United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2019
Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2019 This bill generally separates the activities of commercial banks and investment banks. Specifically, the bill prohibits an insured depository institution from affiliating with any person or firm engaged principally in, among other things, issuing or selling stocks, bonds, notes, or other securities. Officers, directors and employees of securities firms are prohibited from simultaneously serving as an officer, director, or employee of a depository institution, except in specified circumstances. No entity issuing or selling stocks, bonds, or other securities may engage in the business of receiving deposits, which includes the establishment and maintenance of transaction accounts. The bill declares that Congress ratifies the interpretation by the Supreme Court in Investment Company Institute v. Camp (ICI) of specified statutory language regarding permissible activities of banks and securities firms. It further declares that the reasoning of the Court in that case shall continue to apply to the limitations placed upon security affiliations as enacted by this bill. No federal banking agency or federal court shall issue an interpretation regarding such security affiliations that is narrower than that of the Court in ICI.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2019
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2019 This bill allows Medicare payment for home health services ordered by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant. Currently, coverage is provided only for services ordered by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2019
Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands Act of 2019 or the RURAL Act of 2019 This bill modifies the definition of income used to determine the tax-exempt status of a mutual or cooperative telephone or electric company to exclude certain government grants, contributions, and assistance. Specifically, the bill excludes from income (1) grants, contributions, and assistance provided under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or by local, state, or regional governmental entities for disasters or emergencies; and (2) certain grants or contributions provided by a government entity for electric, communications, broadband, internet, or other utility facilities or services.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2019
Token Taxonomy Act of 2019 This bill specifies that digital tokens, such as those used in virtual currencies, are not securities for regulatory purposes. The bill also provides for the tax treatment of virtual currencies, including by excluding from gross income any gains from virtual currency transactions up to $600, retroactive to January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2019
This resolution states that it is U.S. policy to (1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; (2) reject efforts to associate the U.S. government with efforts to deny the existence of the Armenian Genocide or any genocide; and (3) encourage education and public understanding about the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2019
United States-India Enhanced Cooperation Act of 2019 This bill adjusts India's status, for the purposes of various restrictions and requirements related to the transfer of defense articles and services, so that it is similar to the status of U.S. allies such as Australia and Japan. Under current law, the President must notify Congress of the proposed transfer of certain defense articles or services to another country, and Congress typically has 30 days to pass a joint resolution to block the transfer. The bill specifies that such transfers to India are subject to only a 15-day window for Congress to block the transfer. The bill also authorizes the President to (1) reduce or waive certain administrative and research costs related to the sale of defense articles or services to India; and (2) provide to India services related to the transfer of defense articles or services, such as quality inspection, without charge. The bill expands existing annual reporting requirements relating to the U.S.-India defense partnership to include a description of the progress made in implementing existing agreements between the two countries, including the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2019
Biodiesel Tax Credit Extension Act of 2019 This bill extends the following tax provisions through 2019: the income tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel, the excise tax credit for biodiesel mixtures, and the payments that are equivalent to the excise tax credit for biodiesel mixtures.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2019
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2019 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. "Qualified access technology" is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2020 and terminates after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2019
This bill recognizes service in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as active military service. Individuals who served in the corps are eligible for specified honors and burial benefits but shall not be entitled by reason of such service to veterans' benefits generally.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2019
Practical Reforms and Other Goals To Reinforce the Effectiveness of Self-Governance and Self-Determination for Indian Tribes Act of 2019 or the PROGRESS for Indian Tribes Act This bill replaces the Tribal Self-Governance Demonstration Project with the Tribal Self-Governance Program. Under the program, Native American tribes or organizations may receive grants to plan for participation in self-governance and to negotiate the terms of participation. In addition, the bill revises the Department of the Interior's process for approving self-governance compacts and funding agreements with tribes. Interior must negotiate contracts and funding agreements to maximize implementation of the self-governance policy. The bill sets forth requirements for tribes participating in self-governance with respect to conflicts of interest, audits, redesign and consolidation of programs, retrocession of programs, nonduplication of funding, and records. Funding agreements must include provisions for Interior to monitor the performance of trust functions by the tribe and to reassume a program and funding under specified circumstances. Tribes participating in self-governance may elect to assume some federal responsibilities with respect to certain construction projects. The bill prohibits a tribe from being obligated to continue performance of a compact or funding agreement that provides insufficient funding.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2019
