United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2022
This resolution addresses the need for improvements to broadband infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, and the role of specified federal agencies in making such improvements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2022
Child Tax Credit for Pregnant Moms Act of 2022 This bill allows a child tax credit for an unborn child who is born alive. It also allows the credit upon certification that a mother's pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage (the involuntary death of an unborn child who was carried in the womb for less than 20 weeks) or that the child was stillborn (the involuntary death of an unborn child who was carried in the womb for 20 weeks or more).
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2022
Inflation Prevention Act This bill establishes a point of order that, when the annualized rate of inflation exceeds 4.5%, prohibits the House and Senate from considering legislation that provides new budget authority and is estimated to result in an increase to the rate of inflation. The prohibition may be waived in the Senate by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2022
Protecting Life in Health Savings Accounts Act This bill prohibits distributions from health savings accounts (HSAs) or other tax-preferred savings accounts for abortions except for abortions to terminate a pregnancy that is the result or rape or incest or to protect a women's health or life.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2022
This bill extends through FY2021 the inapplicability of the requirement for counties to elect to receive certain payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. That act provides compensation to counties for the presence of untaxable federal land within their borders.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2022
This resolution condemns the terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022. It also expresses support for the affected community, commends the actions of law enforcement and emergency responders, and reaffirms a commitment to combat hate, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and violence against Jewish Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2022
Medical Equality and Discrimination Stoppage Act or the MEDS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from discriminating against or providing preferential treatment to any person or group on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, or national origin. The prohibitions also apply to the administration of HHS programs, including HHS-funded programs administered by states, territories, and private entities. An individual aggrieved by conduct prohibited under the bill may commence a civil action in the appropriate U.S. district court to obtain relief.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2022
Putin Accountability Act This bill imposes sanctions pertaining to Russia and addresses related issues. The President must impose sanctions, with some exceptions, on individuals and entities that knowingly and directly provide specialized financial messaging services to Russia's central bank (or enables access to such services); entities responsible for constructing, financing, or operating Nord Stream 2 (a pipeline constructed to increase Russian natural gas exports) and the corporate officers and controlling shareholders of such entities; individuals and entities in Russia involved in kleptocracy, Russian government activities to subvert U.S. democratic institutions and interests, or Russian government disinformation campaigns against the United States; and entities that are Russian state development corporations, as well as any officials of such an entity. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on such individuals and entities and also visa-blocking sanctions on the individuals. The President must also (1) issue regulations to prohibit U.S. individuals and entities from dealing in Russian sovereign debt; and (2) issue a determination as to whether certain specified Russian individuals meet the criteria to be subject to sanctions under various authorities, including this bill. The Department of State must (1) designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, and (2) report to Congress a determination of whether Russia-affiliated armed entities in the Donbas region of Ukraine meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The bill prohibits expending funds to engage with Russia's government on cyber issues or arms control negotiations until certain conditions have been met.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2022
VA Same-Day Scheduling Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that when a veteran enrolled in the VA health care system contacts the VA by telephone to schedule an appointment for care or services at a VA facility, the scheduling for the appointment occurs during that telephone call.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2022
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of PCOS Awareness Month. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is caused by a hormone imbalance. Symptoms can include infertility, weight gain, excess hair growth, and acne.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2022
Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2022 This bill modifies the appointment procedures and term of service for the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. Currently, the director is appointed by the Attorney General. This bill requires the director to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The bill also limits the director to a single term of 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 30 December 2021
Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers Act or the DRUGS Act This bill requires a website domain name registrar (or registry operator) to take down a domain name under the registrar's control upon receiving an eligible notification that the domain name is facilitating illegal online drug sales. Upon receiving an eligible notification, the registrar must lock the domain name within 24 hours and suspend the domain name within seven days. An eligible notification must come from a trusted notifier and include certain information, such as a summary of the alleged illegal activities and a statement that the evidence supporting the allegations is available to be shared with the registrar. The bill defines trusted notifiers as (1) certain government agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration or the office of a state attorney general; and (2) qualifying private or nonprofit entities given such status by specified government agencies. The registrant of the affected domain name may appeal a lock or suspension by providing the trusted notifier with information to establish that the registrant's drug sales are legal, such as pharmacy licenses and the licensing information of the prescribing medical practitioners, if applicable. The trusted notifier must conduct a reasonable investigation and consider the information provided by the registrant. If the appeal is successful, the registrar must reverse the lock and suspension within 15 days. The domain name must remain locked and suspended while the appeal is pending.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2021
