United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2019
This resolution calls on the Hong Kong government to begin negotiations with protesters to address their five central demands, including the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill that prompted the protests and the complete implementation of universal adult suffrage. It also condemns (1) the Hong Kong government's use of force against the demonstrations; (2) the government's characterizations of the protests as "riots" and attempts to blame the United States for the city's political situation; and (3) the pro-Chinese government media's targeting of Julie Eadeh, the political counselor at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, and her family. (Hong Kong is a part of China but has a mostly separate legal system, which includes protection for civil liberties including freedom from arbitrary imprisonment. Protests sprung up in opposition to the introduction of an extradition bill that critics say would allow extradition to jurisdictions that do not have such protections, in particular mainland China.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 August 2019
Homeland and Cyber Threat Act or the HACT Act This bill allows claims in federal or state court against foreign states that conduct or participate in cyberattacks against U.S. nationals.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2019
This concurrent resolution recognizes the 35th anniversary of the Mexico City policy, which prohibits foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. global-health assistance from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning. The resolution expresses support for the codification of this policy in U.S. law.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2019
GI Bill Planning Act of 2019 This bill updates the Montgomery GI Bill program. Specifically, the bill extends the period of time under which an election must be made for entitlement to educational assistance under the program. Additionally, the bill phases the program out on September 30, 2029.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2019
Jurists United to Stop Trafficking Imitation Child Exploitation Act of 2019 or the JUSTICE Act of 2019 This bill broadens the prohibition on importation or transportation of obscene materials. Specifically, the bill makes it a crime to import, or knowingly use a common carrier or interactive computer service to transport, a child sex doll.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2019
America Stands with Israel Act This bill authorizes the President to introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities or to direct immediate transfer of defense articles or services to ensure the survival of Israel and its people from an existing or imminent threat.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2019
Whistleblower Expansion Act of 2019 This bill specifically applies to subcontractors and subgrantees certain whistleblower protection provisions regarding contractor protection from reprisals. Such reprisals are for disclosure of information reasonably believed to evidence gross mismanagement of a federal contract or grant, a gross waste of federal funds, abuse of authority relating to a federal contract or grant, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a federal contract or grant.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue Enhancement Act This bill establishes a delegation of up to 24 Members of Congress to periodically meet with European Parliament representatives to discuss issues of interest to the United States and the European Union.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2019 This bill revises requirements governing the financing and accreditation of postsecondary education. Specifically, the bill makes postsecondary education courses and programs (e.g., apprenticeship programs) that provide credits toward a postsecondary certification, credential, or degree eligible for federal student aid funding if the programs and courses are accredited by a state that has an alternative accreditation agreement with the Department of Education. The bill also requires institutions to publish certain enrollment and financial aid information, such as (1) the percentage of former financial aid recipients who are employed at various intervals following graduation, and (2) the average amount of total federal student loan debt accrued upon graduation. The Government Accountability Office must compile and study all such information published by institutions and submit a report containing the results. In addition, the bill consolidates federal student loans into one student loan program and eliminates loan forgiveness for borrowers. Lastly, the bill requires an institution that receives federal student aid funding to pay a default rate fine that is based on the default rate of loans made to its students.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
FISA Reform Act of 2019 This bill requires periodic reports to Congress about surveillance conducted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to include the identity of any individual targeted for surveillance who is associated with a candidate for President of a major party.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2019 This bill provides a private right of action against state and local jurisdictions with certain policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, and contains additional provisions related to such jurisdictions. Currently, such cooperation is generally not required. An individual (or certain relatives of such an individual) who is the victim of any felony for which an alien has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced to a prison term of at least one year may sue a state or local jurisdiction if the jurisdiction failed to comply with (1) certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests related to arresting and detaining aliens, and (2) a DHS request to detain the alien in question or provide a notification about the release of the alien. A jurisdiction that accepts certain federal grants may not assert immunity in such a civil action. A jurisdiction (or employee of a jurisdiction) that complies with certain DHS detainer requests shall be deemed to be acting as an agent of DHS. A complying jurisdiction or employee of the jurisdiction shall not be liable in any lawsuit relating to compliance with such requests. In a lawsuit against an employee of the jurisdiction, the United States shall be substituted in as the defendant, and remedies shall be limited to provisions for bringing tort claims against the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of certain audiologist services. Specifically, the bill expands coverage to include diagnostic and treatment services that are furnished by audiologists and that would otherwise be covered if provided by a physician, including incidental services, regardless of whether such services are provided pursuant to a referral from, or under the supervision of, a physician or other health care practitioner.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Stop the Censorship Act This bill limits a social media company's immunity from liability for screening and blocking offensive content on its platform. The bill applies such immunity when the company restricts content that is unlawful rather than merely objectionable. Under current law, such immunity also applies to actions taken to enable or make available the technical means to restrict access to material that is objectionable. The bill instead specifies that this immunity applies to actions taken to (1) make available the technical means to restrict access to material that is unlawful, or (2) provide users with the option to restrict access to any material.