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 · 28 June 2018
9/11 Memorial Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to award competitive grants for the continued operation, security, and maintenance of the on-site memorials to the events and victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
Stop Postal Closures Act This bill prohibits the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from closing or consolidating postal facilities or carrying out any network rationalization activity until the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has certified that the USPS has met specified national service standards. The bill also prohibits any future post office closures or consolidations, unless the PRC has approved the closure or consolidation using procedures specified in the bill. The PRC must also rate the performance of the USPS.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2018
Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies Act or the CRIB Act This bill allows state Medicaid programs to cover residential pediatric recovery center services for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2018
Improving the Federal Response to Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorder Act This bill establishes the Interagency Task Force to Improve the Federal Response to Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorders to recommend ways to better coordinate the responses of federal agencies to substance use disorders and the opioid crisis. Specifically, the task force must: (1) identify options to coordinate existing grants and other resources relating to the effect of substance use disorders on youth and families; (2) identify opportunities for state and local partnerships to improve prevention and treatment services; and (3) publish an action plan, including a timeline for implementation, within nine months after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2018
Assisting States' Implementation of Plans of Safe Care Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide states with guidance and technical assistance regarding their plans under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act for assuring the safe care of infants affected by prenatal substance use.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2018
Recognizing Early Childhood Trauma Related to Substance Abuse Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide resources to early childhood care and education providers and other professionals working with young children on ways to recognize and respond to children who may be affected by a family member's or other adult's substance abuse. Such resources must include information on risk-assessment, age-appropriate care, and response options that support the whole family.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Creating Opportunities that Necessitate New and Enhanced Connections That Improve Opioid Navigation Strategies Act of 2018 or the CONNECTIONS Act This bill authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide technical assistance and award grants in order to: (1) improve the efficiency and use of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), achieve community or health system interventions relating to controlled substances (e.g., prescription guidelines), and promote new approaches to responding to emerging public health crises; and (2) improve the timeliness, comprehensiveness, and usefulness of reported overdose data. The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to alter requirements relating to PDMPs. Among other changes, the bill: (1) repeals requirements regarding grant formulas, database standards, and authorized data disclosures; and (2) authorizes federal support for specific improvements regarding use, data reporting, and intrastate and interstate interoperability. The Department of Health and Human Services must report on the progress of states in implementing PDMPs that are consistent with such improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2018
Burn Pits Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the military departments to evaluate whether each member of the Armed Forces has been (1) based or stationed where an open air burn pit was used to dispose of waste, or (2) exposed to toxic airborne chemicals. Members located where an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals must be enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless the member elects not to enroll. The evaluations must be included in periodic health assessments, physical exams conducted immediately prior to separation from active duty, and deployment assessments. DOD must share the results of the evaluations with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2018
Peer Support Communities of Recovery Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to nonprofits that focus on substance use disorder to establish regional technical assistance centers to provide assistance regarding implementation of peer-delivered addiction recovery support services, establishment of recovery community organizations and centers, and overdose reversal medication.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2018
Surveillance and Testing of Opioids to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018 or the STOP Fentanyl Deaths Act of 2018 This bill establishes and expands programs to support increased detection and monitoring of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and also establishes a pilot program for point-of-use testing of illicit drugs for dangerous contaminants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018
Protecting Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Babies Act or the Protecting NAS Babies Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a strategy for implementing recommendations from a departmental report on prenatal opioid exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome (a syndrome in which newborns exhibit withdrawal symptoms because of substance use during pregnancy). The strategy must include timelines for implementation, resources for state health agencies, and recommendations for any needed statutory changes.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2018 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2018
Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs Act of 2018 or the SIREN Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 and revises the Rural Emergency Medical Service Training and Equipment Assistance Program, which is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2018
Death Tax Repeal Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make conforming amendments related to the gift tax.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Treating Barriers to Prosperity Act of 2018 This bill allows the Appalachian Regional Commission to support projects and activities addressing drug abuse, including opioid abuse. Such projects and activities may include those that: facilitate the sharing of best practices among states, counties, and other experts in the region with respect to reducing drug abuse; initiate or expand programs designed to eliminate or reduce the harm to the workforce and economic growth of the region that results from drug abuse; attract and retain relevant health care services, businesses, and workers; and develop relevant infrastructure, including broadband infrastructure that supports the use of telemedicine.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018
Supports: (1) U.S.-Israel cooperation to counter Iran's destabilizing activities, (2) enhancing Israel's deterrence capabilities, (3) including Israel in the first tier of countries receiving strategic trade authorization, and (4) the U.S. declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018