Tiny Homes for Homeless Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a six-year pilot program to provide grants for the creation of five villages of tiny homes for homeless veterans. Under the bill, the villages must have associated supportive services to allow veterans to build and live in energy efficient homes, maintain social connections with each other, learn skills, and receive critical counseling. Under the bill, a tiny home is an individual housing unit that is approximately 240 square feet for one person or approximately 340 square feet if the home is for a family.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2021
Stop Federal Vaccine Mandates for Employees Act This bill prohibits the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from issuing any emergency temporary standard that requires an employee to receive a drug, vaccine, or other biological product.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2021
Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 This bill expands liability protections for the donation of food and grocery products. Specifically, the bill expands the liability protections to include donations of an apparently fit grocery product or apparently wholesome food for which the recipient is charged a good Samaritan reduced price that is no greater than the cost of handling, administering, and distributing the food or product; or that is donated directly to a needy individual by a retail grocer, wholesaler, agricultural producer, restaurant, caterer, school food authority, or institution of higher education. The Department of Agriculture must issue regulations that clarify the quality and labeling standards that food products donated under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act must meet to be eligible for liability protection.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2021
Preserving Rights Of Tenants by Ensuring Compliance To the Second Amendment Act or the PROTECT the Second Amendment Act This bill establishes a right for a resident of covered federally assisted rental housing to lawfully possess a firearm within the residential dwelling unit occupied by the resident and any common area of the federally assisted rental housing in which the resident resides in the course of entering or exiting the rental housing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Upholding the Law at Our Border Act This bill requires the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to periodically investigate and report on certain issues until there have been fewer than 35,000 apprehensions at the southwest border for three consecutive months. When required, the reports must address certain issues, including (1) the vetting procedures applicable to aliens seeking entry into the United States who were apprehended along the southwest border, (2) the total number of individuals not lawfully present who have been processed and released into the United States, (3) the number of such individuals who have received parole, and (4) an audit of the parole applications. The office must submit such reports (and provide briefings on the reports) to the President, Congress, DHS, and the Department of Justice.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
No More Free Ride Act This bill bars certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) from becoming a U.S. citizen or receiving any federal public benefits. Specifically, this prohibition shall apply to a non-U.S. national who (1) entered the United States unlawfully, and (2) received a payment as part of a settlement of a lawsuit for harm the individual sustained as a result of immigration enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 5, 2021. The rule requires health care providers, as a condition of Medicare and Medicaid participation, to ensure that staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Strategic Production Response Act This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Telehealth Extension Act of 2021 This bill expands and otherwise modifies coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill permanently (1) removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary), (2) allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services, and (3) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner). The bill also extends any Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency until two years after the emergency ends and generally allows such flexibilities to be granted during any public health emergency. In addition, the bill (1) allows for Medicare payment of outpatient critical access hospital services consisting of telehealth behavioral therapy until two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends; and (2) after the emergency ends, conditions payment for certain high-cost laboratory tests and durable medical equipment that are ordered via telehealth on at least one in-person visit during the preceding six-month period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Border Agents Stay Employed Act or the BASE Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to require any U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer or employee to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2021
Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This bill places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Additionally, the bill establishes a new, alternative registration process for schedule I research that is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Veterans Affairs or that is conducted under an investigative new drug exemption from the Food and Drug Administration. The bill also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2021
Protecting International Pipelines for Energy Security Act This bill requires the President to obtain the approval of Congress before revoking a permit or other authorization required under executive orders for constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining an oil or natural gas pipeline, an electric transmission facility, or a border-crossing facility.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2021
This bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from taking specified actions against a member of the National Guard based on whether the member has received a COVID-19 vaccine. Specifically, DOD may not (1) involuntarily discharge or discipline the member, (2) withhold pay or benefits from the member, or (3) prohibit the member from participating in training or using equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2021
