United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act or the OPEN Government Data Act This bill requires open government data assets made available by federal agencies (excluding the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Election Commission, and certain other government entities) to be published as machine-readable data. When not otherwise prohibited by law, and to the extent practicable, public data assets and nonpublic data assets maintained by the federal government must be available: (1) in an open format that does not impede use or reuse and that has standards maintained by a standards organization; and (2) under open licenses with a legal guarantee that the data be available at no cost to the public with no restrictions on copying, publishing, distributing, transmitting, citing, or adapting. If published government data assets are not available under an open license, the data must be considered part of the worldwide public domain. Agencies may engage with outside organizations and citizens to leverage public data assets for innovation in public and private sectors. Agencies must: (1) make their enterprise data inventories available to the public on Data.gov, and (2) designate a point of contact to assist the public and respond to complaints about adherence to open data requirements. For privacy, security, confidentiality, or regulatory reasons, agencies may maintain a nonpublic portion of their inventories. The General Services Administration must maintain a single public interface online as a point of entry dedicated to sharing open government data with the public. The Office of Management and Budget must develop and maintain an online repository of tools, best practices, and schema standards to facilitate the adoption of open data practices.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to establish a prohibition on the use of exotic or wild animals in performances (e.g., circus, ride, carnival, or parade) of a traveling animal act. The prohibition does not apply to the use of animals in: (1) zoos; (2) aquariums; (3) research facilities; (4) film, television, or advertising, if the performance is not before a public studio audience; or (5) rodeos. The prohibition also does not apply to domestic animals or farm animals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2017 This bill establishes restrictions and requirements for checkoff programs, which are programs overseen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands. The bill prohibits boards established to carry out a checkoff program or a USDA order issued under a checkoff program from entering into a contract or agreement to carry out program activities with a party that engages in activities to influence any government policy or action that relates to agriculture. A board or its employees or agents acting in their official capacity may not engage in any: act that may involve a conflict of interest; anticompetitive activity; unfair or deceptive act or practice; or act that may be disparaging to, or in any way negatively portray, another agricultural commodity or product. Upon approval of USDA, a board may enter directly into contracts and agreements to carry out generic promotion, research, or other activities authorized by law if the agreement or contract requires records accounting for the funds received to be submitted to the board. The board must meet specified requirements regarding the publication of budgets and disbursements of funds. The USDA Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office must conduct specified audits regarding checkoff programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Labor to provide funding to states for the development or expansion of summer and year-round youth employment programs that: (1) match youth participants with appropriate employers for high-quality employment opportunities; and (2) provide work-readiness training and educational programs, coaching and mentoring, career and college planning services, financial literacy education, and supportive services. In addition, Labor must award grants to assist community partnerships in improving high school graduation and youth employment rates. The bill establishes labor standards, performance accountability measures, and reporting requirements with respect to each of these new programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More Act of 2017 or the RECLAIM Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to make specified funds available to the Department of the Interior through FY2021 for distribution to states and Indian tribes to promote economic revitalization, diversification, and development in economically distressed communities through the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining carried out before August 3, 1977. The bill prescribes general requirements for projects to reclaim abandoned mine lands and waters that are likely to create favorable conditions for the economic development of the project site or promote the general welfare through economic and community development of the area in which the project is conducted. Any such project shall be located in a community affected by a recent decline in mining. A state or Indian tribe that receives funds under this bill may retain a portion of them as necessary to supplement its acid mine drainage abatement and treatment fund for future operation and maintenance costs for the treatment of acid mine drainage associated with individual projects. The bill increases the minimum amount of funds that Interior must provide annually to states and Indian tribes for reclamation and restoration projects. The Government Accountability Office must conduct a study on the use of funds authorized by this bill. The Appalachian Regional Commission may provide grants to individuals or entities in the Appalachian region for projects that have been or that are eligible to be reclaimed or restored under SMCRA. The commission must relocate its headquarters from Washington, DC to the Appalachian region.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 or the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions on public health and on affected people, families, and communities. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV. DOJ must transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. DOJ and HHS must: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. DOJ, HHS, and DOD must transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. This bill shall not be construed to discourage the prosecution of individuals who intentionally transmit or attempt to transmit HIV to another individual.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Article V Records Transparency Act of 2017 This bill directs the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to make and transmit to Congress an organized compilation of all applications and rescissions of applications ever made by states under article V of the Constitution to call a convention for proposing constitutional amendments. NARA must: (1) use NARA records and outside sources to obtain an official copy of any application or rescission that may not be in such records, (2) submit a report on the extent of suspected missing applications or rescissions not included in each compilation, and (3) catalog the applications and rescissions by year of submission and state. The committees on the judiciary in each chamber shall designate the applications and rescissions contained in such compilation for public availability on a website and update the compilation as specified. In order to simplify and make uniform the process by which state legislatures make such an application or rescission, Congress recommends that after adoption of an application or rescission by a state legislature, the secretary of state or other state official should submit at least two copies of the measure containing the application or rescission to Congress, one copy addressed to the President of the Senate and one copy to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Limiting Inhumane Federal Trapping Act This bill prohibits any personnel of the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture (USDA), in performing their duties, from using, recommending, training in the use of, or planning for the use of, any body-gripping trap used to kill or capture an animal. This prohibition does not apply to training in the dismantling of body-gripping traps that have been illegally placed. No person shall use or possess any body-gripping trap on property under the administrative jurisdiction of Interior or USDA, except in Indian country, regardless of whether the person is employed by, or is working under a contract with, Interior or USDA. Such prohibitions shall not apply to the use of a body-gripping trap to: control documented, invasive species to achieve resource management objectives where alternative methods have failed; or protect a species that is listed as an endangered or threatened species or treated by the Forest Service as a sensitive species. Such exceptions shall not apply unless: such use of a body-gripping trap is in accordance with state and federal law; prior to using such a trap, all available and viable nonlethal methods for such control or protection have been attempted; and such attempts have been documented in writing, and the documentation is maintained at the headquarters of the department that employs the individual engaging in such attempt. The bill imposes criminal penalties for violating the prohibitions in this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2017
John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act The Department of the Interior may acquire by donation approximately 44 acres of land to include in the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California. The acquired land shall be administered as part of such site.
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 · 23 March 2017
Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act of 2017 This bill amends title VII (Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize through FY2018 the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program. The bill also authorizes new grants under the FIPSE program. Specifically, the Department of Education may award grants to institutions of higher education for dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs that allow high school students to earn college credits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
National Landslide Preparedness Act This bill: (1) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish a National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program to identify and understand landslide hazards and risks, reduce losses from landslides, protect communities at risk of landslide hazards, and help improve communication and emergency preparedness; and (2) establishes the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Landslide Hazards to oversee the program. The USGS shall: develop and publish a national strategy for landslide hazards and risk reduction in the United States; develop and maintain a publicly accessible national landslide hazard and risk inventory database; disseminate landslide planning and risk reduction materials; expand the early warning system for flash floods and debris flow; establish emergency response procedures for the rapid deployment of federal scientists, equipment, and services to areas impacted by a significant landslide event; support emergency response efforts and improve the safety of emergency responders establish the Advisory Committee on Landslides; and support the identification, mapping, research, and monitoring of subsidence and groundwater resource accounting. The USGS may provide competitive grants to state, local, and tribal governments to research, map, assess, and collect data on landslide hazards. The National Science Foundation shall ensure that landslide research grants are provided on a competitive basis to advance the goals and priorities of the national strategy. The USGS shall establish the 3D Elevation Program and the 3D Elevation Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee. The program shall: provide 3D elevation data coverage for the United States; coordinate and facilitate the collection, dissemination, and use of 3D elevation data among federal agencies and non-federal entities; produce standard, publicly accessible 3D elevation data products for the United States; and promote the collection, dissemination, and use of 3D elevation data among federal, state, local, and tribal governments, communities, institutions of higher education, and the private sector. The USGS may make grants and enter into cooperative agreements to facilitate the improvement of nationwide coverage of 3D elevation data.