United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2017
Keeping Our Manufacturers from Being Unfairly taxed while Championing Health Act or KOMBUCHA This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the production of kombucha for consumption or sale from excise taxes imposed on alcoholic beverages. Kombucha is a beverage that: (1) is fermented solely by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast; (2) contains not more than 1.25% of alcohol by volume; (3) is sold or offered for sale as kombucha; and (4) is derived from sugar, malt or malt substitute, tea, or coffee, and not more than 20% other wholesome ingredients.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Fairness in Firearm Testing Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to make a video recording of its entire process of examining and testing an item to determine whether it is a firearm (and if so, the type of firearm) or ammunition. The bill bars the ATF from editing or erasing any such recording. The ATF must make a digital video disc containing a copy of the recording available to: (1) a person requesting a copy who claims an ownership interest in such item, and (2) a defendant in a criminal proceeding involving such item. An item which the ATF has determined is a firearm or ammunition shall not be admissible as evidence unless: (1) the ATF has complied with the requirements of this bill to make its digital video disc available, or (2) such compliance has been waived in writing by the person against whom the item is offered as evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the Army Corps of Engineers from promulgating or enforcing any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm at a water resources development project administered by the Corps of Engineers if: (1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm, and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the state in which the project is located.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
This joint resolution prohibits the issuance of a letter of offer with respect to any of the following proposed sales to the government of Kenya, as described in the certification Transmittal No. 16-79 sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act on January 19, 2017: twelve Air Tractor AT-802L; two AT-504 trainer aircraft; and weapons package, technical support, and program management.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2017
OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act This bill codifies and revises the centralized regulatory review process, currently required under executive order, to require the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) review agencies' significant regulatory actions for compliance with procedures for cost-benefit determinations, assessments of alternatives, avoidance of conflicts with other regulations, and consideration of risks and enforcement costs; (2) circulate agency regulatory plans to other agencies to determine whether an agency's actions will conflict with actions taken or planned by other agencies; (3) chair the Regulatory Working Group that assists agencies with regulatory issues; and (4) publish a unified agenda of each agency's regulations that are under development or review. OIRA's review is expanded to independent regulatory agencies. Each year, OIRA must publish the unified agenda by April 15 and October 15. The agenda must explain why any regulation included in the immediately previous agenda is no longer included. The deadline for OIRA's review may be extended for any number of additional 30-day periods upon written request by OIRA or the agency. Within 24 hours after OIRA's review, the agency that submitted the regulation must provide OIRA with a redline of any changes the agency made to the regulatory action during the review period. OIRA must disclose the redline to the public online within three days after the earliest of: (1) the date OIRA completes the review, (2) the date on which such agency publishes the regulatory action in the Federal Register, or (3) the date on which the agency announces a decision not to publish the regulatory action.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2017
Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017 This bill directs each executive agency to make publicly available on the agency website or in the rulemaking docket on Regulations.gov a list of pending agency regulatory actions and for each such action: the date the agency began to develop or consider the action, its status, an estimate of the date it will be final and in effect, and a brief description of such action; and a list of each public communication about the action issued by the agency, including the date of the communication, its intended audience, the method of communication, and a copy of the original communication. Each agency shall publish the information required within 24 hours after such communication is issued and maintain the public availability of such information for at least 5 years after the action is finalized. Any public communication issued by an agency that refers to a pending agency regulatory action shall specify whether the agency is considering alternatives and accepting comments and must expressly disclose that the agency is the source of the information to the intended recipients. Except for impartial communications that request comment on or provide information regarding the pending regulatory action, such a public communication referring to a pending action may not: (1) directly advocate, in support of or against the pending action, for the submission of information; (2) appeal to the public, or solicit a third party, to undertake such advocacy; or (3) be for publicity or propaganda purposes unless authorized by law. An agency that communicated about a pending agency regulatory action during the previous fiscal year shall submit to each congressional committee with jurisdiction over the agency's activities, by January 15 of each year, a report indicating: the number of pending agency regulatory actions the agency issued public communications about during that fiscal year; the average number of public communications issued by the agency for each such action; and the five pending actions with the highest number of public communications issued by the agency in that fiscal year and a copy of each such communication. The report shall be made publicly available on the agency's website.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2017