Coal Council Certainty Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to maintain the National Coal Council under the charter that was in effect on November 19, 2021. Historically, this council provided DOE with advice and guidance about policies concerning coal. However, the council ceased operations in November 2021 when its charter was not renewed by DOE.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2021
Removing Waste and Protecting Medicare Act This bill makes several budgetary changes, including (1) prohibiting sequestration orders in 2022, (2) rescinding certain COVID-19 state and local relief funds, and (3) extending certain adjustments under Medicare with respect to sequestration and payments under the physician fee schedule. It also modifies requirements relating to federal programs and benefits, such as permanently requiring taxpayers to include Social Security numbers on their tax returns in order to qualify for the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2021
Improving Care for Vulnerable Older Citizens and People with Disabilities through Workforce Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes demonstration projects to improve care and service delivery through the use of direct care workers (e.g., nursing assistants and home health aides) for older adults and individuals with disabilities who have chronic illness or are at risk of institutional placement. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) must award grants to partnerships of health care providers, long-term care facilities, and other organizations to carry out the projects. Specifically, HRSA must award grants for incorporating direct care workers into interdisciplinary care coordination teams to support transitions in care and prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions. HRSA must also award grants for (1) using the abilities of direct care workers to manage and improve the health of individuals with multiple chronic conditions and long-term care needs; or (2) training direct care workers to take on greater responsibilities in managing specific diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2021
Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to study and report on products that are in high demand across the critical infrastructure sectors. Critical infrastructure sectors are those whose assets, systems, and networks are vital to national security, the economy, public health or safety, or any combination of those matters. The study must (1) identify the products in high demand across those sectors that are being imported due to manufacturing, material, or supply chain constraints; and (2) analyze the costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing those products in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2021
No Tax Dollars for the United Nation's Immigration Invasion Act This bill prohibits the federal government from making contributions to the United Nations (U.N.) International Organization for Migration, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2021
Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act This bill provides for a reinstatement of the employee retention tax credit through 2021. The credit was established to compensate employers whose businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for wages paid to their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Protect American Taxpayer Dollars from Illegal Immigration Act This bill prohibits expending federal funds for legal settlements to individuals who violated certain laws relating to the proper time and place to enter the United States, if the settlement pertains to claims based solely on the lawful detention of such an individual as part of a family unit after the individual's entry into the United States at the southern border after January 20, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Public Safety Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program. Additionally, the bill requires a certain amount of funds made available under the COPS grant program to be used for the hiring and retention of law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act of 2021 This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty law. Antidumping provides relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty provides such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity. Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product from different countries) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a time line for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a different country, use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and require importers to provide a certification that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order. Additionally, the bill establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations. The bill repeals the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008, which addresses the importation of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Crucial Communism Teaching Act This bill directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources for high school students to promote understanding of certain political ideologies (e.g., communism and totalitarianism) that conflict with principles of U.S. democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2021
Recognizing the Unborn Act of 2021 This bill replaces the term fetus with unborn child throughout federal law, including provisions relating to abortions and medical research. The bill also creates a default statutory definition for unborn child : a child in utero, or a member of the species Homo sapiens , at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2021
Stop Iranian Drones Act This bill expands existing provisions requiring sanctions against individuals or entities that provide certain types of weapons to Iran. Specifically, the bill modifies the provisions by adding unmanned combat aerial vehicles to the list of weapons covered by the sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2021