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2017 This bill declares that it is U.S. policy to use all diplomatic and economic means to compel the government of Bashar al-Assad to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and work toward a democratic government. The President shall prohibit, or impose conditions on, the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or payable-through account by any domestic financial institution or domestic financial agency for or on behalf of the Central Bank of Syria that is of primary money laundering concern. The bill directs the President to impose specified entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against a foreign person that knowingly: (1) provided significant financial or material support to Syria, the Central Bank of Syria, or to a foreign person subject to specified sanctions; (2) supported Syria's domestic production of natural gas or petroleum; (3) sold or provided civilian aircraft or spare parts or other significant goods or services to a foreign person operating in Syria's shipping, transportation, or telecommunications sectors; or (4) financed money laundering activities. The President shall impose specified entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against a foreign person that has knowingly provided support to Syria to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, or advanced conventional weapons. The Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012 is amended to direct the President to impose entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against persons responsible for: (1) committing serious human rights abuses against Syrian citizens or their family members, or (2) transferring to Syria certain military items or goods or technologies that may be used to commit human rights abuses. The President shall submit and update a list of, and impose entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against, persons responsible for hindering access to humanitarian relief activities in Syria. The President shall report with respect to whether each of specified Syrian persons, including Bashar al Assad, meets the requirements for inclusion on the list of persons who are responsible for certain human rights abuses against Syrian citizens. The President may: (1) provide assistance to advance a comprehensive relief and recovery strategy in Syria, and (2) suspend sanctions against Syria under specified conditions.
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
Infrastructure 2.0 Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of earnings and profits of a deferred foreign income corporation, to: (1) make such earnings and profits subject to taxation in the last year that ends before the enactment of this bill; (2) reduce the tax rate on such earnings and profits by allowing an exemption of 75% (equal to a tax of 8.75% of repatriated earnings and profits); and (3) allow corporations to pay the tax in installments. The bill also: establishes and provides appropriations for a fund to assist various public and private entities in investing in public infrastructure projects, appropriates revenues from this bill to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), establishes a commission to make recommendations to achieve long-term solvency of the HTF and requires Congress to consider the proposed legislation using expedited procedures, and directs the Department of Transportation to establish a regional infrastructure accelerator pilot program to assist public entities in developing infrastructure projects. The bill establishes a deadline of 18 months after the enactment of this bill for the enactment of legislation to reform the international tax system by eliminating the incentive to hold earnings in low-tax foreign jurisdictions. If the legislation is not enacted by the deadline, a specified reform proposal takes effect, which includes provisions relating to subpart F income and insurance income, the taxation of repatriated offshore corporate earnings, gains and losses from the sale or exchange of stock in controlled foreign corporations, limitations on the foreign tax credit, and the tax treatment of previously deferred foreign income.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Partnership to Build America Act of 2017 This bill establishes the American Infrastructure Fund (AIF) as a wholly-owned government corporation to provide bond guarantees and make loans to state and local governments, non-profit infrastructure providers, private parties, and public-private partnerships for state or local government sponsored transportation, energy, water, communications, or educational facility infrastructure projects (Qualified Infrastructure Projects [QIPs]). The AIF may also to make equity investments in QIPs. The Department of the Treasury, acting through the AIF, shall issue American Infrastructure Bonds with an aggregate face value of $50 billion. The proceeds from the sale of the bonds shall be deposited into the AIF. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow U.S. corporations to exclude from gross income qualified cash dividend amounts received during a taxable year from a foreign-controlled corporation equal to the face value of qualified infrastructure bonds the corporation has purchased. The bill prohibits allowance of: a foreign tax credit for the excluded portion of any dividend received by a U.S. corporation, and a deduction for expenses directly allocable to that excludable portion.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, in seeking to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against religious and ethnic groups in the Middle East, should draw upon relevant lessons of the U.S. government, civil society, and humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide, Seyfo, and the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire.