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Modern Worker Empowerment Act This bill requires the use of common law rules in defining "employee" under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Pension and Budget Integrity Act of 2019 This bill prohibits certain provisions from being counted as an offset to determine budget points of order for legislation in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Specifically, a provision that increases or extends an increase of single-employer pension program premiums payable to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) may not be counted as such an offset. (The PBGC is a federal agency that insures the benefits of private sector, defined benefit pension plans. The PBGC is financed by insurance premiums paid by sponsors of the plans, investment income, assets from pension plans taken over by the PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the plans.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the inclusion of any Social Security or tier I railroad retirement benefits in gross income for income tax purposes. The bill also: (1) appropriates funds to cover reductions in transfers to the Social Security and Railroad Retirement Trust Funds resulting from the enactment of this bill, and (2) expresses the sense of Congress against using tax increases to provide revenue necessary to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Authorization Act of 2019 or the FedRAMP Authorization Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) within the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA must establish a government-wide program that provides the authoritative standardized approach to security assessment and authorization for cloud computing products and services that process unclassified information used by agencies. Agencies must ensure that their cloud computing services meet GSA requirements. The bill establishes the Joint Authorization Board to conduct security assessments of cloud computing services and issue provisional authorizations to operate to cloud service providers that meet FedRAMP security guidelines. The GSA shall (1) determine the requirements for certification of independent assessment organizations, and (2) establish the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Competition Prescription Act of 2019 This bill revises various requirements related to the development, production, and sale of prescription drugs and biological products. First, the bill permits the developer of a drug or biological product to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved product if the license holder has declined to make available sufficient quantities of the approved product for the developer's testing. The bill also requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish a process for developers of generic complex drugs to request and receive expedited development and priority review. Further, upon request by a drug sponsor, a drug that treats a life-threatening disease or condition must be designated for expedited review if there are fewer than three drugs currently available for such treatment. States are prohibited from placing restrictions on dispensing substitute biological products that have been determined to be interchangeable with another product by the FDA. Additionally, the bill prohibits sponsors of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans from reducing a payment to a pharmacy after a claim without defect has been submitted by such pharmacy. The bill establishes requirements for pricing standards for pharmacy benefits managers under Medicare and other federal prescription drug benefits programs. Starting in 2025, the bill removes the cap on rebates paid by manufacturers of outpatient prescription drugs under Medicaid. Further, the bill requires the publication of specified information regarding licensed biological products, exempts from antitrust prohibitions specified drug-price negotiation strategies, and establishes a Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Maximizing America's Prosperity Act of 2019 This bill establishes annual spending limits that are equal to specified percentages of potential gross domestic product (GDP). Potential GDP generally refers to the GDP that would occur if the economy were at full employment without inflation. The spending limits apply to all budget authority and outlays of the federal government excluding net interest.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
This resolution calls on the President and the Department of State to (1) make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in bilateral relationships between the United States and countries that have such laws; (2) designate countries that enforce such laws as countries of particular concern for religious freedom; and (3) oppose efforts by the United Nations to implement an international anti-blasphemy norm. The resolution also calls on the governments of countries that enforce such laws to amend or repeal them and to release anyone imprisoned pursuant to them.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
ONDCP Technical Corrections Act of 2019 This bill amends the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 and the Substance Abuse Prevention Act of 2018, including to repeal an auditing requirement and make technical corrections.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to expand the information it publishes in its inventory of agency programs. The inventory must include information such as links to program performance reviews and details regarding financial assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2019
Brian Tally VA Medical Care and Liability Improvement Act This bill imposes civil liability under the federal tort claim law upon certain contractors hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for their negligence or malpractice in providing medical care to veterans. Such liability is waived if the VA provides a notice to affected individuals or their estates identifying the full names of the contractors involved and the nature of the health care they furnished, among other information. The VA must provide such notice within 30 days after the veteran or the veteran's estate files a claim. The bill also requires the VA to revoke a contractor's authorization to provide health care at a VA facility if the contractor is a defendant in at least three separate negligence claims during a five-year period. This revocation requirement also applies to VA physicians and other health practitioners if claims against the physicians or providers resulted in a judgment against the United States or were compromised or settled.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2019
