The world's political record
Person
![Official portrait of Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000598_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,498 records where Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make publicly available a National Family Caregiving Strategy that identifies recommended actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. The council shall terminate after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs each regional director of a region of the National Park System (NPS) to establish a program to recycle and reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles within each NPS unit located in its region. Regional directors may eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic bottles within their NPS units after having considered several specified factors. Where an NPS unit is not offering water for sale in disposable plastic bottles, the superintendent of the unit may continue that practice, upon submission of an evaluation of those factors. Each regional director who establishes and implements such a program shall develop for each affected NPS unit a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the community health centers program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Medicare Buy-In and Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017 This bill makes a series of changes relating to health insurance options and costs. Among other things, the bill establishes a Medicare buy-in option for individuals aged 50 to 64, requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, and establishes an individual market reinsurance fund.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions related to financial aid and higher education programs for children and youths who are homeless or in foster care.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2017
Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act of 2017 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide additional food (known as commodity assistance) to states participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). (Under current law, USDA provides commodity assistance to states participating in the National School Lunch Program based on the number of lunches served. The food may also be served as part of the SBP or other child nutrition programs.) The bill modifies the requirements to: (1) repeal a provision that prohibits USDA from offering commodity assistance based on the number of school breakfasts served, and (2) require USDA to use a specified formula to provide additional commodity assistance for each school breakfast served.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect individual application information submitted to DHS after June 15, 2012, as part of a request for consideration or reconsideration for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program from disclosure to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for any purpose other than implementing such program. Such information may be shared with national security and law enforcement agencies: (1) to identify or prevent fraudulent claims, (2) for national security purposes relating to an individual application, or (3) for the investigation or prosecution of a felony not related to immigration status. DHS may not refer an individual whose case has been deferred pursuant to the DACA program to ICE, CBP, the Department of Justice, or any other law enforcement agency.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to exclude from gross income up to $600 (adjusted for inflation after 2018) in gain from the sale or exchange of virtual currency for other than cash or cash equivalents. "Virtual currency" is a digital representation of value that is used as a medium of exchange and is not otherwise currency under provisions of the IRC related to foreign currency transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2017
ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the AMERICA Competes Act to declare that the following categories of information collected by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) from recipients of ARPA-E financial assistance awards are considered privileged and confidential and not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act: plans for the commercialization of technologies that have been developed under the award, investments provided to an awardee from third parties, additional financial support that the awardee plans to invest or has invested into the technology developed under the award or that the awardee is seeking from third parties, and revenue from the licensing or sale of new products or services resulting from the research that was conducted under the award. The bill reauthorizes the ARPA-E through FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2017
Pre-Registration Of Voters Everywhere Act or the PROVE Act This bill requires each state to implement a process to allow an individual who has turned 16 years old to register to vote in federal elections that occur after the individual turns 18 years old.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2017
Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act This bill transitions away from fossil fuel sources of energy to clean energy sources (e.g., energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy). By 2027: (1) 80% of electricity sold must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 80% of new vehicle sales from manufacturers must be sales of zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 80% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. By 2035: (1) 100% of electricity must be generated from clean energy resources, (2) 100% of vehicle sales from manufacturers must be zero-emission vehicles, and (3) 100% of train rail lines and train engines must be electrified. The bill establishes a car allowance rebate system within the Department of Transportation to provide economic incentives for consumers to purchase new, clean energy vehicles. No federal permits for new major fossil fuel projects may be issued in 2018 and thereafter. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) terminate specified fossil fuel subsidies, (2) permanently extend renewable electricity production tax credits for electricity generated from wind, and (3) permanently extend a business energy investment tax credit for solar or wind energy technologies. A Community Assistance Fund is established for specified industrial and energy efficiency programs. The bill permanently reauthorizes the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides energy efficiency retrofits of low-income homes. It prohibits exports of domestically produced crude oil and natural gas, including liquefied natural gas. The Center for Clean Energy Workforce Development is established within the Department of Labor.
