor organization, or collectively bargain. The FLRA must issue rules and take actions to establish and administer bargaining rights and procedures for those states that do not substantially provide for them. No employers, emergency services employees, or law enforcement officers may engage in a lockout, strike, or any other organized job action that would probably result in a measurable disruption of the delivery of emergency or public safety services. Furthermore, no labor organization may be the cause of a violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the federal agencies on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to carry out prize competitions that promote coral reef research and conservation. The prize competitions must be designed to help the United States achieve its goal of developing new and effective ways to advance the understanding, monitoring, and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. Priority is given to establish programs that address communities, environments, or industries that are in distress due to the decline or degradation of coral reef ecosystems.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
To Offer Refugees College Help (TORCH) Act This bill requires states to charge in-state tuition rates for institutions of higher education to refugees, asylees, and special immigrant visa holders if they are lawfully in the United States. This requirement only applies to the first state where the individual lives after being admitted into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
VA Emergency Transportation Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse a veteran for the reasonable value of emergency transportation by a non-VA provider (1) to a facility for emergency treatment, or (2) from a non-VA facility where the veteran was treated to a VA or other federal facility for additional care.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
Defending All Veterans In Education Act or the DAVIE Act This bill requires a for-profit institution of higher education (IHE), in order to participate in federal student-aid programs, to derive at least 20% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds. Current law requires a for-profit IHE to derive at least 10% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds. The bill also expands the definition of federal funds to include GI education benefits, with an exception for the monthly housing stipend provided under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
National Adoption and Foster Care Home Study Act This bill requires The Department of Health and Human Services to establish a methodology for researched-based home study and to award grants for demonstration projects for states to adopt such methodology in the evaluation of prospective foster and adoptive parents. Such methodology must incorporate specified data-collection tools including, among others, (1) uniform, closed-ended questions; (2) a rating system to report findings; (3) a guidance document for practitioners; and (4) ongoing training for home-study personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that gender-specific services are continuously available at every VA medical center and community-based outpatient clinic. Additionally, the VA must conduct a study, interviewing women veterans and employees, to assess the need for and use of extended hours as a means of reducing barriers to care.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act This bill makes permanent, beginning in FY2020, funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The President shall annually submit to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress may provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
Improving Legal Services for Female Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a partnership with at least one nongovernmental organization to provide legal services to women veterans. The partnership must focus on the 10 highest unmet needs of women veterans as identified by the Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups (CHALENG) survey.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
Defense Language Improvement Act or the DLI Act This bill adds authority for the Defense Language Institute to confer a Bachelor of Arts degree in a foreign language—in addition to the currently authorized Associate degree—upon a graduate of the Institute's Foreign Language Center.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2019 This bill establishes, or authorizes to be established, programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among the South Asian population of the United States. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must award grants to states for awareness initiatives, educational materials, and research catalogs regarding the prevalence of heart disease, including the association of type 2 diabetes, with respect to the South Asian population. The National Institutes of Health may also award grants to support research in this area.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Living Shorelines Act of 2019 This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to award grants to state or local governments, Indian tribes, or nonprofit organizations to (1) implement climate-resilient living shoreline projects; and (2) encourage innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities, habitats, and natural system functions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to continue to sell the Alzheimer's disease semipostal stamp for an additional six years. The USPS must continue to transfer proceeds from the sale of the stamp to the National Institutes of Health to fund medical research relating to Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 This bill establishes several prohibitions, requirements, and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, the bill prohibits MA plans from instituting additional prior authorization requirements for surgeries (including related items) that are furnished to a patient during other surgeries for which prior authorization was not required or was already received. Additionally, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This resolution (1) recognizes World Oceans Day and affirms the individual and collective duty, both nationally and internationally, to protect, conserve, maintain, and rebuild our oceans and its resources; and (2) expresses commitment to increasing the investment of federal funds into scientific research and monitoring to better understand the changing oceans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2019
Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to award offshore wind career training grants to institutions of higher education or labor organizations to develop, offer, or improve educational or career training programs that provide skills necessary for employment in the offshore wind industry.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2019
This resolution declares that if the President initiates wars without prior congressional declarations, such action shall constitute impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors," which shall cause the House of Representatives to vote articles of impeachment. In addition, the resolution prohibits the President from making the United States a co-belligerent in an ongoing war without a congressional declaration.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Honoring All Veterans Act This bill adds the following as a mission statement for the Department of Veterans Affairs: "To fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for those 'who shall have borne the battle' and for their families, caregivers, and survivors."