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 · 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
Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to ban campaign contributions and expenditures by corporations that are controlled, influenced, or owned by foreign nationals. Foreign nationals and such corporations may not make disbursements to political committees that accept donations or contributions that do not comply with the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of FECA. Corporate political action committees may make contributions and expenditures only if they comply with limitations on the involvement of foreign nationals and such corporations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require an applicant for approval of a new animal drug that is a medically important antimicrobial to demonstrate that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Medically important antimicrobials are drugs intended for use in food-producing animals that contain: (1) specified antibiotics, or (2) certain drugs on the World Health Organization’s list of critically important antimicrobials. Two years after enactment of this bill, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must withdraw approval of a drug's nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals unless the FDA makes a determination that, based on the application holder's demonstration or an FDA risk analysis, there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. The FDA must rescind an exemption for investigational use of, or approval of a new drug application for, a medically important antimicrobial for its nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals two years after the exemption is granted or the application for approval is submitted unless there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. A medically important antimicrobial cannot be administered (including through animal feed) to a food-producing animal for disease control unless there is a significant risk that a disease or infection present on the premises will be transmitted to the animal.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
This bill amends the Securities Act of 1933 to modify the definition of "accredited investor" for purposes of participating in private offerings to include: an individual whose net worth, or joint net worth with their spouse, exceeds $1 million, excluding their primary residence; an individual whose income over the last two years exceeded $200,000, or joint spousal income exceeded $300,000; an individual who holds a state-issued financial services license; and an individual determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission to have qualifying education or experience.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Secure America's Future Elections Act or the SAFE Act This bill directs the National Protection and Programs Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to designate the infrastructure used to administer elections as critical infrastructure. The bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 with respect to: funding for states to upgrade the security of the information technology and cybersecurity elements of voting systems, voter registration lists, and voter registration processes; voting systems and cybersecurity standards; paper ballot and manual counting requirements; accessibility to voting systems and ballot verification for individuals with disabilities; durability and readability requirements for ballots; and mandatory manual audits of results of elections. The National Science Foundation shall make grants to study, test, and develop accessible paper ballot voting mechanisms and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting for voters with disabilities, voters whose primary language is not English, and voters with difficulties in literacy. The National Institute for Standards and Technology shall establish guidance for states that wish to establish alternative audit mechanisms. The Election Assistance Commission is made permanent.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit taking, importing, or exporting the killer whale (orcinus orca) species, or any product that contains that species, for public display purposes. However, the killer whale may be exported if it is being transported to a marine mammal sanctuary. The bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit any person from artificially inseminating or breeding that species in order to use their progeny for public display purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2017 or the NO HATE Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue grants to states and local governments to assist in implementing the National Incident-Based Reporting System, including training employees in identifying hate crimes. A state or local government receiving such funding must provide DOJ, through the Uniform Crime Reporting system, information pertaining to hate crimes committed in that jurisdiction. A state or local government failing to provide the required data must repay the grants. The bill directs DOJ to issue grants to states to create hate crime reporting hotlines. The bill creates a cause of action for: (1) a victim of a crime motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin; and (2) a victim of a crime motivated by actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, occurring in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States or affecting interstate commerce. Under both civil actions, the victims must demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that the crime was based on one of the classifications listed. A criminal prosecution need not be brought before a civil action can be filed. A court imposing a penalty for a violation of the federal hate crime statute may order the defendant to participate in education classes or community service related to the community harmed by the defendant's offense as part of his or her supervised release.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2017 or the FAIR Act This bill modifies general rules governing civil forfeiture proceedings to: (1) ensure that a person contesting a civil forfeiture has legal representation without regard to whether the property subject to forfeiture is being used by such person as a primary residence; (2) increase the federal government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture proceedings to clear and convincing evidence; (3) require the government, in addition to showing a substantial connection between the seized property and an offense, to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of any interest in the seized property used the property with intent to facilitate the offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to the use of the property by another in connection with the offense; and (4) expand the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. To remove incentives for carrying out civil forfeitures, the bill requires proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. The bill adds a mens rea requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. A court shall conduct a probable cause hearing to determine if there is a violation of the prohibition against structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements involving a monetary instrument and to return such instrument if probable cause is not established.