United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2019
This resolution recognizes and honors the importance of statutes giving all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of persons and property as well as the right to enforce contracts, sue and be sued, and give evidence in court. The resolution also reaffirms commitment to the Thirteenth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, and Fifteenth Amendment and the laws declaring that all persons born in the United States are citizens and are equally protected by the law.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019
Put Patients First Act This bill prohibits the application of the rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on May 21, 2019, that strengthens the enforcement of conscience and anti-discrimination laws related to the rights of covered health care providers to refuse to participate in certain procedures, such as abortions, sterilization, or assisted suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019
Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act This bill applies certain military consumer credit protections to all consumers. Specifically, the bill caps the interest rate on extensions of consumer credit at 36%.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2019
This joint resolution eliminates the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. The amendment was proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. The amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2019
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14 Walnut Street in Bordentown, New Jersey, as the "Clara Barton Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Diabetes Prevention Semipostal Stamp, with all proceeds being transferred to the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
Advancing Youth Enrollment Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the premium assistance tax credit for taxpayers with household members between the ages of 18-34. (The credit is available to eligible individuals and families to subsidize the purchase of health insurance on an exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.) The bill allows an increased tax credit for the purchase of health insurance by reducing the maximum percentage of income that taxpayers under age 31 must pay for coverage by 2.5%, with reductions of .5% for each year for ages 31-34.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
Insulin Price Reduction Act This bill prohibits health insurance plan issuers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) from receiving rebates or discounts for insulin from manufacturers who certify that its current insulin list price has been reduced to an amount no greater than what the list price was for the same insulin on July 1, 2006. This restriction does not apply to discounts provided to insurance plan holders at retail sale or to flat-rate fees for service paid to PBMs. Further, insurance plans are prohibited from applying a deductible to insulin that has received such price certification. A manufacturer may certify insulin prices by submitting to the Department of Health and Human Services data about the list price of any insulin the manufacturer has produced since January 1, 2000, and by setting the current list price for an insulin product at the 2006 rate. To remain certified, a manufacturer may not increase the list price of insulin by more than the annual increase in the medical care consumer price index. A manufacturer may certify the price of an insulin product for which it did not have a list price in 2006 by reducing the list price of such insulin to the weighted average list price in 2006 of specified insulin categories. This bill also applies to Medicare prescription drug benefits. The bill sets the rebate for insulin under Medicaid based on the average manufacturer price of insulin during the last fiscal quarter of 2019, increasing by the medical care consumer price index thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act This bill (1) declares that Congress commits to deeming Puerto Rico to be a state of the United States if it chooses statehood; and (2) requires Puerto Rico to conduct a plebiscite, a vote of the people, on statehood in conjunction with the November 2020 election.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2019
For the 99.8 Percent Act This bill imposes increased tax rates on decedent estates, gifts, and generation-skipping transfers. Estates with a value of over $1 billion are taxed at a 77% tax rate. The basic exclusion amount is reduced to $3.5 million. The bill increases (1) to $3 million the reduction in valuations of farmland for estate tax purposes and adjusts such increased amount for inflation, and (2) to $2 million the maximum estate tax exclusion for contributions of conservation easements. The bill requires (1) consistent basis reporting for property acquired by gift and transfers in trust, and (2) executors of estates and donors of gifts required to file a gift tax return to disclose to the Department of the Treasury, and to recipients of any interest in an estate or a gift, information identifying the value of each interest received. The bill sets forth estate valuation rules for certain transfers of nonbusiness assets and limits estate tax discounts for certain individuals with minority interests in a business acquired from a decedent. The bill expands rules for valuing assets in grantor retained annuity trusts to require that (1) the right to receive fixed amounts from an annuity last for a term of not less than 10 years and not more than the life expectancy of the annuitant plus 10 years, and that such fixed amounts not decrease during the first 10 years of the annuity term, and (2) the remainder interest have a value when transferred that is not less than the the greater of 25% of the fair market value of the trust property or $500,000. The bill also sets forth rules for the application of transfer taxes to a grantor trust (a trust in which the grantor retains control over the trust assets and has the right to receive income from the trust). The bill eliminates the generation-skipping transfer tax exemption for any trust whose termination date is not greater than 50 years after its creation. The bill modifies the gift tax exclusion for annual gifts (currently, $14,000).
