United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Main Street Tax Certainty Act This bill makes permanent the tax deduction for qualified business income. (Under current law, the deduction expires after December 31, 2025.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Hold Congress Accountable Act This bill provides for withholding or eliminating the pay of Members of Congress during a government shutdown. Through the day of the general election in November 2020, the bill requires the salaries of Members to be held in escrow during a government shutdown and to be released on the last day of the 116th Congress. After the general election in November 2020, the bill eliminates the pay of Members for the period of a government shutdown.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for admission into the United States of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, composed of most of the territory of the District of Columbia. The state shall be admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other states. The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the state. The bill applies current District of Columbia laws to the state and continues pending judicial proceedings. The state (1) shall consist of all District territory, with specified exclusions for federal buildings and monuments, including the principal federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the U.S. Supreme Court Building, and the federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building; and (2) may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill maintains (1) the District as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. The bill provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution repealing the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution, which provides for the appointment of electors of the President and Vice President.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
For the People Act of 2019 This bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration and voting access, makes Election Day a federal holiday, and limits removing voters from voter rolls. The bill provides for states to establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions. The bill also sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, protecting the security of the voter rolls, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect the security and integrity of U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. This bill addresses campaign spending, including by expanding the ban on foreign nationals contributing to or spending on elections; expanding disclosure rules pertaining to organizations spending money during elections, campaign advertisements, and online platforms; and revising disclaimer requirements for political advertising. This bill establishes an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. The system involves federal matching of small contributions for qualified candidates. This bill sets forth provisions related to ethics in all three branches of government. Specifically, the bill requires a code of ethics for federal judges and justices, prohibits Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, expands enforcement of regulations governing foreign agents, and establishes additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. The bill also requires candidates for President and Vice President to submit 10 years of tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Social Security Disability Fairness Act of 2019 This bill allows an individual diagnosed with a terminal illness to receive disability payments under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program during the waiting period for such payments (which typically lasts five months). It also establishes a phased-in payment schedule for such payments. These provisions shall expire January 1, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government job. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receives government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Carson City Mint 150th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Carson City Mint in Carson City, Nevada. All surcharges from sales of such coins shall be paid to the Nevada State Museum Dedicated Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2018
Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act This bill funds through FY2090 the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Additionally, the bill modifies the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): to allow claims to be filed until October 2089, to require VCF policies and procedures to be reassessed at least once every five years (currently, at least once annually), to require claimants to be paid for the amount by which a claim was reduced on the basis of insufficient funding, to remove the cap on noneconomic damages in special circumstances, and to adjust the annual limit on economic loss compensation for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the House should revise its procedures for consideration of legislation and amendments by adopting proposals to: encourage and reward consensus-driven governing, foster the passage of member initiatives that solve constituent priorities, increase accountability and transparency, and elect a Speaker who is representative of the entire body.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2018
This bill provides statutory authority for, and extends, a specified methodology used to calculate the minimum Medicare hospital wage index for all-urban states.
United States · United States Congress · 28 August 2018
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment services for congenital anomalies and birth defects, including reconstructive services and prosthetics.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2023 various programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Among other things, the bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 413 Washington Avenue in Belleville, New Jersey, as the "Private Henry Svehla Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act This bill establishes the National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund and requires 50% of all energy development revenues for FY2019-FY2023 to be deposited into such fund. Amounts deposited in the fund must not exceed $1.3 billion for any fiscal year and must be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Miranda Vargas School Bus Driver Red Flag Act or Miranda's Law This bill directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue a final regulation requiring the implementation of a national employer notification service that states may access. The term "employer notification service" means a service that automatically provides a report to an employer (with notice to the employee involved) on the change in the status of the driving record or license of an employee who has a commercial driver's license due to a conviction, license suspension or revocation, or any other action taken against the driving privilege.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
Protect Election Systems from Foreign Control Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require state and local governments to ensure that vendors who provide, support, or maintain any component of a voting system used in a federal election are solely owned and controlled by citizens, unless the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants the vendor a waiver. Vendors must disclose any sourcing of parts from outside the United States or material changes in ownership or control. The Federal Election Commission and DHS shall publish cybersecurity best practices for vendors. Voting systems and vendor information technology infrastructure must be developed and maintained in a manner consistent with the best practices. Vendors must report suspected security incidents.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 332 Ramapo Valley Road in Oakland, New Jersey, as the "Frank Leone Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
