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![Official portrait of Rep. Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [D-MD-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_md_2_ruppersberger_c_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
3,238 records where Rep. Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch [D-MD-2] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 This bill includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the President and certain candidates for President to disclose federal income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years in reports filed with either the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) or the Federal Election Commission (FEC), in the case of a candidate. The OGE or the FEC must make the disclosed tax returns publicly available after making appropriate redactions. If the income tax returns are not disclosed as required by this bill, the OGE or the FEC must request the returns from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the IRS, upon receiving a written request from the FEC or the OGE, to provide any income tax return that is required to be disclosed under this bill. The bill also establishes civil and criminal penalties for failing to file or falsifying income tax returns that are required to be disclosed pursuant to this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill: (1) allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only for a disability rated at 50% or more), and (2) repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund through FY2022. This bill amends the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 to authorize Department of the Interior to award a multi-year grant to carry out a project that is an effective, long-term conservation strategy for great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, or gibbons) and their habitats. Interior is required to convene a panel of experts to identify the greatest needs and priorities for the conservation of great apes within a year and every five years thereafter. Current law authorizes Interior to convene a panel to consider the greatest conservation needs every two years. The panel is required to consider relevant great ape conservation plans or strategies. This bill amends the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to make a wildlife management authority of a U.S. territory eligible for financial assistance for marine turtle conservation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that gender specific services are continuously available at every VA medical center and community based outpatient clinic. The VA is authorized to employ such personnel and enter into such contracts as may be necessary to provide such services based on the standards of the VA and the demand for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. The bill prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts for human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund from which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to make one payment of $25,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Such individuals must: (1) apply for such benefit within one year after the enactment of this Act, and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The VA shall include, in annual budget documents submitted to Congress, detailed information on the Fund's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334: undermined the long-standing U.S. position to oppose and veto Security Council resolutions that seek to impose solutions to final status issues or that are one-sided and anti-Israel; undermines the prospect of Israelis and Palestinians resuming productive, direct negotiations; and contributes to the politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel and represents a concerted effort to extract concessions from Israel outside of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, which must be actively rejected. Such resolution characterizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands cessation of settlement activities. Declares that: any future measures taken in international or outside organizations to impose an agreement including the recognition of a Palestinian state will set back the cause of peace, harm the security of Israel, run counter to the enduring bipartisan consensus on strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship, and weaken support for such organizations; a sustainable peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will come only through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties resulting in a Jewish, democratic state living next to a demilitarized Palestinian state in peace and security; the United States should work to facilitate direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions toward a peace agreement; and the U.S. government should oppose and veto future Security Council resolutions that seek to impose solutions to final status issues or that are one-sided and anti-Israel. Declares that the House opposes Security Council Resolution 2334 and will work to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Calls for such resolution to be repealed or fundamentally altered.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Mortgage Debt Tax Forgiveness Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of qualified principal residence indebtedness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Urges the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2016
Veterans-Specific Education for Tomorrow's Medical Doctors Act or the VET MD Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a three-year pilot program at at least five VA medical centers to provide undergraduate students a clinical observation experience. The VA shall ensure that such program: increases the awareness, knowledge, and empathy of future medical professionals toward the medical conditions common to veterans; increases the diversity of the recruitment pool of future VA physicians; provides a diverse clinical observation experience commensurate with the standard expectations for medical school applications; and expands clinical observation opportunities for all students by encouraging students of all backgrounds to consider a career in medicine. The VA shall select undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled in an accredited science or medical program of study to participate in the program, with priority to students who resided in a health professional shortage area and who are the first in their immediate family to attend an undergraduate institution.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2016
Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act This bill allows the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation to establish the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial as a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism. No federal funds may be used to pay any expense to establish the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Veterans Transplant Coverage Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) provide for an operation on a live donor to carry out a transplant procedure for an eligible veteran notwithstanding that the live donor may not be eligible for VA health care, and (2) provide for such an operation at a VA or a non-VA facility. The VA shall furnish to such a donor any care or services that may be required before and after conducting with such procedure.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Honors the life, work, and legacy of Elie Wiesel. Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the members of Wiesel's family. Reaffirms Wiesel's efforts to preserve the memory of those who perished and prevent the recurrence of another Holocaust, to combat hate and intolerance, and to never forget and also learn from the lessons of history.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act This bill authorizes the military department concerned to reimburse a member of the Armed Forces who is reassigned for a permanent change of station or assignment from one state to another for qualified relicensing costs of the member's spouse. Reimbursement may not exceed $500 for each change of station or assignment. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) shall work with states to improve license portability. "Qualified relicensing costs" are the costs, including exam and registration fees, needed to secure a license or certification to engage in the same profession in the new state.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to exclude from the definition of, and moratorium on, "congressional earmarks" any provisions or report language arranging for, authorizing, or recommending a specific amount of spending authority for an expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific state, locality, or congressional district, if the language relates to an existing or proposed water resources development project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Protecting Veterans Credit Act of 2016 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude from a consumer report: (1) for one year, information related to a veteran's choice medical program (program) debt; and (2) information related to a fully paid or settled program debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection. The Consumer Credit Protection Act is amended to provide a mechanism for veterans to dispute the inclusion of program debt already on a credit report. A consumer reporting agency shall, within 30 days after receiving notice of such dispute, delete such information from the veteran's file and notify the furnisher and the veteran. Within five days after the initial communication with a veteran, a debt collector shall, unless the appropriate information is contained in the initial communication or the veteran has paid the debt, send the veteran a written notice containing specified debt-related information, including information concerning debt amount, creditors, the insurance company involved, and the hospital or medical care provider. If a veteran notifies the debt collector within such one-year period that the program debt is disputed or that the veteran requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection until debt verification or the name and address of the original creditor is obtained.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Honors the life, accomplishments, and contributions to humanity made by Muhammad Ali.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the United States reaffirms its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the foundation of transatlantic security and defense, (2) NATO serves as a critical coalition in preserving transatlantic peace and stability, and (3) NATO's continuing development of new capabilities and technologies to combat terrorism and a changing international security environment are crucial to enhancing national security and strengthening the ability of the United States to combat security threats.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2016
Care Veterans Deserve Act of 2016 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Veterans Choice Program permanent. Program eligibility is expanded to include veterans with a 50% service-connected disability. The VA shall contract with a national chain of walk-in clinics to provide hospital care and medical services in such clinics to veterans who are in the annual patient enrollment system. A veteran shall not be required to: (1) obtain pre-authorization for such care, or (2) pay a copayment to the clinic or to the VA. Such national chain shall establish an automated system to provide the VA with weekly information on veterans receiving hospital care or medical services. A covered health care professional may practice his or her health care profession at any location in any state, regardless of where such health care professional or the patient is located, if the health care professional is using telemedicine to treat an individual. Such treatment is permitted regardless of whether the professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility. "Covered health care professional" means a health care professional who is: (1) authorized by the VA to provide health care, including a private health care professional who provides such care under a VA contract or agreement; and (2) licensed, registered, or certified in a state to practice his or her health care profession. The VA shall: extend the operating hours for each VA pharmacy to include weekday evenings until until 8:00 p.m., weekends, and federal holidays; and contract with qualifying physicians and nurses to work at VA medical facilities during nights and weekends. The VA may: (1) hire support staff in connection with such extended operating hours, and (2) provide for a a nongovernmental hospital organization best-practices peer review of each VA medical center.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Reaffirms: that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner, that it is U.S. policy and law to ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge and self-defense capacity, and support of an Israeli tiered missile defense program. Urges finalization of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel. Supports a long-term Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel that increases the amount of aid from previous agreements and enhances Israel's military capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2016 This bill appropriates funding for the activities in the bill. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to enter into cooperative agreements with states to expand opioid treatment capacity, make services more affordable to those who cannot afford them, and help individuals seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and certain pain medications.) Funding must be allocated to states based on the severity of the opioid epidemic in the state and the strength of the state's strategy to respond. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must expand efforts to support prescription drug monitoring programs and health information technology interoperability. The Bureau of Prisons must support drug treatment programs. The bill amends the Second Chance Act to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help justice-involved individuals successfully reintegrate into the community. The bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to permit DOJ to support the development of residential and aftercare services for substance-involved inmates. DOJ must establish new heroin enforcement groups within the Drug Enforcement Administration to target, disrupt, and dismantle heroin trafficking organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2016 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for disability insurance benefits for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and require their payment starting the first month during all of which the individual is under a disability and in which the individual becomes entitled to the benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2016
Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide an accredited, permanent congressional employee with read-only remote access to the electronic Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) claims records system of a represented veteran, regardless of whether the employee is acting under a power of attorney executed by the veteran. The VA shall ensure that access does not allow the employee to modify system data. An employee must complete the VA certification process required of agents or attorneys in order to have system access. Each Member of Congress who elects to have an employee participate in the system shall bear the certification cost, which shall be paid from the Member's representational allowance. Information access by an employee shall be deemed: (1) a covered disclosure requiring prior consent, with specified exceptions; and (2) a permitted disclosure relating to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. The VA may not recognize an employee for purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA claims by reason of such system access. "Accredited, permanent congressional employee" means an employee of a Member of Congress who assists constituents with issues regarding federal departments or agencies. "Electronic VBA claims records system" means the VA system that provides claim status information, including information about medical records, compensation and pension exams records, rating decisions, a statement of the case and a supplementary statement of the case, a notice of disagreement, and Form-9.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill permanently reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 (Emmett Till Act) and expands the responsibilities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include the investigation and prosecution of criminal civil rights statutes violations that resulted in a death, regardless of when the violations occurred. (Currently, the Emmett Till Act is scheduled to expire at the end of FY2017 and such investigations are limited to violations that occurred before 1970.) The bill expresses the sense of Congress that all authorities with jurisdiction should: (1) coordinate information sharing; (2) hold accountable individuals who were perpetrators of, or accomplices in, unsolved civil rights murders; and (3) comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. In investigating a complaint, DOJ may coordinate activities with entities that DOJ determines to be appropriate. DOJ shall reopen and review cases closed without an in-person investigation conducted by DOJ or the FBI. DOJ must establish a task force to conduct a thorough investigation of Emmett Till Act cases. In an annual report to Congress, DOJ must indicate: (1) the number of cases referred by a civil rights organization, an institution of higher education, or a state or local law enforcement agency; (2) the number of such cases that resulted in federal charges; (3) the date any such charges were filed; (4) whether DOJ has declined to prosecute or participate in an investigation of a referred case; and (5) any activity on reopened cases. DOJ may award grants to civil rights organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities for expenses associated with investigating offenses under the Emmett Till Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Expresses support for the designation of National Bladder Health Month.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides appropriations to HHS for: the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.) The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for: the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Declares that, whenever a moment of silence related to a tragedy involving gun violence occurs on the floor of the House, the Speaker shall announce on the next legislative day the standing committee (or subcommittee) designated to hold a hearing on the event.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2016
Free File Act of 2016 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.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2016
Information Technology Modernization Act This bill establishes in the Treasury an Information Technology Modernization Fund for technology related activities, to improve information technology, and to enhance cybersecurity across the federal government. The Fund shall be administered by the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA may: transfer amounts from the Fund to an agency to improve, retire, or replace existing information technology systems to enhance cybersecurity and improve efficiency and effectiveness; use amounts in the Fund for the development, operation, and procurement of information technology products, services, and acquisition vehicles for use by agencies to improve efficiency and cybersecurity; and use amounts in the Fund to provide services or work performed in support of such activities. An agency shall: (1) reimburse the Fund for any such transfer, and (2) pay a price to be fixed by the GSA for any such product or service the agency uses. The bill establishes an Information Technology Modernization Board, which shall: (1) evaluate proposals for modernization submitted by agencies; (2) make recommendations to the GSA to assist agencies in the further development and refinement of select proposals; and (3) monitor progress and performance in executing approved projects and, if necessary, recommend the suspension or termination of funding. The GSA shall support Board activities and provide technical support to, and oversight of, agencies that receive transfers from the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2016 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out the activities specified below in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). An eligible entity that receives a grant shall use grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities designed to increase the participation of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or both: online workshops, mentoring programs that partner STEM professionals with students, internships for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields, outreach programs providing elementary and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to STEM fields, and programs to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
