United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to pay, to a provider that furnishes a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, an adjusted Medicare payment consistent with the Medicare payment methodology for kidney-acquisition costs outlined in regulation. Under the applicable regulation, kidney-acquisition costs are treated apart from the prospective payment rate for inpatient operating costs, and payment is adjusted to compensate the hospital for certain reasonable expenses. "Hematopoietic stem cell transplant" means the infusion of allogeneic hematopoietic cells (including bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and cord-blood units, but excluding embryonic stem cells) that are: (1) not more than minimally manipulated; and (2) intended to reestablish hematopoietic function in an individual whose blood marrow or immune system is damaged, defective, or adversely affective by a congenital disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Give Assistance and Help to Americans impacted by Natural Disasters Act or the Give A HAND Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow various tax credits, deductions, and modifications to existing rules in areas impacted by disasters. With respect to areas in which a federally declared disaster occurred, the bill allows: expensing of disaster expenses, increased charitable contribution limits and mileage rates, modifications to rules regarding deductions for losses, waivers of certain mortgage revenue bond requirements, increased expensing and bonus depreciation, an increased new markets tax credit allocation, penalty-free distributions from retirement plans, an additional exemption for providing housing to displaced individuals, an exclusion for cancellations of indebtedness, the use of the previous year's income for calculating the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, an increased rehabilitation credit for buildings, additional advance refundings of certain tax-exempt bonds, disaster area recovery bonds, additional low-income housing credit allocations, an exclusion for disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments, a deduction for payments to a tax-exempt natural disaster fund, a credit for a portion of the wages paid to employees, an exclusion for employer-provided housing, an enhanced deduction for medical expenses, and extensions for tax and Medicare filing deadlines. The bill also modifies several deductions, credits, and other tax provisions that affect Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the people of the United States stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and support efforts to help Haiti recover and develop into a prosperous democracy; (2) Haiti has not recovered from the natural and man-made disasters that prompted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate Haiti as a temporary protected status (TPS) country; (3) DHS should extend Haiti's TPS designation; (4) the Department of State should urge the United Nations to fulfill its pledge to treat and eliminate cholera, improve long-term access to clean water and sanitation, and assist victims; and (5) a prosperous and democratic Haiti will be better positioned to provide opportunities for its citizens, address crises, meet its obligations, and advance shared U.S.-Haiti interests and values.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Dialysis Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists, Treatment, and Services Demonstration Act of 2017 or the Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act of 2017 This bill establishes a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into transplantation, palliative care, or hospice; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models. An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries. A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model. The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission must, before 2025, submit to Congress an interim report on the program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Recognizes that prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV worldwide, and that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV worldwide has been a priority for more than 13 years. Supports providing women with HIV counseling and testing services and scaling up pediatric treatment of HIV.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Congressional Sexual Harassment Training Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require each employing office under the Act to ensure that its covered employees enroll in the Office of Compliance's program of education that informs employees of the rights provided under the Act against sexual harassment: (1) within 60 days after first becoming an employee; (2) for existing employees, within 90 days after enactment of this bill; and (3) every two years.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
No Unconstitutional Strike against North Korea Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a conflict on the Korean peninsula would have catastrophic consequences; (2) actions and statements that increase tensions between the United States and North Korea should be avoided; and (3) the President should engage in talks with North Korea to reduce tensions and improve communication, initiate negotiations to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea's nuclear pursuits, and move toward denuclearization and a permanent peace in the Korean peninsula. Funds available to the Department of Defense or to any other federal department or agency may not be used to launch a military strike against North Korea or otherwise introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities in North Korea before the earlier of: (1) the date on which Congress declares war on North Korea, or (2) the date of an authorization that meets the requirements of the War Powers Resolution and that is enacted after the enactment of this bill. Such prohibition shall not apply to military force used to: (1) repel a sudden attack on the United States, its territories or possessions, its Armed Forces, or its allies; or (2) rescue or remove U. S. personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the people of the United States stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and support efforts to help Haiti recover and develop into a prosperous democracy; (2) Haiti has not recovered from the natural and man-made disasters that prompted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate Haiti as a temporary protected status (TPS) country; (3) DHS should extend Haiti's TPS designation; (4) the Department of State should urge the United Nations to fulfill its pledge to treat and eliminate cholera, improve long-term access to clean water and sanitation, and assist victims; and (5) a prosperous and democratic Haiti will be better positioned to provide opportunities for its citizens, address crises, meet its obligations, and advance shared U.S.-Haiti interests and values.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Condemns the harassment and violence targeted at students because of their racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual background, and affirms Congress's commitment to creating safe learning environments on college campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same-sex couples.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Medicare Beneficiary Opioid Addiction Treatment Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment of methadone (a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder).