United States · United States Congress · 18 August 2017
Censures and condemns President Trump for his inadequate response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017, for his failure to condemn the White supremacist groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism, for asserting that "both sides" were to blame and excusing the violent behavior of participants in the Unite the Right rally, and for employing people with ties to White supremacist movements in the White House. Urges President Trump to fire all White House advisors who have urged him to cater to the White supremacist movement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 August 2017
Condemns the role of white supremacist groups in inciting violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and denounces the increase in fear-mongering, racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry, and violence by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and other hate groups. Offers condolences to the families of those who died in Charlottesville, and wishes quick recoveries for those injured. Urges President Trump to: (1) disavow any support he has received from hate groups, (2) terminate the employment of any White House staff and administration officials who have supported white supremacists, and (3) use the office of the President and resources of the Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of domestic hate groups.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
United States Optimal Use of Trade to Develop Outerwear and Outdoor Recreation Act or the U.S. OUTDOOR Act This bill amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide for the duty-free treatment of certain recreational performance outerwear.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
Free File Permanence Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program. The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to: provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income; provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services. Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns. The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to: simplify the tax system, reduce compliance and reporting burdens, increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication, strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration, avoid duplication, and maximize the use of electronic technology. The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee must report annually to Congress regarding the program, including website statistics, cybersecurity standards, demographic information, marketing and education efforts, simplifications and innovations, and state and local participation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Science Laureates of the United States Act of 2017 This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the position of Science Laureate of the United States to honor the service of scientists. The NSF shall appoint a Science Laureate from three individuals to be nominated each year by the National Academy of Sciences on the basis of merit, particularly the ability to foster public awareness and interest in science and to provide ongoing significant scientific contributions. Each Science Laureate shall engage the public to increase public awareness about science and is encouraged to continue his or her scientific work.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Homegrown Organic Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify several Department of Agriculture conservation programs to authorize additional assistance for farmers who are transitioning to organic farming. The bill modifies the Conservation Reserve Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Recognizing the Environmental Gains In Overcoming Negligence Act or the REGION Act This bill prohibits funds made available for any fiscal year from being used to close, consolidate, or eliminate an office of the Environmental Protection Agency, including a regional or program office.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
American Hope Act of 2017 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to allow a state to extend higher-education benefits to state residents regardless of whether they are lawfully present in the United States. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal, and adjust the status, of certain residents who entered the United States as children prior to 2017. An individual whose status has been so adjusted shall be considered to have obtained conditional permanent-resident status, valid for a period of eight years and subject to termination on the basis of specified deportable conduct. In order for an individual's conditional status to become permanent, the individual must timely file with DHS a petition indicating, among other specified information, that the individual has maintained conditional permanent-resident status for at least three years. Any period of time in which the individual was granted deferred action pursuant to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy shall count toward this three-year period. Information furnished by an individual in such a petition may not be used by an officer or employee of the United States to initiate removal proceedings. The bill also: (1) allows DHS to establish a competitive grant program for the provision of nonprofit assistance to eligible applicants for conditional permanent-resident status; (2) establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Promoting American Citizenship; (3) allows the Department of Education to develop an open-source, electronic English-learning program; (4) specifies requirements related to federal higher-education assistance for individuals with conditional permanent-resident status; and (5) requires the Government Accountability Office to report on specified data related to the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2017 This bill limits the regulation of industrial hemp and research hemp under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Specifically, the bill excludes industrial hemp and research hemp from the definition of marijuana under the CSA. The Drug Enforcement Administration may conduct administrative inspections of places where industrial hemp or research hemp is produced, stored, distributed, or used.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act This bill amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize the Department of Commerce to award grants to Indian tribes to further achievement of any of the following tribal coastal zone objectives: protecting, restoring, or preserving areas in the zone that hold important ecological, cultural, or sacred significance for the tribes, or traditional, historic, and esthetic values essential to the tribes; preparing and implementing a special area management plan and technical planning for important coastal areas; and implementing any coastal or shoreline stabilization measure for the purpose of public safety, public access, or cultural or historical preservation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Customer Non-Discrimination Act This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. It defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. The bill expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. "Establishment" shall not be construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin must include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. The bill prohibits denial of an individual's access to a shared facility (including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room) that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Presidential Pardon Transparency Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Justice, not later than three days after the President grants any reprieve or pardon for an offense against the United States, to publish in the Federal Register and on the President's official website the name of the person pardoned, the full text of the reprieve or pardon, and the date it was issued.