United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2017
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative costs for purposes of calculating the medical loss ratio of a health insurance plan. The bill defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under state law to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2017
Educational Freedom Accounts Act This bill (1) establishes an educational savings account program for District of Columbia children who are eligible to receive a free public education in the District, but whose parents choose not to enroll them in a public school or home schooling; and (2) specifies the use of such funds, including for private schools.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform Act or the PROSPER Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the governance of federal financial aid provided to students pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs), including by: removing restrictions on providing aid to for-profit institutions, correspondence courses, and certificate programs; modifying the eligibility requirements for IHEs and students to participate in federal student aid programs; revising accountability measures for IHEs, such as adding new measures for minority-serving institutions; requiring IHEs to implement programs to prevent the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students and employees; prohibiting aid to IHEs that deny religious student organizations the rights, benefits, or privileges that are afforded to other organizations; limiting the Department of Education's authority to issue regulations; revising requirements concerning sexual assault on campuses; authorizing an industry-led apprenticeship grant program; reauthorizing through FY2024 and revising specified programs, including the Federal Pell Grant program, the Federal Work-Study programs, and an aid program for students whose families are seasonal farm workers; revising requirements governing the Federal TRIO programs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds; repealing specified grant programs (e.g., the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program) and loan forgiveness programs (e.g., Public Service Loan Forgiveness) for new borrowers; replacing the existing student loan programs (i.e., the Federal Direct Loan program and the Federal Family Education Loan program) with a single loan program (i.e., ONE loan program); revising student loan limits for undergraduate students and establishing loan limits for graduate students; and replacing existing student loan repayment plans with an income-based repayment plan.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Stopping Lawless Actions of Politicians (SLAP) Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both—on a state or local official who has custody of an individual and knowingly ignores a request from the federal government to take custody of the individual, if the requesting authority has designated that individual as a violator of immigration laws.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to (1) prohibit the use of public funds for payments of awards and settlements resulting from violation of certain CAA rights and protections if the violation consists of sexual harassment or sexual assault, (2) prohibit an imposition of a nondisclosure agreement as a prerequisite for CAA procedures to consider the violation, and (3) permit an individual to publicize any information relating to such a prior award or settlement if it was conditioned on a nondisclosure agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Recognizes the importance of Christmas symbols and traditions. Disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas. Expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Directs the Committee on House Administration to issue regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives to complete a training program on workplace rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, during each congressional session. Requires Members, officers, or employees to certify completion of such training within 90 days after a congressional session begins or within 90 days after beginning service during a session. (Sets forth a special rule requiring such training to be completed within 180 days after the beginning of the second session of the 115th Congress.) Directs the committee to issue regulations requiring that each House employing office post in a prominent location in its office and in each Member's congressional district office a statement of rights and protections provided to House employees under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, including procedures for responding to and adjudicating allegations of violations of such rights and protections.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to (1) prohibit the use of federal funds for the payment of a settlement or award for a claim arising from sexual harassment committed by a Member of Congress, and (2) require congressional ethics committees to consider expulsion of Members who have committed acts of sexual harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2017 This bill amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) to: (1) repeal expired reductions in rates of duty for specified chemicals and other items; and (2) provide for duty suspensions and reductions through December 31, 2020, for specified chemicals and other items.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
A merican Labor, Wages, and Sovereignty Act or the American LAWS Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the diversity immigrant program, and (2) reduce the worldwide fiscal year level for family-sponsored immigration. Legal Workforce Act The bill revises the employment eligibility verification process. It also increases employer penalties for the unlawful hiring of illegal aliens. The bill establishes a nonimmigrant alien visa for the parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old. The Department of Homeland Security shall establish: (1) an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system; (2) programs to block the use of misused social security numbers and suspend the use of social security account numbers of identity fraud victims; and (3) at least two Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot programs using distinct technologies to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of new employees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Celebrates the 99th anniversary of Polish independence as an opportunity to remember the historic events and courageous individuals that brought about reconstitution of Poland's sovereignty. Honors the resolve and sacrifice of the people of Poland. Reaffirms the close bonds between Poland and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Current Employee Representation Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow an employee or group of employees to petition for a union certification election: (1) if fewer than 50% of the current bargaining unit were unit members in the last certification election, or (2) no certification election was conducted for such unit.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act This bill states that the Department of Veterans Affairs may not prohibit the display of a Battlefield Cross in any national cemetery. "Battlefield Cross" means a memorial monument in honor of fallen members of the Armed Forces that may include a replica of an inverted rifle, boots, helmets, and identification tag.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