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Sgt. Brandon Ketchum Never Again Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish inpatient psychiatric care upon request by a covered veteran at (1) the VA facility that is closest to where the veteran resides and that has the capacity and capability to provide such care, or (2) at a non-VA facility if the VA facility lacks such capacity or capability. A covered veteran is a veteran who is enrolled in the VA health care system and is entitled to inpatient psychiatric care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research Act of 2019 This bill expands and coordinates activities related to the research of liver cancer and liver disease, including causes, prevention, detection, and treatment. Specifically, the National Cancer Institute must establish an inter-institute working group to coordinate efforts to cure liver cancer and liver disease, including research into such cases resulting from hepatitis B, and may award grants to develop preventative and diagnostic measures as well as support for experimental treatment options. The bill further establishes grant programs, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support liver disease prevention services, diagnostics, and hepatitis tracking programs and to raise awareness about liver disease within high-risk communities. The renamed National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive, Kidney, and Liver Diseases also must prioritize programs addressing liver disease, including (1) establishing a national clearinghouse for patient data and (2) developing or expanding the centers for research of liver disease.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Aviation Incentive Pay Parity Act This bill revises the authority for payment of aviation incentive pay to reserve component officers. It permits the amount of such pay to be equal to that of an officer in the regular component of the particular uniformed service.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Tribal HUD-VASH Act of 2019 This bill provides statutory authority for the Tribal HUD-VASH program, which provides rental assistance and supportive services to Native American veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and living in or near an area where a tribe or tribally designated housing entity provides assistance for affordable housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is directed to use at least 5% of rental assistance amounts under the HUD-VASH program, which provides housing assistance to homeless veterans, for the Tribal HUD-VASH program. The Tribal HUD-VASH program shall be carried out in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). HUD and the VA shall consult with tribal organizations regarding the program's design and may make program modifications after consulting with tribal organizations. Program grants shall be made to entities eligible for Native American housing assistance block grants. HUD may make renewal grants to entities that have received prior program grants.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Rural Health Care Access Act of 2019 This bill eliminates certain criteria that hospitals must meet in order to qualify as critical access hospitals that receive special payment under Medicare. Specifically, the bill eliminates the requirement that a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2019 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2019 This bill expands prohibitions and requires additional disclosures related to political spending. Specifically, foreign nationals are further restricted regarding their involvement in election related activity, including by prohibiting their participation in the decision-making process regarding an election expenditure. Existing foreign money prohibitions are expanded to prohibit disbursements for paid internet or digital communications. The Federal Election Commission must perform an audit after each election cycle to determine the incidence of illicit foreign money. In general, organizations making political expenditures must disclose donors who have contributed $10,000 or more during an election cycle. Certain of these organizations, including corporations, must also disclose their beneficial owners. The bill requires organizations to provide additional disclosures on certain political ads, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
This resolution acknowledges the contributions that Senior Corps volunteers make to the communities in which they live and serve and to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. The resolution also recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Protecting Data at the Border Act This bill limits government access to digital information at the border. A governmental entity may not (1) access the digital contents of electronic equipment of a U.S. person at the border without a warrant, (2) deny such a person's entry into or exit from the United States because the person refused to provide access to digital content on electronic equipment or online account information, (3) delay such a person's entry or exit for more than four hours to determine whether the person will consent to providing access to online information, or (4) seize electronic equipment from a U.S. person without probable cause to believe that such equipment contains information relevant to a felony. A governmental entity may access the contents of electronic equipment of a U.S. person without a warrant in an emergency. The entity must subsequently apply for a warrant within seven days, and if a warrant is not granted, the seized information must be destroyed and may not be disclosed. A governmental entity may not make or retain a copy of information accessed under this bill without probable cause to believe that such information relates to a crime. Information seized in violation of this bill (1) must be destroyed, (2) may not be disclosed, and (3) may not be received in evidence in any trial or government proceeding. A governmental entity shall keep a record of each instance in which it obtains access to an individual's digital information at the border.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2019 This bill exempts from worldwide or numerical limitations certain family-sponsored immigrant visas for the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under certain laws providing for naturalization for service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2019 or the SHIELD Act of 2019 This bill establishes a new criminal offense related to the distribution of intimate visual depictions. Specifically, it makes it a crime to knowingly distribute (or intentionally threaten to distribute) an intimate visual depiction of an individual (1) with knowledge of or reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent and reasonable expectation of privacy, and (2) without a reasonable belief that distributing the depiction touches a matter of public concern. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill modifies the Conrad 30 Waiver program, which incentivizes qualified foreign physicians to serve in underserved communities. It also extends statutory authority for the program through FY2021. Aliens coming to the United States under a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to receive medical training typically must leave the country and reside for two years abroad before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. The Conrad program waives this requirement for individuals who meet certain qualifications, including serving for a number of years at a health care facility in an underserved area. The bill increases the number of waivers that a state may obtain each fiscal year from 30 to 35 if a certain number of waivers were used the previous year, and provides for further adjustments depending on demand. An alien physician may be employed at an academic medical center to meet the Conrad program's employment requirements if the alien's work is in the public interest, even if the medical center is not in an underserved area. Employment contracts for alien physicians under the Conrad program shall contain certain information, such as the maximum number of on-call hours per week the physician shall have to work. Certain alien physicians (along with the physician's spouse and children) shall be exempt from the direct annual numerical limits on immigration, including those physicians that have met certain requirements related to visas for physicians to serve in underserved areas.