United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Israel Anti-Boycott Act This bill declares that Congress: (1) opposes the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution of March 24, 2016, which urges countries to pressure companies to divest from, or break contracts with, Israel; and (2) encourages full implementation of the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 through enhanced, governmentwide, coordinated U.S.-Israel scientific and technological cooperation in civilian areas. The bill amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to declare that it shall be U.S. policy to oppose: requests by foreign countries to impose restrictive practices or boycotts against other countries friendly to the United States or against U.S. persons; and restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by an international governmental organization, or requests to impose such practices or boycotts, against Israel. The bill prohibits any U.S. person engaged interstate or foreign commerce from supporting: any request by a foreign country to impose any boycott against a country that is friendly to the United States and that is not itself the object of any form of boycott pursuant to United States law or regulation, or any boycott fostered or imposed by any international governmental organization against Israel or any request by any international governmental organization to impose such a boycott. The bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to include as a reason for the Export-Import Bank to deny credit applications for the export of goods and services between the United States and foreign countries, opposition to policies and actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of Israel, entities organized under the laws of Israel, or the government of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to specify that a retailer of manufactured housing is generally not a "mortgage originator" subject to requirements under that Act. Similarly, the bill amends the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to specify that such a retailer is generally not a "loan originator" subject to requirements under that Act. In addition, the bill increases the annual percentage rates and transaction values at which mortgages for certain dwellings are considered "high-cost mortgages" under TILA.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The President shall report to Congress regarding the foreign and domestic supply chain in Iran that supports Iran's ballistic missile program. The report shall identify individuals and companies involved in such activities. The President shall submit to Congress a determination of whether any Iranian ballistic missile test violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. Such resolution endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and sets out a mechanism to monitor Iranian compliance. The President shall impose sanctions against: (1) Iranian government agencies involved in ballistic missile development; (2) foreign entities that supply material for, or otherwise facilitate or finance, such efforts; (3) foreign persons or foreign government agencies that import, export, or re-export prohibited arms or related material to or from Iran; and (4) foreign persons or entities that transfer goods or technologies contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, including launch technology, and destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. The President shall investigate potential violations of ballistic missile and conventional weapons sanctions against Iran. The President shall report to Congress regarding credible information about Iran's violations of arms restrictions and attempts to pursue sanctionable activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) support advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Tax Relief for Guard and Reserve Training Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deductions for expenses in connection with the performance of services as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, to: (1) reduce from 100 miles to 50 miles (without regard to whether such period includes an overnight stay) the distance from home requirement for the above-the-line deduction; and (2) exempt from the 2% floor on miscellaneous itemized deductions the deductions allowed that consist of expenses paid or incurred in connection with the performance of such services for any period (without regard to whether such period includes an overnight stay) during which the individual is more than 50 miles away from home in connection with the services. (Above-the-line deductions are subtracted from gross income to arrive at adjusted gross income. Under current law, miscellaneous itemized deductions are only allowed if the aggregate of the deductions exceeds 2% of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to rename the credit "the affordable housing credit" and make several modifications to the credit. The bill revises tenant eligibility requirements, with respect to: the average income test, income eligibility for rural projects, increased tenant income, student occupancy rules, and tenant voucher payments that are taken into account as rent. The bill revises various requirements to: establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain projects, permit relocation costs to be taken into account as rehabilitation expenditures, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, require housing credit agencies to make certain determinations regarding community revitalization plans, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, increase the population cap for difficult development areas, and eliminate the basis reduction for a property that receives the tax credit for investments in energy property if the affordable housing credit is allowed for the property. The bill also modifies requirements regarding the reconstruction or replacement period after a casualty loss, rights related to building purchases, the prohibition on claiming acquisition credits for properties placed in service in the previous 10 years, foreclosures, and projects that assist Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Higher Education Loan Payments for Students and Parents Act or the HELP for Students and Parents Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance programs to exclude from the gross income of an employee: (1) employer payments of principal or interest on loans for higher education expenses incurred by an employee, and (2) any qualified dependent 529 contributions made by the employer. (Under current law, the maximum exclusion for educational assistance programs is $5,250 per year.) A "qualified dependent 529 contribution" is any amount contributed by an employer to a qualified tuition program the designated beneficiary of which is an employee's child who: (1) has not attained the age of 19 at the time of the contribution, or (2) is a student who has not attained the age of 24 at the time of the contribution. The bill also allows a business tax credit for employer-provided higher education assistance, including: (1) 50% of the student loan repayment expenditures of the taxpayer for the year, and (2) 50% of the qualified dependent 529 contributions made by the taxpayer for the year. The amount taken into account for each expenditure with respect to any employee for any taxable year may not exceed $5,250.