United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Opioids and STOP Pain Initiative Act This bill establishes and provides funds for the Opioids and STOP Pain Initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support pain-related research, including: understanding pain, therapies for chronic pain, and alternatives to opioids for pain treatment as directed in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016; improving options and evidence for medication-assisted treatment and opioid overdose reversal treatments; and supporting the Federal Pain Research Strategy. NIH must establish the Pain Therapy Screening Program to award grants to support the development of new pre-clinical models for pain disorders, and the application of these models in drug, device, or other therapy screening.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins that are emblematic of the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, and the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers throughout the history of the United States. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be distributed to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Inc., for educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2017
No Assistance for Assad Act This bill prohibits FY2018-FY2022 reconstruction or stabilization assistance from being provided for any area of Syria controlled by the Syrian government or associated forces unless the President certifies that the Syrian government has stopped attacking civilians and is making progress in areas such as human rights, complying with international obligations, ending missile development and deployment, and refugee repatriation. The President shall recertify whether such conditions are being met every 90 days. Such prohibition shall not apply to assistance for locally administered projects and humanitarian needs. The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development shall report to Congress regarding the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance to Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2017
Open Internet Preservation Act This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 by prohibiting broadband internet access service providers from: (1) blocking lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices; and (2) impairing or degrading lawful internet traffic on the basis of internet content, application, or service, or use of a non-harmful device. These prohibitions do not prevent providers from offering specialized services that are offered over the same network and may share network capacity with the broadband internet access service. The bill allows broadband internet access services to be eligible for federal universal service support funding.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2017
Repeal Insurance Plans of the Multi-State Program Act of 2017 or the RIP MSP Act This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that allows the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to enter into contracts with health insurance issuers to offer multi-state plan options. OPM must report about specified efforts in its process to wind down the multi-state program. The bill rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided to OPM for staffing and administering the multi-state program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2017 This bill imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex or gender of the child, (2) use force or the threat of force to coerce a sex-selection abortion, (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion, or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. The bill authorizes civil actions by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of a prohibited sex-selection abortion; or (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to coerce a sex-selection abortion. The bill also authorizes injunctive relief to prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further such abortions. Violations of this bill are deemed to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Medical and mental health professionals must report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. A woman having such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable. Courts must make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. In the absence of such consent, any party, other than a public official, who brings an action must use a pseudonym.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Let Lenders Lend Act This bill nullifies the "Home Mortgage Disclosure (Regulation C)" rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on October 28, 2015. (The rule, mandated under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, expanded the scope of information that must be disclosed under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2017
Receiving Electronic Statements To Improve Retiree Earnings Act This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the electronic delivery of pension plan documents required to be furnished to a plan participant, beneficiary, or other individual. The system for furnishing such a document must: (1) be designed to result in effective access to the document, (2) permit the recipient to select the electronic means through which the document is received or request paper documents, and (3) protect the confidentiality of personal information. An annual paper notice must be provided describing: the selection of electronic means for furnishing documents, the right to modify the selection or to elect to receive paper versions of the documents at no additional direct cost and how to make the election, and any election that has been made to receive paper documents. An electronically furnished document must be prepared and furnished in a manner that is consistent with the style, format, and content requirements for the document. It must also include a notice that apprises the individual of the significance of the document when it is not otherwise reasonably evident as transmitted.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Practice of Law Technical Clarification Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to exclude from the definition of "debt collector" any law firm or licensed attorney: (1) serving, filing, or conveying formal legal pleadings, discovery requests, or other documents pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure; or (2) communicating in connection with a legal action to collect a debt on behalf of a client in, or at the direction of, a court of law or in the enforcement of a judgment.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to (1) prohibit the use of public funds for payments of awards and settlements resulting from violation of certain CAA rights and protections if the violation consists of sexual harassment or sexual assault, (2) prohibit an imposition of a nondisclosure agreement as a prerequisite for CAA procedures to consider the violation, and (3) permit an individual to publicize any information relating to such a prior award or settlement if it was conditioned on a nondisclosure agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2017
