United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise energy conservation standards (i.e., no-load mode standards for devices operating in standby) for external power supplies (EPSs) designed to be connected to a security or life safety alarm or surveillance system component, such as smoke alarms that have to remain powered at all times. Current law exempts EPSs of security or life safety systems from those standards until July 1, 2017. This bill extends that exemption until July 1, 2023. The Department of Energy (DOE) must decide by July 1, 2021, whether standards for those EPSs should be amended further. In the rule, DOE may treat such EPSs as a separate class with different standards or may extend the exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Foreign Service Optimization Act of 2016 This bill amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require Foreign Service employees overseas to serve at a post for between four and six consecutive years. The Department of State may reduce such assignment period in the case of a first tour of duty or a post deemed unhealthful due to extreme conditions or hardship including war, armed conflict, or civil strife. The State Department shall assure that Foreign Service members who have demonstrated a useful knowledge of the principal languages or dialects of the countries in which they are posted shall be are assigned to two consecutive tours of duty. The tour of duty or period of assignment shall be between four and six years for: (1) a member of the Armed Forces serving as a defense attache, or (2) a civilian employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assigned to a Defense Attache Office outside the United States. The Department of Defense (DOD) may reduce a tour of duty or a period of assignment if: (1) it is at an unhealthful post, (2) it is the first tour of duty or first period of assignment, or (3) DOD determines such reduced tour to be appropriate for exigent circumstances. The State Department may assign a member of the armed forces serving as a defense attache or a civilian DIA employee assigned to a Defense Attache Office outside the United States who demonstrates a useful knowledge of the principal language or dialect of the country to two consecutive Defense Attache Office tours of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise energy conservation standards for devices operating in standby mode. Current law exempts the external power supplies of security or life safety systems from those standards until July 1, 2017. This bill makes permanent the exemption.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2016
Export Control Reform Act This bill requires all of the following items that are on the United States Munitions List and the import or export of which is controlled by the President under the Arms Export Control Act on the date of this bill's enactment to be transferred to the Commerce Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration Regulations: non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms, including all rifles, carbines, pistols, revolvers, and shotguns; non-automatic and non-semi-automatic rifles, carbines, revolvers, or pistols of a caliber greater than .50 inches (12.7 mm) up to and including .72 inches (18.0 mm); ammunition for such firearms excluding caseless ammunition; silencers, mufflers, and sound and flash suppressors; rifle scopes; barrels, cylinders, receivers (frames), or complete breech mechanisms; and related components, parts, accessories, attachments, tooling, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2016
Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act This bill declares that it shall be the policy of the U.S. government not to pay ransom or release prisoners for the purpose of securing the release of U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad. The U.S. government is prohibited from providing promissory notes (including currency) issued by the U.S. government or by a foreign government to the government of Iran. The conduct of a transaction or payment in connection with a claim settlement agreement brought before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal (established on January 19, 1981) may be made only: (1) on a case-by-case basis pursuant to a specific license by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and (2) in a manner that does not contradict such promissory note prohibition. The President must publish a list of such transactions or payments. Such promissory note prohibition and licensing requirement shall remain in effect until the President certifies that: (1) a preliminary or final rule providing for Iran's designation as a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern has been rescinded, and (2) the Department of State has removed Iran from the list of countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. The President shall: (1) submit, every 180 days for 3 years, a report that evaluates each outstanding claim before the tribunal; and (2) provide notice prior to conducting a transaction or payment from the U.S. government to the government of Iran in connection with a claim settlement agreement. Nothing in this bill shall: (1) apply to activities subject to the non-covert intelligence reporting requirements under title V of the National Security Act of 1947, or (2) be construed to authorize any U.S. government payment to the government of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2016
