United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 to impose specified sanctions on: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist in or provide support for fund raising or recruitment activities for Hizballah; (2) agencies of foreign governments that provide Hizballah with financial support, arms, or other assistance (export license requirements are included in addition to sanctions if such government is a state sponsor of terrorism); and (3) Hizballah, including by reason of Hizballah's significant transnational criminal activities. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that sanctions should be placed on financial institutions that serve Lebanese government officials affiliated with Hizballah. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is amended to sanction foreign financial institutions that facilitate efforts by Iran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to aid Hizballah. The bill prescribes reporting requirements or reporting modifications with respect to: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist or provide significant financial, material, or technological support for foreign persons assisting Hizballah; (2) financial institutions that are owned or organized under the laws of state sponsors of terrorism; (3) Hizballah's racketeering activities; (4) combating illicit tobacco trafficking networks used by Hizballah and other foreign terrorist organizations to finance their operations; (5) the estimated net worth of senior Hizballah officials and how these funds were acquired and used; and (6) countries that support Hizballah or in which Hizballah maintains important logistics networks or financial networks and steps such countries are taking to disrupt such networks.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Affirms U.S. leadership and commitment to improving access to quality education for the poorest and most marginalized children and youth worldwide. Supports the mission and goals of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to mobilize global and national efforts to contribute to the achievement of equitable, quality education and learning. Recognizes that U.S. investments in bilateral basic education are complemented by GPE's education systems approach and convening authority. Encourages continued commitment and investments by the U.S. government, international donors, private foundations, and private sector donors through the GPE to the global effort to promote children and youth attending school.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to allow the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) to subject a bank holding company to enhanced supervision if: (1) the company has been identified as a global systemically important company; or (2) the risk of the company's financial distress, or the nature of the company's activities, could pose a threat to the financial stability of the United States. Currently, companies are subject to this type of oversight if they possess at least $50 billion in assets or are a nonbank financial company under the FRB's supervision. The Financial Stability Oversight Council must approve of any metrics used by the FRB in determining by regulation that a category of bank holding companies is subject to enhanced supervision. Under this bill, companies subject to enhanced supervision may be required to limit mergers and acquisitions, restrict products offered, or maintain a certain debt ratio. The FRB must publish the list of companies that have been identified as requiring enhanced supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Wounded Officers Recovery Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Capitol Police Board to make payments from the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund to employees of the U.S. Capitol Police who have sustained serious line-of-duty injuries. The board is required to issue specific regulations governing the fund's use for making such payments. These regulations shall ensure that the payments are in addition to, and do not otherwise affect, other forms of compensation payable to the employee, including worker's compensation benefits. The bill requires amounts received by the board in response to the shooting incident at the practice for the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity on June 14, 2017, to be deposited into the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, and Important Contributions to Society Act or the CLASSICS Act This bill provides federal copyright protection for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, specifically the right to make digital transmissions. Currently, pre-1972 recordings are only covered by state law. Pre-1972 recordings will fall within the existing compulsory license system for digital transmissions, which currently only cover post-1972 recordings. The bill preempts claims under state and common law for digital transmission of pre-1972 recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
E-2 Visa Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit a nonimmigrant E-2 alien (treaty investor) who has been in the United States in such status for at least 10 years and has created full-time employment for at least 2 individuals to apply for immediate employment-based immigrant status. Up to 10,000 such visas may be made available each fiscal year. Sons and daughters of E-2 aliens (or aliens seeking such status) can remain on their parent's visa as a child until age 26. Employment authorization may be granted at age 18.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
Veteran Education Empowerment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs for the establishment, maintenance, improvement, and operation of veteran student centers. A veteran student center is a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Refund Rights for Taxpayers Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the statute of limitations for making a claim for a credit or refund for the overpayment of any tax, and (2) shorten the statute of limitations for a collection after the assessment of any tax. (Under current law, the statute of limitations for making a claim for a credit or refund is three years from the time the return was filed or two years from the time the tax was paid, whichever period expires later. If no return was filed by the taxpayer, the limit is two years from the time the tax was paid.) The bill extends this limit to seven years from the later of the time the return was filed or the tax was paid or, if no return was filed, seven years from the time the tax was paid. With respect to the statute of limitations for a collection after the assessment of any tax, the bill decreases the limit from 10 years to 7 years after the assessment of the tax.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Financial Stability Oversight Council Insurance Member Continuity Act This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to modify the term of the independent member with insurance expertise of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to allow the current member to continue to serve in the event of a delay in the naming of a successor by the end of the member's six-year term. In such a case, the independent member may continue to serve until 18 months after the end of the term or until a successor is confirmed, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
This bill requires the President to develop a strategy to prevent the financing of terrorism. The strategy shall contain: (1) an assessment of present efforts and existing threats, (2) proposed changes and initiatives, (3) a discussion of the role of the private sector and the enhancement of intergovernmental cooperation, (4) an analysis of emerging threats and the use of technological enhancements to stop the financing of terrorism, and (5) a multiyear budget plan .