Federal Insurance Office Abolishment Act of 2017 This bill eliminates the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) within the Department of the Treasury. The bill also amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to remove the FIO director as a nonvoting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Condemns the attacks on hospitals, medical personnel, and emergency responders by the government of Syria and the Russian Federation, and calls on all parties to: (1) end the attacks on medical facilities; (2) cease targeting medical workers; and (3) allow unhindered medical assistance, humanitarian assistance, and medical evacuation of urgent cases to besieged areas. Calls on the Department of State to work with the international community to conduct full, prompt, impartial, and effective investigations of violations of international humanitarian law related to attacks on medical personnel and facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment stating that: the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children is a fundamental right; the parental right to direct education includes the right to choose, as an alternative to public education, private, religious, or home schools, and the right to make reasonable choices within public schools for one's child; neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon these rights without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served; the parental rights guaranteed by this amendment shall not be denied or abridged on account of disability; and this amendment shall not be construed to apply to a parental action or decision that would end life.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
No Back Pay for Bergdahl Act This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to deny payments or benefits to any person found guilty of desertion or attempted desertion for any period during which the person is treated as being in a missing or captive status after the date the person was first determined to be absent without authority. The Department of Defense shall use payments or benefits denied to a deserter under this bill to provide compensation to members of the Armed Forces who were wounded or injured while searching for the deserter and to representatives of members killed while searching for the deserter.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Free Flow of Information Act of 2017 This bill establishes conditions under which a journalist may be compelled to produce documents or provide testimony in a matter arising under federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2017
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Modernization Act or the AML and CTF Modernization Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to increase the reporting threshold for suspicious activity reports and currency transaction reports, and otherwise revises provisions related to the sharing of information regarding suspicious financial activity.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to expand the scope of "covered transaction" subject to the review of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). CFIUS analyzes the national security implications of foreign investment in the United States. A covered transaction includes: any merger, acquisition, or takeover that could result in foreign control of any U.S. business, the purchase or lease of real estate located in the United States that is in close proximity to a U.S. military installation or to another U.S. government facility or property that is sensitive for reasons relating to national security, other investment in a U.S. critical technology company or U.S. critical infrastructure company, any change in a foreign investor's rights that results in foreign control of a U.S. business, the contribution of intellectual property to a foreign person, or any other transaction, transfer, agreement, or arrangement designed to evade or circumvent the authority of CFIUS. The bill revises other provisions relating to CFIUS, including the length of its review period, special hiring authority and funding, and authority to mandate reviews or take unilateral action.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
This bill amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to repeal coal and other mine safety reporting requirements for issuers of securities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation within the Securities and Exchange Commission to report on issues encountered by rural-area small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make postsecondary education courses and programs, such as 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 terminates loan forgiveness for borrowers under the income contingent repayment options for new loans made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. An institution that receives federal student aid funding must pay a default rate fine that is based on the default rate of loans made to its students.
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 · 3 November 2017
Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanctions Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to block the assets of foreign persons or entities and prohibit transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism with respect to As-Saib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and Harakat Hizballah al-Nujaba (Nujaba) and foreign persons who are officials, agents, or affiliates of AAH or Nujaba. The Department of State shall annually establish and publish as part of its Annual Country Reports on Terrorism a global list of armed groups, militias, or proxy forces receiving logistical, military, or financial assistance from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or from groups over which the IRGC exerts control or influence.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Better Evaluation of Science and Technology Act or the BEST Act This bill requires a federal agency, to the extent it is making a decision based on science when issuing a rule, to use scientific information, technical procedures, methods, protocols, methodologies, or models in a manner that is consistent with the best available science and the intended use of the information, based on the weight of the scientific evidence. Each federal agency shall make available to the public: (1) all of its notices, determinations, findings, rules, consent agreements, and orders in connection with a rule; (2) a nontechnical summary of each risk evaluation conducted in connection with a rule; and (3) a list of the studies considered by the agency in carrying out each evaluation, along with the results of those studies.
