United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2020
This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
Philippine Human Rights Act This bill imposes limitations on providing assistance to the police or military of the Philippines. No federal funds may be used to provide such assistance until the Philippines government has taken certain actions, including (1) investigating and successfully prosecuting members of its military and police forces who have violated human rights, (2) withdrawing the military from domestic policing activities, and (3) establishing that it effectively protects the rights of journalists and civil society activists. The President shall also direct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the police or military of the Philippines.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2020
I Am Vanessa Guillen Act of 2020 This bill addresses the response of the Department of Defense to sex-related offenses committed against members of the Armed Forces, including allowing a member to confidentially allege a complaint of sexual harassment to an individual outside the immediate chain of command of that member.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2020
2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act This bill extends certain deadlines for the U.S. Census Bureau to complete the 2020 decennial census of population. The bill prohibits the bureau from concluding the Nonresponse Followup operation or the Self-Response operation before October 31, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2020
Removing Monetary Barriers to Voting Act This bill establishes that an individual's right to vote in an election may not be denied or abridged due to debts owed for a criminal conviction.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to (1) submit a plan to address its staffing shortages of licensed professional mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, and (2) develop an occupational series for such counselors and therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 1 September 2020
VA Mental Health Staffing Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a plan to address the staffing of mental health providers at its facilities. Among other elements, the plan must address the filling of any open positions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 August 2020
American Competitiveness Of a More Productive Emerging Tech Economy Act or the American COMPETE Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission to study and submit reports on the state of specified technology industries (e.g., artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain technology, and unmanned delivery services) and the impact of these industries on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 22 August 2020
Rejecting and Eliminating the Foul Use of Symbols Exulting Confederate Principles Act or the REFUSE Confederate Principles Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish, within the National Park Service (NPS), a program to be known as the Emancipation Historic Preservation Program to award grants to states and other eligible entities to remove a Confederate symbol; remove and replace a Confederate symbol with an alternative monument, memorial, statue, commemorative structure, symbol, or signage; remove and replace a Confederate symbol with an alternative monument, memorial, statue, commemorative structure, symbol, or signage to commemorate or depict the freedom of enslaved African Americans; and remove and transfer a Confederate symbol to a state historic preservation program. Interior shall also provide technical assistance to eligible entities related to these activities. None of the funds made available by this bill may be used by Interior, the NPS, or an eligible entity for the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, or new construction of a Confederate symbol.
United States · United States Congress · 22 August 2020
Uniform National Guard Implementation To End this Disaster Act or the UNITED Act This bill requires the federal government to pay states for 100% of the cost of National Guard duty in connection with the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The requirement applies retroactively. Presidential memoranda issued on August 3, 2020, required most states to pay 25% of the cost for such duty beginning on August 21, 2020, but maintained a 100% federal cost share for Texas and Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2020
Abolish the Last Great Plantation in America Resolution This resolution establishes the Commission on Addressing Racism and Ensuring Diversity in the United States Government. The commission must study the presence of systemic racism and the lack of diversity in the federal government and recommend steps to eliminate racism and promote diversity in the government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2020
American Right to Vote Act This bill generally prohibits states from imposing additional conditions or requirements on the eligibility of individuals to cast ballots by mail in federal elections. It also requires the U.S. Postal Service to categorize, handle, and deliver election mail as first-class mail.