No Ransom Payments Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the President from paying final judgments, awards, or compromise settlements to Iran using specified Department of Treasury funds (specified funds) until the President certifies that: (1) Iran has returned any money from such funds paid to it by the United States after January 1, 2016, (2) Iran has satisfied all outstanding judgments against it awarded to U.S. plaintiffs by U.S. courts, and (3) individuals taken hostage and held for 444 days following the U.S. Embassy seizure in Iran on November 4, 1979, have been compensated from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. The President must certify before providing or authorizing payment of any funds to Iran that: (1) the funds will not be used to support international terrorism, and (2) Iran or Iran-supported groups are not unjustly detaining U.S. citizens. The President, within 60 days after enactment of this bill, shall impose property transaction and U.S. entry sanctions against any Iranian person: involved in the kidnapping or unjust detention of a U.S. citizen on or after March 9, 2007; that engages, or attempts to engage, in an activity or transaction that materially contributes to such kidnapping or unjust detentions; and owned or controlled by such a person, acting on behalf of such a person, or providing support for such a person. The Director of National Intelligence shall report within 60 days on whether funds paid to Iran by the United States after January 1, 2016, have been used by Iran to support international terrorism. The President and U.S. government officers shall not: make a payment to a government or person to secure the release of unjustly detained U.S. citizens (a payment to assist arrested U.S. citizens is excluded from such prohibition), or use specified funds to make any payment to a state sponsor of acts of international terrorism (a specific payment or a specific payee is excluded from such prohibition if Congress has passed a joint resolution waiving the application of such prohibition).
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Taxpayers Before Insurers Act This bill rescinds specified departmental management funds from the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) unless HHS deposits into the Treasury specified funds derived from contributions collected under the Transitional Reinsurance Program. The rescission is required unless HHS deposits into the Treasury: (1) $2 billion for each of calendar years 2014 and 2015 within 45 days of enactment of this bill, and (2) $1 billion for 2016 by March 1, 2017. (The Transitional Reinsurance Program was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA] to stabilize premiums in the individual health insurance market by partially reimbursing insurers for high-cost enrollees. Health insurance issuers and certain group health plans make contributions to the program, and reinsurance payments are made to issuers for enrollees in certain individual market plans with claim costs within a specified level. Portions of the reinsurance contributions are allocated for the reinsurance payment pool, administrative expenses, and the Treasury.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Expresses support for the July 12, 2016, ruling issued by the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea as binding on all parties in the case brought at the request of the Republic of Philippines against the People's Republic of China concerning a dispute over the maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea. Calls on all claimants to pursue peaceful resolution of outstanding maritime claims in the South China Sea consistent with international law. Urges all parties to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and to take steps toward early conclusion of a meaningful Code of Conduct. Opposes actions in the South China Sea to change the status quo by coercion or force. Calls on China to cease all reclamation and militarization activities in the South China Sea and end provocative actions in the East China Sea. Reaffirms: (1) Article V of the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Philippines, and (2) Article V of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan. Urges: (1) the Department of State to utilize all diplomatic channels to communicate U.S. support for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and (2) the Department of Defense to enforce freedom of navigation and overflight in the East and South China Seas.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 This bill declares that it is U.S. policy that all diplomatic and coercive economic means should be used to compel the government of Bashir al-Assad to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and actively work toward transition to a democratic government. This bill directs the President to impose specified entry and U.S.-based property sanctions against a foreign person that knowingly provides significant financial, material, or technological support: (1) to the government of Syria and the Central Bank of Syria, including Syria's intelligence and security services or its armed forces, including through money laundering or with respect to Syria's gas or petroleum production or civilian aircraft services; and (2) that materially contributes to Syria's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons, or destabilizing numbers and types of 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 or complicit in: (1) directing the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Syria or their family members, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Syria; or (2) transferring to Syria certain military items or goods or technologies that may be used to commit human rights abuses. The Department of State and the Agency for International Development shall report on the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing assistance programs in Syria and to the Syrian people. The bill requires the President to: (1) submit an updated list of Syrian officials who are responsible for or complicit in the commission of serious human rights abuses against Syrian citizens, and (2) assess the potential effectiveness of a no-fly zone over Syria. The State Department shall provide assistance to entities taking criminal and evidence gathering actions for prosection of individuals who have committed crimes against humanity or war crimes in Syria since March 2011. The President may suspend sanctions against Syria under specified conditions. The bill: (1) expresses the sense of Congress with respect to a transitional government in Syria, and (2) sets forth activities and transactions that are exempt from sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Preventing Iranian Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2016 This bill declares it shall be the policy of the United States to impose sanctions