English Language Unity Act of 2017 This bill establishes English as the official language of the United States. Naturalization ceremonies and official functions of the U.S. government, subject to exceptions, must be conducted in English. The bill declares that all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of U.S. laws. A person injured by a violation of this bill may obtain relief, including a declaratory judgment, in a civil action. English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws. Any ambiguity in U.S. laws shall be resolved in accordance with the rights retained by the people and the powers reserved to states under the Bill of Rights. The Department of Homeland Security shall issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Recognizes the contribution of the Greensboro Four to the civil rights movement and their significance as a catalyst for the mobilization of college students coalescing in the formation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Recognizes that ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation. Encourages states to include the history and contributions of the Greensboro Four in their year-round educational curriculum.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2017
Right to Try Act of 2017 This bill requires the federal government to allow unrestricted manufacturing, distribution, prescribing, and dispensing of experimental drugs, biological products, and medical devices that are: (1) intended to treat a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and (2) authorized by state law. The federal government must allow unrestricted possession and use of such treatments by patients certified by a physician as having exhausted all other treatment options. A manufacturer, distributor, prescriber, dispenser, possessor, or user of such a treatment has no liability regarding the treatment. The outcome of manufacture, distribution, prescribing, dispensing, possession, or use of such a treatment may not be used by a federal agency to adversely impact review or approval of the treatment. The treatment must: (1) have successfully completed a phase 1 (initial, small scale) clinical trial; (2) remain under investigation in a clinical trial approved by the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) not be approved, licensed, or cleared for sale under the Federal Food, Drug, or Cosmetic Act or the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2017
Reaffirms: (1) the strong alliance between Australia and the United States, and (2) the importance of a U.S.-Australia relationship based on mutual respect and befitting a close and longstanding alliance partner crucial to the preservation of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Asia Pacific region and around the world. Expresses support for continued diplomatic, military, and economic cooperation with Australia.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2017
Federal Transit Modernization Act of 2017 This bill repeals requirements that condition certain financial assistance for public transportation projects upon employee protective arrangements approved by the Secretary of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to terminate the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Under PPACA, the IPAB is tasked with developing proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Agency Accountability Act of 2017 This bill requires any agency that receives a fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement to deposit the amount in the general fund of the Treasury. The funds may not be used unless the funding is provided in advance in an appropriations bill. Any amounts deposited during the fiscal year in which this bill is enacted may not be obligated during the fiscal year and must be used for deficit reduction. The bill includes an exception for funds to be paid to an individual entitled to receive the funds as a whistle-blower, including funds received as a percentage of amounts received by the government pursuant to a judgment or settlement agreement. The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require offsetting receipts and collections to be treated as revenue. (Offsetting receipts and collections are funds collected by agencies from other government accounts or from the public in businesslike or market-oriented transactions. Under current law, the collections are treated as negative budget authority and outlays rather than revenue and may be used to offset spending for budget enforcement purposes.) The requirements of the bill do not apply to the U.S. Postal Service or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO must submit annually to Congress a report describing any fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement collected by the USPTO during the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2017
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill: (1) repeals certain provisions that require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age, (2) prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund, and (3) requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. The Secretary concerned shall restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to the surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2017
