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![Official portrait of Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R-WA-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6a676627c5d96ff79e3a8b71_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,612 records where Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R-WA-5] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
National Commission on Scleroderma and Fibrotic Diseases Act of 2017 This bill temporarily establishes a National Commission on Fibrotic Diseases within the National Institutes of Health that must recommend improvements regarding fibrosis and fibrotic disease research.
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 · 11 December 2017
Ensuring Patient Access to Healthcare Records Act of 2017 This bill amends the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and update policies that enable certain health-care clearinghouses, plans, and providers to: (1) provide patients with access to information related to their care; (2) develop patient-engagement tools, reports, analyses, and presentations that may demonstrate benefit to patients and health-plan enrollees; and (3) promote transparency regarding the use and disclosure of health information by health-care clearinghouses.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2017
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative costs for purposes of calculating the medical loss ratio of a health insurance plan. The bill defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under state law to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Directs the Committee on House Administration to issue regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives to complete a training program on workplace rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, during each congressional session. Requires Members, officers, or employees to certify completion of such training within 90 days after a congressional session begins or within 90 days after beginning service during a session. (Sets forth a special rule requiring such training to be completed within 180 days after the beginning of the second session of the 115th Congress.) Directs the committee to issue regulations requiring that each House employing office post in a prominent location in its office and in each Member's congressional district office a statement of rights and protections provided to House employees under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, including procedures for responding to and adjudicating allegations of violations of such rights and protections.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Recognizes that: (1) access to hospitals and other health care providers for patients in rural areas is essential to the survival and success of communities, (2) strengthening access to hospitals and other health care providers for patients in rural areas makes Medicare more cost-effective and improves health outcomes for patients, and (3) rural health care providers are integral to the local economies and are one of the largest types of employers in rural areas. Celebrates the many dedicated medical professionals who work hard each day to deliver quality care to people living in rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2017
Affirms the commitment to maintaining the strongest of bilateral ties with Israel. Recognizes the importance of the establishment of the modern state of Israel as a secure and democratic homeland for the Jewish people, without prejudice to the rights of all people to live within or alongside Israel in peace. Supports efforts to continue to increase economic, security, and cultural ties between the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
GI Education Benefits Fairness Act This bill revises who is eligible to receive GI education benefits as a dependent under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program.
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
Workflex in the 21st Century Act This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish a voluntary workflex option under which employers who provide flexible workplace arrangement plans that include a combination of paid leave and flexible work options are exempt from certain state and local laws regarding employee benefits. A flexible workplace arrangement plan must provide all employees with a minimum amount of paid leave per year that ranges from 12-20 days, depending on the size of the employer and the tenure of the employee. The plan must also provide employees that meet certain service requirements with at least one of the following flexible work options: a biweekly work program, a compressed work schedule, a telework program, a job sharing program, flexible scheduling, or predictable scheduling. The bill also specifies various requirements for paid leave and the flexible work options.
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 · 24 October 2017
Spurring Business in Communities Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: require the Small Business Administration (SBA), in reviewing and processing a small business investment company's (SBIC's) application, to give first priority to an SBIC applicant located in an underlicensed state (i.e., a state in which the number of licensees per capita is less than the median number of licensees per capita for all states) with below median financing; and exempt applicants in underlicensed states from certain SBA capital requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Ethical Patient Care for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that each VA physician is informed of the duty to report any covered activity committed by another physician that the physician witnesses or otherwise directly discovers to the applicable state licensing authority within five days. "Covered activity" means any activity occurring in a VA medical facility that consists of or causes the provision of impaired, incompetent, or unethical health care that requires direct reporting under the Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
75th Anniversary of the End of World War II Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 500,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The coins shall be emblematic of the sacrifices made by millions of people of the United States 75 years ago in bringing an end to World War II. The design on each coin shall represent the World War II Victory Medal, which was awarded to all 16 million U.S. military personnel who served from December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946. The bill requires all sales of such coins include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the congressionally designated National WWII Museum to fund its educational mission of telling the story of the U.S. experience in World War II.