with respect to terrorist organizations and foreign countries, including the government of Iran, that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq. The bill directs the President to impose sanctions to block transactions in property and interests in property in the United States of, and the Department of State or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deny admissions into the United States or revoke the visa of, any foreign person that State or DHS determines: has knowingly committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, violence that threatens the peace or stability of Iraq or that undermines economic reconstruction, political reform, or humanitarian efforts in Iraq; has knowingly materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, any such act; or is owned or controlled by, or has acted on behalf of, a foreign person that has carried out any such act or activity. Such admissions-related sanctions shall not apply if a person's admission is necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations or other applicable international obligations. The President may waive the application of sanctions under this bill for up to 90 days if the President provides prior certification that the waiver is vital to U.S. national security interests. The sanction provisions of this bill shall cease to be effective on January 1, 2022. It is the sense of Congress that the government of Iran has committed acts of violence, and poses a significant risk of committing further acts of violence, that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq. The bill directs the President to determine whether specified Iranian officials are responsible for engaging in acts or activities described in this bill and, if so, to impose admissions-related sanctions on such officials. The President must report, every 180 days for 5 years, on Iranian activities in Iraq, including Iran's support for Iraqi militias or political parties.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
No Ex-Im Assistance for Terrorism Act This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing, insuring, extending credit, or participating in the extension of credit in connection with the export of U.S. goods or services sought by: the Government of Iran, an entity owned or controlled by it, or an entity created under Iranian law; an entity involving the Government of Iran, owned or controlled by the Government of Iran, or created under Iranian law; or a non-U.S. entity that, in the last five-years, has leased or re-exported aircraft to the Government of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Farm Regulatory Certainty Act This bill amends the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 to specify that animal waste, manure, and fertilizer are excluded from the Act's requirements. Citizen suits may not be brought under the Act if federal or state legal and enforcement actions are already underway.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016
Calls on the government of Iran to release Siamak and Baquer Namazi unconditionally. Urges the President, U.S. allies, and the United Nations to raise the cases of Siamak and Baquer Namazi with Iranian officials at every opportunity and undertake efforts to secure their immediate release. Encourages the President to utilize appropriate measures against such government if they are not released.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016
Recognizes on behalf of the United States the dedicated service and ultimate sacrifice of the 11 African-American soldiers of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion of the United States Army who were massacred in Wereth, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944. Calls on the Senate Armed Services Committee to correct the omission in the 1949 report of its subcommittee and appropriately recognize the Wereth 11.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
No Ex-Im Financing for Iran Act This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank from guaranteeing, insuring, extending credit, or participating in the extension of credit in connection with the export of U.S. goods or services to any entity that does business with or provides credit or a guarantee to any other entity in connection with exports involving: the Government of Iran, or an entity in which the Government of Iran participates, an entity created under Iranian law, or an operation in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016
Small Business Health Care Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and other laws to exempt qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) from certain requirements that apply to group health plans. A qualified small employer HRA is offered by employers that have fewer than 50 full-time employees and do not offer group health plans to any of their employees. A qualified small employer HRA must: be provided on the same terms to all eligible employees of the employer; be funded solely by the employer without salary reduction contributions; provide, after an employee provides proof of coverage, for the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses of the employee and family members; and limit annual payments and reimbursements to specified dollar amounts. HRAs that meet these requirements are not considered group health plans and are exempt from various requirements that apply to group health plans, including coverage and cost-sharing requirements. (Under current law, employers that sponsor group health plans that do not meet specified requirements are subject to an excise tax.) Coverage and payments under a qualified HRA are excluded from gross income, unless the employee does not have minimum essential coverage for the month in which the medical care was provided. Employers offering a qualified HRA must notify employees in advance regarding permitted benefits and report benefit information on W-2 forms and to health exchanges. The bill sets forth requirements for determining whether an employee covered under an HRA is also eligible for premium subsidies under PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016