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2017 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with selected cancers that have the least effective treatments in order to achieve a better understanding of these cancers and the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2022 and revised to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to state cancer registries to improve tracking of childhood cancers. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) establish a task force to develop and test standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (3) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. HHS must convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors. The NIH may support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exemption requirements for state and local bonds, to specify that bonds issued to finance professional sports stadiums meet the private security or payment test. (A state or local bond that satisfies both the private business use test and the private security or payment test is considered a private activity bond that is taxable unless it is used for certain qualified private activities.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Aid to Allies Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: in periods of constrained resources all budget items deserve scrutiny, especially foreign aid dollars; rather than assisting governments that undermine our allies, such dollars would be better spent in countries that support the shared interests of the American people; and the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation should not enter into any compact with Senegal until the board reports to Congress regarding Senegal's eligibility to meet specified democratic and economic criteria that consider the impact of Senegal's co-sponsorship of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 and other governance issues with respect to Senegal. Such resolution characterizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands cessation of settlement activities. The bill prohibits Senegal from receiving certain development assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for two years and makes such assistance available to Rwanda and Uganda. The President's Malaria Initiative, the Feed the Future program, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief are exempted from such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
No Bonuses for Terrorists Act This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the provision of assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) until the Department of State has certified that the PA and the PLO have ceased paying financial compensation or any other benefit not generally available to the Palestinian population at large to the families of Palestinians killed in connection with an act of terrorism. Recertification is required every six months. If the State Department is unable to make such a certification: (1) it shall report to Congress why it is unable to do so, and (2) funds that otherwise would have been provided to the PA and the PLO shall be transferred and made available to the Department of Defense for assistance to Israel for procurement of the Iron Dome defense system. The State Department shall annually report on the amount of bonuses, financial compensation, or other benefits that have been disbursed by the PA and the PLO in the preceding 12 months.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
National Right-to-Work Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers or labor organizations, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2017
Free Speech Fairness Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax-exempt organization to make certain statements related to a political campaign without losing its tax-exempt status. An organization may not lose its tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) or be deemed to have participated in, or intervened in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, solely because of the content of any statement that: (1) is made in the ordinary course of the organization's regular and customary activities in carrying out its exempt purpose, and (2) results in the organization incurring not more than de minimis incremental expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act 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 to Anwar Sadat in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions to attain comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 TITLE I--POSTAL SERVICE BENEFITS REFORM This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a Postal Service Health Benefits Program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to offer health benefits plans for U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees, annuitant retirees, and their families at rates that reflect the cost of benefits provided solely to the USPS risk pool. Medicare-eligible postal retirees and family members are automatically enrolled in part A (Hospital Insurance) and part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for Aged and Disabled) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Each plan must provide Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) prescription drug benefits through an employer group waiver plan. Postal retirees not previously enrolled in Medicare will be transitioned automatically into Medicare part B. The USPS's annual prefunding payments to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund must be recomputed each year based on economic and actuarial methods to liquidate 100% of the USPS's actuarial liability by September 30, 2055. The bill modifies the prefunding schedule established under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The OPM must use postal-specific demographic and economic assumptions in its valuations of the USPS's Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension accounts. Under CSRS and FERS, any projected USPS funding surpluses shall be returned to the USPS through amortized annual installments. TITLE II--POSTAL SERVICE OPERATIONS REFORM This title reduces from nine to five the number of governors serving on the USPS Board of Governors with the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General. The USPS's power shall be vested in the governors and carried out by the Postmaster General consistent with the strategic direction and pricing and product strategy approved by the governors. The Postmaster General may delegate authority, but the bill removes the board's authority to delegate authority to the Postmaster General. The USPS must transfer funds to the Department of State to coordinate and negotiate international postal rates and delivery services. The USPS must provide mail delivery