This resolution recognizes the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation and reaffirms Congress' commitment to supporting equal pay for equal work and to narrowing the gender wage gap.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2019
Information Transparency & Personal Data Control Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish requirements for entities providing services to the public that collect, store, process, use, or otherwise control sensitive personal information. Information relating to an identifiable individual is generally considered sensitive personal information. However, information that is publicly available is not considered sensitive. The FTC must require controllers of sensitive personal information to (1) provide consumers with a privacy and data use policy, (2) obtain affirmative consent to collect or use consumers' sensitive data, and (3) obtain an annual privacy audit that evaluates the sufficiency of the controller's data privacy and security controls.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2019
Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 This bill modifies the requirements for employer-provided retirement plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and other tax-favored savings accounts. With respect to employer-provided retirement plans, the bill modifies requirements regarding automatic enrollment and nonelective contributions; tax credits for small employers that establish certain plans; loans; lifetime income options; the treatment of custodial accounts upon termination of section 403(b) plans; retirement income accounts for church-controlled organizations; the eligibility rules for certain long-term, part-time employees; required minimum distributions; nondiscrimination rules; and minimum funding standards for community newspaper plans. The bill also includes provisions that treat taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation for the purpose of an IRA, repeal the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, treat difficulty of care payments as compensation for determining contribution limits for retirement accounts, allow penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans if a child is born or adopted, expand the purposes for which qualified tuition programs (commonly known as 529 plans) may be used, reinstate and increase the tax exclusion for certain benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders, increase penalties for failing to file tax returns, and require the Internal Revenue Service to share tax information with U.S. Customs Border Protection to administer the heavy vehicle use tax.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act This bill establishes in the Smithsonian Institution a comprehensive women's history museum. Such museum shall be named by the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. The bill establishes a council, that, among other things, shall make recommendations to the board on the planning, design, and construction of the museum. The board shall designate a site for the museum, with priority given to a site that is on or near the National Mall.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 the Community Health Center Fund, which provides enhanced funding for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Ending Mass Collection of Americans' Phone Records Act This bill repeals the authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to obtain business records, such as phone records, on an ongoing basis under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). FISA warrants shall only be for items specifically identified in the FBI's application to access the records. FISA currently allows the FBI to apply for a warrant to access records and other documents to obtain foreign intelligence information or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities. The application for such a warrant is ex parte before courts designated under FISA, meaning that the government is the only party present in the proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Prohibition of Medicaid Funding for Conversion Therapy Act This bill prohibits state Medicaid programs from covering conversion therapy. The bill defines conversion therapy as any practice or treatment that seeks to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity in exchange for monetary compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Preserving Patient Access to Compounded Medications Act of 2019 This bill addresses regulations governing compounding pharmacies. The bill expands the circumstances under which a drug may be compounded (i.e., manufactured at small scale) to allow pharmacists and physicians to compound drugs for administration to patients in an office or clinical setting, in accordance with state law. (Compounded drugs are not required to meet certain federal requirements regarding manufacturing, labeling, or approval.) Dietary supplements may be used in the compounding of a drug. The bill exempts from interstate distribution limits the dispensing of a compounded drug from the facility where it is compounded to a patient or health facility. The bill limits the scope of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of compounding pharmacies to certain equipment, materials, containers, and labeling. This aligns the scope of inspections of compounding pharmacies with the scope of inspections of other pharmacies. (Currently, the scope of inspections of compounding pharmacies is the same as the scope of inspections of drug manufacturers.) The bill also eliminates the requirement for compounding pharmacies to register with the FDA as drug manufacturers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Lymphedema Treatment Act of 2019 This bill includes certain lymphedema compression treatment items as covered durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, election as the first African American woman in Congress, and campaign to be the first African American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
Securing America's Elections Act of 2019 This bill requires voting systems for federal elections to produce paper ballots that the voter may inspect and verify before the vote is cast and counted. The bill also (1) requires the paper ballot to be suitable for manual audits, (2) prescribes approved methods for such audits, and (3) directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Election Assistance Commission to report on the desirability of using open-source software in voting systems.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2019
This resolution recognizes the accomplishments and example of Cesar Estrada Chavez. The resolution also encourages the people of the United States to commemorate his legacy and to always remember his rallying cry, "Si, se puede!" (which means "Yes, we can!").