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury, in furtherance of efforts to prevent the financing of terrorism, money laundering, or related illicit finance and to make financial institutions' required compliance with remaining sanctions more easily understood, to submit within 270 days and annually thereafter for the next two years a report regarding: the funds or assets held in U.S. and foreign financial institutions that are directly or indirectly controlled by specified Iranian officials; any equity stake such official has in an entity on Treasury's list of Specially Designated Nationals or in any other sanctioned entity; how such funds, assets, or equity interests were acquired and used; new methods used to evade anti-money laundering and related laws, including recommendations to improve techniques to combat illicit uses of the U.S. financial system by each such official; recommendations for revising U.S. economic sanctions against Iran to prevent Iranian officials from using funds or assets to develop and procure ballistic missile technology; how Treasury assesses the effectiveness of U.S. economic sanctions against Iran; and recommendations for improving Treasury's ability to develop and enforce additional economic sanctions against Iran if so ordered by the President. The unclassified portion of the report shall be made available to the public and posted on Treasury's website in downloadable English, Farsi, Arabic, and Azeri versions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Municipal Finance Support Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require certain municipal obligations to be treated as level 2A liquid assets if they are investment grade, liquid, and readily marketable. Under current law, only certain securities issued or guaranteed by a U.S. government-sponsored enterprise, a sovereign entity, or a multilateral development bank may be treated as level 2A liquid assets (which are considered to be high-quality assets).
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Small Business Assistance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt returning workers from the nonimmigrant H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural services) annual numerical limitations through FY2017. Such amendment shall take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Student Agriculture Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of a student farmer up to $5,000 of the gain from the sale or exchange of personal property (including livestock, crops, and agricultural mechanics or shop products) produced or raised by the student farmer. A student farmer is an individual who is under 19 years of age and is enrolled in: (1) a program established by the National FFA Organization; (2) a 4-H Club or other program established by 4-H; or (3) a student agriculture program that is under the direction or guidance of an agricultural educator, advisor, or club leader. To qualify for the exclusion, the production and sale or exchange of the property must be supervised by one of the specified agriculture programs. The sale or exchange must also occur during qualified public entertainment or convention and trade show activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
No Bonuses for Tax Delinquent IRS Employees Act of 201 7 This bill prohibits the payment of any performance award (including, but not limited to, bonuses, step increases, and time off) to an employee of the Internal Revenue Service who owes an outstanding federal tax debt.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to disclose information about an individual who is dispensed medication prescribed by a VA employee or by a non-VA provider authorized to prescribe such medication by the VA (currently, about a veteran or the dependent of a veteran) to a state controlled substance monitoring program to the extent necessary to prevent misuse and diversion of prescription medicines.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Jessie's Law This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and disseminate standards for hospitals and physicians regarding displaying the history of opioid addiction in the medical records of patients who have provided information about their addiction to a health care provider.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Making Online Banking Initiation Legal and Easy Act of 2017 or the MOBILE Act of 2017 This bill authorizes a financial institution, with an individual's consent, to record personal information from a swipe or copy of an individual's driver's license or personal identification card and store the information electronically for the purpose of verifying the authenticity of the driver's license or identification card, verifying the identity of the individual, or complying with legal requirements. Financial institutions must not sell, rent, transfer, or make such information available to another person, other than an affiliate.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Welfare Benefit Reform and Alignment Commission (BRAC) Act This bill establishes within the legislative branch the Benefit Reform and Alignment Commission to review certain means-tested welfare programs. A "means-tested welfare program" is any federal program that is designed to specifically provide assistance or benefits exclusively to low-income Americans. The bill specifies several programs that are either considered or not considered means-tested welfare programs for the purpose of this bill. The commission must identify changes in law to structure the programs so that: the receipt of aid by a beneficiary is temporary, that over time there is a reduction in the number of the programs in which an individual beneficiary or household is participating, and that over time the total number of recipients receiving such aid is reduced; and the programs increase employment, encourage healthy marriages, and further educational attainment so that households maintain an income above the poverty