Local Television Service and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2018 This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission, upon the request of a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station that has relocated to an underserved state, to issue an order providing that the virtual major channel number of such station shall be considered to be the same as the radio frequency channel number of that station. The order shall apply to a station only if the licensee includes in the request a certification that such station will provide at least one hour daily of news, information, or public affairs programming focused on, or of general interest to, local audiences in the state to which the channel of such station has been reallocated. The order shall cease to apply if the licensee fails to initiate the programming within a 90-day period or fails to make the programming available to other television broadcast stations or through Internet streaming.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2018
Darren Drake Combatting 21st Century Weapons of Terror Act or the Darren Drake Act This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration to: (1) conduct a study on the various types of information collected by rental companies and dealers that rent a truck, tractor, trailer, bus, semitrailer, or van with more than 15 passengers (covered rental vehicle) in the United States and Europe, and (2) develop and disseminate best practices for rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies at the point of sale for such a vehicle. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish a pilot program, for a period not to exceed one year, to: develop a uniform standard for the type of information collected by rental agencies and the type of information used in submitting suspicious activity reports; provide operators with a threat assessment prepared by DHS regarding the terrorism threat of large vehicles; distribute guidance for improving the suspicious activity reporting process, including training for designated employees to better identify suspicious activity; provide technical assistance to operators to better access suspicious activity reports; and establish a procedure for checking information against a designated watch list that does not contain any classified information, and for dealers and rental companies to provide notice of a sale or rental to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, if determined necessary by DHS. A dealer or rental company shall not be liable for any action taken in accordance with this pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
National Senior Investor Initiative Act of 2018 This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to establish the Senior Investor Taskforce within the Securities and Exchange Commission. The taskforce must report on topics relating to investors over the age of 65, including industry trends and serious issues impacting such investors, and make recommendations for legislative or regulatory actions to address problems encountered by senior investors. The Government Accountability Office must report on the costs of the financial exploitation of senior citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Cut the Perks Act This bill requires a political appointee who personally requests the obligation or expenditure of federal funds in willful violation of a federal law, rule, or regulation to reimburse the government for the amount of such obligation or expenditure.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2018 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2018 This bill expands the ban on election contributions by foreign nationals to include corporations subject to specified levels of ownership or control by foreign nationals. The bill also expands (1) reporting requirements related to campaign contributions, and (2) disclosure requirements related to the funding sources of political advertisements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Keep Families Together Act This bill prohibits an agent or contractor of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the Department of Health and Human Services from removing a child who is under the age of 18 and has no permanent immigration status from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless: an authorized state court determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed; a state or county child welfare official with expertise in child trauma and development determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed because of abuse or neglect; or the Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director authorizes separation based on a documented finding that the child is a trafficking victim or is at significant risk of becoming a victim, a strong likelihood exists that the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. A child may not be removed from a parent or guardian unless an independent licensed child welfare expert authorizes the separation within 48 hours of such removal. An agency may not remove a child from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goals of deterring migration to the United States or of promoting immigration law compliance. The bill sets forth presumptions: (1) in favor of family and sibling unity and parental rights, and (2) that detention is not in the best interests of families and children. The bill limits the prosecution of asylum seekers.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act This bill specifies that individuals with metastatic breast cancer are not subject to certain waiting periods for disability insurance benefits under the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program and related Medicare coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2018
Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act of 2018 This bill revises payment rules under Medicare for graduate medical education (GME) costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program. If a hospital has not entered into a GME affiliation agreement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must establish the hospital's full-time equivalent (FTE) resident amount only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period. If a hospital has an approved FTE resident amount that is based on other specified thresholds, the CMS must give the hospital the opportunity to have the amount reestablished when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold. The bill also establishes similar thresholds for new determinations of certain adjustments to hospital payment limitations regarding FTE residents in allopathic and osteopathic medicine; a hospital that has an adjustment has the opportunity to have it redetermined once the applicable threshold is exceeded.