other than door delivery (with a preference for centralized delivery) for new delivery points unless a new delivery point is built or established within a block of existing primarily door delivery points. It must also begin converting to centralized delivery, curbside delivery, or sidewalk delivery for existing: (1) business delivery points, and (2) residential delivery points with postal patrons' consent. This title: (1) revises the Postal Regulatory Commission's (PRC's) standards for establishing or revising rates or classifications for first-class mail, standard mail, or other market-dominant products; (2) repeals a rate preference that currently allows certain political committees to send third-class mail at the nonprofit organization rate; and (3) increases by 1 cent the postage rate for first-class stamps by reinstating 50% of the exigent rate surcharge for first-class mail and other market-dominant products that was in effect on April 9, 2016. The USPS may establish a program to provide property and services on behalf of state, local, or tribal governments for noncommercial products and services, and a program to provide property and services to other executive agencies and the Government Publishing Office, but only if such property and services provide a reasonable contribution to the institutional costs of the USPS. In determining whether to close or consolidate a post office, the USPS must: (1) consider the availability of broadband Internet service and commercial mobile service in a geographic area, and (2) conduct a nonbinding survey to allow postal patrons to indicate their preferences among alternative postal service options. The USPS is prohibited from offering postage-evidencing products or services that do not comply with regulations applicable to private companies. The PRC must complete the initial review of the system for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products such that a final rule for a revised or reapproved system is issued by May 1, 2018. TITLE III--POSTAL SERVICE PERSONNEL A Chief Innovation Officer is established to: (1) maximize USPS revenues, (2) utilize emerging information technologies, and (3) update an innovation strategy for postal and nonpostal products and services. The President must appoint an Inspector General of the Postal Community to consolidate the currently separate USPS and PRC inspectors general. The right to appeal adverse personnel actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board is extended to USPS or inspector general employees who are not represented by a bargaining representative. TITLE IV--POSTAL CONTRACTING REFORM The USPS and the PRC must: (1) issue policies on contracting officer delegations of authority for postal contracts, (2) publish noncompetitive contract awards that exceed specified dollar amounts, (3) require contracting officers and decision-makers to disclose personal and business relationships that would cause questions regarding their impartiality, and (4) establish procedures for the ethics counsel to review conflict of interest disclosures to determine whether a contracting officer's participation would violate ethical conduct standards. The USPS or the PRC may void postal contracts if: (1) there is a criminal conviction (from which no further appeal may be taken) for bribery or a conflict of interest relating to the contract, or (2) the contractor fails to make required disclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
This joint resolution initiates the process to terminate the Independent Medicare Advisory Board, which issues annual recommendations for reducing growth in Medicare expenditures. Under current law, the enactment of a such a joint resolution is required in order to terminate the board.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2017
REAL ID Privacy Protection Act This bill amends the REAL ID Act of 2005 to repeal the requirements that each state, in the issuance of drivers' licenses and identification cards: (1) retain paper copies of source documents for 7 years or images of source documents for 10 years, and (2) provide to all other states electronic access to information contained in the state's motor vehicle database. The Department of Homeland Security shall extend through October 10, 2017, the deadline for compliance with the minimum document requirements and issuance standards for federal recognition of state drivers' licenses or identification cards for a state not in compliance that has received a limited extension of the deadline for compliance or that is under review for compliance as of the enactment of this bill. The Department of of Homeland Security shall report on each state's compliance with the requirements of the material compliance checklist for such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Health and Human Services rule regarding subrecipients of family planning grants. (Under the rule, grant recipients may prohibit an entity from receiving a subaward only for reasons related to the entity's ability to provide family planning services.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule finalized by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on August 25, 2016, relating to revising the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement Executive Order 13673 concerning contractor compliance with labor laws.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the “Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 ” rule finalized by the Social Security Administration on December 19, 2016. The rule implements a plan to provide to the National Instant Criminal History Background Check System the name of an individual who meets certain criteria, including that benefit payments are made through a representative payee because the individual is determined to be mentally incapable of managing them. (Current law prohibits firearm sale or transfer to and purchase or possession by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Health and Human Services rule regarding subrecipients of family planning grants. (Under the rule, grant recipients may prohibit an entity from receiving a subaward only for reasons related to the entity's ability to provide family planning services.)