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Creating Accountability Measures Protecting University Students Historically Abused, Threatened, and Exposed to Crimes Act or the CAMPUS HATE Crimes Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish measures to hold institutions of higher education accountable for hate crimes that occur on their campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Community-Based Independence for Seniors Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a Community-Based Institutional Special Needs Plan demonstration program through which up to five eligible Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations shall provide home and community-based care to eligible Medicare beneficiaries. For purposes of the demonstration program, an eligible Medicare beneficiary is ineligible for Medicaid and unable to perform two or more activities of daily living. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall establish payment rates for eligible MA plans under the demonstration program. Such payment rates are capped but shall be in addition to payments otherwise made to MA organizations with respect to such plans. The CMS shall also: (1) help to educate eligible Medicare beneficiaries on the availability of the program, and (2) provide for program evaluation by an independent third party.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise the quorum requirement for the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to require the lesser of three members or the number of members holding office on the board (currently, at least three members) for there to be a quorum.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2017
Honors the accomplishments of the nine historically black colleges and universities that celebrated their 150th anniversary during the week of September 24, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act This bill directs the Department of Labor, as part of the Veteran's Workforce Investment Program, to carry out a five-year Veterans Manufacturing Employment Program to award competitive grants to three states for the establishment and administration of a State Manufacturing Employment Program to make grants to manufacturing employers and labor-management organizations that provide training, on-job training, apprenticeships, and certification classes to eligible veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Statesboro, Georgia, as the "Ray Hendrix Veterans Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish detention standards for each facility at which aliens in DHS custody are detained. Such standards shall provide for at least the level of detainee protections described in the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. A detained individual who is injured as a result of a violation of such standards may file a claim in U.S. district court. The bill: (1) provides for facility oversight and transparency, (2) phases out the use of private detention facilities and jails for such aliens, and (3) revises procedures for detaining aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2017
Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017 This bill directs the appropriate military department to issue a standardized Gold Star Installation Access Card to the widow and dependent children of a deceased member of the Armed Forces to allow them to gain unescorted access to military installations to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, and obtain on-installation services and benefits. The Department of Defense shall prescribe regulations to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased member, regardless of martial status, who has guardianship of dependent children of the deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as the unremarried spouse of a member of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2017
Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of State to carry out, in cooperation with the government of India, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative comprised of educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programs, including: an annual public diplomacy forum for scholars from the United States and India that focuses on the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.; a professional development training initiative for government employees to develop international conflict solutions based on the principles of nonviolence developed in consultation with the president and chief executive officer of the United States Institute of Peace, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department of State, and U.S. cooperating partners; and an undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate student exchange for students to study the history and legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi, visit historic sites in India and the United States that were integral to the American civil rights movement and the Indian independence movement, and research and develop papers on the importance of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation in current conflict regions.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2017
Securing American Families by Educating and Training You (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to eligible entities for the purpose of preventing or alleviating the effects of community violence by providing education, mentoring, and counseling related to principles of nonviolence in conflict resolution. "Eligible entities" include state or local government entities, educational institutions, nonprofit communities, and faith-based organizations. In awarding grants under the program, DOJ shall give priority to applicants that agree to use the grant funds in at least one community that can certify: (1) an increased or sustained level of violence or tension in the community; or (2) a lack of resources to adopt innovative, integrated, community-based violence prevention programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Humanitarian Disaster Relief Act of 2017 This bill allows the head of an agency responsible for the administration of the navigation or vessel inspection laws, when the head considers it necessary for humanitarian relief efforts, and following a determination by the Maritime Administrator of the non-availability of qualified U.S. flag capacity to meet those requirements, to waive compliance with those laws as the Administrator prescribes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Drinking Water Infrastructure for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2017 appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency to remain available through FY2022 for capitalization grants to the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. (The program assists public water systems in financing infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and meet health objectives under the Safe Drinking Water Act.) The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the amounts as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The bill also exempts the funding from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Transportation Infrastructure for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2017 appropriations to the Department of Transportation to remain available through FY2022 for national infrastructure investments under a competitive grant program commonly known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the amounts as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The bill also exempts the funding from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Extension of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act This bill amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to extend preferential duty treatment related to certain apparel items through FY2030.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2017
Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma Working Family Tax Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain individuals affected by Hurricanes Harvey or Irma to elect to use earned income from the preceding year for the purpose of determining earned income for the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit. The bill applies to an individual: (1) whose principal place of abode on specified dates was located in the Hurricane Harvey disaster area or the Hurricane Irma disaster area, (2) who was displaced from the place of abode due to the disaster, and (3) who performed substantially all employment services in the disaster area and was so employed on the specified date. The Department of the Treasury must pay to each U.S. possession with a tax system that mirrors federal tax law (mirror code tax system) amounts equal to the loss to the possession due to this bill. For U.S. possessions that do not have a mirror code tax system, Treasury must pay an amount equal to the aggregate benefits that would have been provided to residents of the possession due to this bill if a mirror code tax system had been in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya civilians, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities. Urges the government of Burma to: (1) allow access to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, and (2) resume delivery of field work and humanitarian aid to help those displaced and injured and to monitor events in Rakhine State. Calls on the government of Burma to implement the August 2017 recommendations of its Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, including to end restrictions on Rohingya movement and to provide the Rohingya with citizenship. Encourages Aung San Suu Kyi to live up to her inspiring words upon receiving the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize with respect to ethnic reconciliation in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Equal Employment for All Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from furnishing an employer with a consumer credit report containing information on the consumer's creditworthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity if the employer intends to use that information for any decision made for employment purposes. An employer may use such a report in either an employment decision or before taking an adverse employment action with the consumer's authorization under certain circumstances. Specifically, a report may be used if the consumer applies for or holds employment that requires eligibility for access to classified information or such use is otherwise required by law. An employer who has sought such a report may neither deny employment to nor make any other employment decision about a consumer because the consumer has not authorized the employer's procurement of the report.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make publicly available a National Family Caregiving Strategy that identifies recommended actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. The council shall terminate after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act of 2017 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide additional food (known as commodity assistance) to states participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). (Under current law, USDA provides commodity assistance to states participating in the National School Lunch Program based on the number of lunches served. The food may also be served as part of the SBP or other child nutrition programs.) The bill modifies the requirements to: (1) repeal a provision that prohibits USDA from offering commodity assistance based on the number of school breakfasts served, and (2) require USDA to use a specified formula to provide additional commodity assistance for each school breakfast served.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex, rehabilitative, manual wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2017
Labor, Human, and Civil Rights Trade Policy Act This bill amends the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 to require trade agreement implementing bills to: (1) achieve the negotiating objectives of adherence by parties to internationally recognized core labor standards; and (2) ensure that parties demonstrate respect for internationally recognized human rights, as indicated through assessments over a period of at least 10 years. For purposes of the meaning of core labor standards, the bill expands the definition of employment discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2017
Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 This bill provides emergency supplemental FY2017 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane Harvey. The funding provided by this bill is designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. The bill provides FY2017 appropriations to: the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Legal Services Corporation, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the General Services Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Smithsonian Institution, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill also specifies several requirements and restrictions for the use of funds provided by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Special Counsel Independence Protection Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed individual may be removed only if: (1) the Attorney General files an action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and files a contemporaneous notice of the action with Congress; and (2) the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issues an order finding misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause, including violation of DOJ policies.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Department of Education, to award grants for: (1) comprehensive sex education for adolescents, (2) comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education, and (3) training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to adolescents. HHS must enter a contract with a nonprofit organization to evaluate and report on these grants. The bill makes appropriations to carry out the the bill. Grants may not be used for health education programs that: withhold health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender or racial stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of certain youth, including survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, or individuals with varying gender identities or sexual orientations; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements and eliminate prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the AIDS prevention program. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for: (1) materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity, and (2) contraceptive distribution in schools. The bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act This bill aligns federal privacy standards for substance use disorder patient records more closely with standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