Health Coverage State Flexibility Act of 2016 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to revise the grace period that health insurers must provide to recipients of premium subsidies before discontinuing health coverage for nonpayment of premiums. The grace period is shortened from 3 months to 30 days unless state law includes an applicable grace period.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
This bill prohibits U.S. agency funds from being used until the earlier of the enactment date of an Act authorizing FY2017 appropriations for military activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) or January 1, 2017, for the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions or to any foreign country or entity of an individual detained at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "Individual detained at Guantanamo" means an individual located at Guantanamo as of October 1, 2009, who: (1) is not a U.S. national or a member of the Armed Forces, and (2) is in the custody or under the control of DOD or otherwise detained at Guantanamo.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Expresses appreciation to the European Union (EU) for the progress made in countering Hizballah since the EU designated Hizballah's military wing as a terrorist organization. Supports cooperation between the United States and the EU in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and terrorist activities. Urges the EU to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on the group, including through: better cross-border cooperation among EU members, issuing arrest warrants against Hizballah members and active supporters, freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe, and prohibiting fund raising activities in support of Hizballah.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
No Impunity for Iranian Aggression at Sea Act of 2016 This bill requires the President to submit a report that includes: a determination of whether, during the June 2016 incident when Iranian forces boarded two U.S. Navy combat vessels and detained the crews at gunpoint, any of the Iranian actions violated the Geneva Convention or the international right to conduct innocent passage; and a certification of whether or not federal funds were paid to Iran to effect the release of the detained crew members or other U.S. citizens. The bill prescribes specified Iranian actions that the President shall consider, including: (1) the stopping, boarding, search, and seizure of the U.S. Navy vessels and the removal and detention of the crews; and (2) the display, videotaping, or photographing of U.S. service members and the subsequent use of those photographs or videos. The President shall: (1) upon a determination that such a violation occurred, submit and make public a list of Iranian government officials or persons acting on behalf of the Iranian government who are responsible for or complicit in any such violation; and (2) prohibit U.S. entry or admission and block property transactions of listed persons.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2016
Solidifying Habitual and Institutional Explanations of Liability and Defenses Act of 2016 or the SHIELD Act of 2016 This bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to prohibit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines or general statements of policy related either to unfair methods of competition, or to unfair or deceptive acts or practices, in or affecting commerce from: (1) conferring rights upon any person, state, or locality; or (2) binding the FTC or any person, state, or locality to a recommended approach. In enforcement actions, the FTC must prove a violation of a law enforced by the FTC. The FTC's enforcement actions or consent orders may not be based solely on allegations that acts or practices are inconsistent with guidelines or general policy statements unless the acts or practices violate FTC-enforced law. Compliance with guidelines or general statements of policy may be used as evidence of compliance with a law under which the guidelines or statements were issued.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
No Bailouts for State, Territory, and Local Governments Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase or guarantee obligations of, issue lines of credit to, or provide direct or indirect grants-in-aid to any state (defined to include the District of Columbia and any U.S. territory or possession), municipal, local, or county government that, on or after January 1, 2013, has filed for bankruptcy, has defaulted on its obligations, is at risk of defaulting, or is likely to default, without such federal assistance, if such purchase, guarantee, extension of credit, or grant is made to assist the government in: (1) avoiding defaulting on the payment of principal or interest due on an obligation of the government, or (2) curing such a default. The Departrment of the Treasury is prohibited from using general fund revenues or borrowed funds to purchase or guarantee, for the same purposes, any asset or obligation of any such state, municipal, local, or county government. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is prohibited from: (1) providing or extending to, or authorizing with respect to, such a state, municipal, local, or county government, or other entity with taxing authority or bonding authority, for the same purposes, any funds, loan guarantees, credits, or any other financial instrument or other authority, including bond purchases; or (2) otherwise assisting such a government entity, for the same purposes, under any Board authority. Such prohibitions shall not apply to federal assistance provided in response to a natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Anti-Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the establishment, operation, or promotion of a pyramid promotional scheme, which is defined as a plan or operation by which a person gives consideration (money or other thing of value) to a participant in the scheme for the right to receive compensation derived primarily from the participant's introduction of another person into the plan or operation rather than from the sale of products to ultimate users. The bill