Electricity Reliability and Fuel Security Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit through 2022 for a portion of the expenses for the operation or maintenance of a coal-powered electric generation unit, excluding expenses for coal. The credit applies to taxpayers who own or lease an electric generation unit that uses coal to produce at least 75% of the electricity produced by the unit. Qualified public entities may transfer the credit to an eligible project partner. A "qualified public entity" is: (1) a federal, state, or local government entity or any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof; (2) a mutual or cooperative electric company; or (3) a not-for-profit electric utility which had or has received a loan or loan guarantee under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. An "eligible project partner" is a person who: is responsible for operating, maintaining, or repairing the unit; participates in the provision, including transportation, of coal to the unit; provides financing for the construction or operation of the unit; or leases the unit.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2018
Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a three-year demonstration program awarding grants to hospitals and emergency departments to develop, implement, enhance, or study alternative pain management protocols and treatments that promote limited use of opioids in emergency departments.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2018
Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program to: (1) develop protocols for discharging patients who are treated for a drug overdose, and (2) enhance the integration and coordination of postdischarge care and treatment options for individuals with a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2018
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Economic Exclusion Act This bill expands sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The President shall report to Congress regarding: foreign and domestic supply chains that significantly aid the IRGC; Iranian state-owned entities that provide support to terrorist entities, including Mahan Air; and foreign persons owned or controlled by the IRGC, including companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange or companies with a value in excess of $100 million. The bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran's membership in the World Trade Organization and similar international bodies as long as Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to create a loan repayment program for individuals who complete a period of service in a substance use disorder treatment job in a mental health professional shortage area or a county where the drug overdose death rate is higher than the national average. The substance use disorder treatment job must be a full-time position where the primary intent and function is the direct care of patients with or in recovery from a substance use disorder. Individuals must enter into an agreement of service of up to six years with the Health Resources and Services Administration. The repayment program shall pay one-sixth of the principal and interest on any eligible loan for each year of service; the maximum total amount of repayment by the program is $250,000 per individual.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Federal Opioid Response Fairness Act of 2018 This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to alter the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration opioid grant program for states. Specifically, the bill alters the criteria for the award of grants by prioritizing states with a comparatively high prevalence of opioid-disorder adverse health effects and per capita overdose mortality rates. The bill also establishes a minimum amount for each grant.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow a hospice employee to handle controlled substances in the residence of a deceased hospice patient to assist with disposal of the controlled substances.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Reserve Component Benefits Parity Act of 2018 This bill makes reserve component members who are deployed to support pre-planned operations of a combatant command eligible for: (1) non-reduction in pay while serving in the uniformed services or National Guard, (2) consideration of active duty service to reduce the age for retired pay ; and (3) the high-deployment allowance for lengthy or numerous deployments and frequent mobilizations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2018
Jessie's Law This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and disseminate best practices for health care providers and state agencies regarding the display of a patient's history of opioid addiction in the patient's medical records. In doing so, HHS must identify: (1) the circumstances under which information provided by a patient to a health care provider should, upon patient request, be displayed in the patient's medical records; (2) what constitutes a patient request; and (3) the process and methods by which the information should be displayed.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2018
Advancing Cutting Edge Research Act or the ACE Research Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the National Institutes of Health's unique research initiatives to include cutting-edge research that: (1) fosters scientific creativity and increases fundamental biological understanding leading to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of diseases and disorders; or (2) is urgently required to respond to a public health threat. (Unique research initiatives may be supported through transactions other than contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 or the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to revise and reauthorize through FY2028 the Secure Our Schools grant program. This grant program provides grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to improve security, including the placement and use of metal detectors and other deterrent measures, at schools and on school grounds.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2018
Permanent Tax Cuts for Americans Act This bill makes permanent the provisions of subtitle A (Individual Tax Reform) and subtitle B (Alternative Minimum Tax) of P.L. 115-97 (commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) that are currently scheduled to terminate on December 31, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to require any health care practitioner who is present when a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion to: (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure that such child is immediately admitted to a hospital. The term "born alive" means the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut. Also, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with these requirements must immediately report such failure to an appropriate law enforcement agency. An individual who violates the provisions of this bill is subject to a criminal fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who commits an overt act that kills a child born alive is subject to criminal prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate these provisions, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony. A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Opioids and STOP Pain Initiative Act This bill establishes and provides funds for the Opioids and STOP Pain Initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support pain-related research, including: understanding pain, therapies for chronic pain, and alternatives to opioids for pain treatment as directed in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016; improving options and evidence for medication-assisted treatment and opioid overdose reversal treatments; and supporting the Federal Pain Research Strategy. NIH must establish the Pain Therapy Screening Program to award grants to support the development of new pre-clinical models for pain disorders, and the application of these models in drug, device, or other therapy screening.