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 · 3 October 2017
Federally Integrated Species Health Act or the FISH Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to transfer the responsibility for administering the Act from the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with respect to anadromous species (species of fish that spawn in fresh or estuarine waters and that migrate to ocean waters) and catadromous species (species of fish that spawn in ocean waters and migrate to fresh waters). Under current law, the Act is administered by both the NMFS and the USFWS.
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 · 13 September 2017
Supports the designation of Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month. (Pulmonary fibrosis is scarring of the lungs that causes breathing problems.) Expresses continued support for: (1) more robust and accelerated research to develop more effective treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and to ultimately find a cure for the disease, (2) federal efforts to ease administrative burdens on those suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and their families and caregivers, and (3) swift and efficient federal evaluation and approval of new treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. Recognizes the ongoing courage and contributions of individuals with pulmonary fibrosis who participate in clinical trials. Commends the dedication of those working to improve the quality of life of individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and the families and caregivers of those individuals.
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
Major General Tim Lowenberg National Guard Cyber Defenders Act This bill allows certain military reserve components, including a reserve assigned or attached to a reserve component cyber civil support team, to perform duties to prepare for or respond to any emergency involving an attack or natural disaster impacting a computer, electronic, or cyber network. By September 30, 2022, each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands shall have an operational reserve component cyber civil support team composed of reserve component members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
Free File Permanence Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program. The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to: provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income; provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services. Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns. The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to: simplify the tax system, reduce compliance and reporting burdens, increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication, strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration, avoid duplication, and maximize the use of electronic technology. The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee must report annually to Congress regarding the program, including website statistics, cybersecurity standards, demographic information, marketing and education efforts, simplifications and innovations, and state and local participation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Modernization of Medical Records Access for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out in at least one Veterans Integrated Services Network a pilot program for at least a 12-month period during which veterans enrolled in the VA's patient enrollment system will use a portable medical records storage system to store and share with VA health care providers and community health care providers records of their individual medical histories. The VA shall seek to enter into a contract, using competitive procedures, with an appropriate entity to furnish such storage system. The bill specifies system requirements, including: (1) the capability to store at least four gigabytes of electronic health records on a physical device no larger than a credit card, and (2) the capability to be used by substantially all electronic health records systems certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT on or before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Save Local Business Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide that a person may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee only if such person directly, actually, and immediately, and not in a limited and routine manner, exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment (including hiring employees, discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline).
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017
Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and expand funding through FY2020 for graduate medical education programs at teaching centers (which train medical residents in primary care specialties). The bill allows funds to be used for maintaining, expanding, and establishing graduate medical residency programs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017
Prison Reform and Redemption Act This bill directs the Department of Justice to develop the Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System for use by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to assess prisoner recidivism risk; guide housing, grouping, and program assignments; and incentivize and reward participation in and completion of recidivism reduction programs and productive activities. It amends the federal criminal code to: require the BOP to implement the Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System; establish prerelease custody procedures for prisoners who, among other things, earn time credits for successfully completing recidivism reduction programs or productive activities; prohibit, subject to specified exceptions, the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery; and broaden the duties of probation and pretrial services officers to include court-directed supervision of sex offenders conditionally released from civil commitment. The BOP must: incorporate de-escalation techniques into its training programs; report on its ability to treat heroin and opioid abuse through medication-assisted treatment; establish pilot programs on youth mentorship and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals; and designate a release preparation coordinator at each facility that houses prisoners. The bill prohibits monitoring the contents of an electronic communication between a prisoner at a BOP facility and the prisoner's attorney. It amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to reauthorize through FY2022 and modify eligibility criteria for an elderly offender early release pilot program. Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of 2017 The bill amends the federal criminal code to require the BOP to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act or the ACE Kids Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a state Medicaid option to provide for medical assistance with respect to coordinated care provided through a health home (i.e., a designated provider or team of health-care professionals) for children with medically complex conditions. A state shall make payments for such health-home services regardless of whether they are provided through a fee-for-service or managed-care system. For an initial period of eight fiscal-year quarters, the federal matching rate applicable to such payments shall be increased by 20 percentage points, not to exceed 90%. A state that exercises this option shall specify its methodology for determining payment and evaluating quality of care, in accordance with requirements established by the bill. In addition, the state must meet specified requirements regarding hospital referrals, out-of-state providers, education and outreach, data collection, and reporting. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must issue guidance on best practices for using out-of-state providers to provide care to children with medically complex conditions. The Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report to Congress and to the Department of Health and Human Services on specified matters related to children with medically complex conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 to impose specified sanctions on: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist in or provide support for fund raising or recruitment activities for Hizballah; (2) agencies of foreign governments that provide Hizballah with financial support, arms, or other assistance (export license requirements are included in addition to sanctions if such government is a state sponsor of terrorism); and (3) Hizballah, including by reason of Hizballah's significant transnational criminal activities. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that sanctions should be placed on financial institutions that serve Lebanese government officials affiliated with Hizballah. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is amended to sanction foreign financial institutions that facilitate efforts by Iran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to aid Hizballah. The bill prescribes reporting requirements or reporting modifications with respect to: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist or provide significant financial, material, or technological support for foreign persons assisting Hizballah; (2) financial institutions that are owned or organized under the laws of state sponsors of terrorism; (3) Hizballah's racketeering activities; (4) combating illicit tobacco trafficking networks used by Hizballah and other foreign terrorist organizations to finance their operations; (5) the estimated net worth of senior Hizballah officials and how these funds were acquired and used; and (6) countries that support Hizballah or in which Hizballah maintains important logistics networks or financial networks and steps such countries are taking to disrupt such networks.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
This bill requires the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) in a manner consistent with the document titled "Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Supplemental Biological Opinion," dated January 17, 2014, until the later of September 30, 2022, or the date upon which a subsequent final biological opinion for FCRPS operations is in effect with no pending further judicial review. Such entities may amend the supplemental opinion and operate the FCRPS accordingly before such date if the entities agree that: (1) the amendments are necessary for public safety or transmission and grid reliability; or (2) the actions, operations, or other requirements that the amendments remove are no longer warranted. No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan may restrict electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam or limit navigation on the Snake River in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho unless authorized by Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate a program to consolidate and temporarily store commercial spent nuclear fuel during the development, construction, and operation of a permanent nuclear waste repository. The bill addresses federal land withdrawal and related management issues, including the permanent withdrawal of specific federal land for repository use by DOE, updating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process and conditions for the repository, and limiting activities relating to developing a separate defense waste repository used for storing high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel derived from the atomic energy defense activities of DOE. DOE may enter into agreements to provide benefits to state, local, and Tribal governments that might host or be affected by facilities related to storing nuclear waste. The bill revises the method by which DOE funds its nuclear waste management activities though the collection and usage of the Nuclear Waste Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017 This bill designates the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the lead agency for coordinating all federal authorizations and reviews related to hydropower license applications, including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. FERC must establish a process to set a schedule for the review and disposition of each federal authorization following the filing of an application for a license, license amendment, or exemption. The bill expands the definition of "renewable energy" to include electric energy generated from hydropower projects. The bill authorizes FERC to extend the length of time of preliminary permits and to extend the time limit that a licensee has to commence construction on a hydropower project. The bill authorizes the use of trial-type hearings to resolve disputes related to a hydropower license application. Under certain circumstances, the hearing may be demanded by applicants or other parties for any disputed issues of material fact. FERC must consult with federal and state agencies and the public to compile best practices for performing studies and environmental reviews in connection with the timely and efficient completion of hydropower license proceedings. The bill creates a process to approve license amendments for qualifying hydropower projects.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Justin Smith Morrill Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Justin Smith Morrill, a United States Senator from Vermont, for his lasting contributions to higher education opportunity for all Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Supports a National Day of Civility and urges Americans to be more respectful and polite to others in daily life.