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue quarter-dollar coins in commemoration of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote. The design on the reverse of each coin shall be emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of a prominent woman who was a resident of a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory. Such coins shall be issued in alphabetical order of the area represented, starting with the state of Alabama. Treasury shall initiate a program to promote collection of the coins and recognition of their subjects, and strike and make available for sale silver bullion coins that are the exact duplicates of the coins.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Indian Water Rights Settlement Extension Act This bill makes the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund permanent. Currently, it terminates at the end of FY2034.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2019 or the FAIR Act This bill revises the procedure for and the structure of civil forfeiture. First, the bill revises the general rules for civil forfeiture proceedings. Specifically, it (1) requires the right to counsel in all civil forfeiture proceedings, (2) raises the evidentiary standard to clear and convincing evidence for the civil forfeiture of property, (3) requires the government to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of the seized property used the property with the intent to facilitate the criminal offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to its use in connection with the offense, and (4) expands the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. Next, it requires the proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. Additionally, the bill eliminates equitable sharing payments (which allow the federal government to share federally forfeited property with participating states and local law enforcement agencies). It also adds a mens rea requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. Further, it requires a probable cause hearing to be held within 14 days to determine if there is a violation for structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, and requires the return of a monetary instrument if probable cause is not established.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Native American Business Incubators Program Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish a grant program in the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development for establishing and operating business incubators that serve Native American communities. A business incubator is an organization that (1) provides physical workspace and facilities resources to startups and established businesses, and (2) is designed to accelerate the growth and success of businesses through a variety of business support resources and services. Grant applicants may be institutions of higher education, private nonprofits, Native American tribes, or tribal nonprofits. Interior must facilitate the establishment of relationships between grant recipients and educational institutions serving Native American communities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or the MOMMA's Act This bill establishes various programs and requirements to support the prevention of maternal mortality. Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide technical assistance and best practices for collecting data, standardizing reporting, and preventing maternal mortality. The CDC also must provide grants for state-based collaboratives to improve care immediately before and after birth and improve outcomes for maternal and infant health. Further, the Health Resources and Services Administration must establish a grants program to support national organizations in assisting state-level health care systems to implement standardized, evidence-informed processes for maternal health focusing on reducing maternal mortality. The bill also establishes regional centers to address implicit bias and cultural competency in the delivery of health care services. Specified institutions that provide education and training to health care professionals and focus on maternal mortality are eligible for funding through the program. The bill extends coverage for pregnant and postpartum women under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for one year postpartum and such coverage is revised to include oral health services. Additionally, the bill (1) increases the excise tax on specified tobacco products, including cigarettes; (2) expands the definition of other tobacco products to include any such product as determined by the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) requires that such products are taxed at a rate equivalent to cigarettes on a per-use basis.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Younger Onset Alzheimer's Act This bill makes individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease (i.e., individuals who experienced onset of the disease before age 60) eligible for certain federal grants and programs that support older adults. Under current law, these grants and programs serve only individuals 60 and older.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2019
Supporting Children of the National Guard and Reserve Act This bill expands the military student identifier program to include students of parents who serve in reserve components of the Armed Forces, not just active duty members. The military student identifier program provides educators with information about the educational experience of children of members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
Women and Climate Change Act of 2019 This bill addresses climate change and its effects on women and girls. Specifically, the bill establishes the Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate Change within the Department of State. The bill outlines the functions of the working group, including the coordination of agencies' policies and activities relating to (1) combating the effects of climate change on women, and (2) improving the government's response to and strategy for climate change. In addition, the Office of Global Women's Issues of the State Department must submit a strategy to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct outreach to health care practitioners regarding comprehensive care planning services that are available under Medicare for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The CMS must report on its outreach efforts, as well as on the number of beneficiaries receiving such services and any barriers to access.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2019
IDEA Full Funding Act This bill reauthorizes, and makes appropriations for the grant program under, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2019
