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![Official portrait of Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_fl_15_ross_dennis_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
1,291 records where Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-15] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 567 East Franklin Street in Oviedo, Florida, as the "Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Iran Freedom Policy and Sanctions Act This bill sets forth requirements concerning the imposition of sanctions against entities owned or controlled by the Armed Forces of Iran, the reinstatement of certain sanctions that were suspended pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the expansion or extension of sanctions with respect to Iran's ballistic missile program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2018
Securing Our Schools Act of 2018 This bill establishes a pilot program under which the Department of Justice may award one-year grants to local education agencies for the purpose of purchasing and installing devices that allow for the immediate notification of appropriate officials in case of emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018
Uniting and Securing America Act of 2018 or the USA Act of 2018 This bill provides conditional permanent resident status for an alien meeting specified requirements, including having entered the United States when younger than 18 years old and residing in the United States since December 31, 2013. An individual may apply to have such conditional basis removed after meeting specified eligibility requirements. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an individual who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, unless such individual has engaged in disqualifying conduct. The bill repeals provisions that deny an unlawful alien eligibility for higher education benefits on the basis of residence within a state unless a U.S. citizen or national is eligible for such benefits without regard to whether such citizen or national is such a resident. DHS shall: (1) deploy the most practical and effective technology available in order to achieve situational awareness and operational control along the U.S. border; (2) submit to Congress a comprehensive southern border strategy to achieve border control; and (3) begin eradicating the carrizo cane plant and salt cedar along the Rio Grande River. DHS may construct new ports of entry along the northern and southern borders. The bill establishes Operation Stonegarden in DHS to provide border security grants to law enforcement agencies in border or maritime border states that are involved in U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations DHS shall establish a two-year grant program to improve emergency communications in the southern border region for individuals who are at risk of violence and lack cellular and LTE network service. The number of immigration judges is increased. The President shall designate a senior official to coordinate federal and international efforts to strengthen citizen security, the rule of law, and economic prosperity in Central America.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2018
Congratulates Keiser University in Florida on its 40th anniversary.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to require any health care practitioner who is present when a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion to: (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure that such child is immediately admitted to a hospital. The term "born alive" means the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut. Also, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with these requirements must immediately report such failure to an appropriate law enforcement agency. An individual who violates the provisions of this bill is subject to a criminal fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who commits an overt act that kills a child born alive is subject to criminal prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate these provisions, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony. A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Music Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the copyright law to create a statutory blanket license for making and distributing nondramatic musical sound recordings, including through digital delivery. The blanket license allows digital music services to distribute sound recordings covered by the license without negotiating for the rights for each individual recording, as long as the music service complies with the license's requirements, such as paying the required royalties.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2017
Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act This bill amends the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 to expand the required comprehensive review of financial regulatory requirements. Specifically, the review must be completed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the National Credit Union Administration, in addition to (as required under current law) the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Board. The review must be performed at least every 7, rather than 10, years. After performing the review, a regulator must consider tailoring regulations to limit specified burdens. The bill specifies information and criteria the CFPB must use when conducting its review.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2017 This bill provides statutory authority for certain procedures related to the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program and adds new program requirements, including with respect to coordination of benefits, precertification for grant assistance, and allocation of grant funds.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise payment rules for graduate medical education (GME) costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program. With respect to a hospital that has not entered into a GME affiliation agreement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall establish the hospital's full-time equivalent (FTE) resident amount only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with an approved FTE resident amount based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, the CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its FTE resident amount reestablished when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold. Current law limits the number, subject to the application of certain adjustments, of FTE residents a hospital may have in allopathic and osteopathic medicine for purposes of Medicare payment. The bill specifies that the CMS shall determine a hospital's limitation adjustment only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with a limitation adjustment based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, the CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its adjustment re-determined when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2017
International Insurance Standards Act of 2017 This bill prohibits parties representing the federal government in an international insurance agreement from agreeing to any standard unless it is consistent with existing federal and state laws. The parties must coordinate with state insurance regulators. Congress has the power to review and disapprove by joint resolution any such agreement. The bill amends the Federal Insurance Office Act of 2010 to modify requirements for a covered international agreement entered into by the Department of the Treasury's Federal Insurance Office. Such an agreement must only apply on a prospective basis. Congress has the power to review and disapprove by joint resolution any covered agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on November 17, 2017, regarding payday, vehicle title, and other high-cost installment loans.