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Disapproves of the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.22 on December 21, 2017, which rejects U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Affirms the December 6, 2017, presidential proclamation recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and directing the Department of State to prepare to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Urges the President to direct the State Department to report to Congress on the status of U.S. assistance provided to countries that voted to adopt such resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2017 This bill imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex or gender of the child, (2) use force or the threat of force to coerce a sex-selection abortion, (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion, or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. The bill authorizes civil actions by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of a prohibited sex-selection abortion; or (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to coerce a sex-selection abortion. The bill also authorizes injunctive relief to prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further such abortions. Violations of this bill are deemed to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Medical and mental health professionals must report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. A woman having such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable. Courts must make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. In the absence of such consent, any party, other than a public official, who brings an action must use a pseudonym.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2017
Credentialing, Educating, and Relevant Training Initiative For Your Heroes Act or the CERTIFY Heroes Act This bill allows tuition assistance provided under the Department of Defense's educational assistance program to be used for licensing and certification programs offered by entities other than institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Protecting America and American Workers Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program effective on the first day of the first fiscal year after the date on which the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security jointly determine that such immigrant visas are no longer necessary to offset certain status adjustments under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Until such time and effective on October 1, 2018, the annual number of diversity program visas is reduced from 55,000 to 5,000. Beginning in FY2019, 8,000 of such former diversity visas shall be allocated annually to each of three employment-based immigrant categories for a total of 24,000 additional visas each year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Empowering Pharmacists in the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Act This bill requires the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop and disseminate training programs and materials on: (1) the circumstances under which a pharmacist may refuse to fill a controlled substance prescription suspected to be fraudulent, forged, or indicative of abuse or diversion; and (2) federal requirements related to such refusal. The DEA must seek input from relevant stakeholders.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to expand activities related to Alzheimer's disease, including activities involving early detection, support for caregivers, and public awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Access Act of 2017 or the Protecting HOME Access Act of 2017 This bill: (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay by one year the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment, and (2) revises a Medicare budget-neutrality requirement related to oxygen. Under current law, the CMS may establish separate payment classes under Medicare for items of oxygen and related equipment only if doing so does not result in increased program expenditures. The bill provides an exception to this budget-neutrality requirement with respect to such items that are included in a competitive acquisition program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Recognizes and encourages the observance of Small Business Saturday. Supports efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of such businesses on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Federal Opioid Response Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to alter the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration opioid grant program for states. Specifically, the bill alters the criteria for the award of grants by prioritizing states with an increasingly high rate of opioid-use disorders and a comparatively high prevalence of opioid-use disorder adverse health effects and per capita overdose mortality rates.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
No Abortion Bonds Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose taxes on state, local, and tax credit bonds that are used to provide a facility owned or used (for any purpose) by an abortion provider for more than 30 days during a year in which interest is paid on the bond. An entity is not considered an abortion provider solely as a result of performing abortions if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. The Department of the Treasury may exempt certain hospitals from being considered an abortion provider by making the name of the hospital available on Treasury's public website.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish the Fentanyl and Heroin Inter-Agency Task Force: (1) to coordinate federal efforts to identify, target, and dismantle organizations that traffic fentanyl or heroin; (2) to identify sources of fentanyl and heroin production and distribution; and (3) to provide best practices, updated information, and support to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
This bill repeals two sections of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 and the amendments made by such sections to the Controlled Substances Act. The repealed sections modified registration and enforcement authorities of the Drug Enforcement Administration with respect to manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers of controlled substances.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Restoring Enforcement Standards to Track Opioids Responsively and Effectively Act of 2017 or the RESTORE Act of 2017 This bill repeals the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016. Provisions of the Controlled Substances Act amended by the Act are restored.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
American Miners Pension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds and provide loans to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan in order to provide pension benefits for retired coal miners. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer additional funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill prohibits the plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received. Treasury must make annual loans to the plan equal to the amount certified by the trustees of the plan as necessary to prevent insolvency. The loans may not exceed $600 million per year. The trustees must annually certify that the plan is projected to be solvent and is able to repay the loans under terms specified in the bill. The bill also establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan.