level without services and benefits from the federal government. The commission must also: (1) review the programs to evaluate whether certain programs should be consolidated, eliminated, or made subject to the annual appropriations process; and (2) recommend ways to reduce the cost or increase the efficiency of the programs by contracting with private entities or delegating authority to states. The commission may also review the offsetting receipts and discretionary appropriations of the federal government. The commission must submit to Congress a report including recommendations and proposed legislation. Congress must consider the proposal using specified expedited legislative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Future Logging Careers Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to make the restrictions on oppressive child labor inapplicable to employment of an employee age 16 or 17 by a parent, or a person standing in place of a parent, in a logging or mechanized operation owned or operated by that parent or person.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Timber Innovation Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), acting through the Research and Development and the State and Private Forestry deputy areas of the Forest Service, to conduct performance-driven research and development, education, and technical assistance to facilitate the use of innovative wood products in wood building construction in the United States. Such activities shall give priority to: (1) improving the commercialization of such products, (2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building materials, (3) calculating and reducing the life cycle environmental footprint of tall wood building construction, and (4) analyzing the potential implications of the use of innovative wood products in building construction on wildlife. "Tall wood building" means a building designed to be over 85 feet high and constructed with large panelized wood construction, including cross-laminated timber, nail laminated timber, glue laminated timber, laminated strand lumber, and laminated veneer lumber. USDA shall carry out an annual competition for FY2017-FY2021 for a tall wood building design, or other innovative wood product demonstration, in accordance with the requirements for prize competitions carried out under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. The Forest Service, in carrying out a wood innovation grant program, may make grants to advance the use of innovative wood products, with priority to grant proposals that include the use or retrofitting of existing sawmill facilities in counties where the average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national average by more than 1% in the previous year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit people from knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption. In addition, the bill prohibits people from knowingly transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or donating: (1) a dog or cat to be slaughtered for human consumption, or (2) dog or cat parts for human consumption. The bill subjects a violator to imprisonment for up to a year, a fine, or both. The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Cancer Drug Coverage Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require group and individual health plans that cover anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable cost sharing for patient-administered anticancer medications. This requirement applies to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with this requirement, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program under which HHS may make grants to states for the purpose of: (1) reviewing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths (maternal deaths); (2) establishing and sustaining a maternal mortality review committee to review relevant information; (3) ensuring that the state department of health develops a plan for ongoing health care provider education in order to improve the quality of maternal care, disseminate findings, and implement recommendations; (4) disseminating a case abstraction form to aid information collection for HHS review and preserve its uniformity; and (5) providing for the public disclosure of information included in state reports. The bill defines "pregnancy-associated death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the cause of death. It defines "pregnancy-related death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the pregnancy's duration, from any cause related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy or its management, excluding any accidental or incidental cause. States shall develop procedures for mandatory reporting to their departments of health by health facilities and professionals concerning maternal deaths and for voluntary reporting of such deaths by family members. States shall investigate each case and prepare a case summary for each case, to be reviewed by the committee and included in applicable reports. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct HHS to take specified steps to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2017 This bill requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, except if: (1) such goods or services are required by law to be produced or performed by such agency; or (2) the agency determines and certifies that federal production, manufacture, or provision of a good or service is necessary for the national defense or homeland security, that a good or service is so critical to the agency's mission or so inherently governmental in nature that it is in the public interest to require production or performance by government employees, or that there is no private source capable of providing the good or service. This bill requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through: (1) the divestiture of federal involvement, (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures, or (3) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer. The bill authorizes an agency to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value. The OMB must carry out a study to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Small Business Capital Formation Enhancement Act This bill amends the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980 with respect to the annual government-business forum of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to review the current status of problems and programs relating to small business capital formation. The SEC shall review each of the forum's findings and recommendations and issue a public statement promptly assessing it and disclosing the action, if any, the SEC intends to take with respect to it.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act This bill adds certain transparency requirements for pharmacy benefits managers under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, TRICARE, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants to provide hospice care under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2017