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Native American Suicide Prevention Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require a state or state-designated entity receiving support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for development and implementation of a statewide youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategy to agree to collaborate with each of the state's federally recognized Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations regarding the strategy.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Food Recovery Act of 2017 This bill provides funding and establishes requirements to reduce food waste and standardize date labeling on food. The bill authorizes grants or loans for activities related to: raising awareness about wasted food and food recovery efforts to reduce the quantity of wasted food, reducing food waste at schools and farms, and installing facilities that include composting or anaerobic digesters that use food or crop waste to produce energy. The bill provides funds for: (1) state storage and distribution costs under the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and (2) national media campaigns to decrease food waste. The bill also: establishes a Food Recovery Liaison within the Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifies that composting is eligible for support under USDA's conservation programs, expands the tax deduction for charitable contributions to include contributions of food inventory for nonprofit retail sales, expands the liability protections for the donation of food, and requires companies that receive federal food service contracts to donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations that assist food-insecure people. The bill requires date labels on food packaging to include the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and "use by" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date. Labelers may include a quality date on packaging, but must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products. No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product based on passage of the quality date of the product.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Dream Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel removal and grant lawful permanent resident status on a conditional basis to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable or is in temporary protected status who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding this bill's enactment; (2) was younger than 18 years of age on the initial date of U.S. entry; (3) is not inadmissible on criminal, security, terrorism, or other grounds; (4) has not participated in persecution; (5) has not been convicted of specified federal or state offenses; and (6) has fulfilled specified educational requirements. DHS shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status unless the alien has engaged in conduct that would make the alien ineligible for DACA. DHS may not: (1) grant conditional permanent resident status without the submission of biometric and background data, and completion of background and medical checks; and (2) disclose or use information provided in applications filed under this bill or in DACA requests for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill prescribes the conditions under which DHS: (1) may terminate a person's conditional permanent resident status, and (2) shall adjust a person's conditional status to permanent resident status. The bill: (1) sets forth documentation requirements for establishing DACA eligibility, and (2) repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Recreation Not Red-Tape Act This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to review the process for the issuance and renewal of special recreation permits, including for cross-jurisdictional trips, with respect to outfitters and guides. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall: (1) coordinate with states to allow the purchase of federal and state recreation passes at federal and state facilities in the same transaction, and (2) sell National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes, and make payment of entrance and standard amenity recreation fees available, through federal websites. Interior and USDA should work with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that service members and veterans have access to outdoor recreation and to outdoor-related volunteer and wellness programs. The Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service may develop management plans for extending the recreation season or increasing recreation use during the offseason. The Forest Service and BLM shall evaluate land managers based on the achievement of applicable agency recreational and tourism goals. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Transportation shall consider how land and water management decisions can enhance recreation opportunities and the recreation economy. The bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to establish the Ski Area Fee Retention Account. A specified portion of rental charges for ski area permits on a Forest Service unit shall be deposited in such account, and a specified portion of such amounts shall be available to such unit for ski area administration, improvements, and visitor services. The bill establishes a National Recreation Area System to be comprised of existing National Recreation Areas and new units designated after enactment of this bill. Interior and USDA shall: (1) develop initiatives to enhance private-sector volunteer programs, actively promote private-sector volunteer opportunities, and provide outreach and coordination to the private sector to carry out projects and programs for the stewardship of federal land; and (2) establish an interagency trail management plan under which federal land management agencies shall coordinate so that trails that cross jurisdictional boundaries between those agencies are uniformly managed and maintained.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Recognizes the role of Latinos in protecting and preserving U.S. land, water, and wildlife. Supports the engagement of Latinos in environmental protection and conservation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017
Pesticide Protection Act of 2017 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cancel the registration of the pesticide chlorpyrifos under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The bill prohibits the sale and use of existing stock of chlorpyrifos. The bill requires the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos residue on food under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017