grants enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission and requires violations to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit financial assistance to a foreign country that refuses or unreasonably delays the acceptance of an alien who: (1) is a citizen, subject, national, or resident of such country; and (2) has received a final order of removal from the United States. A country shall be deemed to have refused or unreasonably delayed acceptance of an alien if it does not accept such alien within 90 days of receiving an authorized repatriation request. The Department of Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress every three months that: (1) lists the countries that refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation; and (2) includes the total number of aliens who were refused repatriation, organized by country, detention status, and criminal status. A listed country shall be subject to U.S. entry and financial assistance prohibitions unless it issues appropriate travel documents: (1) within 100 days after such report's submission for aliens convicted of a crime committed in the United States, and (2) within 200 days after such report's submission for all other aliens. A victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal shall have standing in federal district court to enforce entry and financial prohibitions. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to: (1) discontinue granting visas to a subject, national, or resident of a listed country unless the country has issued the appropriate travel documents pursuant to this bill; and (2) grant standing to enforce such provision in federal district court to a victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or the PADME Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
Iran-Russia Cooperation Reporting Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to report to Congress annually (as long as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPA] is in effect) on cooperation between Iran and Russia and how and to what extent such cooperation affects U.S. national security and strategic interests. (The JCPA is the agreement reached by China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, and Iran to ensure that Iran's nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful). The report shall include matters relating to: Iran's space and ballistic missile programs; overlapping Russia-Iran interests in Latin America; the intelligence-sharing center established by Iran, Russia, and Syria in Baghdad, Iraq; naval cooperation between Iran and Russia and the long-term consequences of Russia's naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and Iran's naval presence in the Persian Gulf; how cooperation between Iran and Russian has increased with respect to the JCPA; the likelihood of Iran adopting the Russian model of hybrid warfare against potential targets such as the Gulf Cooperation Council states; Russian cooperation with Hezbollah in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq; and a list of weapons the sale of which by Russia to Iran would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing an arms embargo on Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the renewable fuel program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must cap the total volume of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply at 9.7% of projected gasoline demand as determined by the Energy Information Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Revealing Economic Conclusions for Suggestions Act or the RECS Act This bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to prohibit the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from submitting legislative or regulatory recommendations without an economic analysis by the FTC's Bureau of Economics sufficient to demonstrate that: (1) the FTC has identified a problem it determines should be addressed, including the rationale for the FTC's determination that private markets or public institutions could not adequately address the issue; and (2) the recommendation is based on a reasoned determination that its benefits outweigh its costs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 This bill makes a provision of a form contract void from the inception if it is used in the course of selling or leasing goods or services to: (1) prohibit or restrict an individual who is a party to such a contract from engaging in written, oral, or pictorial reviews, or other similar performance assessments or analyses of, including by electronic means, the goods, services, or conduct of a person that is also a party to the contract; (2) impose penalties or fees against individuals who engage in such communications; or (3) transfer or require the individual to transfer intellectual property rights in review or feedback content (with the exception of a nonexclusive license to use the content) in any otherwise lawful communications about such person or the goods or services provided by such person. The bill does not apply to an employer-employee or independent contractor contract. The standards under which provisions of a form contract are considered void under this bill shall not be construed to affect: legal duties of confidentiality; civil actions for defamation, libel, or slander; or a party's right to establish terms and conditions for the creation of photographs or video of such party's property when those photographs or video are created by an employee or independent contractor of a commercial entity and are solely intended to be used for commercial purposes by that entity. Such standards also shall not be construed to affect any party's right to remove or refuse to display on its Internet website content that: (1) contains the personal information or likeness of another person or is libelous, harassing, abusive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, inappropriate with respect to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or other intrinsic characteristic; (2) is unrelated to the goods or services offered by or available at such party's website; or (3) is clearly false or misleading. A provision shall not be considered void