United States · United States Congress · 14 August 2020
Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act This bill prohibits a federal department or agency from recognizing, or implying recognition of, any claim by Israel of sovereignty over any part of the occupied West Bank in violation of international humanitarian law or customary international law. Further, it prohibits the use of certain federal funds to support specified activities in West Bank territory that has been unilaterally annexed by Israel or to facilitate or support such annexation. The Department of State must make an annual certification regarding any obligation or expenditure of such funds to Israel for these purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 August 2020
Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants to governmental health departments to increase rates of recommended immunizations during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The CDC must also develop, in consultation with specified entities, guidance for health care providers on counseling patients about COVID-19 vaccines.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 2020
Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2020 This bill addresses various provisions related to the operation and administration of prisons, detention centers, and other correctional facilities, such as banning for-profit prisons, imposing requirements on financial and communication services available to inmates, and requiring alternatives to detention for family units apprehended under immigration authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 2020
Delivering for America Act This bill prohibits the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from making changes to operations or levels of service from those that were in effect on January 1, 2020. Specifically, the USPS may not, during the period beginning on enactment of this bill and ending on the last day of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency or January 1, 2021, whichever is later, implement or approve any change to the operations or the level of service that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient services, including changes in the nature of services that will generally affect service on a nationwide basis; revisions of service standards; closures or consolidations of post offices or reduction of facility hours; prohibitions on payment of overtime pay to USPS officers or employees; changes that would prevent the USPS from meeting its service standards or that would reduce measurements of performance concerning those standards; changes that would have the effect of delaying mail, allowing non-delivery to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 2020
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Justice (DOJ) should defend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in ongoing litigation. Currently, DOJ supports the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that upheld a district court ruling that certain provisions of the PPACA are not severable from the remainder of the Act and therefore that the entire law is invalid. The Fifth Circuit's ruling is currently pending appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2020
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment related to the fundamental right to vote. Specifically, it grants every U.S. citizen of legal voting age the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2020
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 303 East Mississippi Avenue in Elwood, Illinois, as the "Lawrence M. 'Larry' Walsh Sr. Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2020
Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act This bill modifies provisions related to the distribution, sale, and use of pesticides, including by cancelling the registration of organophosphates, neonicotinoids, and paraquat and by creating a process for interested individuals to submit a petition to designate an active ingredient or pesticide as a dangerous pesticide.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2020
Removing Barriers to Basic Needs Act of 2020 This bill modifies eligibility requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to temporarily waive requirements related to the denial of assistance and benefits for certain drug-related convictions. Any state law, policy, or regulation that imposes conditions on eligibility for SNAP and TANF based on an individual's conviction of an offense related to a controlled substance shall have no force or effect until December 31, 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2020
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 303 East Mississippi Avenue in Elwood, Illinois, as the "Lawrence M. 'Larry' Walsh Sr. Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2020
Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act This bill revises food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. USDA must reimburse states at the free rate for meals served by school food authorities in such states during the 2020-2021 school year under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. All children enrolled in a school that participates in such programs are temporarily eligible (without application) to receive free school meals during the 2020-2021 school year. Additionally, such children are certified eligible (without application) for free meals under the (1) summer food service program, (2) child and adult care food program, and (3) meal supplements for children in after-school programs. The bill also sets forth provisions related to the 2021-2022 school year, including provisions regarding (1) calculations to determine the percentage of identified students under the school meal programs, (2) the selection of schools under the fresh fruit and vegetable program, and (3) establishing a price for paid lunches during such school year.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Masks for All Act of 2020 This bill provides funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide for the manufacture and distribution of high-quality face masks for every individual in the United States during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. Specifically, the bill directs FEMA to, among other things establish a program to provide three high-quality, reusable face masks to every individual in the United States, including individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals living in group quarters, at no cost, accompanied by specified educational materials; designate face mask pickup sites in each community and provide face masks to each site, allocated according to population, to be distributed to the general public at no cost; consider new designs to create the most comfortable, well-fitting, reusable, and two-way face masks that have adjustable sizing, and if significant improvements in face mask technology are made available, to ensure that such face masks are included in the strategic national stockpile; provide surgical masks and N-95 respirator masks to all individuals working in health care settings in the United States that are experiencing a shortage of such masks, at no cost; and submit to Congress a strategic plan that includes monthly, measurable targets to eliminate shortages and increase domestic production of high-quality masks. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of funds made available under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Public Health Air Quality Act of 2020 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement policies, programs, and regulations related to air quality monitoring. Specifically, the EPA must implement a program using specified methods and technologies to administer or conduct the best available form of fenceline monitoring (i.e., monitoring of ambient air concentration using technology at a site's property line) of specified stationary sources of hazardous air pollutants. The stationary sources to be monitored must include the 25 high-priority facilities named in the EPA Inspector General report (#20-N-0128) from March 31, 2020, and at least another 25 major sources or synthetic area sources. Among other requirements, the EPA must also determine whether whether to add fenceline monitoring for any additional stationary sources, complete an evaluation and promulgate a determination on whether any existing emission factors must be updated to better reflect or account for the results of fenceline monitoring data collected under the established program, promulgate regulations establishing emission standards for specified source categories, require an additional 80 National Core multi-pollutant monitoring stations, and deploy at least 1,000 air quality sensors to monitor specified pollutants in census tracts or counties with per capita death rates from COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) that are at least 10% higher than the national average. Finally, the Department of Health and Human Services and the EPA must carry out a Centers of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research grant program to establish and support at least 10 research centers.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