Promoting United States International Leadership in 5G Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of State to provide assistance and technical expertise to enhance U.S. leadership in international bodies that set standards for 5th and future generations of mobile telecommunications (5G) technology, such as the International Telecommunication Union. The State Department shall also work to increase the participation of allies, partners, and the private sector. (International bodies develop standards for certain technologies, such as those used in wireless data transmission, to ensure interoperability between different companies' products. Stakeholders, such as companies that manufacture equipment that uses such technologies or companies that hold relevant patents, typically participate in the standards-setting process.) The State Department shall report to Congress on (1) its strategy to promote U.S. leadership in the standards-setting bodies relevant to 5G technology; (2) its strategy for diplomatic engagement with allies and partners to share security-risk information related to 5G; and (3) China's activities in standards-setting bodies for 5G technology, including the scope and scale of such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a joint task force to enhance border security operations to detect, interdict, disrupt, and prevent narcotics such as fentanyl and other synthetic opioids from entering the United States. DHS shall report to Congress as to whether it will establish such a task force. If such a task force is established, DHS shall periodically report to Congress on issues such as what additional resources are needed to detect and prevent narcotics from entering the United States. The bill also authorizes DHS joint task forces to engage with and receive assistance from outside DHS, including private sector organizations and federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial entities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Greg LeMond, in recognition of his contributions to the nation as an athlete, activist, role model, and community leader.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Improving Confidence in Veterans' Care Act This bill addresses licensure and employment requirements for medical providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, for VA medical provider positions that require a person to prescribe controlled substances, the bill prohibits a person from being employed if their Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration has been terminated, revoked, or surrendered, and they have not received a waiver from the DEA. The bill also requires the VA to take prompt adverse personnel actions against a medical provider employee (1) who is not licensed, registered, certified, or in receipt of a DEA waiver; or (2) who does not promptly notify the VA of any suspension in such license, registration, or certification. Additionally, the VA must conduct biennial audits of medical provider employees to ensure they are licensed, registered, or certified as required. The VA shall ensure that the hiring process includes a request for licensure status and a verification of licensure status before an individual begins employment. Finally, the VA shall provide annual training on these licensure and employment requirements to directors of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks, as well as chiefs of staff and directors of VA health care facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
End National Defense Network Abuse Act of 2019 or the END Network Abuse Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Defense to establish (1) an initiative to improve the capacity of military criminal-investigative organizations to prevent child sexual exploitation, and (2) partnerships with various governmental and outside entities to improve practices and outcomes related to the prevention of child sexual exploitation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2019 This bill requires states, as a condition of federal payment under Medicaid for family planning services, to report certain abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Currently, reporting is voluntary.) The CDC must develop standardized questions for states with respect to specified variables (e.g., maternal demographics and methods of abortion).
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Veterans Health Savings Account Act This bill allows veterans who receive hospital care or medical services under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs to remain eligible to participate in or contribute to a health savings account.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants for a period of three years to eligible entities for the provision of suicide prevention services to veterans and their families. Under the bill, eligible entities include tribally designated housing entities, community-based organizations, and other private entities that meet certain requirements. Entities must submit an application to receive financial assistance that includes a description of the services they propose to provide, among other elements. The bill requires the VA to equitably distribute grants across geographic regions and areas with the most need. Additionally, the VA shall give preference to entities that are experienced in providing suicide prevention services. Entities receiving funding must notify service recipients that funding is wholly or partially from the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
This resolution commends the people of Tunisia for their commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and free elections, and encourages Tunisia's political leaders to work together to accelerate economic reforms and anti-corruption measures. It also calls on the government to fully implement the Tunisian Constitution of 2014, which includes protections for civil liberties and the establishment of the Constitutional Court.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
Eliminating the RFS and Its Destructive Outcomes Act This bill repeals the Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
Searchable Legislation Act of 2019 This bill requires Congress to ensure that all congressional documents and records of votes cast in Congress and congressional committees are created, transmitted, and published in searchable electronic formats, consistent with data standards recommended by such advisory bodies as Congress may establish. The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate, acting jointly, shall establish the Congressional Data Task Force (an advisory body) to recommend data standards for the creation, transmission, and publication of information and congressional documents, including bills, resolutions, amendments, reports, laws, and records, in such formats for purposes of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2019