National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins that are emblematic of the National Law Enforcement Museum in the District of Columbia and the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers throughout the history of the United States. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be distributed to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc., for educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2019
Ending Homelessness Act of 2019 This bill provides additional funding for, and otherwise addresses, assistance to homeless individuals and families. The funding provided by the bill is designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits. Specifically, the bill provides additional FY2020-FY2024 funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to (1) award emergency relief grants to address unmet needs of homeless populations in jurisdictions with the highest need, and (2) provide additional incremental rental voucher assistance for individuals and families who are homeless. The bill also provides FY2020-FY2024 funding for HUD to award grants to provide outreach and coordinate services for individuals and families who are homeless or formerly homeless. Further, the bill provides additional annual funding beginning in FY2019 for the Housing Trust Fund (dedicated to affordable housing for extremely low-income and very low-income families) and incremental project-based voucher and rental assistance. During the first five fiscal years in which such additional funding is available, HUD must ensure that priority for occupancy in assisted units is given to individuals and families who are homeless. Further, units receiving such assistance may not require families to contribute more than 30% of their adjusted income towards rent. Additionally, the bill provides funding for HUD to provide technical assistance to states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to integrate and coordinate homeless assistance with federal health care programs. Finally, the bill permanently reauthorizes certain homeless assistance grants and makes permanent the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2019
End Diaper Need Act of 2019 This bill establishes various programs to increase access to diapers for low-income families with infants and toddlers. Specifically, the bill provides grants to agencies or organizations with experience in community distribution services for the purchase, warehousing, and distribution of diapers and diapering supplies (e.g., diaper wipes and creams) to families with (1) at least one child under the age of 4, and (2) an income of no more than 200% of the federal poverty level. The bill also permits states to use Medicaid funds to provide diapers and diapering supplies to low-income families with a child 3 or older who has been diagnosed with one or more specified forms of conditions that create a need for the use of diapers. Additionally, the bill includes diapers and diapering supplies as qualifying medical expenses under (1) health and medical savings accounts, and (2) flexible health spending and reimbursement arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2019
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2021. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to support the mission of such organization, including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2019
Defending Our National Marine Sanctuaries from Damaging Chemicals Act of 2019 This bill prohibits the use of sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in a National Marine Sanctuary that contains coral.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019 This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to Rosie the Riveter (i.e., any female individual who held employment or volunteered in support of the war efforts during World War II), in recognition of their contributions to the United States and the inspiration they have provided to ensuing generations. The medal shall be displayed at the National Museum of American History, which must make the medal available for display at other locations associated with Rosie the Riveter.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019 This bill establishes the Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority as an independent, private non-profit corporation with responsibility for developing and administering an anti-doping and medication control program for (1) Thoroughbred, Quarter, and Standardbred horses that participate in horse races; and (2) the personnel engaged in the care, training, or racing of such horses. The Federal Trade Commission shall have oversight over the authority. An interstate compact may be established after five years to take over the authority's duties.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Divided Families Reunification Act This bill directs the Department of State to consult with South Korea on potential opportunities to reunite Korean Americans with family in North Korea. The State Department's Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues shall periodically consult with representatives of Korean Americans with family in North Korea on reunification efforts. The State Department shall periodically report to Congress on the progress of such consultations. The special envoy shall report to Congress on the possible use of video reunions between Korean Americans and their family in North Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, with an aggregate increase of 3,000 positions per fiscal year for five years. Of these positions, at least one-third must be for hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits, subject to specified distribution rules.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 100,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All sales of such coins shall include a surcharge of $10 for each coin. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the National World War I Museum and Memorial to assist in the commemoration of the centennial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2019