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Financial Transparency Act of 2017 This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and other laws to require federal financial regulatory agencies to adopt specified data standards with respect to format, searchability, and transparency.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the dollar limitation on the exclusion, and (2) make the tax exclusion permanent. (Under current law, the exclusion expired in 2010.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Native American Indian Education Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Department of Education, for FY2018-FY2022, to pay Native American-serving, nontribal institutions of higher education the tuition of their out-of-state Native American students. This applies only to schools that are required to provide a tuition-free education, with the support of their state, to Native American students as a condition under which the college or state received its original grant of land and facilities from the federal government. Payments are treated as reimbursements to institutions from their states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2017
Healthy Families Act This bill requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. The bill authorizes small employers with fewer than 15 employees to provide the same paid sick time, but allows them to opt out. Any small employer that opts out shall provide at least 56 hours of unpaid sick time to each employee per calendar year. The bill declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Employees may use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members (including a domestic partner or the domestic partner's parent or child); or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. The Commissioner of Labor Statistics must compile information annually on paid sick time and the Comptroller General shall study related matters. The bill declares that nothing in this bill shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies. The Department of Labor shall exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by this bill, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. The same authority is granted to the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board for employees under their jurisdictions. The bill authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act or the PACT Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise and expand provisions with respect to animal crushing. It retains existing criminal offenses that prohibit knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video using interstate commerce. The bill also adds a new provision to criminalize an intentional act of animal crushing. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. It provides additional exceptions for conduct, or a video of conduct, including conduct that is: (1) medical or scientific research, (2) necessary to protect the life or property of a person, (3) performed as part of euthanizing an animal, or (4) unintentional.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Expresses sympathy and condolences to the families of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, as well as to Alok Madasani, Ian Grillot, and all victims of hate crime throughout the United States. (Kuchibhotla, Madasani, and Grillot were shot in Olathe, Kansas, on February 22, 2017. Kuchibhotla was killed; Madasani and Grillot were injured.) Urges the Department of Justice to carry out a full hate crime investigation into these attacks and ensure that adequate funding and resources are available to carry out other hate crimes investigations, including additional funding for Civil Rights Division prosecutors and Community Relations Service professionals. Calls on the President to end his inflammatory rhetoric and policies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
No Taxpayer Funding for the Wall Act This bill prohibits: (1) any federal agency from obligating or expending any federal funds to carry out provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 regarding barriers at the border or any related provision of law or to otherwise build a border fence, wall, or related physical barriers along the U.S. southern border; and (2) a state from using federal grant funds for such purpose. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must conduct an audit each fiscal year to assess compliance with such prohibition. If the GAO is unable to confirm compliance, the Office of Management and Budget and federal agencies must take specified actions to reduce funds for federal agencies and states until the GAO is able to confirm compliance. The bill authorizes the President to enter into a treaty, approved by the Senate, with a foreign country to pay for the costs associated with carrying out such border barrier activities. The Inspector General of the federal agency responsible for carrying out such treaty shall oversee the use of funds received and expended pursuant to such treaty. The OMB shall: (1) include a statement of budgetary impact of and related to any executive order or presidential memorandum issued relating to border security during FY2017-FY2021; and (2) establish a publicly available website to track and display funds received from other non-federal sources, including foreign governments, to build a barrier along the souther border.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Condemns the government of Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and for denying the evidence of crimes against humanity. Urges: (1) the Administration and U.S. allies to condemn the massacre and pressure the Iranian government to provide detailed information to the victims' families about their loved ones and their final resting places; and (2) the United Nations (U.N.) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the U.N. Human Rights Council to create a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the massacre, gather evidence, identify the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Requests the President, and directs the Attorney General, to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after adoption of this resolution copies of any document or other communication in their possession that refers or relates to: any meeting or communication between Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and any representative of the Russian government; the Attorney General's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10, 2017, his written response to Senator Patrick Leahy's letter of January 17, 2017, his letter of March 6, 2017, to such committee, his preparation for confirmation hearings before such committee with respect to contact between President Trump's campaign and any Russian government representative, and his recusal from any investigation related to the 2016 presidential election and the implementation of that recusal; the application of provisions regarding grounds for appointing a Special Counsel to any case involving the 2016 presidential election or any related matter; and any meeting between any employee of President Trump's campaign or transition team and any Russian government representative, including any meeting that involved Donald J. Trump, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, Carter Page, J.D. Gordon, Richard Burt, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, or Michael Cohen.