Readable Legislation Act of 2019 This bill requires every bill or joint resolution that amends an existing section of any Act to do so by setting forth the entire section and showing the omissions and insertions proposed by appropriate typographical devices. A measure may not revise or amend any section of an Act by a mere reference to it.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Stopping Bad Robocalls Act This bill updates various policies and regulations relating to robocalls. Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect consumer privacy as it relates to robocalls. The FCC must update regulations involving certain robocalls that are exempt from criminal liability to include specific requirements identifying classes of parties who may make such calls, parties who may be called, and how many times they may be called. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that a citation be issued prior to a forfeiture penalty being imposed in cases where violations involving illegal robocalls have been intentional and where inaccurate caller identification information has been provided. The bill also implements a three-year statute of limitation for such violations requiring notice, and a four-year statute of limitation where an intentional violation has occurred. The FCC must promulgate regulations to address requirements for effective call authentication technology as well as to establish a process to streamline the ways in which a private entity may voluntarily share with FCC information relating to an illegal call or text or for calls with misleading or inaccurate caller identification information. Finally, the bill requires the FCC to ensure robocall blocking services provided on an opt-out basis are provided free of cost with transparency and redress options for consumers and callers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act or the VETS Safe Travel Act This bill makes certain veterans eligible for the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck Program at no cost if they meet the program's background check and security requirements. Veterans who are eligible for this fee waiver are those who have been determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs to have incurred permanent blindness, or those who have been determined to require the use of a wheelchair, prosthetic limb, or other assistive device to aid with mobility due to (1) loss, or loss of use, of a limb; or (2) full or partial paralyzation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
VA Emergency Transportation Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse a veteran for the reasonable value of emergency transportation by a non-VA provider (1) to a facility for emergency treatment, or (2) from a non-VA facility where the veteran was treated to a VA or other federal facility for additional care.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 This bill directs various departments to assess whether political developments in Hong Kong justify changing Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law. Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system. The Department of State shall report annually to Congress as to whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its unique treatment. The report shall assess whether China has eroded Hong Kong's civil liberties and rule of law as protected by Hong Kong's Basic Law. The Department of Commerce shall report annually to Congress on China's efforts to use Hong Kong to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions. The President shall provide Congress an assessment as to whether to withdraw from the U.S.-Hong Kong extradition treaty, and what actions are needed to protect U.S. citizens and national security interests, if Hong Kong (1) amends its laws to allow the rendition of individuals to countries that lack defendants' rights protections, or (2) passes a national security law. The State Department shall allow otherwise qualified Hong Kong residents to obtain visas to work or study in the United States, even if the applicant had been arrested for participating in certain nonviolent protests supporting human rights or the rule of law. The President shall report to Congress a list of individuals responsible for abducting and torturing people for exercising internationally recognized human rights in Hong Kong. The bill bars such individuals from entering the United States and imposes sanctions on them.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
JROTC Cyber Training Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to implement a program to prepare Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps students for careers in computer science and cybersecurity. The program may include such elements as internships and cooperative research opportunities, funding for training of instructors, activities to improve the quality of training in these fields, and informal education.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
This resolution condemns the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and expresses sympathy for the victims' relatives. It also expresses concern for the continuing 25-year-long delay in the proper resolution of the case and supports accountability for the attack, including the Iranian and Hezbollah operatives involved.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Equal Campus Access Act of 2019 This bill prohibits funding for any public institution of higher education (IHE) that denies to religious student organizations any right, benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other student organizations at the IHE because of the religious beliefs, practices, speech, leadership standards, or standards of conduct of the religious student organization.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
This resolution recognizes the contributions of the Montagnard indigenous tribespeople who fought loyally and bravely alongside U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War and who continue to suffer persecution in Vietnam. The resolution condemns Vietnamese suppression of basic human rights and civil liberties and urges that the Montagnard tribespeople be provided access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for resettlement in the United States and in other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
CECL Consumer Impact and Study Bill of 2019 This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal financial regulators to report on the implementation of the Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) accounting standard and its impact on credit availability, capital requirements, financial institutions, and nonfinancial institutions. Required compliance with the CECL standard is delayed until one year after submission of this report.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2019
This bill modifies requirements regarding leases for federal buildings. It directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish, and operate through 2024, a pilot program to execute lease agreements using alternative procedures to (1) reduce the costs to the government of leased space, including by improving office space utilization rates of federal tenants; and (2) significantly reduce or eliminate the backlog of expiring leases over the next five years. The GSA shall furnish simplified procedures for the leasing of real property at rates that do not exceed $500,000. The bill provides for (1) waiver of space-planning and housing-cost requirements concerning building projects subject to congressional approval, and (2) consolidation of projects into a single prospectus to achieve efficiencies and improve utilization rates.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2019
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 · 5 June 2019
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2019 This bill establishes several prohibitions, requirements, and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, the bill prohibits MA plans from instituting additional prior authorization requirements for surgeries (including related items) that are furnished to a patient during other surgeries for which prior authorization was not required or was already received. Additionally, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or the A PLUS Act This bill creates a framework under which states may receive federal elementary and secondary education funds on a consolidated basis and use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law.
![Official portrait of Rep. Meadows, Mark [R-NC-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001187_200.jpg)