No Pensions for Corrupt Politicians Act of 2017 This bill prohibits Members of Congress who have been convicted of certain felonies from receiving pension payments between the date of sentencing and the date of final conviction for the offense (i.e., after all appeals have been exhausted). (Under current law, Members of Congress who have been convicted of such an offense may continue receiving pension payments until there is a final conviction.) If such a conviction is overturned on appeal, the Members may continue receiving their pensions as normal and are also eligible to retroactively receive the pension payments that were denied under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Monetary Policy Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Federal Open Market Committee to annually publish its monetary policy strategy. The strategy must include short-term interest-rate targets, open-market operations, and earnings on Federal Reserve bank balances. The Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee is required to report on such strategy semiannually.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make postsecondary education courses and programs, such as apprenticeship programs, that provide credits toward a postsecondary certification, credential, or degree eligible for federal student aid funding if the programs and courses are accredited by a state that has an alternative accreditation agreement with the Department of Education. The bill terminates loan forgiveness for borrowers under the income contingent repayment options for new loans made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. An institution that receives federal student aid funding must pay a default rate fine that is based on the default rate of loans made to its students.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Better Evaluation of Science and Technology Act or the BEST Act This bill requires a federal agency, to the extent it is making a decision based on science when issuing a rule, to use scientific information, technical procedures, methods, protocols, methodologies, or models in a manner that is consistent with the best available science and the intended use of the information, based on the weight of the scientific evidence. Each federal agency shall make available to the public: (1) all of its notices, determinations, findings, rules, consent agreements, and orders in connection with a rule; (2) a nontechnical summary of each risk evaluation conducted in connection with a rule; and (3) a list of the studies considered by the agency in carrying out each evaluation, along with the results of those studies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Access Act of 2017 or the Protecting HOME Access Act of 2017 This bill: (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay by one year the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment, and (2) revises a Medicare budget-neutrality requirement related to oxygen. Under current law, the CMS may establish separate payment classes under Medicare for items of oxygen and related equipment only if doing so does not result in increased program expenditures. The bill provides an exception to this budget-neutrality requirement with respect to such items that are included in a competitive acquisition program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
Stop Questionable, Unnecessary, and Excessive Allowances for Legislators Act or the SQUEAL Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the deduction for living expenses incurred by Members of Congress. (Under current law, the deduction is limited to $3,000 per year.)
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust Act or the BLAST Act This bill permanently prohibits former Members of Congress from lobbying any current Member, officer, or employee of Congress on behalf of any other person. Under current law, a former Senator is prohibited from lobbying Members for two years after leaving office; a former Member of the House of Representatives is prohibited from lobbying Members for one year after leaving office.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Veterans Crisis Line Study Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a study on the outcomes and the efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line during the five-year period beginning January 1, 2014, based on an analysis of national suicide data and data collected from the line. Such study shall address: (1) the efficacy of the line in leading veterans to sustained mental health regimens and suicide prevention; (2) the line's visibility; (3) the role of the line as part of the VA's mental health care services; and (4) whether receiving sustained mental health care affects suicidality, including among veterans who are at high risk for suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
No Abortion Bonds Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose taxes on state, local, and tax credit bonds that are used to provide a facility owned or used (for any purpose) by an abortion provider for more than 30 days during a year in which interest is paid on the bond. An entity is not considered an abortion provider solely as a result of performing abortions if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest; or (2) a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. The Department of the Treasury may exempt certain hospitals from being considered an abortion provider by making the name of the hospital available on Treasury's public website.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Student Loan Disclosure Modernization Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the student loan disclosure forms under the Federal Family Education Loan Program to include the annual percentage rate applicable to the loan. In addition, the bill requires the student loan disclosure forms under the William D. Form Federal Direct Loan Program to be written in plain language to enable borrowers to understand loan terms, total costs of loans, and estimated monthly repayments. Direct loans may not be issued to borrowers unless they acknowledge in writing that they have read the form.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017 This bill revises the requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to permit schools participating in the NSLP to offer students low-fat and fat-free milk, including low-fat flavored milk containing no more than 150 calories per 8-ounce serving. For students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a medical or other dietary need, schools may offer a nondairy beverage that is: (1) nutritionally equivalent to low-fat and fat-free milk; and (2) meets USDA nutritional standards, including fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B-12. (Under current law, the substitute is only required to include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow's milk.) In establishing national school nutritional standards, USDA must provide that containers of all beverages sold in schools have the same maximum volume. USDA must also: (1) report to Congress on recent trends in fluid milk consumption in schools; (2) carry out a pilot program to test and demonstrate strategies by which schools can increase the consumption of fluid milk; and (3) make lactose-free milk with an extended shelf life available to schools. If available evidence indicates that woman and children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) typically consume fewer than the number of daily servings of dairy recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA must ensure that women have access to reduced fat milk for themselves and their children upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2017