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 · 17 November 2017
Recognizes the opening of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2017
Celebrates the opening of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Warrior Act This bill includes veterans in the military adaptive sports program of the Department of Defense. The military adaptive sports program provides reconditioning activities and competitive athletic opportunities to all wounded, ill and injured members of the Armed Forces.
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 · 6 November 2017
Family Self-Sufficiency Act This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise the Family-Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, an employment and savings incentive program for families that reside in public housing or have housing vouchers. Specifically, the bill: combines existing, separately operated FSS programs into a single program; extends program eligibility to tenants of certain privately owned properties subsidized with project-based rental assistance; revises program requirements related to eligibility, supportive services, and escrow deposits; and otherwise modifies the FSS program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to expand activities related to Alzheimer's disease, including activities involving early detection, support for caregivers, and public awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill modifies various provisions of federal firearms laws. Among other things, it does the following: prohibits certain firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check; and requires states to implement plans to improve the submission of mental health and criminal history records to the national instant criminal background check system.
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
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to pay, to a provider that furnishes a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, an adjusted Medicare payment consistent with the Medicare payment methodology for kidney-acquisition costs outlined in regulation. Under the applicable regulation, kidney-acquisition costs are treated apart from the prospective payment rate for inpatient operating costs, and payment is adjusted to compensate the hospital for certain reasonable expenses. "Hematopoietic stem cell transplant" means the infusion of allogeneic hematopoietic cells (including bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and cord-blood units, but excluding embryonic stem cells) that are: (1) not more than minimally manipulated; and (2) intended to reestablish hematopoietic function in an individual whose blood marrow or immune system is damaged, defective, or adversely affective by a congenital disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to exceed the $100,000 limit on small business development center assistance grants to accommodate extraordinary occurrences having a catastrophic impact on small business concerns in a community. The bill amends the Disaster Relief Act of 1970 to permit: (1) the use of SBA and Farm Service Agency (formerly, Farmers Home Administration) loans for enterprises that are vital to recovery efforts in a disaster area (including debris removal services, manufactured housing, gasoline, telecommunications, or building materials); and (2) such loans to waive any required evaluation of creditworthiness in exchange for a fee set by the SBA or the Farm Service Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Dialysis Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists, Treatment, and Services Demonstration Act of 2017 or the Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act of 2017 This bill establishes a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into transplantation, palliative care, or hospice; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models. An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries. A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model. The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission must, before 2025, submit to Congress an interim report on the program.
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
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require the Financial Stability Oversight Council, in determining whether a nonbank financial company shall be designated as systemically important and consequently be supervised by the Federal Reserve Board and subject to prudential standards, to consider the appropriateness of imposing such standards as opposed to other forms of regulation to mitigate identified risks to U.S. financial stability. Every five years, the council must, upon request by a nonbank financial company, reevaluate such a determination and hold a vote on whether to rescind it. The bill revises procedural requirements related to council determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1415 West Oak Street, in Kissimmee, Florida, as the "Borinqueneers Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Competitive Need Limitations Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise the competitive need limitation review process by: (1) modifying the deadline for the review process, and (2) establishing the relevant domestic production time frame for such review as within the preceding three years (currently on January 1, 1995). (The competitive need limitation terminates duty-free treatment with respect to articles from a beneficiary developing country if certain import limits are exceeded.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2017
This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit certain conduct with respect to any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but does not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. Specifically, it makes it a crime to manufacture, possess, or transfer such device: (1) in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or (2) that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. An individual who knowingly violates the prohibition is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. Additionally, the U.S. Sentencing Commission must review and amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements to provide an enhanced penalty if the device has been: (1) used, carried, or possessed during or in relation to a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime; or (2) unlawfully smuggled into or from the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
TRID Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures of 1974 to modify disclosure requirements applicable to mortgage loan transactions. Specifically, the disclosed charges for any title insurance premium shall be equal to the amount charged for each individual title insurance policy, subject to any discounts as required by either state regulation or the title company rate filings.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Fire Police Fairness Act This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include a fire police officer within the definition of "public safety officer" for purposes of death benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Federal Insurance Office Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Insurance Office Act of 2010 to modify the Department of the Treasury's Federal Insurance Office (FIO). FIO is moved to Treasury's Office of International Affairs. FIO's function of advising Treasury on domestic insurance issues is eliminated. The bill removes FIO from the Financial Stability Oversight Council. FIO's subpoena and enforcement powers regarding information gathering are terminated. The number of personnel employed by FIO is limited to five.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Mathe Avenue in Interlachen, Florida, as the "Robert H. Jenkins Post Office."