American Hope Act of 2017 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow a state to extend higher-education benefits to state residents regardless of whether they are lawfully present in the United States. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal, and adjust the status, of certain residents who entered the United States as children prior to 2017. An individual whose status has been so adjusted shall be considered to have obtained conditional permanent-resident status, valid for a period of eight years and subject to termination on the basis of specified deportable conduct. In order for an individual's conditional status to become permanent, the individual must timely file with DHS a petition indicating, among other specified information, that the individual has maintained conditional permanent-resident status for at least three years. Any period of time in which the individual was granted deferred action pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy shall count toward this three-year period. Information furnished by an individual in such a petition may not be used by an officer or employee of the United States to initiate removal proceedings. The bill also: (1) allows DHS to establish a competitive grant program for the provision of nonprofit assistance to eligible applicants for conditional permanent-resident status; (2) establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting American Citizenship; (3) allows the Department of Education to develop an open-source, electronic English-learning program; (4) specifies requirements related to federal higher-education assistance for individuals with conditional permanent-resident status; and (5) requires the Government Accountability Office to report on specified data related to the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Home Visiting Works Act of 2017 This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. In addition, the bill increases, from 3% to 6%, the percentage of program funds set aside for Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Finally, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt the program from sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month. (PCOS is caused by a hormone imbalance. Symptoms can include infertility, weight gain, excess hair growth, and acne.) Recognizes the need for further research, improved treatment and care options, and a cure for PCOS. Acknowledges the struggles affecting all women and girls afflicted with PCOS.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Background Check Completion Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Birth Control Privacy Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit wellness programs from sharing with employers personally identifiable information related to employees' use of contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require employers to make initial disclosures to employees of the terms of their employment, provide such employees with regular paystubs, and make final payment to a terminating employee for uncompensated hours within 14 days of the employee's termination. An employer shall compensate an employee at the rate specified in an employment contract or other employment agreement, including a collective bargaining agreement, that specifies a rate of pay higher than the minimum wage rate. The bill establishes new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of FLSA overtime or minimum wage requirements, including referral to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution of employers who engage in wage theft, falsification of wage records, or retaliation against employees. The bill: (1) increases damages for employees who are victims of wage theft from two to three times the wages owed or who are fired for filing a complaint concerning wage theft or for cooperating in an investigation by the Department of Labor, (2) revises requirements for wage recordkeeping by employers and establishes penalties for violations of those requirements, (3) grants employees the right to inspect employer wage records, and (4) increases the statute of limitation for bringing a claim for owed wages from two to four years (three to five years for willful violations). Labor must award grants to assist certain entities in the enforcement of FLSA wage and hour requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Dream Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel removal and grant lawful permanent resident status on a conditional basis to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable or is in temporary protected status who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding this bill's enactment; (2) was younger than 18 years of age on the initial date of U.S. entry; (3) is not inadmissible on criminal, security, terrorism, or other grounds; (4) has not participated in persecution; (5) has not been convicted of specified federal or state offenses; and (6) has fulfilled specified educational requirements. DHS shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status unless the alien has engaged in conduct that would make the alien ineligible for DACA. DHS may not: (1) grant conditional permanent resident status without the submission of biometric and background data, and completion of background and medical checks; and (2) disclose or use information provided in applications filed under this bill or in DACA requests for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill prescribes the conditions under which DHS: (1) may terminate a person's conditional permanent resident status, and (2) shall adjust a person's conditional status to permanent resident status. The bill: (1) sets forth documentation requirements for establishing DACA eligibility, and (2) repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017
Disapproves and condemns any action by the President to remove the Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Opposes the granting of pardons to any person for offenses against the United States arising out of Russia's activities to bring about the election of Donald Trump as President. Deems any such pardon to constitute an abuse of the pardon power, warranting a proportionate congressional response. Calls upon Congress to enact the Trusted, Reliable, Unquestioned Method of Procedure for Special Counsel Appointment, Limitations, and Powers Act of 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017
Jobs Now Act of 2017 This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to carry out a two-year pilot program to award competitive grants to general local government units or community-based organizations to retain, employ, or train employees who provide a local government unit with a public service. The bill prescribes required and authorized uses of grant fund and priorities for awarding and using grant funds, including: encouraging grantees to use funds to retain, employ, or train veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals who receive unemployment benefits, or dislocated workers; and giving priority in awarding grants to local government units and their community-based organizations with high unemployment, foreclosure, and poverty rates.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lewis, John [D-GA-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000287_200.jpg)