Conscience Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain protections for health care providers that refuse to participate in abortions based on religious beliefs or other convictions. Health care providers include individual professionals, medical facilities, health insurance organizations, and social services providers that refer clients to health care services. The federal government and entities that receive federal funding for health-related activities, including state and local governments, may not discriminate against a health care provider that refuses to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortions. Currently, similar requirements apply to various related activities, including certain employment or personnel decisions (the Church Amendments), abortion services training (the Coats-Snowe Amendment), qualified health plans offered through health insurance exchanges, and annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies (the Weldon Amendment). The HHS Office for Civil Rights must investigate complaints of this kind of discrimination. Furthermore, HHS may terminate or reduce HHS funding for health-related activities if a person or entity fails to comply with nondiscrimination requirements. Additionally, the Department of Justice or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may bring a civil action to obtain appropriate relief. A plaintiff does not need to seek or exhaust administrative remedies before bringing the action. A plaintiff may also bring an action, including one for money damages, against a governmental entity. In many cases, principles of sovereign immunity shield states and some localities from these kinds of actions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2021
Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill outlines various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Among other requirements, the bill (1) directs local educational agencies to publicly post the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level; and (2) requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights, including the right to review the school's curriculum and budget.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2021
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021 This bill requires employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to undergo training developed by the Inspector General of the VA regarding the reporting of wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of the Inspector General.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2021
This resolution modifies requirements for written statements required of nongovernmental witnesses who appear before standing committees of the House of Representatives. Specifically, the resolution eliminates a requirement that a witness disclose whether they are a fiduciary of an organization or entity that has an interest in the subject matter of the hearing, in favor of a requirement that they disclose whether they are a fiduciary of an entity that has received payments from a specified foreign entity. The resolution also requires nongovernmental witnesses to disclose in their written statement certain contracts with specified foreign persons or entities. If the committee determines that a witness knowingly and willfully failed to truthfully comply with such disclosure requirements, the witness is prohibited from testifying before the committee for three years.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2021
Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021 This bill prohibits executive agencies from requiring contractors to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the degree to which Executive Order 14042 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors) caused disruptions to federal contracts, supply chains, and transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021 This bill prohibits using federal funds to establish any diplomatic facility in Jerusalem other than the U.S. Embassy to Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
Cures 2.0 Act This bill addresses pandemic preparedness and public health issues, caregiver and patient engagement, drug development, insurance coverage, and biomedical research. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must undertake research and other activities concerning COVID-19 and develop a strategy for future pandemics and declared emergencies. Additionally, the bill specifies actions to combat antimicrobial resistance. HHS may award grants for caregiver training. The bill also addresses diversity in clinical trials, collecting patient experience data during clinical trials, and coverage for care related to participation in specified clinical trials. The bill modifies the timeframe and requires additional guidance relating to expedited approval of certain breakthrough drugs, devices, or products. It also establishes two intercenter institutes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on particular diseases that meet specified criteria. The bill also addresses (1) coverage in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program for telehealth, genetic and genomic testing, and other services; (2) electronic prescribing standards for Medicare drug benefits; and (3) access to Medicare and Medicaid claims data by certain registries. Furthermore, the bill prohibits the use of geographic tracking or biometrics in Medicaid electronic visit verification systems. The bill establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the National Institutes of Health to accelerate biomedical research and innovation through grants, contracts, cash prizes, and other means. The FDA may work with ARPA-H to expedite the development of medical products through specified activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
Pregnancy Loss Mental Health Research Act of 2021 This bill expands research and related activities that address mental health complications following a pregnancy loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion). Specifically, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) must expand and intensify research on mental health complications following pregnancy loss. In particular, NIMH must conduct a longitudinal study to determine the prevalence and other information about such mental health complications. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must award grants to health providers, state or local governments, or other appropriate nonprofits to deliver services to individuals with mental health conditions following a pregnancy loss. Funding made available under this bill may not be provided to an entity (or an entity's affiliate, subsidiary, successor, or clinic) that performs abortions other than in the case of a pregnancy (1) that is the result of rape or incest; or (2) when the life of the woman is in danger due to a physical disorder, injury, or illness.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
This resolution prohibits consideration of a bill or joint resolution, or a related amendment or conference report, that includes reconciliation language prior to the committee of jurisdiction receiving the cost analysis for that legislation from the Congressional Budget Office.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor emergency temporary standard for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in employment settings. Under the standard issued on November 5, 2021, employers with 100 or more employees must require their onsite employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.