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 · 25 October 2017
Uniting and Strengthening America by Reforming and Improving the Government's High-Tech Surveillance Act or the USA RIGHTS Act This bill amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to: require a warrant to collect communications of or about a U.S. person or a person inside the United States; require a warrant when a significant purpose of targeting foreigners is to collect communications of persons in the United States; prohibit the use of communications to or from, or information about, U.S. persons or persons in the United States in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or investigation, with the exception of national security-related crimes; allow individuals who have a reasonable basis to believe their communications will be acquired and who have taken reasonable steps to avoid surveillance to challenge the constitutionality of surveillance in court; and require that all forms of technical assistance demanded by the government of electronic communications service providers be approved by a FISA court. The bill expands the mandate of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to include review of all foreign intelligence activities and whistle-blower complaints. The bill extends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to September 30, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
No Abortion Bonds Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose taxes on state, local, and tax credit bonds that are used to provide a facility owned or used (for any purpose) by an abortion provider for more than 30 days during a year in which interest is paid on the bond. An entity is not considered an abortion provider solely as a result of performing abortions if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. The Department of the Treasury may exempt certain hospitals from being considered an abortion provider by making the name of the hospital available on Treasury's public website.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish the Fentanyl and Heroin Inter-Agency Task Force: (1) to coordinate federal efforts to identify, target, and dismantle organizations that traffic fentanyl or heroin; (2) to identify sources of fentanyl and heroin production and distribution; and (3) to provide best practices, updated information, and support to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring federal expenditures and receipts to be balanced, excluding expenditures for payment of debt and receipts derived from borrowing. The requirement may be met over more than one year to accommodate economic conditions. In emergency situations, two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate may authorize expenditures to exceed receipts for a limited time. Debts from emergency expenditures must be paid as soon as practicable. Congress may enforce the article with legislation, which must require compliance within 10 years of ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require the Financial Stability Oversight Council, in determining whether a nonbank financial company shall be designated as systemically important and consequently be supervised by the Federal Reserve Board and subject to prudential standards, to consider the appropriateness of imposing such standards as opposed to other forms of regulation to mitigate identified risks to U.S. financial stability. Every five years, the council must, upon request by a nonbank financial company, reevaluate such a determination and hold a vote on whether to rescind it. The bill revises procedural requirements related to council determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Affirms the Jewish people's historical connection to Jerusalem. Recognizes that the archaeological discoveries from the City of David, the site of ancient Jerusalem, present evidence of the millennia-old connection of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, and, by extension, to Christianity. Commends the government of Israel for protecting the freedoms of all faiths in Jerusalem including Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and ensuring their access to holy sites so that they may worship freely. Condemns efforts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to delegitimize Israel through attempts to rewrite and deny Jerusalem's history. Encourages the United States to continue working with allies to prevent UNESCO from passing biased anti-Israel resolutions in the future.
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 · 12 October 2017
VA Fairness in Hiring Act This bill provides that a covenant not to compete entered into by an individual with a non-Department of Veterans Affairs facility or employer shall have no force or effect with respect to the appointment of such individual to certain health care positions in the Veterans Health Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
NIE on Iranian Proxy Forces Act This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to produce a National Intelligence Estimate on Iranian support of proxy forces in Syria and Lebanon and the threat such support poses to Israel, other U.S. regional allies, and specified U.S. interests. Not later than 60 days after the National Intelligence Estimate is completed, the President shall provide to Congress a strategy to prevent Iran from expanding its power in Syria and Lebanon.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Universal Charitable Giving Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income (above-the-line deduction) for charitable contributions of individuals who do not elect to itemize deductions for the taxable year. The deduction may not exceed one-third of the standard deduction of the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Access to Marketplace Insurance Act This bill requires health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, cost-sharing payments made by certain third parties (e.g., state and federal government programs) and count such payments toward annual cost-sharing limitations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
American Miners Pension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds and provide loans to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan in order to provide pension benefits for retired coal miners. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer additional funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill prohibits the plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received. Treasury must make annual loans to the plan equal to the amount certified by the trustees of the plan as necessary to prevent insolvency. The loans may not exceed $600 million per year. The trustees must annually certify that the plan is projected to be solvent and is able to repay the loans under terms specified in the bill. The bill also establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that persons present during a rendition of the national anthem, who are not in uniform or are not members of the Armed Forces or veterans, should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over their heart.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