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Federal Acquisition Savings Act of 2017 This bill requires: (1) each executive agency to consider equipment rental in any cost-effectiveness analysis for equipment acquisition; and (2) the Government Accountability Office, within two years after enactment of this bill, to report on agency decisions to acquire equipment by lease or purchase.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of civic education and civic involvement programs in schools. Encourages schools to test high school seniors about basic civic knowledge and to promote civic participation, democratic engagement, and social service.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to initiate a program to consolidate and temporarily store commercial spent nuclear fuel during the development, construction, and operation of a permanent nuclear waste repository. The bill addresses federal land withdrawal and related management issues, including the permanent withdrawal of specific federal land for repository use by DOE, updating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing process and conditions for the repository, and limiting activities relating to developing a separate defense waste repository used for storing high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel derived from the atomic energy defense activities of DOE. DOE may enter into agreements to provide benefits to state, local, and Tribal governments that might host or be affected by facilities related to storing nuclear waste. The bill revises the method by which DOE funds its nuclear waste management activities though the collection and usage of the Nuclear Waste Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Condemns the persecution of Christians around the world. Calls on: (1) discriminatory regimes to cease their persecution of Christians and religious minorities, and (2) the President and the heads of the governments of all democratic countries to uphold the right to religious freedom and condemn the persecution of Christians.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017 This bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President shall instruct the Department of State to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force to strengthen State Department efforts and assist other agency efforts at atrocity prevention and response. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to provide for the training of Foreign Service Officers in conflict and atrocity crimes prevention. The Director of National Intelligence is encouraged to include in his or her annual testimony to Congress on threats to U.S. national security: (1) a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes; and (2) specific countries and regions at immediate risk of atrocity crimes, including most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators, and at-risk target groups. The bill establishes the Complex Crises Fund to enable the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes. Fund amounts may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
This bill amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to temporarily allow loan originators that meet specified requirements to continue to originate loans after moving: (1) from one state to another, or (2) from a depository institution to a non-depository institution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act This bill amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to exempt a depository institution from certain records and disclosure requirements: (1) with respect to closed-end mortgage loans, if the depository institution originated fewer than 1,000 such loans in each of the two preceding years; and (2) with respect to open-end lines of credit, if the depository institution originated fewer than 2,000 such lines of credit in each of the two preceding years. In addition, the bill lessens requirements for depository institutions to itemize and disclose specified mortgage loan data.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Gas Pump Access Act of 2017 This bill declares that it shall be a prohibited form of discrimination against individuals with disabilities in a place of public accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 for a gas station or convenience store to fail to clearly display at each self-service gas pump a decal that includes its telephone number and the words "Call for Assistance." A gas station or convenience store that is open for business to the public with at least two attendants on duty must provide gas pumping assistance to a qualified individual with a disability who makes a request for such assistance. But it shall not be considered discrimination for a gas station or convenience store with one attendant on duty to fail to provide such requested gas pumping assistance if such attendant notifies the individual that assistance cannot be provided because there is only one attendant on duty. The Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice must promulgate regulations necessary to ensure compliance with this bill and make graphics for the decals publicly available on their websites.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Patients First Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct and support basic and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, testing, and human clinical use of stem cells that may result in improved understanding of, or treatments for, diseases and other adverse health conditions, provided that the techniques will not involve: (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a living human embryo; or (3) the use of any stem cell the derivation or provision of which would be inconsistent with this bill. HHS must issue guidelines to ensure that any research (including any clinical trial) supported under this bill: (1) is clearly consistent with the standards established in this bill, if conducted using human cells; and (2) is prioritized in terms of potential for near-term clinical benefit in human patients. HHS must report on peer reviewed stem cell research proposals that were not funded.