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Veterans Reimbursement for Emergency Ambulance Services Act or the VREASA This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat ambulance services as reimbursable emergency services if: the ambulance request was made because of the sudden onset of a medical condition of such nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that a delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous to the individual or could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in placing the individual in serious jeopardy, and the individual is transported to the closest and most appropriate medical facility capable of treating such emergency medical condition.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Gun Violence Research Act This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 to eliminate the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services using federal funds to advocate or promote gun control.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Flexible Pell Grant for 21st Century Students Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow an eligible student to receive more than one Federal Pell Grant award in a single award year. An eligible student is a student who: (1) has already received a Pell Grant during an award year and is enrolled in an eligible program for one or more additional payment periods (e.g., a summer term) during the same award year, (2) continues to meet Pell Grant program eligibility requirements, and (3) is accelerating progress toward a degree or certificate. An eligible student's total Pell Grant amount must not exceed 150% of the annual maximum Pell Grant for that award year. An institution must notify a student that any period of additional Pell Grant receipt counts toward that student's lifetime Pell Grant eligibility period (currently 12 full-time semesters). If an additional Pell Grant spans two award years, then an institution must determine the award year to which such Pell Grant applies. The Department of Education must provide to each Pell Grant recipient an annual status report that includes certain information related to such student's remaining lifetime Pell Grant eligibility period.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Reclamation of War Powers Act This bill prohibits funds made available for the U.S. Armed Forces from being obligated or expended for their introduction into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, in the absence of a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by an attack or imminent threat of attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Armed Forces. Such funds may be obligated or expended for such introduction by reason of a national emergency created by such an attack or imminent threat only during the 60-day period beginning on such date of their introduction. It shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill or joint resolution that would make funds available in violation of these provisions. The President shall, in the case of a declaration of war or specific authorization for such introduction of the Armed Forces, submit to Congress a report on: an analysis of the threat to be countered by the use of the Armed Forces, the specific objectives and justification for such objectives to be achieved by their use, and a description of the scope and duration, cost, and likelihood of success of their use. The President shall report in the case of an introduction of the Armed Forces by reason of such a national emergency. The bill sets timetables for such reports.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Voluntary Protection Program Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) voluntary protection program, under which management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act This bill amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The bill imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. The bill makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this bill, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Persons found to be in violation of such prohibition shall pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a program to permit eligible deported noncitizen veterans to enter the United States as, and to permit eligible noncitizen veterans in the United States to adjust their status to that of, a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence; and (2) cancel the removal of eligible noncitizen veterans and allow them to similarly adjust their status. An "eligible" veteran is a veteran who: (1) was not ordered removed, or removed, from the United States due to a criminal conviction for a crime of violence or for a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the noncitizen served at least five years' imprisonment; and (2) is not inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States due to such a conviction. DHS may waive such eligibility requirements for humanitarian purposes, to assure family unity, due to exceptional service in the U.S. Armed Forces, or if such waiver otherwise is in the public interest. A noncitizen veteran or service member shall not be removed from the United States unless he or she has a criminal conviction for a crime of violence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for naturalization through service in the U.S. Armed Forces, except that: (1) the grounds on which the noncitizen was ordered removed from, or rendered inadmissible to or deportable from, the United States shall be disregarded when determining whether the noncitizen is a person of good moral character; and (2) any period of absence from the United States due to the noncitizen having been removed or being inadmissible shall be disregarded when determining if the noncitizen satisfies any requirement relating to continuous residence or physical presence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for all military and veterans benefits for which the individual would have been eligible if he or she had never been been removed from, or voluntarily departed, the United States. DHS shall: (1) identify cases involving service members and veterans at risk of removal from the United States, and (2) annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to any noncitizen involved and afford an opportunity to track the outcome.