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2019
This resolution expresses support for meeting key goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including achieving gender equality, ending extreme poverty, and improving public health. The resolution also states that the agenda's Sustainable Development Goals form a critical blueprint to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people can live in peace and prosperity by 2030.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019
Break the Cycle of Violence Act This bill authorizes new grant programs to support violence intervention initiatives. Specifically, the Bureau of Justice Assistance must award grants for coordinated violence reduction initiatives in units of local government that are disproportionately impacted by gun and group-related violence. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health must award grants for hospital-based violence intervention programs that reduce the risk of violent injury and retaliation among high-risk patients.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
National Commission on Online Platforms and Homeland Security Act This bill establishes the National Commission on Online Platforms and Homeland Security to address content on online and social media platforms that implicates national security concerns. Specifically, the commission shall identify, examine, and report on the ways online platforms have been used in furtherance or support of targeted violence or covert foreign state influence campaigns and how addressing such uses impacts users' free speech, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. Consistent with these purposes, the commission must analyze (1) online platforms' responses to such usage; (2) the impacts of algorithms and automated decision-making systems on the rights and privacy of users; and (3) the extent to which online platforms have transparent, consistent, and equitable policies and procedures to address violations of platform rules. The commission must then develop recommendations for how online platforms could address improper use through methods that are transparent and accountable while continuing to promote free speech and innovation on the internet and preserving individual privacy and civil rights. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security must (1) research whether any connection exists between the use of online platforms and targeted violence; and (2) develop voluntary approaches that could be adopted by online platforms to address any correlations found while still preserving the individual privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of users.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
This resolution (1) supports the designation of the Day of the Girl Child in the United States; and (2) encourages educational entities, organizations, businesses, clubs, and government agencies with a shared interest in promoting girls' rights to collaborate and develop educational tools for use in public schools.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Vitiligo Awareness Day and recognizes the importance of providing support for individuals diagnosed with vitiligo. (Vitiligo is a condition in which skin color is lost in patches.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019
Support UNFPA Funding Act This bill authorizes annual contributions to support the core functions and programs of the United Nations Population Fund for the five fiscal years following the bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Safe at Home Act This bill requires each executive agency and federal court to accept, for any purpose for which an individual is required to provide an address to the agency or court, an address designated to that individual pursuant to an address confidentiality program (e.g., a program to protect stalking or domestic violence victims).