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
Senior Safe Act of 2017 This bill extends immunity from liability to certain individuals who, in good faith and with reasonable care, disclose the suspected exploitation of a senior citizen to a regulatory or law-enforcement agency. Specifically, this immunity shall apply to certain credit-union, depository-institution, investment-adviser, broker-dealer, transfer-agency, insurance-company, and insurance-agency employees who have received specified training related to identifying and reporting the suspected exploitation of a senior citizen. Similarly, the employing financial institution shall not be liable with respect to disclosures made by such employees.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
International Insurance Standards Act of 2017 This bill prohibits parties representing the federal government in an international insurance agreement from agreeing to any standard inconsistent with existing federal and state laws. The parties must coordinate with state insurance regulators. Congress has the power to review and disapprove by joint resolution any such agreement. The bill amends the Federal Insurance Office Act of 2010 to modify requirements for a covered international agreement entered into by the Department of the Treasury's Federal Insurance Office. Such an agreement must not include new prudential requirements for insurers and must only apply on a prospective basis. Congress has the power to review and disapprove by joint resolution any covered agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act or the Military SAVE Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through the Office of Community Care, to carry out a three-year pilot program of hospital care and medical services for eligible veterans at non-VA health care providers to treat physical and psychological injuries or illnesses that, in the judgment of a VA mental health professional, resulted from sexual assault or battery or sexual harassment while the veteran was serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. The program shall be carried out at not more than five locations, at least one of which shall be a rural location, based upon criteria including: (1) distance from a military installation, (2) city size, and (3) rates of sexual assault and rape. An eligible veteran may elect to participate in the pilot program. The VA may not restrict a participant's ability to choose the non-VA health care provider. The bill: (1) sets forth payment provisions for current and new non-VA providers, and (2) provides for program data collection and analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2017
Free File Permanence Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program. The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to: provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income; provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services. Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns. The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to: simplify the tax system, reduce compliance and reporting burdens, increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication, strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration, avoid duplication, and maximize the use of electronic technology. The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee must report annually to Congress regarding the program, including website statistics, cybersecurity standards, demographic information, marketing and education efforts, simplifications and innovations, and state and local participation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1100 Kings Road in Jacksonville, Florida, as the "Rutledge Pearson Post Office Building."
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
Housing Accountability Act of 2017 This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide statutory authority for the requirement for an entity receiving low-income housing assistance payments for existing public housing units to maintain decent, safe, and sanitary conditions for any structure covered under a payment contract. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shall develop a process by which a Performance-Based Contract Administrator shall, on a semiannual basis, conduct a survey of the tenants of each such structure to identify consistent or persistent problems with the structure's physical condition or its manager's performance. A structure shall be referred to HUD for remediation if the administrator identifies such a problem based on the survey or any other observation made by the administrator during the normal course of business. HUD may impose a penalty on the structure's owner if the structure does not satisfactorily meet this bill's requirements or is repeatedly referred to HUD for remediation by an administrator through the process. Collected amounts shall be used solely for supporting safe and sanitary conditions at applicable structures or for HUD-designated tenant relocation, with priority given to tenants of the penalized structure. This bill shall not apply to voucher program property.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Canadian Snowbird Visa Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to admit into the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period not to exceed 240 days during any single 365-day period a Canadian citizen who: (1) is at least 50 years old, (2) maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay, (3) is not inadmissible or deportable, (4) will not engage in employment or labor for hire in the United States other than for a non U.S.-based person or entity by whom the Canadian citizen was employed in Canada or for whom the Canadian citizen performed services in Canada, and (5) will not seek any form of assistance or benefit under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The spouse of such person may be admitted under the same terms except that he or she is not required to separately satisfy the residence/housing requirements. The bill grants a person so admitted nonresident alien tax status.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Citrus Investment in Treatment and Research for U.S. Sustainability Act or the CITRUS Act This bill amends several agricultural laws to authorize various Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus programs. The bill reauthorizes through FY2023: (1) the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program, (2) the Citrus Health Response Program, and (3) the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group. (Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening, is a disease that damages citrus trees and reduces citrus production. It is primarily spread through insects known as Asian citrus psyllids.) The bill extends the termination date for USDA's Citrus Disease Subcommittee from September 30, 2018, until the subcommittee determines that Huanglongbing and the Asian citrus psyllid no longer pose a threat to U.S. citrus production. The bill modifies the Tree Assistance Program to allow citrus producers to: (1) receive additional assistance under the program, and (2) have higher adjusted gross incomes while receiving benefits under the program. (The program provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters, including disease.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
