United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to award grants for units of local government in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States to convene groups of public and private entities to collaborate in carrying out regional projects to accomplish positive economic and community impacts in the region. A regional project carried out by a collaborative group must (1) involve at least two municipalities that share a border; and (2) complete a specific activity that has a goal of job creation, expansion of the capacity of post-secondary education, growth of tourism, improving public health, or upgrading regional infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government job. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receives government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act or the NEWBORN Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to support pilot programs that address infant mortality. Specifically, grants must be awarded to local and tribal health departments in areas with the highest rates of infant mortality to establish pilot programs that address specified issues, including birth defects, premature births, and sudden infant death syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed official may only be removed by the Attorney General or the most senior Senate-confirmed DOJ official, in certain circumstances; may only be removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause; must be provided written notice that specifies the reason for removal; and may file an action to challenge the removal not later than 10 days after notice was provided.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act This bill allows a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business in an underserved community. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. To be eligible for the credit, the small business must (1) be owned and controlled by one or more veterans or spouses of veterans, and (2) have a principal place of business in an underserved community. An "underserved community" is any area located within (1) a HUBZone (as defined by the Small Business Act), (2) an empowerment zone or an enterprise community, (3) an area of low income or moderate income (as recognized by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council), or (4) a county with persistent poverty (as classified by the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states that do the following: (1) require law enforcement officers to be trained on diversity and sensitivity, and (2) require an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate and prosecute an alleged offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2019 or the Police CAMERA Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras for use by law enforcement officers and to implement body-worn camera programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act of 2019 This bill allows for early voting in elections for federal office and for reduced waiting times for voters at polling places used in such elections. States must allow early voting in a federal election each day during the 15-day period ending on the second day before election day in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day; ensure that each polling place that allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route; provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources at polling places used in a federal election to ensure an equitable waiting time, not longer than one hour, for all voters in the state; plan to provide polling places whose waiting times exceed one hour on election day with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies. The Election Assistance Commission shall issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. The bill establishes requirements for the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. The bill allows civil money penalties, intervention by aggrieved parties, and private actions to address Help America Vote Act of 2002 violations by a state or jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), the Social Security Act (SSAct), and other federal laws to replace (1) references to "wife" or "husband" with references to "spouse"; and (2) references to "husband and wife" or "husband or wife" with references to "married couple" or " married person." For purposes of federal laws or regulations, "marriage" is defined as a legal union between two people as spouses. The bill eliminates a definition of "spouse" that refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. Requirements concerning compensation to a surviving wife after the disability or death of a person employed at a military, air, or naval base outside the United States are revised to make surviving spouses eligible for such compensation. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, provisions concerning the amount of leave available to a husband and wife employed by the same employer are revised to apply to a married couple employed by the same employer. Requirements under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 that make disability and death benefits payable to the wife or widow of a miner are revised to make the benefits payable to the spouse or surviving spouse of a miner. IRC provisions that require a divorced wife's gross income to include the income of any trust she is entitled to receive that would otherwise be includible in the gross income of her husband, or vice versa, are revised to apply to the gross income of individuals who are divorced from their spouse. The bill revises title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the SSAct to consolidate separate provisions for a wife's insurance benefits and a husband's insurance benefits into a single standard for a spouse's insurance benefits. Criminal penalties that currently apply to persons who threaten to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a former President's wife or widow are revised to apply to threats made to a former President's spouse or surviving spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Same Day Registration Act of 2019 This bill requires states with a voter registration requirement to make same-day voter registration available at the polling place on any day voting is permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2018
Weekends Without Hunger Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to public or private nonprofit institutions to provide nutritious food to at-risk children on weekends and during extended school holidays throughout the year (At-risk children are children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
National De-Escalation of Violence and Community Safety Training Act of 2018 This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to establish a grant program for de-escalation training in communities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Reverend James Lawson, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Reverend James Morris Lawson, Jr. in recognition of his contributions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2018
Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in federally funded elementary and secondary schools and Head Start agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2018
Recognizes and accepts the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the special report on the impacts of global warming. Expresses the sense that immediate action by Congress and the Administration is needed to reduce greenhouse gases.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2018
Condemns: (1) the anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 27, 2018, in which 11 innocent people were killed and 6 were injured, and (2) rising anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world. Honors the memory of those killed in the attack and expresses hope for the recovery for those injured. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States and its allies to defeat anti-Semitism and supports the right of Americans to freely exercise their religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2018
Restoring Justice for Workers Act This bill prohibits predispute arbitration agreements that require arbitration of an employment dispute. It allows a postdispute arbitration agreement if the employee enters into it voluntarily without coercion and is informed in writing of rights and protections under such agreement. An employer may not retaliate against an employee for refusing to enter into an agreement for arbitrating an employment dispute. The bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice to interfere with the right of an employee to collectively litigate employment disputes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2018