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to award grants to states that have enacted and are enforcing laws that require the impoundment or immobilization of stretch limousines if such limousines are found to have certain defects upon inspection.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Safety, Accountability, and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2019 or the SAFE Limos Act This bill establishes safety standards for stretch limousines. Among other requirements, the bill requires safety belts to be installed in stretch limousines with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds at each designated seating position, including on side-facing seats; the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and issue guidelines, best practices, and recommendations to assist stretch limousine alterers develop and administer a vehicle modifier plan; DOT to complete research into side impact protection, roof crush resistance, and air bag systems for the protection of occupants in stretch limousines given alternative seating positions or interior configurations, including perimeter seating arrangements; stretch limousine operators to disclose (1) the date of the most recent inspection of the limousine required under state or federal law, (2) the results of the inspection, and (3) any corrective actions taken to ensure the limousine passes inspection; and the use of event data recorders in stretch limousines.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Health Equity and Access under the Law for Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2019 or the HEAL Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2019 This bill extends Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coverage to individuals lawfully present in the United States who otherwise meet eligibility requirements. Individuals granted federally authorized presence also are required to maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage and are eligible for health insurance exchanges, reduced cost sharing, premium subsidies, and premium tax credits.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
End the Limo Loophole Act This bill revises the definition of commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles that are designed to transport 9 or more passengers including the driver (currently, at least 16 passengers including the driver) and requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to finalize a rulemaking to require states to implement an annual inspection program for commercial passenger-carrying vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
Sami's Law This bill directs the Department of Transportation to withhold specified graduated percentages of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds if the state has not enacted and is not enforcing certain transportation network company (TNC) vehicle identification laws. A "transportation network company" is an entity that uses a digital network to connect riders to drivers affiliated with the entity to transport the rider using a vehicle owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the driver to a point chosen by the rider. States must require TNC drivers to display (1) a front and rear license plate; (2) a scannable quick response or similar code on the windows for riders to verify that they are entering the correct authorized vehicle; and (3) illuminated signs that are visible in both day and night, and readable from fifty feet. Drivers must also get periodic safety inspections of their ride-hailing vehicle. The bill prohibits the sale of illuminated TNC vehicle signs by any person other than a transportation network company and the display of such signs by individuals who are not authorized drivers.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
College Affordability Act This bill reauthorizes and revises the Higher Education Act of 1965, including to revise federal student financial aid programs, consolidate federal student loans and expand loan forgiveness , increase college access and success for certain students, and revise accountability measures. Specifically, the bill revises financial aid programs, including to (1) increase the maximum federal Pell Grant award, (2) provide incentives for states to fund public institutions of higher education (IHEs), and (3) increase and make permanent funding for minority-serving IHEs. The bill also revises federal student loan programs, including to (1) replace existing student loan repayment plans with one income-based repayment plan and one fixed repayment plan, (2) allow existing borrowers to lower their payments by switching to the new plans, and (3) expand public service loan forgiveness programs (e.g., TEACH grants) and create appeal processes for denied applications. In addition, the bill increases college access and success for certain students (e.g., students with low-income, children, or the disabled) through investments and practices, such as student support services and accelerated learning opportunities. Finally, the bill revises accountability measures for IHEs (including for-profit IHEs), job training programs, college accrediting agencies, and lenders. In particular, the bill updates the performance goals of the Office of Federal Student Aid and requires the Department of Education to be responsible for the oversight of the office.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
National World War II Memorial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the memorial and the service and sacrifice of American soldiers and civilians during World War II. All surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Friends of the National World War II Memorial to support the National Park Service in maintaining and repairing the memorial, and for educational and commemorative programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2019
Medicare Dental Act of 2019 This bill expands Medicare coverage to include dentures and dental and oral health services, in accordance with specified limitations. Covered services include basic and major treatments (as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) as well as specified preventive and screening services.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2019