Save our Stages Act or the SOS Act This bill authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to eligible live venue operators, producers, promoters, or talent representatives to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on certain live venues. Specifically, the SBA may make (1) an initial grant of up to $12 million dollars to an eligible operator, promoter, producer, or talent representative; and (2) a supplemental grant that is equal to 50% of the initial grant. An initial grant must be used for costs incurred between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, but a supplemental grant may be used for expenses incurred through June 30, 2021. Such grants shall be used for specified expenses such as payroll costs, rent, utilities, and personal protective equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Providing Officer Licensing to Increase Confidence for Everyone Act or the POLICE Act This bill establishes licensing requirements for federal law enforcement officers and reduces the amount of certain law enforcement-related grants for states that do not adopt similar requirements. The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall, within one year of the bill's enactment, develop and issue licensing standards for law enforcement officers based on law enforcement best practices. Such standards shall be reviewed and updated every five years. Within three years of this bill's enactment, each federal law enforcement officer shall be licensed under such standards. Each officer must also take continuing education classes as may be required by DOJ. Within three years of this bill's enactment, each state shall establish (1) a licensing system that complies with DOJ licensing standards, and (2) a continuing education program substantially similar to the program for federal law enforcement officers. If a state fails to meet these requirements for a fiscal year, certain law enforcement-related grants that the state would have otherwise received shall be reduced by half.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Commerce to conduct an interagency review of the global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct investment and addressing foreign trade barriers that firms in advanced technology sectors face in the global digital economy. Such review shall include an assessment of (1) the current economic impact of foreign direct investment in the United States, (2) trends in global cross-border investment and data flows, (3) federal government policies that are linked to the ability of the United States to attract and retain foreign direct investment, and (4) the adequacy of federal government efforts to increase the ease for foreign firms considering investment in the United States. Commerce must report the findings of such review and submit recommendations for increasing the global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct investment and developing new technologies and services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
No Funds for Apportionment Exclusion Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to carry out the July 21, 2020, presidential memorandum ordering the exclusion of aliens without legal immigration status from being counted for the purposes of apportioning representation in the House of Representatives following the 2020 census.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Represent America Abroad Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of State to establish the Represent America Mid-Career Foreign Service Entry Program to increase diversity in the Foreign Service by recruiting mid-career professionals who are from minority groups. As part of the program, the State Department shall (1) establish and publish eligibility criteria for participation; (2) carry out recruitment efforts to attract highly qualified, mid-career professionals from minority groups; and (3) include appropriate mentorship and other career development opportunities for program participants. The State Department must submit an annual report on the status of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund Act This bill establishes in the Treasury an Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund designed to ensure a safe, sustainable, convenient transportation option for the people of the United States. Amounts in the fund may be used by the Department of Transportation to award grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for activities associated with the Northeast Corridor and the National Network (Amtrak's state-supported and long-distance service lines).
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to health care providers, public health departments, tribal organizations, schools for social workers and health professionals, and other nonprofit entities for bias and anti-racism training to reduce disparities in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. In administering these grants, HHS must give priority to, among others, recipients in communities with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and death rates. In addition, HHS must develop requirements for bias and anti-racism training that aligns with continuing education requirements of applicable state licensing bodies, such as medical boards.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Lead Abatement for Families Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to identify federally assisted housing projects that use lead-based water pipes and allows HUD to award grants for the replacement of these pipes to public housing agencies and other owners.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This bill delays until the first calendar year that is 12 months after the end of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency the application of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule dated May 14, 2020. That rule allows private health insurance plans to decide whether support provided by a prescription drug manufacturer to cover a patient's costs for a drug counts toward the patient's annual out-of-pocket limit. The bill requires enforcement of the previous rule, which allows plans to exclude drug manufacturer support from a patient's annual out-of-pocket limit only if a generic version of the drug is available.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to provide grants and other forms of emergency assistance to certain providers of transportation services that have experienced a significant revenue loss as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Treasury must ensure equal access to the assistance for small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses. As a condition of receipt of assistance, Treasury must require that a provider of transportation services agree to (1) use the funds, on a priority basis, to maintain through December 31, 2020, pay, paid administrative leave, and benefits to all employees after making any adjustments required for retirement or voluntary employee separation; and (2) recall or rehire any employee laid off, furloughed, or terminated because of reduced service as a result of COVID-19, to the extent warranted by increased service levels.