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Combating BDS Act of 2017 This bill allows a state or local government to adopt and enforce measures to divest its assets from, prohibit investment of its assets in, or restrict contracting with: (1) an entity that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel; or (2) an entity that owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with such an entity. Such measures are not preempted by federal law. A state or local government that seeks to adopt or enforce such measures shall comply with specified requirements related to notice, timing, and opportunity for comment. In addition, the bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to prohibit a person from bringing any civil, criminal, or administrative action against a registered investment company based solely upon that company's divestment from securities issued by a person that engages in a commerce- or investment-related boycott, divestment, or sanctions activity targeting Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act or the HOT CARS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue a final rule to require that all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds be equipped with a system for rear seating positions to alert (by an auditory and visual alert that may be combined with a haptic alert) the motor vehicle operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle motor is deactivated. A state shall use a portion of its highway safety program funds to educate the public on the risks of leaving a child or unattended passenger in a vehicle after the vehicle motor is deactivated.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Disaster Savings Accounts Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt disaster savings accounts to pay the expenses of homeowners for disaster mitigation and recovery expenses, (2) allow a deduction from gross income (above-the-line deduction) of up to $5,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) in a taxable year for cash contributions to such accounts, (3) exclude from gross income distributions from such accounts to pay disaster mitigation and recovery expenses, and (4) set forth tax rules and penalties for excess contributions to disaster savings accounts and for failure to file required reports on such accounts.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2017
Outdoor Recreation Enhancement Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to extend the exemption from minimum wage and maximum hours requirements to an employee of a recreational establishment engaged in providing services or facilities directly related to outfitting and guiding or similar outdoor recreation activities, or rental of outdoor recreational equipment. Federal agencies shall notify their contractors of the applicability of this exemption. This bill exempts from service contract labor standards and paid sick leave requirements contracts with the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture that provide services directly related to the recreational activities specified by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2017 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl in recognition of his acts of valor during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Financial Institution Customer Protection Act of 2017 This bill specifies that a federal banking agency may not request or order a depository institution to terminate a customer account unless: (1) the agency has a material reason for doing so, and (2) that reason is not based solely on reputation risk. In addition, the bill amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to: (1) apply civil penalties to specified violations by a financial institution against an unaffiliated third person, and (2) modify provisions related to administrative subpoenas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Employee Rights Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to: (1) make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization to interfere (currently, restrain or coerce) with the rights of employees to organize and collectively bargain; (2) require union recertification after a turnover in the workforce exceeding 50% of the bargaining unit; (3) require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing investigating an election petition; and (4) require an employer to provide the NLRB with a list consisting only of employee names and addresses of all eligible voters within seven days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate bargaining unit or an agreement on eligible voters. The bill: (1) grants union and nonunion employees the right to vote by secret ballot on whether to ratify a collective bargaining agreement or engage in a strike, (2) prohibits the use of union dues for any purpose not directly related to collective bargaining, (3) prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all represented employees determined by secret ballot, and (4) prohibits the use or threat of force or violence to obtain the right to represent employees. .
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Horseracing Integrity Act of 2017 This bill establishes the Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority as an independent non-profit corporation with responsibility for developing and administering an anti-doping and medication control program for: (1) Thoroughbred, Quarter, and Standardbred horses that participate in horse races that have a substantial relation to interstate commerce, (2) such horse races, and (3) the personnel engaged in the care, training, or racing of such horses. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all horse racing anti-doping and medication control matters. The Authority and such FTC jurisdiction shall terminate if an interstate compact providing for services consistent with such program is established within five years after the program takes effect. The Authority may enter into agreements with state racing commissions to implement the program within their jurisdictions. Program elements shall include: anti-doping and medication control rules, lists of permitted and prohibited substances and methods, a prohibition on the administration of any such substance within 24 hours of a horse's next racing start, and testing and laboratory standards. The Authority shall: develop, maintain, and publish such lists; establish a list of anti-doping and medication control rule violations applicable to either covered horses or persons; establish standards and the process for laboratory accreditation and sample testing; and promulgate rules for anti-doping and medication control results management, for the disciplinary process for violation results management, and for imposing sanctions for violations. The bill sets forth civil enforcement provisions. Activities under this bill are funded by an assessment placed on state racing commissions based on the calculation of cost per racing starter.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
United States-Israel Agriculture Strategic Partnership Act This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to establish a program for cooperative research and development in agriculture with the government of Israel. The purpose of the program is to establish a framework to enhance the collaboration between the United States and Israel in research and development activities relating to agriculture, including between public and private entities. The bill also authorizes the Department of State to establish a binational task force to provide guidance and oversight with respect to the cooperative research and development program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2017