Financial Aid Fairness for Students Act or the FAFSA Act This bill repeals a provision that makes students convicted of drug-related offenses ineligible for federal student aid, and it prohibits the Department of Education from asking about drug-related convictions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. HHS must ensure that these grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Quality Higher Education Act of 2019 This bill revises the accreditation standards under which an accrediting agency or association must assess an institution of higher education (IHE), and it requires the Department of Education to establish procedures for an agency or association to follow when an IHE fails to meet these standards. An accrediting agency or association must measure an IHE's success in student achievement against at least one standard for completion, workforce participation, and progress toward meeting such completion and workforce participation standards. An agency or association must also make certain information such as student achievement standards and IHE performance benchmarks available on a publicly accessible website. Additionally, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity must evaluate the effectiveness of the revised standards and compare similar accrediting agencies or associations based on their assessments of IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Build Effective Teachers Through Essential Reforms to Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants Act of 2019 or the BETTER TEACH Grants Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions related to the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. Specifically, the bill includes within the purview of the grant program certain teacher preparation programs that were formerly ineligible, and it increases award amounts for teacher candidates enrolled as undergraduate juniors or seniors. The bill also expands TEACH Grant eligibility to associate degree students as well as to applicants obtaining a graduate degree in early childhood education. The bill clarifies the requirement that a TEACH Grant be treated as a Stafford Loan subject to repayment by establishing designated time frames within which a recipient must serve as a teacher. Further, the bill allows for the continued eligibility of a grant recipient despite certain changes to school description, teacher duties, or high-need field status. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Education to collect and make publicly available certain student data such as the number of (1) TEACH Grants awarded to students at a participating institution, (2) TEACH Grant recipients who complete their program of study and begin employment as a teacher in the first academic year following completion, and (3) TEACH Grant recipients who fulfill the terms of their agreement to serve and those whose grants are converted into loans for failure to fulfill such terms.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act This bill establishes an alternative formula to calculate Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits for those who receive pensions for certain non-covered employment. (The existing formula is known as the windfall elimination provision.) The alternative formula adjusts an individual's total lifetime earnings based on the proportion of covered earnings (i.e., earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes). It applies to individuals who (1) first become eligible for benefits after 2021, (2) have earnings from non-covered service performed after 1977 and (3) have less than 30 years of coverage (i.e., years in which a beneficiary is considered to have contributed a substantial amount into the Social Security trust funds). Beneficiaries receive the higher benefit amount as calculated under the alternative method or the existing formula. In addition, the bill provides rebates for certain beneficiaries currently impacted by the existing formula. The Social Security Administration must include non-covered earnings in Social Security account statements, and the Government Accountability Office must study the availability of certain information related to retirement plans maintained by state and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
This joint resolution nullifies a rule issued by the Department of Education (ED) on September 23, 2019. The rule revised the process for a student loan borrower to obtain a discharge from a student loan if an institution of higher education misrepresented a material fact. Among other requirements, the 2019 rule requires each borrower to apply to ED for a defense to repayment. However, under the previous 2016 rule, an application could be submitted on behalf of an entire group (e.g., veterans).
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Ostomy Awareness Day. (Ostomy is type of surgery that creates an opening in the abdomen that allows for the removal of bodily waste when an individual has lost normal functions of the digestive or urinary systems due to birth defects, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and other medical conditions.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019
Chronic Condition Copay Elimination Act This bill requires health insurers to cover, without cost sharing, preventive items and services for certain chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma, among others.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019
Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act of 2019 This bill requires the share of federal funds for cancer research that is allocated to pediatric cancer research to equal the percentage of the U.S. population that is under the age of 18.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Eric Garner Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act of 2019 This bill modifies the criminal civil rights statute that prohibits the deprivation of rights under color of law. Currently, the second prong of the prohibition bars the application of different punishments, pains, or penalties based on an individual's alien status, color, or race. This bill specifies that the application of any pressure to a person's throat or windpipe which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air (e.g., a chokehold) constitutes a punishment, pain, or penalty.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 This bill establishes several programs and requirements relating to the prices of prescription drugs. In particular, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate prices for certain drugs (current law prohibits HHS from doing so). Specifically, HHS must negotiate maximum prices for (1) insulin products; and (2) at least 25 single source, brand-name drugs that do not have generic competition and that are among the 125 drugs that account for the greatest national spending or the 125 drugs that account for the greatest spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage (MA). The negotiated prices must be offered under Medicare and MA, and may also be offered under private health insurance unless the insurer opts out. The negotiated maximum price may not exceed (1) 120% of the average price in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom; or (2) if such information is not available, 85% of the U.S. average manufacturer price. Drug manufacturers that fail to comply with the bill's negotiation requirements are subject to civil and tax penalties. The bill also makes a series of additional changes to Medicare prescription drug coverage and pricing. Among other things, the bill (1) requires drug manufacturers to issue rebates to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for covered drugs that cost $100 or more and for which the average manufacturer price increases faster than inflation; and (2) reduces the annual out-of-pocket spending threshold, and eliminates beneficiary cost-sharing above this threshold, under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2019