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 · 6 March 2017
Animal Welfare Accountability and Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to maintain and publicly disclose records relating to the administration of the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act, including specified details regarding inspections, enforcement actions, regulations, registrations, and licenses under the two laws. Within 90 days of the enactment of this bill, USDA must make the records available to the public in an online searchable database in a machine-readable format on its website. The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer who has been convicted or assessed civil penalties for violating certain provisions of the Animal Welfare Act or the Horse Protection Act to use the alternative depreciation system that increases the number of years over which property is depreciated. The taxpayer must use the system for any property placed in service during the five-year period beginning with the year in which the period for seeking judicial review of a civil penalty has lapsed or in which there has been a final judgment entered with respect to the violation, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Scientific Integrity Act This bill requires, subject to Freedom of Information Act disclosure restrictions and privacy requirements, federal agencies that fund or conduct scientific research to: (1) promote and maximize the communication and open exchange of scientific data and findings to other agencies, policymakers, and the public; and (2) prevent the suppression or distortion of such data and findings. The bill amends the America COMPETES Act to require federal agencies that fund or conduct scientific research to develop and enforce a scientific integrity policy and submit it to Congress and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). A scientific integrity policy must, at a minimum, ensure that scientific conclusions are not made based on political considerations. It must be made available to the public on agency websites and be disseminated to each new agency employee and contractor. Agencies must also develop and require training on the policy for its employees and contractors. The OSTP shall enter into an agrement with the National Academy of Public Administration to study the appropriateness of scientific integrity policies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Stamp Out Invasive Species Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a Combating Invasive Species Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred in equal proportion to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture for combating invasive species. (Invasive species are nonnative species whose introduction poses a serious threat to natural ecosystems and causes detrimental economic damage to local communities.) The stamp must be made available to the public for two years.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Women's Health Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits any government from imposing on abortion services: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or medical procedures; a requirement that the same clinician who performs a patient's abortion also perform additional tests, services or procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs or provide services via telemedicine; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at those facilities; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a patient make medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity; a limitation on medical training for abortion procedures; a prohibition prior to fetal viability, including a prohibition on a particular abortion procedure; a prohibition after fetal viability when continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction on a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; or a restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion. A measure or action that is similar to a requirement or limitation listed above is prohibited if it singles out abortion services or makes abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits funds from being made available to Honduras for the police or military (including for equipment and training), and directs the Department of the Treasury to instruct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against any loans for the police or military of Honduras, until the Department of States certifies that the government of Honduras has: prosecuted members of the military and police for human rights violations and ensured that such violations have ceased; established the rule of law and guaranteed a judicial system capable of bringing to justice members of the police and military who have committed human rights abuses; established that it protects the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, and civil society activists to operate without interference; withdrawn the military from domestic policing; and brought to trial and obtained verdicts against those who ordered and carried out the attack on Felix Molina and the killings of Berta Caceres, Joel Palacios Lino, Elvis Armando Garcia, and over 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley.
![Official portrait of Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000598_200.jpg)