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Local Journalism Sustainability Act This bill allows individual and business taxpayers certain tax credits for the support of local newspapers and media. Specifically, individual taxpayers may claim an income tax credit up to $250 for a local newspaper subscription. The bill also allows local newspaper employers a payroll tax credit for wages paid to an employee for service as a journalist and certain small businesses a tax credit for local newspaper and media advertising expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This resolution expresses support for enactment of the Poverty Bill of Rights, which affirms the right of Americans to live free from the causes and conditions of poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act This bill directs the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for the duration of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period, to suspend any waivers and not issue new waivers related to line speeds in meat and poultry establishments and inspection staffing requirements for such establishments. Additionally, the implementation of, and conversion to, the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System must be suspended. No funds made available to USDA during the COVID-19 emergency period shall be used to develop, propose, finalize, issue, amend, or implement any policy, regulation, directive, constituent update, or any other agency program that would increase line speeds at meat and poultry establishments. Upon termination of the COVID-19 emergency period, the Government Accountability Office shall conduct a review of actions taken by specific federal agencies, including USDA, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the effectiveness of such actions in protecting animal, food, and worker safety.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to make the online redemption of benefits, including the acceptance of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, more widely available by requiring the implementation of online SNAP purchasing in every state and providing funding for an online redemption portal and a technical assistance center. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award on a competitive basis one or more contracts to develop an EBT Online Redemption Portal to (1) allow program participants to use online or mobile electronic benefits transactions to purchase program foods from, and make online payments to, authorized program retailers under SNAP; and (2) facilitate food purchase delivery for program participants using such electronic benefits transactions. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must award competitive grants or enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities to establish a SNAP Online Purchasing Technical Assistance Center to provide state agencies, authorized program retailers, and program participants information on and technical assistance with accepting SNAP benefits through online transactions and use of the portal. In providing technical assistance, the center must give priority to entities that are small and limited-resource retailers. The bill provides funding for both the online redemption portal and the technical assistance center. USDA must maintain on its website a publicly available listing, organized and searchable by region, locality, and state, of all approved retail food stores accepting benefits from recipients of SNAP, including through online transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act This bill allows an individual sentenced to death by a state to present newly discovered evidence in a petition challenging the legality of the individual's detention (i.e., a habeas corpus petition). Under the bill, a federal court may grant a habeas corpus petition concerning such an individual if the death sentence was imposed without consideration of newly discovered evidence of the individual's probable innocence. Furthermore, a federal court may consider, subject to certain requirements, a subsequent petition concerning such an individual if the petition is based on a claim that the death sentence was imposed without consideration of newly discovered evidence of the individual's probable innocence. (Currently, if a federal court has already considered a habeas corpus petition concerning an individual, subsequent petitions concerning that individual shall be dismissed, with limited exceptions.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
This resolution expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineworker is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Flexible Financing for Rural America Act of 2020 This bill allows rural utility service providers to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a request to adjust the interest rate or modify the terms of certain loans. The request shall include a report summarizing how the adjustment or modification will assist the borrower in providing critical utility services to a rural community. Specifically, on receipt of a request, USDA must adjust the interest rate on the loan to match certain interest rates in effect when the bill is enacted for obligations of comparable maturity to the term remaining on the loan (or a higher rate requested by the borrower), and make modifications to the loan terms as necessary to address changes in the financial position of the borrower due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency and to promote the financial sustainability of the borrower. In carrying out the adjustments or modifications, USDA shall not impose or collect any fee from, or impose any penalty on, a borrower. The bill also provides funding to implement the adjustments and modifications.
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards A Recovery in Twenty-twenty Act or the RESTART Act This bill establishes a loan program whereby the Small Business Administration (SBA) shall guarantee loan amounts to certain businesses affected by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires the SBA to guarantee 100% of program loan amounts made to certain small businesses that have not more than than 5,000 full-time employees. The terms for such loans shall include (1) a maximum duration of not more than seven years; (2) an amount that is not greater than 45% of 2019 gross receipts, up to $12 million; and (3) no payment on principal for the first two years of the loan. A lender that is otherwise approved to make paycheck protection loans may make and approve loans established by the bill, and a recipient may use loan funds for specified allowable expenses including payroll costs, rent, utilities, and personal protective equipment. Such loans may be forgiven up to the amount of total losses incurred by the recipient in the taxable year 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Securing All Fundamental Equipment While Traveling Act or the SAFE While Traveling Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide all its frontline personnel, including in U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Transportation Security Administration, with personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, eyewear that must be worn by such personnel when interacting with members of the public for the duration of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency and any other public health emergency. Additionally, for the duration of the public health emergency, the Department of Transportation must direct air carriers, rail carriers, owners and operators of airports, and owners and operators of train stations to implement requirements relating to the use of personal protective equipment for its passengers, guests, and employees.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Emancipation Statue Removal Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to ensure that the Emancipation Monument is removed from Lincoln Park in the District of Columbia. Interior shall donate the Emancipation Monument to a museum or other similar entity. The recipient of the Emancipation Monument may not store, display, or exhibit the monument outside, but if the monument is stored, displayed, or exhibited outside, ownership of the monument will revert back to the federal government.