Healthy Families Act This bill provides for paid and unpaid sick leave for employees to meet their own medical needs and those of their families. It requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide their employees with at least one hour of earned paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours of paid sick leave in a year. An employer with fewer than 15 employees may also provide the same amount of paid sick leave, but may opt out of such requirement, in which case such employer must provide its employees at least 56 hours of unpaid leave in a year. An employee may use sick leave for absences (1) resulting from a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition; (2) resulting from obtaining professional medical diagnosis or care, or preventive medical care; (3) to care for a child, parent, spouse, a domestic partner, or other blood or close relative; and (4) resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of an employee's right to accrue sick leave as provided by this bill. An employee may take legal action to enforce the right to sick leave granted by this bill and the Department of Labor must investigate complaints of violations of the requirements of this bill. Labor is authorized to conduct a public awareness campaign to educate and inform the public of the requirements for paid sick leave provided by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Scientific Integrity Act This bill revises provisions regarding the release of scientific research results by federal agencies. The bill prohibits specified federal employees and contractors of an agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research from engaging in scientific or research misconduct or manipulating communication of scientific or technical findings. A covered individual may disseminate scientific or technical findings by (1) participating in scientific conferences; and (2) seeking publication through peer-reviewed, professional, or scholarly journals. The bill specifies the kinds of scientific community activities covered individuals may participate and engage in, including the reviewing of public statements and responding to media interview requests. Each covered agency must develop, adopt, and enforce a scientific integrity policy and also must submit it to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Congress; appoint a Scientific Integrity Officer; and adopt and implement an administrative process and administrative appeal for dispute resolution and a training program that, among other things, provides regular scientific integrity and ethics training to employees and contractors. OSTP must collate, organize, and publicly share all information it receives under each scientific integrity policy on its website.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2019 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct and update at least once every seven years an ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment with a corresponding public report. The assessment must identify (1) U.S. coastal communities that are most dependent on coastal and ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean acidification, (2) the nature of those communities' vulnerabilities, and (3) key knowledge gaps where research could be devoted to better understand the possible ocean acidification impacts and possible adaptation strategies for the communities. In carrying out the assessment, NOAA must collaborate with state and local government entities that are conducting or have completed vulnerability assessments, strategic research planning, or other similar activities related to ocean acidification to determine whether those activities may serve as a model for others and to identify opportunities to support those activities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act This bill restricts the Department of Defense (DOD) from transferring certain surplus military property to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies. Specifically, DOD may not transfer to such agencies property such as controlled firearms, ammunition, bayonets, grenades or grenade launchers, explosives, certain vehicles or trucks, armored or weaponized drones, certain controlled aircraft, silencers, or long-range acoustic devices. DOD may waive this limitation and transfer certain vehicles or trucks if DOD determines that the transfer is necessary for disaster or rescue purposes or for another purpose where life and public safety are at risk. As a condition for a transfer of allowable property, DOD must require the federal or state agency that receives the property to return the property if the agency is investigated by the Department of Justice for civil liberties violations or is otherwise found to have engaged in widespread abuses of civil liberties. DOD must also periodically submit certain transfer-related information and certifications to Congress. Furthermore, as a condition for transfer, the recipient must receive the approval of its local governing body, provide specified notice to the local community, and submit specified information and certifications to DOD. A federal or state agency that receives controlled property under such a transfer may never take ownership of the property. The bill also eliminates the requirement for DOD to give preference to transfers of property that will be used in counter-drug, counterterrorism, or border security activities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Carried Interest Fairness Act of 201 9 This bill modifies the tax treatment of carried interest, which is compensation that is typically received by a partner of a private equity or hedge fund and is based on a share of the fund's profits. (Under current law, carried interest is taxed as investment income rather than at ordinary income tax rates.) This bill includes provisions that set forth a special rule for the inclusion in gross income of partnership interests transferred in connection with the performance of services, treat as ordinary income the net capital gain with respect to an investment services partnership interest except to the extent such gain is attributable to a partner's qualified capital interest, exempt income from investment services partnership interests from treatment as qualifying income of a publicly traded partnership, exempt certain family partnerships from the application of this bill, increase the penalty for underpayments of tax resulting from failure to treat income from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income, and include income and loss from an investment services partnership interest for purposes of determining net earnings from self-employment and applicable self-employment taxes. The bill defines "investment services partnership interest" as any interest in a partnership held by a person who provides services to a partnership by (1) advising the partnership about investing in, purchasing, or selling specified assets; (2) managing, acquiring, or disposing of specified assets; or (3) arranging financing with respect to acquiring specified assets.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Lonnie Kilpatrick Central Pacific Relief Act This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents to veterans who served on (1) Guam or American Samoa, or in the territorial waters thereof between January 9, 1962, and July 31, 1980; or (2) Johnston Atoll or a ship that went to Johnston Atoll between January 1, 1972, and September 30, 1977. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. Additionally, the bill expands eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to veterans with a disability associated with exposure to certain herbicides during specified times of military service on Guam, American Samoa, or Johnston Atoll.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2019
Equality Act This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services. The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/26e34a48096cb8836b78032e3b9a8555_200.jpg)