Advancing Access to Precision Medicine Act This bill allows state Medicaid programs to cover DNA sequencing clinical services for certain individuals. Specifically, states may cover such services for individuals under the age of 21 (or a lower age, if the state chooses) and for former foster youth under the age of 26 who (1) have been referred or admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit and seen by a medical specialist for a chronic or undiagnosed disease, and (2) are suspected by a medical specialist to have a pediatric-onset genetic disease. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may award grants to assist states in developing plans to cover such services. Additionally, the National Academy of Medicine must study the effects of genetic and genomic testing and ways to expand health insurance coverage of such services, including under Medicare and Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2019
Stop the Wait Act This bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period that applies to the payment of certain Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for workers and surviving spouses and the 24-month waiting period that applies to Medicare coverage for workers who are eligible for SSDI benefits. In addition, the National Academy of Medicine must study disabling conditions that can be delayed or prevented if individuals access health care services and coverage before the condition reaches disability levels.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2019
Police Exercising Absolute Care With Everyone Act of 2019 This bill establishes a framework to reduce the unnecessary use of force by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. At the federal level, the bill limits the use of force by federal law enforcement officers. It prohibits the use of deadly force, except as a last resort to prevent imminent and serious bodily injury or death. It also prohibits the use of less lethal force, unless it is necessary and proportionate to effectuate an arrest. Finally, it limits the use of a justification defense for a federal law enforcement officer who is charged with murder or manslaughter. At the state and local level, the bill conditions eligibility for funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program on the enactment of consistent limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2019
End Racial Profiling Act of 2019 This bill establishes a framework to eliminate racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels. Specifically, it requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training, data collection, and complaint procedures. State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies must maintain similar policies and procedures as a condition of receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the Community Oriented Policing Services program. To enforce violations, the bill authorizes civil suits by the Department of Justice and affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to assess the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder through a method where veterans train service dogs for veterans with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Bahamas TPS Act of 2019 This bill designates the Bahamas as a temporary protected status (TPS) country for 18 months from the enactment of this bill. (Qualified nationals of a TPS-designated country shall have work authorization and may not be removed from the United States while the designation is in effect.) A Bahamian national shall qualify for temporary protected status if the individual (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States since the bill's enactment, (2) meets certain admissibility and eligibility requirements generally required for such status, and (3) registers with the Department of Homeland Security.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Voting Rights Month, encourages people to uphold the right to vote, encourages Congress to pass certain voting rights legislation, recommends the development of a curriculum in public schools and universities regarding voting, encourages the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special Fannie Lou Hamer stamp during the month of September, and invites Congress to allocate funds for public service announcements regarding elections.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program to facilitate the installation of evidence-based suicide deterrents on bridges, including suicide prevention nets and barriers. DOT may award competitive grants to states and local governments to carry out the program. The Government Accountability Office must conduct a study to identify the types of structures, other than bridges, that attract a high number of individuals attempting suicide-by-jumping and the types of nets or barriers that are effective at reducing such suicides.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019
Build More Housing Near Transit Act This bill revises requirements for the fixed guideway capital investment grant program. Specifically, the bill requires capital investment grant applicants to conduct a housing feasibility assessment along proposed transit routes prior to a project advancing to the engineering phase of development, and prioritizes a commitment to changing local land use policies in project station areas to accommodate affordable and market-rate housing development.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2019
Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019 This bill modifies the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits program by (1) excluding certain income and raising the resource limit for purposes of determining SSI eligibility, (2) providing for annual inflation adjustments for benefits, and (3) repealing certain SSI penalties related to disposing of resources for less than fair market value.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019
This resolution reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to media diversity and expresses its pledge to eliminate barriers to such diversity.
![Official portrait of Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b760fa371f50c3ff96e1ee3ad53ef9ac_200.jpg)