Ensuring Access to Air Ambulance Services Act of 2017 This bill makes a series of changes relating to payment of air ambulance services under Medicare, including by establishing certain cost-reporting requirements for providers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: child safety is the first priority of custody and parenting adjudications, and courts should resolve safety risks and claims of family violence before assessing other best interest factors; quasi-scientific evidence should be admitted by courts only when it meets admissibility standards for scientific evidence; evidence from court-affiliated or appointed fee-paid professionals regarding adult or child abuse allegations in custody cases should be considered only when the professional possesses documented expertise and experience in the relevant types of abuse, trauma, and the behaviors of victims and perpetrators; states should define required standards of expertise and experience for appointed fee-paid professionals who provide evidence to the court on behaviors of abuse victims and perpetrators, specify requirements for the contents of such professional reports, and require courts to find that any appointed professionals meet those standards; states should consider models under which court-appointed professionals are paid directly by the courts, with potential reimbursement by the parties after due consideration of the parties' financial circumstances; and Congress should schedule hearings on family courts' practices with regard to children's safety and civil rights.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
100 by '50 Act This bill calls for the United States to aggressively reduce carbon pollution as rapidly as practicable and achieve 100% clean and renewable energy by 2050. It provides financial support (e.g., grant programs and loans) for clean and renewable energy, including support for affordable zero-emission vehicle-based public transportation, solar energy, and energy efficiency retrofits in homes. The bill provides job training, unemployment compensation, health benefits, and pension and other benefits and services to adversely affected workers employed in the fossil fuel energy sector. The bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to create annual caps on fossil fuel electricity beginning in 2022 and ending in 2050 when it is phased out. The Department of Energy (DOE) must establish a grant program for energy storage and dispatchable energy technologies. The bill provides financial incentives (e.g., tax credits and grants) for clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements, and energy storage. The bill amends the Clean Air Act to establish a zero-emission vehicle standard. In addition, it establishes: (1) a carbon fee to transition the commercial aviation, maritime transportation, and rail sectors away from fossil fuel usage; (2) grant programs for zero-emission vehicles; (3) a national highway decarbonization grant program; and (4) tax credits for electric vehicles, hybrid trucks, biofuels, and alternative fuels. DOE must also establish a zero-emission residential and commercial heating grant program. The bill: (1) terminates specified fossil fuel subsidies, and (2) creates a climate duty for carbon-intensive products imported from other countries. The Department of the Treasury must issue climate bonds. The proceeds of the bonds must be deposited in the Climate Fund, which may be used to carry out the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Wounded Officers Recovery Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Capitol Police Board to make payments from the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund to employees of the U.S. Capitol Police who have sustained serious line-of-duty injuries. The board is required to issue specific regulations governing the fund's use for making such payments. These regulations shall ensure that the payments are in addition to, and do not otherwise affect, other forms of compensation payable to the employee, including worker's compensation benefits. The bill requires amounts received by the board in response to the shooting incident at the practice for the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity on June 14, 2017, to be deposited into the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Frank Adelmann Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit equal to 75% of the gain from the sale or exchange of real property to a qualified manufactured home community cooperative or corporation if: (1) the property is acquired for use as a manufactured home community, (2) the seller (or any related person) owned the property for at least two years before the sale or exchange, and (3) the property is transferred subject to a binding covenant that the property will be used as a manufactured home community for at least 50 years. A "qualified manufactured home community cooperative or corporation" is a cooperative or a nonprofit corporation established pursuant to the laws of the state in which the property is located. The bill specifies membership and governance requirements for the communities owned by the cooperative or nonprofit corporation. The bill also imposes a tax on buyers who violate the covenant to use the property for manufactured housing for at least 50 years.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2017
Know Your Oil Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to issue regulations that require companies that extract, refine, or transport oil or refined products to disclose oil data, including the amounts and sources of greenhouse gas emitted during the oil extraction, refining, and combustion process. DOE must consult with federal agencies and state and tribal governments to carry out this bill. Additionally, DOE must publicly disclose and maintain the data it collects on greenhouse gas emissions and oil field resources.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
Veteran Education Empowerment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs for the establishment, maintenance, improvement, and operation of veteran student centers. A veteran student center is a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Water Advanced Technologies for Efficient Resource Use Act of 2017 This bill codifies the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense program, which identifies, labels, and promotes water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, and services. This bill also establishes a program to provide financial incentives for consumers to purchase and install residential water efficient products and services labeled under the WaterSense program. In order to meet procurement requirements for a water consuming product or service, federal agencies must purchase a WaterSense product or service, or a Federal Energy Management Program designated product. Agencies do not have to procure those products or services if they are not cost-effective, or not reasonably available. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of individual taxpayers any amount received under an incentive program for the purchase and installation of residential water efficient products and services.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017