Veterans Increased Choice for Transplanted Organs and Recovery Act of 2017 or the VICTOR Act of 2017 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to include among veterans eligible to receive hospital care and medical services through agreements with the Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service, federally-qualified health centers, or health care providers that participate in the Medicare program a veteran who: (1) requires an organ transplant, (2) lives more than 100 miles from a Department of Veterans Affairs transplant center, and (3) is seeking such care and services related to a required organ transplant at a transplant center that is located within 100 miles of such veteran's residence and operated by such an entity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2017 This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make it one of the purposes of the Act to provide financial and technical assistance to the states for the promotion of hunting and recreational shooting. The bill also prescribes a formula for the allocation of funds apportioned to a state that may be used for any activity or project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational shooters. In addition to other uses authorized under this bill, amounts apportioned to the states from any taxes on pistols, revolvers, bows, and arrows may be used for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment. The funds apportioned to a state for wildlife restoration management may be used for related public relations. If a state has not used all of the tax revenues apportioned to it for firearm and bow hunter education and safety program grants, it may use its remaining apportioned funds for the enhancement of hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment. Up to $5 million of the revenues covered into the wildlife restoration fund in the Treasury from any tax imposed for a fiscal year on the sale of certain bows, arrows, and archery equipment shall be available to the Department of the Interior exclusively for making hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
National Park Service Legacy Act of 2017 This bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund, and (2) requires specified amounts of federal mineral revenues that are not otherwise credited, covered, or deposited pursuant to federal law to be deposited into such fund each fiscal year through FY2047. Amounts in the fund shall be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service (NPS) as follows: 20% shall be allocated to transportation-related projects that may be eligible for funding made available to the NPS through the federal lands transportation program or any similar federal land highway program administered by the Department of Transportation; and 80% shall be allocated for the repair and rehabilitation of assets for certain projects that are not eligible for funding under such programs, including historic assets, nonhistoric assets related to visitor access, health and safety, and recreation, and visitor facilities, water and utility systems, and employee housing. No fund amounts may be used by the NPS to acquire land or to supplant discretionary funding made available for annually recurring facility operations and maintenance needs. As part of its annual budget submission, the NPS shall submit a prioritized list of deferred maintenance projects proposed to be funded by such fund during the fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to waive, for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. Current law generally applies this waiting period to individuals deemed eligible for OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Mortgage Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to revise the definition of "points and fees," for purposes of determining whether a mortgage is a "high-cost mortgage," to: (1) exclude compensation taken into account in setting the interest rate and for which the consumer was not separately charged, and (2) include compensation paid by a consumer or creditor to an individual employed by or contracting with a mortgage originator. (A high-cost mortgage designation restricts the terms of a loan and requires a lender to make certain disclosures to the borrower.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2017
Taking Account of Bureaucrats' Spending Act of 2017 or the TABS Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to eliminate provisions that fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) using transfers from the earnings of the Federal Reserve System. The transfers under current law permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process, and this bill brings the CFPB into the regular process.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: the atrocities committed by totalitarian regimes under the banner of communism should be recognized and condemned, the contributions of dissidents in the fight against communist oppression should be recognized and celebrated, and federal agencies and institutions should support the establishment of a prospective museum to memorialize the victims of communism.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it provides grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment. An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran: coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy, hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran, payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more over 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training. The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the methodology used for the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Consumer Financial Choice and Capital Markets Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to allow a money market fund, under specified conditions, to elect to operate using a different method of valuation than is otherwise required. A money market fund that elects to do so shall not be subject to specified requirements related to the imposition of liquidity fees. Certain federal assistance may not be provided directly to any money market fund. This limitation on federal assistance must be disclosed in a money market's advertising and sales literature.