Fentanyl and Heroin Task Force Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish the Fentanyl and Heroin Inter-Agency Task Force: (1) to coordinate federal efforts to identify, target, and dismantle organizations that traffic fentanyl or heroin; (2) to identify sources of fentanyl and heroin production and distribution; and (3) to provide best practices, updated information, and support to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Access to Marketplace Insurance Act This bill requires health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, cost-sharing payments made by certain third parties (e.g., state and federal government programs) and count such payments toward annual cost-sharing limitations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to repeal programs authorized under title VIII, including programs concerning: education services for low-income students (e.g., Project GRAD); education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; job skill training, such as training for nontraditional students and training for writers who provide closed-captioned programming; registered nursing programs and schools of veterinary medicine; support and training for teachers (e.g., Teach for America Inc.); support for women and minorities (e.g., the Patsy T. Mink Fellowship program, funding for master's degree programs at historically black colleges and universities and predominantly black institutions, and funding for postbaccalaureate programs at Hispanic-serving institutions); student safety and campus emergency management; student work experiences; Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success; and education and services for young adults who have been released from juvenile detention centers or secure juvenile justice residential facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality Act of 2017 or the STARS Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude seasonal employees from the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide employees with minimum essential health care coverage. The bill defines a "seasonal employee" as an employee who is employed in a position for which the customary annual employment is not more than six months and which requires performing labor or services that are ordinarily performed at certain seasons or periods of the year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
American Miners Pension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds and provide loans to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan in order to provide pension benefits for retired coal miners. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer additional funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill prohibits the plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received. Treasury must make annual loans to the plan equal to the amount certified by the trustees of the plan as necessary to prevent insolvency. The loans may not exceed $600 million per year. The trustees must annually certify that the plan is projected to be solvent and is able to repay the loans under terms specified in the bill. The bill also establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Innovation in Accreditation Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Department of Education to waive accreditation requirements if an accrediting agency or association demonstrates that a waiver is necessary to enable an institution of higher education or an accredited program to implement innovative practices.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2017 This bill establishes circumstances under which an occupational therapist may conduct an initial or comprehensive assessment for an individual who is eligible for home health services under Medicare. Specifically, an occupational therapist may conduct the assessment if the physician's referral order does not include skilled nursing care but does include: (1) occupational therapy, and (2) physical therapy or speech language pathology.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that persons present during a rendition of the national anthem, who are not in uniform or are not members of the Armed Forces or veterans, should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over their heart.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Save American Workers Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from an employee who is employed on average at least 30 hours of service a week to an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify provisions related to theft of firearms. Under current law, it is unlawful to steal a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. This bill broadens the scope of unlawful conduct to also prohibit stealing a firearm from a gun range that rents firearms or a shooting club. Additionally, the bill modifies criminal penalties for an offense: to increase from 10 to 20 years the maximum prison term, and to create a 3- or 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an offense that occurs during the commission of a burglary or robbery. Finally, an attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense.
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 · 8 September 2017
Legal Workforce Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. An employer shall attest, during the verification period and under penalty of perjury, that the employer has verified that an individual is not an unauthorized alien. An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill requires reverification of certain groups of workers who have not been verified under E-verify. An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. The bill sets forth provisions regarding: (1) an employer utilizing a good faith defense, (2) preemption of state or local law, (3) employer penalties, and (4) worker remedies for EEVS errors. DHS shall establish programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, (2) suspend or limit the use of social security account numbers of identity fraud victims, and (3) permit parents or legal guardians to suspend or limit the use of a minor's social security account number or other identifying information. DHS shall establish at least two Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot programs using distinct technologies to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees.