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 This bill shall apply whenever the Department concerned, either the Department of Agriculture for National Forest System (NFS) lands or the Department of the Interior for public lands, prepares an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for specified forest management activities, including those that: will occur on lands identified as suitable for timber production; or will occur on a landscape-scale area designated by the Department concerned as part of an insect and disease treatment program on NSF land pursuant to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, notwithstanding whether such activity is initiated before September 30, 2018. In such an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, the Department concerned shall study, develop, and describe only these two alternatives: the forest management activity, and the alternative of no action. In the case of the alternative of no action, the Department concerned shall evaluate: the effect of no action on forest health, habitat diversity, wildfire potential, insect and disease potential, and timber production; and the implications of a resulting decline in forest health, loss of habitat diversity, wildfire, or insect or disease infestation on domestic water supply in the project area, wildlife habitat loss, and other economic and social factors. The bill establishes categorical exclusions regarding certain other forest management actions. A process is established for declaration of a major disaster for wildfire on federal lands managed by specified federal land management agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2017
Preserving Patient Access to Compounded Medications Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the circumstances under which a drug may be compounded (manufactured at small scale) to allow pharmacists and physicians to compound drugs for administration to patients in an office or clinical setting, in accordance with state law. (Drugs that are compounded do not need to meet certain federal requirements regarding manufacturing, labeling, or approval.) Dietary supplements may be used in the compounding of a drug. The bill exempts from interstate distribution limits the dispensing of a compounded drug from the facility where it is compounded to a patient or health facility. The scope of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of compounding pharmacies is limited to pertinent equipment, materials, containers, and labeling, which is the same scope as inspections of pharmacies. (Currently, the scope of inspections of compounding pharmacies is the same scope as inspections of drug manufacturers.) The bill eliminates the requirement for compounding pharmacies to register with the FDA as drug manufacturers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2017-FY2026 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Combating BDS Act of 2017 This bill allows a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, prohibit investment of its assets in, or restrict contracting with: (1) an entity that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel; or (2) an entity that owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with such an entity. Such measures are not preempted by federal law. A state or local government that seeks to adopt or enforce such measures shall comply with specified requirements related to notice, timing, and opportunity for comment. In addition, the bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to prohibit a person from bringing any civil, criminal, or administrative action against a registered investment company based solely upon that company's divestment from securities issued by a person that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Employee Rights Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to: (1) make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization to interfere (currently, restrain or coerce) with the rights of employees to organize and collectively bargain; (2) require union recertification after a turnover in the workforce exceeding 50% of the bargaining unit; (3) require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing investigating an election petition; and (4) require an employer to provide the NLRB with a list consisting only of employee names and addresses of all eligible voters within seven days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate bargaining unit or an agreement on eligible voters. The bill: (1) grants union and nonunion employees the right to vote by secret ballot on whether to ratify a collective bargaining agreement or engage in a strike, (2) prohibits the use of union dues for any purpose not directly related to collective bargaining, (3) prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all represented employees determined by secret ballot, and (4) prohibits the use or threat of force or violence to obtain the right to represent employees. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Restoring Accountability in the Indian Health Service Act of 2017 This bill amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a pay system for health care professionals employed by Indian Health Service (IHS) that is competitive with the salary of health care professionals employed by the Veterans Health Administration. HHS may establish incentives related to IHS employee recruitment and retention by providing relocation costs and rental assistance to employees under certain circumstances. In addition, IHS must: centralize its credentialing system for licensed health professionals seeking to provide health care services at its facilities, establish standards to measure the timeliness of health care services in its facilities, implement an annual mandatory program that provides cultural training for certain IHS employees and contractors, and establish a demonstration project to provide additional staffing resources to understaffed IHS facilities. Liability protections are given to certain health care professionals who volunteer at IHS facilities. The bill expands the IHS student loan repayment program to include loan repayments for degrees related to health administration. HHS may: (1) directly hire candidates to positions within IHS; and (2) remove, transfer, or demote certain IHS employees based on performance or misconduct. HHS must establish a tribal consultation policy for IHS. The bill establishes: (1) whistle blower protections for IHS employees, and (2) requirements concerning IHS fiscal accountability and transparency.