This bill directs the Joint Committee on the Library to enter into an agreement with the Harriet Tubman Statue Commission of the State of Maryland under which the Commission shall provide, and the Joint Committee shall accept, a statue of Harriet Tubman. After receiving the statue, the Joint Committee on the Library shall place it in a suitable permanent location in the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Celebrates, during Women's History Month, the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks. Honors Lacks as a hero of modern medicine for contributions to the medical discoveries resulting from her HeLa cells, which helped make possible some of the most important medical advances of the last century. Recognizes her legacy, which has contributed to developments in bioethics and patient rights.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Digital Coast Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management to establish a Digital Coast program for the sharing of digital information to help coastal communities better prepare for storms, plan for long-term coastal resilience, and manage coastal resources. The program launches the next phase of development at NOAA for the use of coastal mapping. In order for coastal communities to effectively use coastal mapping to solve coastal problems there must be coordination and information sharing among federal, state, local, and private participants in each coastal area. NOAA's Office for Coastal Management should optimize the development and use of coastal mapping data by: integrating the data to make it readily accessible via the internet, developing visualization and predictive tools that makes the data easier to find and use, providing training on how to decipher and use the data to make accurate decisions, making sure the data meets federal standards, and archiving the data at the NOAA data center. In addition, the Digital Coast program requires NOAA's Office for Coastal Management to prioritize the collection of coastal mapping data in critical coastal areas, and support existing efforts to improve the acquisition of the key data sets necessary for coastal communities to effectively solve coastal problems.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
Strengthening the Department of Homeland Security Secure Mail Initiative Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide an option under the Secure Mail Initiative under which, for payment of a fee recouping costs, a person to whom a document is sent under such initiative may require the U.S. Postal Service to obtain a signature from that person in order to deliver the document.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
Urges the United States to: (1) establish a national goal of 50% clean and carbon-free electricity by 2030, and (2) enact legislation to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
CT Colonography Screening for Colorectal Cancer Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) provide Medicare coverage for screening computed tomography colonography (CTC) as a colorectal cancer screening test, and (2) exclude screening CTC from a special Medicare payment rule applicable to certain imaging services.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act or the BRACE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition and celebration of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The coins shall be in the shape of a dome, and the design on the common reverse of the coins shall depict a basketball. Treasury shall hold a competition to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins, which shall be emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Hall to fund an endowment for its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill increases the rates of basic pay for federal employees under the statutory pay systems (relating to the General Schedule, the U.S. Foreign Service, and the Veterans Health Administration) and for prevailing rate employees by 3.9% for FY2017. The percentage adjustment for locality-based comparability payments for calendar year 2017 shall be an increase of 1.4%.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Lake Berryessa Recreation Enhancement Act of 2016 This bill establishes as the Lake Berryessa Recreation Area specified land administered by the Bureau of Reclamation that is underlying or adjacent to Lake Berryessa in California, including any improvements. The bill transfers the administrative jurisdiction over the area from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior. Interior shall develop a management plan for the area and may establish guidelines and restrictions on recreational uses to ensure the safety and security of recreational users. Interior may also issue recreation concession permits, including at the area, to allow a third party to provide facilities and services to visitors on lands and waters managed by the BLM in support of outdoor recreational opportunities. Reclamation shall continue to administer and operate the Monticello Dam and any related facility, including any power facility.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2016 This bill amends the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) to prohibit a third party online hotel reservation seller (an online seller that is not affiliated with the person who owns the hotel or provides the hotel services or accommodations) from charging a consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account for any good or service sold in an Internet transaction, unless the seller discloses all material terms of the transaction. Before the conclusion of the transaction, the seller must describe, and disclose the cost of, the offered good or service. The seller must also disclose, in a manner that is continuously visible to the consumer throughout the transaction process, the fact that it is not affiliated with the person who: (1) owns the hotel, or (2) provides the hotel services or accommodations. States may bring actions in federal courts to obtain damages, restitution, compensation, or other relief for ROSCA violations. (Currently, states may bring such actions for only injunctive relief.) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) must publish on its website an assessment of: (1) consumers' capacity to understand which company they are transacting with during online hotel reservation shopping, (2) consumer harm from such uncertainty, and (3) whether any practice by a third party online hotel reservation seller violates ROSCA. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the FTC should revise its website to make it easier for consumers and businesses to report complaints of deceptive practices with online booking of hotel reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Families of Flint Act This bill provides support for Flint, Michigan in addressing lead in the city's drinking water and related issues. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by establishing a 10-year grant program to ensure that Flint's drinking water does not contain: (1) lead levels that threaten public health or the environment, or (2) other drinking water contaminants and pathogens that threaten public health. The bill also establishes specified grant programs for assisting Flint that are established within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, by allowing states to use more than 20% of funds from Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grants for addressing a threat to public health from heightened exposure to lead in a municipal drinking water supply if a federal or state emergency declaration has been issued for that threat. HHS must establish in Flint a Center of Excellence on Lead Exposure. The bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the allowable participation period in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children for children residing in areas that are in a state of emergency. A state may elect to allow those children to participate in the program for a period that ends on the earlier of: (1) the child's tenth birthday (currently fifth), or (2) five years after the emergency (currently children may participate for a one-year period).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Commemorates Representatives Sam Johnson and John Lewis for their patriotic service and sacrifice to the country they love and for becoming the first ever recipients of the Congressional Patriot Award.