VA Accountability First Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove, demote by a reduction in grade and pay, or suspend a VA employee, including a member in a senior executive position, for reasons of performance or misconduct. The bill prescribes VA removal and employee appeals procedures. Whistle-blower protections are revised, including by prohibiting VA from taking any such action against a person who has a pending whistle-blower complaint. This bill provides for the reduction of federal annuities of VA employees and retirees convicted of a felony that influenced their performance while employed in such position. The VA may recoup certain bonuses, awards, and reallocation expenses. The VA may directly appoint qualifying individuals to the positions of Medical Center Director and Director of Veterans Integrated Service Network. The bill revises time periods for adverse action reviews with respect to physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2017
Federal Regulatory Certainty for Water Act This bill nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Rule signed on May 27, 2015, which describes the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Under this bill, the Clean Water Act applies to waters of the United States that are: (1) navigable-in-fact; or (2) permanent or continuously flowing bodies of water that form geographical features commonly known as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters that are navigable-in-fact. Under this bill, the Act does not apply to: (1) waters that do not physically abut those waters of the United States through an actual and continuous surface water connection; (2) man-made or natural structures or channels through which water flows intermittently or ephemerally; or (3) wetlands (including playa lakes, prairie potholes, wet meadows, wet prairies, and vernal pools) that lack that continuous surface water connection. The aggregation of wetlands or waters may not be used to determine whether the wetlands or waters are navigable waters.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2017
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition and celebration of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The coins shall be in the shape of a dome, and the design on the common reverse of the coins shall depict a basketball. Treasury shall hold a competition to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins, which shall be emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Hall to fund an endowment for increased operations and educational programming.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2017
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 Edwin Cole "Ed" Bearss in recognition of his contributions to the preservation of American Civil War history and his continued efforts to bring our nation's history alive for new generations through his interpretive storytelling.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2017
Burial Rights for America's Veterans' Efforts Act of 2017 or the BRAVE Act of 2017 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for: (1) burial and funeral expenses of certain veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall increase such amounts each fiscal year by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2017
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2017 This bill makes an individual who is eligible for educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program eligible for assistance with the fees for applying to institutions of higher education (IHEs). The amount of such assistance payable to an individual shall be the lesser of: (1) the total application fees charged to the individual by the IHEs, or (2) $750.
United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2017
Social Security Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the "government pension offset" and the "windfall elimination provision." Under current law, those provisions reduce OASDI benefits for individuals who receive a pension based on earnings in government employment that was not covered under the Social Security program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 February 2017
Responsible Additions and Increases to Sustain Employee Health Benefits Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for distributions from health flexible spending arrangements provided under a cafeteria plan, to: (1) increase the annual limit on employee salary reduction contributions to $5,000, with an additional $500 for each additional employee dependent above two dependents that has not been taken into account by another person for the year; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation after 2017; and (3) allow a carryforward into the next year for unused amounts in such plans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, if requested in writing by the city of Old Town, Maine, to release, convey, and quitclaim to the city, without monetary consideration, all rights, title, and interest of the United States in and to lands that: (1) were conveyed by the federal government to the city under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act by the deed dated June 5, 1941, and (2) are proposed for conveyance by the city for the purpose of economic development.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act of 2017 or the TAILOR Act of 2017 This bill requires federal financial regulatory agencies to: (1) tailor any regulatory actions so as to limit burdens on the institutions involved, with consideration of the risk profiles and business models of those institutions; and (2) report to Congress on specific actions taken to do so, as well as on other related issues. The bill's tailoring requirement applies not only to future regulatory actions but also to regulations adopted within the last seven years.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act of 2017 or the FAST Act of 2017 This bill specifies that, under Medicare, telehealth services include telehealth-eligible stroke services provided to an individual soon after the onset of acute-stroke symptoms. Certain originating-site requirements applicable to telehealth services under Medicare shall not apply with respect to such stroke services.