CBO Show Your Work Act This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to make available to Congress and the public each fiscal model, policy model, and data preparation routine that the CBO uses to estimate the costs and other fiscal, social, or economic effects of legislation. For each estimate of the costs and other fiscal effects of legislation, the CBO must also disclose, in a manner sufficient to permit replication by individuals not employed by the CBO, the data, programs, models, assumptions, and other details of the computations used to prepare the estimate. For data that is not required to be disclosed, the CBO must make available to Congress and the public: a complete list of all data variables for the data; descriptive statistics for all data variables for the data, to the extent that the descriptive statistics do not violate the rule against disclosure; a reference to the statute requiring that the data not be disclosed; and contact information for the individual or entity who has unrestricted access to the data.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Immigration in the National Interest Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: eliminate the diversity visa program; replace the current employment visa system with a skills-based point system; revise the worldwide level of family-sponsored immigrants, including by eliminating certain family-based immigration preferences; establish a 50,000 annual limit for refugees given permanent resident status; create a nonimmigrant visa for parents of U.S. citizen children who are at least 21 years old; and establish a new visa for immigrants seeking to enter the United States to engage in a new commercial enterprise. The bill prohibits an alien from being be naturalized if his or her sponsor has not repaid the federal government for any means-tested public benefits received by the alien during the five-year period beginning on the date the alien was lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Common Sense Opportunities Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to inform each entity operating programs under the federal TRIO programs (programs designed to identify and provide services for students from disadvantaged backgrounds) of the status of their application for continued funding at least four months (currently eight) prior to the expiration of the funding. The bill establishes a process for applicants to resubmit an application for a grant or contract for higher education resources or student assistance when the application contains a technical error. The bill prohibits ED from rejecting an application solely because it contains a technical error, unless ED notifies the applicant of the error and the applicant does not correct it by the resubmission deadline. ED must submit an annual report that: (1) identifies each entity that received a grant or contract for higher education resources or student assistance and indicates the amount of the grant or contract; and (2) identifies each entity that applied for, but did not receive, such grant or contract and indicates the reason for the rejection of the application. ED must set forth the information separately for each state and local educational agency in the report.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
VHA REcruitment, HIring, and REtention Act of 2017 or VHA REHIRE Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a VA Student Loan Repayment Program to assist the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) meet staffing needs for health professional occupations for which recruitment or retention of qualified personnel is difficult. A program participant must agree to serve as a full-time VHA employee for one year for every $10,000 of received benefits, with a minimum three-year commitment. Program assistance may be in addition to assistance available under the VA Educational Assistance Program. A participant in the VA Education Debt Reduction Program must agree to serve as a full-time VHA employee for at least three years. A physician, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, optometrist, registered nurse, physician assistant, or dental auxiliary must agree to serve at least two years as a full-time VA employee in order to receive certain bonuses or allowances. The VA shall offer employment to a qualified VHA applicant within 75 days after the last day applications are accepted for a position.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2017
Legal Workforce Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. An employer shall attest, during the verification period and under penalty of perjury, that the employer has verified that an individual is not an unauthorized alien. An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill requires reverification of certain groups of workers who have not been verified under E-verify. An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. The bill sets forth provisions regarding: (1) an employer utilizing a good faith defense, (2) preemption of state or local law, (3) employer penalties, and (4) worker remedies for EEVS errors. DHS shall establish programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, (2) suspend or limit the use of social security account numbers of identity fraud victims, and (3) permit parents or legal guardians to suspend or limit the use of a minor's social security account number or other identifying information. DHS shall establish at least two Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot programs using distinct technologies to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 August 2017
This bill designates the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Huntington, West Virginia, as the "Hershel `Woody' Williams VA Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act or the Military SAVE Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through the Office of Community Care, to carry out a three-year pilot program of hospital care and medical services for eligible veterans at non-VA health care providers to treat physical and psychological injuries or illnesses that, in the judgment of a VA mental health professional, resulted from sexual assault or battery or sexual harassment while the veteran was serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. The program shall be carried out at not more than five locations, at least one of which shall be a rural location, based upon criteria including: (1) distance from a military installation, (2) city size, and (3) rates of sexual assault and rape. An eligible veteran may elect to participate in the pilot program. The VA may not restrict a participant's ability to choose the non-VA health care provider. The bill: (1) sets forth payment provisions for current and new non-VA providers, and (2) provides for program data collection and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet, subject to privacy or administrative limitations, the best scientific and commercial data available that are the bases for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2017 This bill provides a presumption of herbicide exposure as the service-connected cause of certain diseases notwithstanding that there is no evidentiary record of any such disease during a veteran's service period. The bill defines a "veteran" for purposes of this bill as an individual who, during active military, naval, or air service, served in or near the Korean demilitarized zone during the period beginning on September 1, 1967, and ending on August 31, 1971. The bill specifies such a disease as: (1) a listed disease that becomes manifest, or (2) any additional disease that the Department of Veterans Affairs determines warrants a presumption of service-connection by reason of a positive association with herbicide exposure and that manifests itself within a prescribed period.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Census Accuracy Act of 2017 This bill requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to determine the total population by states to include: (1) a checkbox or other similar option for a respondent to indicate whether he or she is a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, is lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, is an alien who otherwise has lawful status under the immigration laws, or is none of these; and (2) a question regarding which federal program or legal provision accorded the respondent such status.
![Official portrait of Rep. Mooney, Alexander X. [R-WV-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001195_200.jpg)