under this bill to the extent that it prohibits disclosure or submission of, or reserves the right of a person or business that hosts online consumer reviews or comments to remove, certain: (1) trade secrets or commercial or financial information; (2) personnel and medical files; (3) law enforcement records; (4) content that is unlawful or that a party has a right to remove or refuse to display; or (5) computer viruses or other potentially damaging computer code, processes, applications, or files. A person is prohibited from offering form contracts containing a provision that is considered void under this bill. Enforcement authority is provided to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and states. The FTC must provide businesses with nonbinding best practices for compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Reinforcing American-Made Products Act of 2016 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to require the Federal Trade Commission's regulation of the labeling of products as "Made in the U.S.A." or "Made in America" to supersede any state laws regarding the extent to which a product is introduced, delivered, sold, advertised, or offered for sale in interstate or foreign commerce with such a label in order to represent that the product was in whole or substantial part of domestic origin.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
S tability and Democracy for Ukraine Act or the STAND for Ukraine Act This bill provides that no federal agency should take any action or extend any assistance that recognizes Russian sovereignty over Crimea, its airspace, or its territorial waters. The bill urges that the Government Publishing Office not print any document indicating Crimea as part of the Russian Federation (Russia). U.S. sanctions provided for in Executive Orders 13660, 13661, 13662, (blocking property of persons contributing to the situation in Ukraine) and 13685 (blocking property of persons contributing to the situation in Crimea) shall remain in effect until the President certifies to Congress that: Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea has been restored, or the status of Crimea has been resolved to the satisfaction of a democratically elected government of Ukraine. The Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 is amended to authorize the President to block and prohibit a foreign person's transactions of property or property interests that are U.S.-sited or controlled by a U.S. person if the foreign person has knowingly: (1) violated such executive orders, or (2) facilitated deceptive or structured transactions for or on behalf of any person subject to U.S. sanctions against Russia. The President shall: use U.S. influence to seek North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) adoption of a policy that opposes the transfer of defense articles and services to Russia while Russia occupies the territory of Ukraine or of a NATO member, and direct appropriate U.S. agencies to monitor and identify transfers by NATO members of defense articles and services to Russia. A license application or other authorization for the transfer of any defense article or service to or on behalf of a NATO member so identified shall be subject to a presumption of denial. The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 is amended to include in the list of persons responsible for gross violations of human rights persons committing such actions in any territory forcibly occupied or otherwise controlled by Russia. The Department of State shall seek to establish an international consortium to increase private investment in Ukraine that shall include the United States. It is the sense of Congress that the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall establish Crimean Tatar services (subordinate to the Ukrainian language services) and broadcast Crimean Tatar language content into Crimea.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
No 2H2O from Iran Act This bill prohibits funds available to any federal department or agency for any fiscal year from being obligated or expended to purchase or issue a license to purchase heavy water produced in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Solidifying Habitual and Institutional Explanations of Liability and Defenses Act or the SHIELD Act This bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to prohibit guidelines or general statements of policy issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from: (1) conferring rights upon any person, state, or locality; or (2) binding the FTC or any person, state, or locality to a recommended approach. In enforcement actions, the FTC must prove a violation of a law enforced by the FTC. The FTC's enforcement actions or consent orders may not be based solely on allegations that acts or practices are inconsistent with guidelines or general policy statements unless the acts or practices violate FTC-enforced law. Compliance with guidelines or general statements of policy may be used as evidence of compliance with a law under which the guidelines or statements were issued.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Start Taking Action on Lingering Liabilities Act or the STALL Act This bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to require certain Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations involving civil investigative demands to terminate six months after the FTC sends a verifiable written communication to notify the subject of the investigation. The bill also provides an exception that allows such an investigation to continue beyond that six-month period if, before the period expires, the FTC: (1) sends an additional verifiable written communication, or (2) votes to extend the investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from requiring a tax-exempt organization to include in annual returns the name, address, or other identifying information of any contributor. The bill includes exceptions for: (1) required disclosures regarding prohibited tax shelter transactions; and (2) contributions by the organization's officers, directors, or five highest compensated employees (including compensation paid by related organizations).