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Shauna Hill Post 9/11 Education Benefits Transferability Act This bill authorizes the reassignment a veteran's or Armed Forces member's Post-9/11 education benefits to another eligible dependent in cases where the original designated beneficiary dies without having used all of such benefits. Such provision shall apply to deaths occurring on or after August 1, 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Pre-existing Conditions Protection Act of 2017 This bill sets forth amendments that would take effect in the case of the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and the restoration of the provisions amended by those provisions. If the amendments take effect, the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code are revised to maintain PPACA consumer protections. Specifically, the bill would maintain the: requirement for health insurance to cover preexisting conditions, requirement for health insurers to accept every employer and every individual applying for coverage, prohibition against health insurers discriminating against individuals based on health status factors, prohibition against collecting genetic information in connection with issuing health insurance, and requirements for workplace wellness programs connected to health insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for the rehabilitation of buildings and historic structures, to: (1) allow an increased 30% credit, up to $750,000, for projects with rehabilitation expenditures not exceeding $3.75 million, for which no credit was allowed in either of the two prior taxable years (smaller projects); (2) allow the transfer of tax credit amounts for smaller projects; (3) treat a building as substantially rehabilitated if rehabilitation expenditures exceed the greater of 50% of the adjusted basis of the building or $5,000 (currently, the greater of the adjusted basis of the building or $5,000); (4) reduce the required basis adjustment from 100% of the credit to 50% of the amount of the credit; and (5) limit the application of disqualified lease rules to tax-exempt use property.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2017
State and Local Pensions Accountability and Security Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board from providing any loan, grant, or other form of financial assistance in support of a state or local pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2017
Calls upon: (1) the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, other elements of the Department of Defense and the federal government, and all foreign governments to intensify efforts to investigate, recover, identify and account for all missing and unaccounted-for U.S. personnel; and (2) all foreign governments with information on missing U.S. personnel, or with missing U.S. personnel within their territories, to cooperate fully with the U.S. government to provide the fullest possible accounting for all missing U.S. personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act of 2017 or the STOP Act of 2017 This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to make the Postmaster General the consignee (i.e., the entity financially responsible for the receipt of a shipment) for merchandise, excluding documents, imported through the mail into the United States. The Postmaster General must designate licensed customs brokers to file required documents or information for such shipments. The bill amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to impose a customs user fee on postal shipments or any other item valued at $2,000 or less arriving at an international mail facility. The bill amends the Trade Act of 2002 to direct the Department of the Treasury to require the Postmaster General to provide for the advanced electronic transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of certain information for all postal shipments made by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), including postal shipments it receives from foreign postal operators. The Postmaster General: shall be liable for civil penalties for postal shipment violations committed by a foreign postal operator or the USPS; may be directly or indirectly responsible for discrepancies resulting from omissions made or false information provided by a foreign postal operator or the USPS; and shall ensure that all costs and penalties associated with complying with this bill are recouped from foreign shippers, foreign postal operators, or U.S. ultimate consignees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
Improving Transparency and Accuracy in Medicare Part D Spending Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit Medicare Prescription Drug Plan sponsors from retroactively reducing payment on clean claims submitted by pharmacies. (A "clean claim" is a Medicare claim that is free of defects such as incomplete documentation.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on November 22, 2016, relating to prepaid accounts under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and the Truth in Lending Act. The rule establishes various consumer protections with respect to prepaid accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2017
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2017 This bill waives Medicare coinsurance requirements with respect to colorectal cancer screening tests, regardless of the code billed for a resulting diagnosis or procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2017
Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and maintain a voluntary registry of firefighters to collect history and occupational information that can be linked to existing data in state cancer registries. The registry must be used to improve monitoring of cancer among firefighters and to collect and publish epidemiological information regarding cancer among firefighters. The CDC should seek to include specified information in the registry, including the number and type of fire incidents attended by an individual. To collect information for the registry, the CDC may incorporate questions into existing public health surveys, questionnaires, and other databases. The CDC must: (1) develop a strategy to maximize participation in the registry; (2) develop guidance for states and firefighting agencies regarding the registry; (3) encourage inclusion in the registry of data on minority, female, and volunteer firefighters; and (4) seek feedback on the registry from nonfederal experts. The CDC must develop a process for making registry data available for research without a fee if findings or publications from the research are made public or available to stakeholders.
![Official portrait of Rep. Poliquin, Bruce [R-ME-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_me_2_poliquin_bruce_200.jpg)