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Education Spending through Timber Sales Act of 2017 or the FORESTS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish at least one Forest Active Management Area within each unit of the National Forest System (NFS) designated for sustainable forest management for the production of national forest materials (trees, portions of trees, or forest products) and forest active management revenues (derived from the sale of such materials). The purpose of an Area is to provide a dependable source of: payments to states in which a national forest is situated of 25% of specified forest receipts, to be used for the benefit of public schools and public roads; and economic activity through sustainable forest management for each beneficiary county containing NFS land included within that Area. Forest active management revenues shall be used to make: (1) the 25% payments to states for payment to beneficiary counties for the benefit of public schools and public roads, and (2) deposits into the Knutson-Vandenburg Fund and the salvage sale fund for projects on NFS land. This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to extend: through FY2018 authorities for secure payments to states and counties containing federal land, and through FY2020 the authority for special projects on federal land and certain county activities. Receipt by a county of Forest Active Management revenues or stewardship project payments shall be offset against 25% payments to the county. The original method for calculating 25% payments is restored. Beginning October 1, 2015, a state or territorial legislature may not withhold any portion of a 25% payment from the county or counties in which a national forest is situated. The maximum duration of a stewardship end resulting contract under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 may extend from 10 to 20 years. The Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the Interior: shall pay to the county or counties in which the project site is situated 25% of the monies retained from a contract or agreement for a stewardship contracting project on federal land under its respective jurisdiction, and may procure the services of non-federal employees to perform activities necessary to ensure a project for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 201 7 This bill provides for the incremental expansion of telehealth coverage under the Medicare program. Specifically, the bill expands the lists of: qualified telehealth originating and distant sites; qualified telehealth providers; and covered telehealth services. Additionally, the bill provides for coverage of remote patient-monitoring services for chronic health conditions. The bill also allows for a patient-specific waiver process of the required monthly face-to-face visit between an individual with end-stage renal disease and a qualified professional.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the Federal Perkins Loans program through September 30, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Disability Integration Act of 2017 This bill prohibits states or local governments that provide institutional placements for individuals with disabilities who need long-term assistance with daily living activities or health-related tasks, and prohibits insurance providers that fund such long-term services, from denying community-based services that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life. States, local governments, or insurance providers may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by: (1) imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, waiting lists, or payment structures; (2) failing to provide a specific community-based service; or (3) requiring an individual to receive a service in a congregate or disability-specific setting. Community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. States, local governments, and public insurance providers must assess: (1) transportation barriers that prevent individuals from receiving services in integrated settings, and (2) the availability of integrated employment opportunities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must issue regulations requiring states, local governments, or insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services to individuals with such disabilities who would otherwise qualify for institutional placement. State and local governments, in conjunction with housing agencies, must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Such regulations must also require states and local governments to begin implementing a transition plan to achieve the requirements of this bill within 12 years after its enactment. For 10 years after issuance of the regulations, HHS must determine annually whether each state is complying with the transition plan. If a state is complying, HHS must increase by five percentage points the federal medical assistance percentage for a state requesting an increase for expenditures on home and community-based services furnished under the state Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, or a waiver of such plan, that are identified as: (1) improvements to ensure accessibility or self-directed receipt of such services, (2) funding shifts from institutional settings to integrated community-based services, or (3) environmental modifications for housing targeted toward the lowest income individuals. The bill provides for DOJ enforcement and allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Veterans Equal Treatment Ensures Relief and Access Now Act or the VETERAN Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that, for the purpose of determining eligibility for the premium assistance tax credit, an individual may not be treated as eligible for coverage under certain Department of Veterans Affairs health insurance programs unless the individual is enrolled in the program. The bill applies to the premium assistance credit under current law beginning after 2017 and, if the American Health Care Act of 2017 is enacted, the modified premium assistance credit that would take effect under that bill after 2019. (Under current law, the premium assistance tax credit is a refundable tax credit provided to eligible individuals and families to subsidize the purchase of health insurance plans through an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Individuals eligible for minimum essential health coverage from certain sources other than the individual insurance market are not eligible for the credit.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Supports designation of National Foster Care Month, and recognizes it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster care system.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 through FY2017, including provisions concerning secure payments to eligible states, territories, and counties containing federal land. The bill: (1) sets forth special rules for state and county payments for FY2016, and (2) requires all FY2016 payments to be made within 45 days of enactment of this bill. No funds made available to eligible counties under such Act may be used in lieu of, or to otherwise offset, a state funding source for a local school, facility, or educational purpose. The merchantable timber contracting pilot program is repealed. The bill extends through FY2019 the authority under such Act to initiate special projects on such federal lands and certain county activities.