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Protecting Rational Incentives in Newsprint Trade Act of 2018 or the PRINT Act This bill directs the Department of Commerce to conduct a study of, and to report to Congress regarding, the economic well-being, health, and vitality of the newsprint industry and the local newspaper publishing industry in the United States, including an assessment of: the trends in demand for newsprint and traditional printed newspapers, in demand for digital or online consumption of news, and in the U.S. pulp and paper industry and the effect of declining demand for newsprint on the health of such industry; measures undertaken by printers and newspaper publishers to reduce costs in response to increased costs for newsprint in the United States, and whether such measures have harmed local news coverage or reduced employment in the newspaper and publishing industries; whether measures undertaken by publishers and printers to reduce costs have harmed local businesses that advertise in local newspapers; and the global production capacity for newsprint in light of the declining demand for newsprint. Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission may not give effect to an affirmative determination in an antidumping or countervailing duty investigation relating to imports of uncoated groundwood paper until the President certifies that he has received the report and has concluded that giving effect to the determination is in the economic interest of the United States. Until such time as the President issues the certification, the administering authority shall order a rate of zero for deposits posted in such an investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Palestinian Authority Educational Curriculum Transparency Act This bill directs the Department of State to report annually to Congress on curricula used in schools controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the West Bank and Gaza, including determinations of whether: (1) violent or intolerant content toward other nations or ethnic groups has been removed; (2) the PA and UNRWA are reforming such curricula to conform with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization standards; and (3) the PA or UNRWA is using U.S. assistance to fund dissemination of such curricula. The State Department shall make such reports publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2018 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTI people. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Bus Operator and Pedestrian Protection Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to require public transportation safety grant recipients that operate fixed route bus service to: (1) develop a risk reduction program for bus operations to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, injuries, assaults on bus operators, and fatalities; (2) submit the program, including the implementation plan required by this bill, to DOT for review and approval; and (3) implement the program and plans approved by DOT. The recipient of a public transportation safety grant shall report to DOT, for inclusion in the National Transit Database, any information on each assault on an public transportation vehicle operator.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2018
This joint resolution condemns the actions taken by Hamas in Gaza, supports Israel's right to defend itself, and urges the United Nations and U.S. allies to support Israel in its self-defense against Hamas. The joint resolution reaffirms U.S. concern with the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza caused by Hamas.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2018
Fixing Housing Access Act of 2018 This bill modifies provisions concerning civil actions under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 related to certain housing programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2018
Secure Every Child Under the Right Equipment Standards Act of 2018 or the SECURES Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on new federal standards for school bus seat belt requirements on all school buses, regardless of gross vehicle weight rating.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Education when reviewing whether there has been a violation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance) based on an individual's actual or perceived shared Jewish ancestry or Jewish ethnic characteristics to consider the definition of "anti-Semitism" as part of its assessment of whether a practice was motivated by anti-Semitic intent. For purposes of this bill, the definition of "anti-Semitism" is the definition set forth by the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism of the Department of State in the Fact Sheet issued on June 8, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act This bill prohibits the Bureau of Land Management from administering an oil and gas leasing, development, production, and transportation program in and from the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2018
Combating Opioid Abuse for Care in Hospitals Act of 2018 or the COACH Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to: (1) publish guidance for hospitals on pain management and opioid-use disorder prevention strategies for Medicare beneficiaries, (2) convene a technical expert panel to recommend opioid and opioid-use disorder quality measures for possible use in hospital payment and reporting models under Medicare, and (3) publish and periodically update all guidance issued since January 1, 2016, related to the prescription of opioids for Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must: (1) convene a technical expert panel to recommend ways to reduce opioid use in surgical settings and best practices for pain management, specifically during the perioperative (pre-operative through post-operative) period; and (2) report on diagnosis-related group codes that have the highest volume of surgeries and the availability of associated data regarding post-operative opioid use, including prescription patterns and rates of consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2018
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement with the city of Vallejo, California, for the transfer to the VA of Mare Island Naval Cemetery in Vallejo, California, to be maintained as a national shrine.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Celebrates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. Encourages equitable treatment of Israel in international fora and the diplomatic recognition of Israel from governments worldwide. Reiterates support for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement leading to a two-state solution.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2018 This bill prohibits discrimination, under a federally assisted program, against public school students on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. The bill authorizes federal departments and agencies to terminate the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating this prohibition. An aggrieved individual may assert a violation of this bill in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2018
Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or operate comprehensive opioid recovery centers. Priority for grants must be given to entities located in states or Indian country with a high per capita drug overdose mortality rate. Each center must carry out specified outreach activities and specified treatment and recovery services.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2018
Reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, as a blueprint for sustainable peace in Northern Ireland. Urges the Department of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and to promote full implementation of that agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2018
Stop Counterfeit Drugs by Regulating and Enhancing Enforcement Now Act or the SCREEN Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the authority of the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the importation of certain drugs or destroy illegally imported or hazardous drugs.