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 · 28 July 2017
Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet, subject to privacy or administrative limitations, the best scientific and commercial data available that are the bases for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Census Accuracy Act of 2017 This bill requires any questionnaire used in the decennial census to determine the total population by states to include: (1) a checkbox or other similar option for a respondent to indicate whether he or she is a U.S. citizen or U.S. national, is lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, is an alien who otherwise has lawful status under the immigration laws, or is none of these; and (2) a question regarding which federal program or legal provision accorded the respondent such status.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act This bill amends the Wilderness Act to allow the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct the following activities within a wilderness area for the purpose of securing the international land borders of the United States: access structures, installations, and roads; use motor vehicles and aircraft; deploy temporary infrastructure in response to emergencies; or construct and maintain roads and fences, subject to the approval of the Department of the Interior. Any such activity shall be carried out in a manner that protects the wilderness character of the area.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act This bill aligns federal privacy standards for substance use disorder patient records more closely with standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Border Security for America Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) construct and operate infrastructure and technology to deter and detect illegal border activity in high traffic areas, (2) deploy the most practical and effective technology to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the border, (3) deploy additional capabilities to specified border sectors or regions, (4) submit a plan for evaluating and using independent verification and validation resources for border security technology, (5) establish a National Border Security Advisory Committee, (6) submit a southern border threat analysis, (7) implement the Border Security Deployment Program, (8) establish a biometric exit data system, and (9) begin eradicating the carrizo cane plant and any salt cedar along the Rio Grande River. The bill provides for: (1) U.S. Border Patrol personnel increases and infrastructure improvements, including forward base upgrades along the southern border; and (2) National Guard and Department of Defense border assistance. The bill: (1) prohibits federal agency restrictions on U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities on federal land within 100 miles of the border, (2) requires increases in immigration and law enforcement personnel and agricultural specialists, (3) authorizes appropriations for specified immigration purposes, and (4) requires electronic passport screening and biometric matching at airports of entry. The Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 is amended to provide for hiring flexibility. Operation Stonegarden is established as a DHS program to provide border security grants. This bill authorizes DHS to construct new ports of entry along the northern and southern borders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Second Amendment Guarantee Act or the SAGA Act This bill prohibits a state or local government from establishing a regulation, prohibition, or registration or licensing requirement with respect to a rifle or shotgun that is more restrictive (or that imposes a greater penalty) than federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Transportation and Trailer Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise the definition of a motor vehicle to exclude trailers and vehicles reliant on a connection to a self-propelled vehicle for power. (The Environmental Protection Agency set emissions standards for trailers as a part of motor vehicle emissions regulations. The regulations as applied to trailers were stayed by a federal court on October 27, 2017.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Rightsizing Pension Premiums Act of 2017 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to: (1) modify the formula that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) uses to calculate the funded percentage of single-employer pension plans, and (2) reduce single-employer PBGC premiums for pension plans that are sponsored by certain small employers or have specified PBGC funded percentages. The bill also prohibits the budget effects of provisions that change PBGC premiums from being counted for the purposes of determining budget points of order for legislation in the House or the Senate. (The PBGC is a federal agency that insures the benefits of private sector, defined benefit pension plans. The PBGC is financed by insurance premiums paid by sponsors of the plans, investment income, assets from pension plans taken over by the PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the plans.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2017
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Inspection Integrity Act This bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to revise requirements concerning workplace inspections conducted by the Department of Labor. Specifically, the bill prohibits an individual who is not an employee and does not represent the employees in a collective bargaining unit from serving as a representative of the employees for the purpose of accompanying a representative of Labor during an inspection.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act This bill makes January 21, 2020, the compliance date for the amended energy conservation standards for ceiling fan light kits, which is also the compliance date for ceiling fan standards. Currently, the compliance date for the ceiling fan light kits is January 7, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Save Local Business Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide that a person may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee only if such person directly, actually, and immediately, and not in a limited and routine manner, exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment (including hiring employees, discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline).
![Official portrait of Rep. Rokita, Todd [R-IN-4]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_in_4_rokita_todd_200.jpg)