Second Chance for Students Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify federal student aid eligibility for a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession. Under current law, a drug offense conviction involving the sale or possession of a controlled substance triggers a suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a specified period of time. This bill allows a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession, without the intent to distribute, to resume or retain federal student aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2017 This bill requires federal, state, and local governments to directly operate and perform core services at adult prisons and detention centers. It reestablishes parole for eligible federal prisoners sentenced on or after January 1, 2017. (The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 eliminated parole for offenders convicted of federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987.) It requires financial service providers at prisons and detention centers to impose reasonable and proportional fees and charges for money transfer services. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must assess such fees or charges. The Federal Communications Commission must cap prison phone call rates and connection charges, require telecommunications providers to offer collect and debit account call services, restrict commission payments and ancillary charges, and require correctional facility administrators to allow more than one telecommunications provider. The bill eliminates the requirement for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to maintain at least 34,000 detention beds. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must establish alternatives to detention programs and determine detention bed capacity based solely on detention needs. DHS must conduct annual inspections and routine oversight of detention facilities. The bill prohibits family detention; requires alternatives to detention programs for detained family units; and prohibits separating a family to detain a family member, except to detain an alien parent who is dangerous and inadmissible on terrorism grounds. Finally, the bill establishes a private right of action for a person aggrieved by a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Do No Harm Act This bill makes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) inapplicable to federal laws (or implementations of laws) that: protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Executive Order 11246 (concerning equal employment opportunity), the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) rules entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity"; require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. Under current law, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. The bill makes RFRA inapplicable to: (1) terms requiring goods, services, functions, or activities to be performed or provided to beneficiaries of government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or awards; or (2) denials of a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. To assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to: state that the term "intimate partner" includes a dating partner and any other person subject to a protection order under state domestic or family violence law; and expand the term "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, by a current or former intimate partner. The bill makes it a crime to knowingly sell or dispose of a firearm to a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. It also makes it a crime for such convicted stalker to receive or possess a firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Anti-Voter Suppression Act This bill nullifies Executive Order 13799 (titled "Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity") and specifies that no funds shall be made available by any act of Congress to the commission described in the order or to any similar commission established for studying voter fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Every Kid Outdoors Act This bill directs the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and the Army to establish the Every Kids Outdoors program to provide fourth graders free access to federal lands and waters to which the public has access. Such Departments shall issue such students annual passes, upon request, which shall allow free access to: a per-vehicle fee area for the student and any passengers accompanying the student in a private, noncommercial vehicle or for up to three adults accompanying the student on bicycles; or a per-person fee area for the student and up to three adults accompanying the student. In carrying out such program, such departments: may collaborate with state park systems that opt to implement a complementary Every Kid Outdoors State park pass, shall maintain a publicly available website that provides information about the program, may provide visitor services, and may support approved partners of the federal lands and waters by furnishing them with opportunities for participation in the program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Disaster Assistance Fairness and Accountability Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from taking any action to recoup major disaster assistance from a recipient that received such assistance more than three years before FEMA first provided such recipient written notification of an intent to recoup it.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Restoring Confidence in America's Elections Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to: (1) prohibit the purchase or use in a federal election of an electronic voting system that does not produce a voter-verified paper record; (2) prohibit the imposition of conditions on voting by mail; (3) make mandatory the availability of early voting; and (4) require sufficient polling places, equipment, and resources to facilitate voting. The National Science Foundation shall make grants to: (1) study, test, and develop accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting for individuals with disabilities, for voters whose primary language is not English, and for voters with difficulties in literacy; and (2) research the development of election-dedicated voting system software. Each state shall, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, manually audit federal election results, without advance notice to the precincts selected. The bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless such official or an immediate family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. The Department of Justice must initiate an investigation of an allegation of voter intimidation or suppression within 30 days of receiving such an allegation. The Election Assistance Commission shall award grants for the development of voting systems that produce a voter-verified paper record of each vote cast, are compatible with commodity accessibility devices, and are fully accessible for the use of individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Investing in Student Achievement Act of 2017 or the ISA Act of 2017 This bill provides for income-share agreements whereby a student agrees to pay a percentage of future income, for a specified period of time, in exchange for funds to pay for educational expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Helicopter Fuel System Safety Act This bill prohibits a person from operating a newly manufactured helicopter in U.S. airspace unless the Federal Aviation Administration certifies that the helicopter's design complies with certain crash resistant fuel system requirements.