Ohio River Basin Preparedness Act This bill requires specified agencies to develop and implement an interagency plan for assisting states, Indian tribes, and communities in the Ohio River Basin prepare for, and respond to, the effects of climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2018
Tax Fairness for Workers Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an above-the-line deduction for union dues and expenses. (An above-the-line deduction is subtracted from gross income and is available whether or not a taxpayer itemizes other deductions.) The bill also reinstates the miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed expenses attributable to the performance of services as an employee. (Under current law, all miscellaneous itemized deductions are suspended through 2025.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2018
This bill amends the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway Act of 1996 to repeal the limitation on the total amount that may be appropriated for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2018
Protection from Algal Toxins Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency to publish a maximum contaminant level goal and promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for microcystin toxin, which is produced by certain cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2018
Reserve Component Employer Incentive, Compensation, and Relief Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for certain employers of reservists (i.e., members of the National Guard or a reserve component of the Armed Forces). The tax credit is equal to $1,000 for each reservist employed during the year, plus an additional amount that ranges from $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the number of days the reservist serves in the uniformed services during the year.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2018
Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp Act of 2018 This bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp. The proceeds from the sale of the stamp shall be transferred to the Environmental Protection Agency to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Veterans Right to Expediency Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to deliver notice of the denial of claims for VA benefits by certified mail.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Giving Increased Resources to Learning Students Act or the GIRLS Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to use Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants to supply menstrual hygiene products to students.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Get the Lead Out of Schools Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for schools and day care facilities that: (1) establishes a lead action level (a level of lead in drinking water that triggers additional actions to control lead contamination) of at least 15 parts per billion; (2) directs each public water system to sample for lead in the drinking water at schools and day care facilities if the EPA determines there is a risk that the lead in the drinking water will meet or exceed the action level; and (3) directs public water systems that serve schools or day cares that meet or exceed the action level to notify the local educational agency, the relevant local health agencies, the municipality, and the state as soon as practicable, but no later than five business days after the system receives the sampling results. The EPA must also establish a grant program for: (1) testing drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead contamination, and (2) remediating lead contamination in such drinking water by replacing lead pipes and certain plumbing materials with lead-free material.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act This bill establishes several programs and requirements relating to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC). Among other things, the bill establishes grant programs to: promote comprehensive death scene investigations and autopsies relating to SUID and SUDC; improve infant and child death review programs; and promote education, outreach, and support services relating to SUID and SUDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must also study the use of genetic analysis and publish specified data regarding SUID and SUDC.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Lady Liberty Act of 2018 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the President to set the number of post-FY2018 refugee admissions at not less than 110,000 persons per fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Spotlight Act This bill repeals an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revenue procedure (Rev. Proc. 2018-38) that exempts certain tax-exempt organizations that are not 501(c)(3) organizations from the requirement to report the names and addresses of substantial contributors (persons who contribute more than $5,000 per year) on information returns that are filed with the IRS. The bill requires tax-exempt organizations that fall under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., social welfare organizations, labor organizations, business leagues) to disclose the names and addresses of all substantial contributors on their returns. The information must also be made available to the public. The bill also eliminates the authority of the IRS to provide exceptions to the disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations. This provision does not apply to determinations made by the IRS before July 16, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions Act of 2018 This bill permanently extends mandatory funding programs for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions and increases the authorized funding levels for such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
EITC Modernization Act of 2018 This bill modifies the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to: (1) make certain individuals who are college students or have an aged or disabled dependent eligible for the credit, (2) specify minimum credit amounts for the qualifying students and individuals with an aged or disabled dependent, (3) allow certain EITC recipients to elect to receive the credit payments monthly, and (4) decrease from 25 to 18 the minimum age of eligibility for individuals without dependents. The bill also requires the Internal Revenue Service to establish a Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program to provide matching funds for the development, expansion, or continuation of tax preparation programs to assist low-income taxpayers and members of underserved populations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Coal Royalty Fairness and Communities Investment Act of 2018 This bill addresses coal royalties and the economic vitality of coal communities, including by (1) requiring the coal lease royalty to be at least 12.5% of the assessment value of federal coal (currently, 12.5% of the value as defined by regulation); (2) establishing the Coal Area Economic Revitalization Fund; (3) providing grant assistance to impacted communities for economic and workforce development programs; (4) providing financial assistance for the design, construction, and operation of large-scale projects to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources; and (5) providing technical assistance and educational outreach to impacted communities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2018 This bill places a moratorium on certain acquisitions between large agricultural and retail-related businesses and establishes the Food and Agriculture Concentration and Market Power Review Commission. The commission shall report to Congress and the President on (1) the nature and consequences of market concentration in the U.S. food and agricultural economy, and (2) recommended legal and regulatory changes to address such market concentration.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Community Development to award grants to states for specified activities designed to eliminate blight and promote neighborhood revitalization.