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages, to: exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; modify the small wine producer tax credit to increase the amount of the credit, expand the producers that are covered, and specify an adjustment for hard cider; modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes; specify definitions for "mead" and "low alcohol by volume wine;" modify requirements for records, statements, and returns for certain breweries; and permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Federal Records Modernization Act of 2017 This bill creates a process for the suspension and removal of federal employees if an agency inspector general determines that they have: (1) willfully and unlawfully concealed, removed, mutilated, obliterated, falsified, or destroyed any record, proceeding, or other thing in their custody; or (2) violated prohibitions against creating or sending records using nonofficial electronic messaging accounts. The President, Vice President, or their staff or advisers may not create or send a presidential or vice presidential record using nonofficial electronic messaging accounts unless they: (1) include their official electronic messaging account as a recipient in the original creation or transmission of the electronic message (currently, the official account must only be copied on the message); (2) identify all recipients in such message; and (3) print a copy of the message, including a complete list of recipients, to submit for archival storage by the Executive Office of the President (currently, the message must only be forwarded electronically to their official electronic messaging account). Other executive agency officials or employees may not create or send records using nonofficial electronic messaging accounts unless they follow similar requirements to include their official account as a recipient, identify all recipients, and print a copy to submit for their agencies' archival storage. The bill modifies the categories of record removal or destruction that obligate federal agency heads to notify the Archivist of the United States and initiate actions to recover removed records through the Department of Justice. Agencies must also: (1) notify the Archivist of concealments or falsifications of agency items, and (2) publish a general description of records at risk or that have been lost. Agencies must designate senior records management officials to ensure compliance with records management requirements and to immediately notify the agency whenever an actual or threatened destruction, removal, concealment, or falsification of records comes to their attention. Each agency's records management program must provide for the electronic capture and automatic retention of messaging accounts containing electronic records that should be: (1) preserved as permanent federal records, and (2) accessible for retrieval through electronic searches. The bill requires the Federal Register to be: (1) published (e.g., by electronic means), rather than printed; and (2) available for sale or distribution to the public in published form. It revises requirements for the filing of documents with the Office of the Federal Register and the publication of the Code of Federal Regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2017
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act or the BRACE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2017
Health Care Choices for Seniors Act This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Medicare Alternative Voucher (MAV) Program, under which a voucher may be used as a contribution into a health savings account and for the payment of enrollment premiums under a high-deductible health plan. HHS must establish a procedure under which an individual otherwise entitled to Medicare benefits may waive such entitlement and be automatically enrolled in the MAV Program. In addition, the bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the amount of the deduction from gross income for health savings accounts by the amount of the MAV that is contributed to an individual's health savings account. The bill also suspends Medicare late enrollment penalties for an individual between ages 65 and 70.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2017
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or the A PLUS Act This bill allows each state to receive federal elementary and secondary education funds on a consolidated basis and manage the funds to advance the educational policy of the state. A declaration of intent must be formulated by a combination of specified state officials or by referendum and must list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. States may use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but must make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged, and use federal funds to supplement rather than supplant state funding. Each declaration state shall: (1) inform the public about its student achievement assessment system, (2) report annually on student progress toward the state's proficiency standards by specified student groups, and (3) provide for the equitable participation of private school children and teachers in the same manner as provided for under current law.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Eliminating Pornography from Agencies Act This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidelines that prohibit accessing a pornographic or other explicit website from a federal computer, except for investigative purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Construction Consensus Procurement Improvement Act of 2017 This bill modifies the design-build selection procedures used by federal agencies soliciting offers to enter into civilian contracts for the design and construction of a public building, facility, or work. Two-phase selection procedures (i.e., submission of qualifications and then the submission of price and technical proposals in response to a request for proposal) must be used if a contracting officer determines that a project has a value of $3 million or greater. But for contracts valued at less than $3 million, the contracting officer makes the same determination under current law as to whether the use of two-phase selection procedures is appropriate if the officer anticipates at least three offers for the contract. Federal agencies must report, each year over a five-year period, on each instance where the agency awarded a design-build contract in which: (1) more than five finalists were selected for phase-two requests for proposals, or (2) the contract or order was awarded without using two-phase selection procedures. The Government Accountability Office must report on agency compliance with design-build contract procedures. The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall be amended to prohibit the use of reverse auctions as part of the two-phase selection procedures for awarding contracts for construction and design services. A "reverse auction," with respect to any procurement by an executive agency, is: (1) a real-time auction conducted through an electronic medium among at least two offerors who compete by submitting bids for a supply or service contract, or a delivery order, task order, or purchase order under the contract, with the ability to submit revised lower bids before the closing of the auction; and (2) the award of the contract, delivery order, task order, or purchase order to the offeror based on the price obtained through the auction process.