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to coordinate with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and to consult with the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine: (1) the feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system; and (2) the effectiveness of the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK), including how well it addresses the needs of veterans. The FCC must submit to Congress a recommended dialing code, a cost-benefit analysis comparing the three-digit code to the current lifeline number, and cost estimates for service providers, states, and localities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Capital Access for Small Business Banks Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a bank or a depository institution holding company which is an S corporation to: (1) have 500 shareholders (the current limit is 100 shareholders), and (2) issue qualified preferred bank stock. The bill makes a distribution of qualified preferred bank stock to a shareholder includible in the gross income of the shareholder and allows the bank or holding company to deduct the amount of such distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude certain purchases of employee-owned stock from being considered as outstanding voting stock for the purpose of the tax on excess business holdings of a private foundation in a business enterprise. The bill applies to any voting stock that is: (1) not readily tradable on an established securities market; (2) purchased by the business enterprise on or after January 1, 2005, from a stock bonus or profit sharing plan in which employees of the business enterprise participate, in connection with a distribution from the plan; and (3) held by the business enterprise as treasury stock, cancelled, or retired.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Audiology Patient Choice Act of 2017 This bill amends expands the definition of "physician," for purposes of the Medicare program, to include an audiologist with respect to the furnishing of audiology services. Additionally, the bill expands the scope of audiology services covered under Medicare and allows payment for such services regardless of whether an enrollee is under the care of (or referred by) a physician or other health care provider or whether the services are provided under the supervision of a physician or other health care provider.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to modify provisions related to residential mortgage loans. In general, a creditor that is a depository institution shall not be subject to suit for violating specified ability-to-pay requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan if: (1) the creditor has consistently held the loan on its balance sheet, and (2) prepayment penalties associated with the loan comply with specified limitations. Similarly, a mortgage originator shall not be subject to suit for such a violation if: (1) the creditor is a depository institution; and (2) the creditor informs the mortgage originator, which informs the consumer, that the creditor intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Remote Transactions Parity Act of 201 7 This bill authorizes each member state under the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (the multistate agreement for the administration and collection of sales and use taxes adopted on November 12, 2002) to require all remote sellers not qualifying for a small remote seller exception to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to remote sales under provisions of the agreement, but only if such agreement includes minimum simplification requirements relating to the administration of the tax, audits, and streamlined filing. States that have not adopted the agreement must adopt and implement minimum simplification requirements for the administration of sales and use taxes in order to require the collection of such taxes. Under the remote seller exception, a state may only require the collection of sales and use taxes by a remote seller if the seller: (1) has gross annual receipts exceeding specified amounts, which are phased in from $10 million for the first year following the effective date, to $5 million for the second year, and $1 million for the third year; or (2) utilizes an electronic marketplace for the purpose of making products or services available for sale to the public. The bill defines "remote sale" as a sale that originates in one state and is sourced to another state in which the seller would not legally be required to pay, collect, or remit state or local sales and use taxes without the authority provided by this bill. The bill also prohibits states from beginning to exercise the authority granted by this bill for a specified period after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Clarifying Commercial Real Estate Loans This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to specify that a federal banking agency may not subject a depository institution to higher capital standards with respect to a high-volatility commercial real-estate (HVCRE) exposure unless the exposure is an HVCRE acquisition, development, or construction (ADC) loan. An HVCRE ADC loan is a one that: (1) is secured by land or improved real property; (2) has the purpose of providing financing to acquire, develop, or improve the real property such that the property becomes income-producing; and (3) is dependent upon future income or sales proceeds from, or refinancing of, the real property for the repayment of the loan. An HVCRE ADC loan does not include financing for a one- to four-family residential property, agricultural land, real property that would qualify as an investment in community development, existing income-producing real property secured by a mortgage, or certain commercial real-property projects. Furthermore, such a loan does not include any loan made prior to January 1, 2015. A depository institution may reclassify a loan as a non-HVCRE ADC loan if the depository institution is satisfied that: (1) the acquisition, development, or improvement of real property being financed by the loan is complete; and (2) the cash flow being generated by the real property is sufficient to support the debt service and expenses of the real property.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Condemns the government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Urges the President and the Department of State to: (1) condemn the Iranian government's continued violation of human rights and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion, and (2) impose sanctions on Iranian officials and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Pension, Endowment, and Mutual Fund Access to Banking Act This bill requires the appropriate federal banking agencies to exclude, for purposes of calculating a custodial bank's supplementary leverage ratio, funds of a custodial bank that are deposited with a central bank. ("Supplementary leverage ratio" is a capital adequacy measure that refers to the ratio of a banking organization's tier-one capital to its leverage exposure.) The amount of such funds: (1) may not exceed the total value of deposits of the custodial bank linked to fiduciary or custodial and safekeeping accounts; and (2) may be otherwise limited, as specified by the bill.
![Official portrait of Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_fl_15_ross_dennis_200.jpg)