United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2018
Iran Payments Accountability Act of 2018 This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to determine if the Government of Iran uses certain funds to: (1) sponsor any foreign terrorist organization or Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, (2) engage in violence or hostilities against U.S. civilians or service members, (3) conduct military operations in Syria, or (4) facilitate illicit narcotics activities. The applicable funds are those received by Iran as sanction relief or as a cash payment from the United States in 2016. The Department of State must demand repayment of funds from the Government of Iran if the ODNI determines funds were used for such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2018
Full Military Honors Act of 2018 This bill provides full military honors for the funeral of an eligible veteran who: is first interred or inurned in Arlington National Cemetery on or after enactment of this bill, was awarded the medal of honor or the prisoner-of-war medal, and is not entitled to full military honors because of such veteran's grade.
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2018
Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill instructs 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 in commemoration of Aretha Franklin in recognition of her outstanding artistic and historical significance to the culture of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
No Guns for Abusers Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants for state and local governments to implement procedures to remove firearms from individuals who are charged with or convicted of domestic violence or subject to a domestic violence protective order. Additionally, the bill sets forth the following requirements: the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) must report to Congress on best practices for implementing such procedures, the NIJ must contract with nongovernmental entities to study the comparative effectiveness of such procedures, and DOJ must submit federal legislative recommendations in accordance with the best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2023 various programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Among other things, the bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Working On Rewarding and Keeping Employees Resilient Act or the WORKER Act This bill provides for (1) a grant program to implement engineering education programs in elementary and secondary schools; (2) programs that increase representation of women and under-represented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations; (3) grants for improved worker training, retention, and advancement; (4) wage insurance for state unemployment compensation recipients; and (5) the establishment of the Distressed Community Investment Agency to promote, establish, and strengthen venture capital investment in distressed communities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Reducing Obesity in Youth Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administration for Children and Families, to award grants to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children under six years old in early care and education settings. HHS must track the obesity prevention policies and practices of early care and education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Aim Higher Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and revise federal financial aid programs for postsecondary education and institutions of higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Expresses support for the existing One National Program with the goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and oil usage, protecting national security, and protecting human health and welfare. Expresses support for politics that will: (1) achieve maximum feasible oil-use reductions and reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources; (2) recognize the rights and importance of states to set and follow stronger vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air Act; and (3) ensure that the Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency solicit input from states impacted by changes to existing standards for emissions and fuel economy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act This bill establishes the National Park Service and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund and requires 50% of all energy development revenues for FY2019-FY2023 to be deposited into such fund. Amounts deposited in the fund must not exceed $1.3 billion for any fiscal year and must be used for meeting high-priority deferred maintenance needs of the National Park Service.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2018
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2018 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies regarding prices for drugs covered under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Current law prohibits the CMS from doing so.) The CMS must take certain factors into account during negotiations, including the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of the drug, the financial burden on patients, and unmet patient needs. If the CMS is unable to negotiate the price of a drug, such drug is subject to competitive licensing in order to further its sale under Medicare, notwithstanding existing government-granted exclusivities. Additionally, for one year after a drug is provided under a competitive license, such drug is also subject to specified price limitations; if the drug is not offered at such prices, the drug is subject to additional licensing that furthers its sale under any federal program (e.g., Medicaid).
![Official portrait of Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_oh_13_ryan_tim_200.jpg)