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly transport a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without satisfying a parental involvement law in the minor's resident state. A parental involvement law requires parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization, for a minor to obtain an abortion. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both. The bill provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a minor whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or condition. This bill prohibits an individual who has committed incest with a minor from knowingly transporting the minor across a state line to receive an abortion. Additionally, this bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform or induce an abortion on an out-of-state minor without first complying with parental notification requirements, subject to specified exceptions. A physician violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Life at Conception Act This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 This bill requires the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice to develop a program to educate state and local governments and property owners on strategies for promoting access to public accommodations for persons with a disability. The program may include training for professionals to provide a guidance of remediation for potential violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The bill prohibits civil actions based on the failure to remove an architectural barrier to access into an existing public accommodation unless: (1) the aggrieved person has provided to the owners or operators a written notice specific enough to identify the barrier, and (2) the owners or operators fail to provide the person with a written description outlining improvements that will be made to improve the barrier or they fail to remove the barrier or make substantial progress after providing such a description. The aggrieved person's notice must specify: (1) the address of the property, (2) the specific ADA sections alleged to have been violated, (3) whether a request for assistance in removing an architectural barrier was made, and (4) whether the barrier was permanent or temporary. The Judicial Conference of the United States must develop a model program to promote alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve such claims. The model program should include an expedited method for determining relevant facts related to such barriers and steps to resolve accessibility issues before litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Follow the Rules Act This bill extends the prohibition against a person taking, failing to take, or threatening to take or fail to take a personnel action against any employee or applicant for employment for refusing to obey an order that would require the individual to violate a law to personnel actions against such an individual for refusing to obey an order that would violate a rule or regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Urges Russian authorities to grant access to archival collections and to declassify and make publicly available all documents related to Raoul Wallenberg. Urges: (1) the Russian authorities to work with Wallenberg's family, the Swedish government, and Russian and international scholars, researchers, and archivists to resolve outstanding questions surrounding the circumstances of Wallenberg's arrest and death; and (2) the President, Secretary of State, and other high level U.S. government officials to raise the case of Wallenberg to their Russian counterparts and to request direct access to the original and unredacted documentation in the Russian archives. Emphasizes the need for independent verification of any information provided by Russian officials. Reaffirms Wallenberg's humanitarian spirit, personal courage, and nonviolent action in the face of enormous odds and commits to the continued pursuit of answers regarding Wallenberg's fate.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2017 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride pollution from the scope of that Act. The bill declares that current law does not authorize or require the regulation of climate change or global warming and nullifies certain final rules relating to: (1) greenhouse gas and volatile organic compounds emissions, including methane emissions, from the oil and natural gas sector; and (2) carbon pollution emissions from the utility power sector. Before proposing or finalizing regulations or policies, the Environmental Protection Agency must analyze the net and gross impact of those regulations and policies on employment. Regulations and policies may not take effect if they have a negative impact on employment, unless they are approved by Congress and signed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Women's Public Health and Safety Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow a state to exclude from participation in the state's Medicaid program a provider that performs an abortion, unless: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) the woman suffers from a physical issue that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. (Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any provider qualified to perform them.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Conscience Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion. Health care providers include health care professionals, health care facilities, social services providers, health care professional training programs, and health insurers. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), must investigate complaints alleging discrimination based on an individual's religious belief, moral conviction, or refusal to be involved in an abortion. DOJ or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may obtain equitable or legal relief in a civil action. Administrative remedies do not need to be sought or exhausted prior to commencing an action or granting relief. Such an action may be brought against a governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2017
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that: (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2017
Sanctity of Human Life Act This bill declares that: (1) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human and is a person's most fundamental right; (2) each human life begins with fertilization, cloning, or its equivalent, at which time every human has all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and each U.S. territory have the authority to protect all human lives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
This bill redesignates as the "Nancy Reagan Memorial Park" the Gravelly Point Park located along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Private Corrado Piccoli Purple Heart Preservation Act This bill provides that regulations restricting the purchase, production, sale, or exchange of military medals or decorations may not authorize the sale of a Purple Heart awarded to a member of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
![Official portrait of Rep. Meadows, Mark [R-NC-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001187_200.jpg)