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Opioid Crisis Accountability Act of 2019 This bill establishes a series of restrictions and requirements relating to opioid marketing and distribution practices. Specifically, the bill prohibits (1) knowingly making false advertising or marketing claims regarding the addictive nature of opioids; (2) knowingly supplying communities with quantities of opioids that are not medically reasonable; or (3) failing to report distribution orders, or patterns of orders, while knowing that the orders are not being dispensed in a medically reasonable manner. Employees of opioid manufacturers and distributors are subject to civil penalties and imprisonment for violations; corporations and executives are subject to civil penalties. Manufacturers shall also lose their period of market exclusivity. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must assess a fee against each corporation that, between January 1, 1993, and the date of enactment of this bill, manufactured or distributed opioids, if such opioids were covered under a federal health program at least once during this period. Manufacturers that fail to pay the fee shall lose associated drug approval until the fee is paid in full. The bill authorizes collected civil penalties and fees to be used for activities that address opioid misuse and abuse, including family and educational programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Inclusive Prosperity Act of 2019 This bill imposes an excise tax on the transfer of ownership in certain securities (covered transaction), including any share of stock in a corporation; any partnership or beneficial interest in a partnership or trust; any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness (excluding tax-exempt municipal bonds); and derivative financial instruments. The bill includes exceptions for initial issues, certain traded short-term indebtedness, and securities lending arrangements. The bill also (1) imposes a penalty on taxpayers who fail to include a covered transaction on their tax return or information statement, and (2) allows an individual taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 ($75,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns) a tax credit for the amount of tax paid on covered transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Compact of Free Association Veterans Review Act of 2019 or the COFA Veterans Review Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a three-year pilot program to provide hospital care, medical services, and other related services to veterans residing in the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The bill requires the VA to conduct a study and report on the feasibility and advisability of establishing one or more VA offices in the remote Pacific islands to provide hospital care and medical services to veterans residing in the area.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A "qualified military spouse" is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2019 This bill establishes procedures for closing or reducing services at Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices, including requirements related to public hearings, opportunities for comment, and notice to Congress and the public. The SSA shall report to Congress on previous office closures and submit a plan to ensure that field offices maintain their current levels of provided services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2019
Heroes Entering Roles Of Education Service Act or the HEROES Act This bill revises and expands the Troops-to-Teachers Program, which supports the transition of current and former military personnel to employment positions in education. The program places personnel in (1) elementary and secondary schools that serve more than a certain percentage of lower-income students or those who qualify for aid under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and (2) Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools. The bill renames the program as the Troops-To-Support-Education Program and expands the positions covered to include a number of teaching support, administrative, and security personnel. Excluded from eligibility are positions performed outside the grounds of a school or for a contractor. For placement in non-teacher positions, the service member must obtain credentials required by the state in which the position is located. The bill increases the total number of stipends and bonuses provided. It also increases the limit on the amount of obligations for the program for each fiscal year. The Department of Defense may enter into partnership agreements with tax-exempt charitable organizations to assist with the placement of participants.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2019
This concurrent resolution expresses support for efforts to ensure that all women have access to comprehensive, preventative, and affordable health care services and are able to receive unbiased information about those services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2019
Protect Our Refuges Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the use of neonicotinoids (a class of neuroactive insecticides that are chemically similar to nicotine) within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2019
Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who imports, exports, manufactures, distributes, or possesses with intent to distribute marijuana. Additionally, the bill does the following: establishes a trust fund to assist women-owned and minority-owned marijuana businesses, requires federal research on the impacts of marijuana use on highway safety and public health, authorizes federal restrictions on the marketing of marijuana-related products, and authorizes grants for state and local governments to expunge or seal convictions for marijuana possession.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2019
Humane Retirement Act This bill requires animal care committees at entities that receive federal funds for biomedical or behavioral research to make reasonable efforts to find parties to adopt dogs and cats that have been retired from research. Prior to euthanizing, the animal care committee must assess the temperament of the dog or cat to determine whether it is suitable for adoption and, if so, make reasonable efforts to offer the dog or cat to an adopting party.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2019
I mproving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to permit a Member of Congress to use a VA facility to meet with constituents during normal business hours.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2019
Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2019 This bill deems certain service performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts, to be active military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In determining eligibility under this bill, the VA must take into account any relevant service documentation, including documentation other than the Missouri List (certain military service records).
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2019
AUMF Clarification Act This bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress has not authorized the use of military force against Iran. It further specifies that no previous authorization for the use of military force against anyone associated with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, may be construed to provide authorization for the use of such force against Iran.