State Sanctions Against Iranian Terrorism Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to specify that a state may, in addition to limiting investment in Iran's energy sector, prohibit or limit any person from engaging in specified investment activities in Iran. A state may also enter into interstate compacts to prohibit or limit such financial activities. Enforcement of such measures may include the imposition of disclosure and transparency requirements. The description of "investment activities" is revised to: (1) reduce the threshold for financial involvement from $20 million to $10 million; and (2) include, in addition to the energy sector, involvement in a business enterprise in Iran, including an entity owned or controlled by the Iranian government. The bill declares that a state or local government measure authorized pursuant to the bill is: (1) authorized and not preempted by any federal law or regulation, or any policy, agreement, or exercise of waiver authority of the executive branch; and (2) is consistent with U.S. federal policy, including U.S. foreign policy. A state or local government may enforce a measure adopted before the enactment of this bill that: (1) provides for the divestment of state or local assets from, or prohibits the investment of those assets in, any person that engages in investment activities in Iran or other business activities in Iran identified in the measure; or (2) prohibits or limits any person from engaging in investment activities in Iran. State and local government authority to divest from certain companies that invest in Iran shall not terminate pursuant to a presidential certification if Congress, not later than 60 days after the date on which the President submits such certification, enacts a joint resolution disapproving such certification.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Recreation Not Red-Tape Act This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to review the process for the issuance and renewal of special recreation permits, including for cross-jurisdictional trips, with respect to outfitters and guides. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall: (1) coordinate with states to allow the purchase of federal and state recreation passes at federal and state facilities in the same transaction, and (2) sell National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes, and make payment of entrance and standard amenity recreation fees available, through federal websites. Interior and USDA should work with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that service members and veterans have access to outdoor recreation and to outdoor-related volunteer and wellness programs. The Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service may develop management plans for extending the recreation season or increasing recreation use during the offseason. The Forest Service and BLM shall evaluate land managers based on the achievement of applicable agency recreational and tourism goals. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Transportation shall consider how land and water management decisions can enhance recreation opportunities and the recreation economy. The bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to establish the Ski Area Fee Retention Account. A specified portion of rental charges for ski area permits on a Forest Service unit shall be deposited in such account, and a specified portion of such amounts shall be available to such unit for ski area administration, improvements, and visitor services. The bill establishes a National Recreation Area System to be comprised of existing National Recreation Areas and new units designated after enactment of this bill. Interior and USDA shall: (1) develop initiatives to enhance private-sector volunteer programs, actively promote private-sector volunteer opportunities, and provide outreach and coordination to the private sector to carry out projects and programs for the stewardship of federal land; and (2) establish an interagency trail management plan under which federal land management agencies shall coordinate so that trails that cross jurisdictional boundaries between those agencies are uniformly managed and maintained.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act or the ACE Kids Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a state Medicaid option to provide for medical assistance with respect to coordinated care provided through a health home (i.e., a designated provider or team of health-care professionals) for children with medically complex conditions. A state shall make payments for such health-home services regardless of whether they are provided through a fee-for-service or managed-care system. For an initial period of eight fiscal-year quarters, the federal matching rate applicable to such payments shall be increased by 20 percentage points, not to exceed 90%. A state that exercises this option shall specify its methodology for determining payment and evaluating quality of care, in accordance with requirements established by the bill. In addition, the state must meet specified requirements regarding hospital referrals, out-of-state providers, education and outreach, data collection, and reporting. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must issue guidance on best practices for using out-of-state providers to provide care to children with medically complex conditions. The Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report to Congress and to the Department of Health and Human Services on specified matters related to children with medically complex conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a rule submitted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding arbitration agreements. (The rule regulates the use of arbitration agreements in contracts for specific consumer financial products and services. It prohibits the use of a predispute arbitration agreement to prevent a consumer from filing or participating in certain class action suits. The rule also requires consumer financial product and service providers to furnish the CFPB with particular information regarding arbitrations.)