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reauthorize the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) through FY2020. SCAAP provides payments to state, local, and tribal governments to offset the costs of incarcerating certain undocumented criminal aliens. It expands the definition of “undocumented criminal alien” to include an alien who has been charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Justice to reimburse a state, local, or tribal government for costs to incarcerate a criminal alien whose immigration status cannot be verified by the Department of Homeland Security. (Currently, a criminal alien with lawful immigration status does not meet the criteria for SCAAP reimbursement.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to identify: certain severance payments to veterans with combat-related injuries paid after January 17, 1991, from which DOD withheld amounts for tax purposes, and the individuals to whom such severance payments were made. DOD shall provide each such veteran with: notice of the amount of improperly withheld severance payments, and instructions for filing amended tax returns to recover such amount. The period for filing a related claim with the Internal Revenue Service for a credit or refund is extended beyond the three-year limitation to the date that is one year after DOD provides the veteran with the information required by this Act. DOD shall ensure that amounts are not withheld for tax purposes from DOD severance payments to individuals when such payments are not considered gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Flexibility in Electronic Health Record Reporting Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, with respect to electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use incentive programs under Medicare and Medicaid, to continue through 2016 to allow the use of quarterly reporting without regard to the payment year or the stage of meaningful use criteria involved.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2016
Preventing Iran's Access to United States Dollars Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the President from issuing a license that permits a person to: conduct an offshore U.S. dollar clearing system for transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person, or provide U.S. dollars for any offshore U.S. dollar clearing system conducted by a foreign government or a foreign financial institution for transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person. The Department of the Treasury shall report to Congress: a list of financial institutions operating or participating in an offshore U.S. dollar clearing system that conducts transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person, and an assessment of Treasury efforts to prevent such transactions. The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests of any listed institution if the property and interests: (1) are in the United States, (2) come within the United States, or (3) are or come within the possession or control of a U.S. person. The President may impose additional sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 is amended to subject to sanctions: (1) u-turn transactions (fund transfers from a foreign bank that pass through a U.S. financial institution and are then transferred to a second foreign bank), and (2) book transfers (fund transfers for the benefit of an Iranian financial institution made between accounts of the same financial institution).
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2016
Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enter into a memorandum of understanding to: ensure that DOE has sufficient technical expertise to support the civilian nuclear industry's timely development and commercial deployment of safe, innovative advanced reactor technology; ensure that the NRC has sufficient technical expertise to support the evaluation of requests for regulatory approval for advanced reactors; use computers and software codes to calculate the behavior and performance of advanced reactors based on mathematical models of their physical behavior; and ensure that the DOE maintains and develops the facilities to support the civilian nuclear industry's timely development and commercial deployment of safe, innovative reactor technology and ensuring that the NRC has access to such facilities, as needed. DOE must submit a report to Congress within 180 days evaluating activities intended to facilitate the testing and demonstration of advanced reactors on DOE land and facilities and the potential for DOE to test and demonstrate on private land. In addition, the NRC is required to develop a regulatory framework for licensing advanced nuclear reactors. This bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to require that the aggregate amount of fees collected by the NRC from licensees and certificate holders in a fiscal year be decreased by the amount of appropriations for activities related to the development of regulatory infrastructure for advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
End Executive Overreach Act This bill prohibits, until January 21, 2017, the use of federal funds, fees, or resources to implement an executive order issued on or after the enactment of this bill. The bill prohibits any agency, until such date, from making or finalizing: a major rule (a rule that is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more); a rule that may raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set forth in Executive Order 12866 (which requires that significant regulatory actions be submitted for review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget); or a rule that may create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an action taken or planned by another agency.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Firearms Transfer Improvement Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the scope of permissible transfers between a licensed gun dealer and an out-of-state resident. Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to sell or transfer a rifle or shotgun to an out-of-state resident if the transaction occurs in person and complies with applicable laws of both states. This bill permits a licensed gun dealer to sell or transfer a firearm to an out-of-state resident if the transaction occurs in person and complies with applicable laws of the state in which the gun dealer's place of business is located.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2016 This bill imposes criminal penalties on anyone who knowingly or knowingly attempts to: (1) perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought based on the sex, gender, color or race of the child, or the race of a parent; (2) use force or the threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion; (3) solicit or accept funds for the performance of such an abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the United States or across a state line for the purpose of obtaining such an abortion. Violations or attempted violations shall result in fines and/or imprisonment for up to five years. The bill authorizes civil actions (for verifiable money damages for injuries and punitive damages) by: (1) fathers, or maternal grandparents if the mother is an unemancipated minor, of unborn children who are the subject of an abortion performed or attempted through any of the above violations; or (2) women upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted with a knowing or attempted use of force or threat of force to intentionally injure or intimidate any person for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection or race-selection abortion. To prevent an abortion provider from performing or attempting further abortions in violation of this bill, the bill authorizes injunctive relief to be obtained by: (1) the women upon whom such an abortion is performed or attempted, (2) a maternal grandparent of the unborn child if the woman is an unemancipated minor, (3) the father of such an unborn child, or (4) the Department of Justice. Violations of this bill are deemed to be prohibited discrimination under title VI (Federally Assisted Programs) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Violators of title VI lose federal funding.) Medical or mental health professionals must report known or suspected violations to law enforcement authorities. Criminal penalties are established for a failure to so report. A woman having such an abortion may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable. Courts must make such orders as necessary to protect the anonymity of any woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted if she does not give her written consent to such disclosure. In the absence of such a woman's written consent, any party, other than a public official, who brings an action must use a pseudonym. For purposes of this bill, "abortion" is defined as the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman, with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child, unless the act is intended to: (1) save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, (2) remove a dead unborn child caused by spontaneous abortion, or (3) remove an ectopic pregnancy.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Kelsey Smith Act This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require a mobile or Internet voice service provider to disclose, at the request of an investigative or law enforcement officer, the call location information of a device that is: (1) used to place a 911 call, or (2) reasonably believed to be in the possession of an individual who is in an emergency situation that involves a risk of death or serious physical harm.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Healthy Inpatient Procedures Act of 2016 or the HIP Act This bill delays and suspends implementation of Medicare's Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model, which tests episode-based payment and quality measurement for care associated with hip and knee replacements. The bill also reduces and rescinds specified FY2017 and FY2018 funding that was appropriated for the Prevention and Public Health Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2016
Conscience Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion. Health care providers include health care professionals, health care facilities, social services providers, health care professional training programs, and health insurers. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), must investigate complaints alleging discrimination based on an individual's religious belief, moral conviction, or refusal to be involved in an abortion. DOJ or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may obtain equitable or legal relief in a civil action. Administrative remedies do not need to be sought or exhausted prior to commencing an action or granting relief. Such an action may be brought against a governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2016
Energy and American Security Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should take appropriate actions to prohibit energy production by the Islamic State and its ability to profit from energy production revenues, and (2) U.S. national energy policy should include consideration of national security. The Department of Energy may provide technical assistance to the Armed Forces regarding Armed Forces activities to address Islamic State energy resources. Such assistance may include identifying: (1) energy resources and related revenue streams; and (2) methods to hinder, destroy, or discourage the development, transportation, and sale of such energy resources. "Islamic State" means the Islamic State, any affiliate, or any immediate successor organization.
