United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Supports the designation of Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education (CTE) and the goals and ideals of such month. Recognizes the importance of CTE in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce. Encourages educators, school counselors, guidance and career development professionals, administrators, and parents to promote CTE as a respected option for students.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Forest Recovery Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the deduction for casualty losses, to establish special rules for losses of uncut timber. In the case of the loss of uncut timber from fire, storm, other casualty, or theft, the basis used for determining the amount of the deduction may not be less than the excess of: (1) the fair market value of the uncut timber determined immediately before the loss was sustained, over (2) the salvage value of the timber. The rule applies only if: (1) the timber was held for the purpose of being cut and sold, and (2) the uncut timber subject to the loss is reforested within five years of the loss. The bill also exempts casualty losses from uncut timber from the rule restricting the deduction for personal casualty losses to losses attributable to a federally declared disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about February 8, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Keep Our Pets Safe Act of 2018 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit a person from knowingly confining a common household pet in an enclosed space if the confinement could harm or kill the pet through exposure to excessive heat or cold, lack of ventilation, or lack of water. A common household pet is a domesticated animal (e.g., dog, cat, bird, rodent, rabbit, fish, or turtle) that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. The bill specifies the applicable criminal penalty—a prison term of up to one year, a fine, or both—for a person who violates this prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to report to Congress regarding current notification protocols for ballistic missile threats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must conduct, and report on, a study to identify best practices of at least 13 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, California, Washington, and other states bordering or not bordering on an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, regarding civil defense emergencies. The bill requires key officials (defined to include the heads of DOD, FEMA, and the FCC) to submit to Congress and make publicly available unclassified reports on the actions of their respective departments or agencies regarding the ballistic missile false alarm that occurred on January 13, 2018, in Hawaii. Each report shall include recommendations for corrective actions to diminish the possibility of another ballistic missile false alarm. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must submit to Congress and publish online a report regarding the ability of HHS and health care providers to respond to attacks in the United States with biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear weapons. HHS must (1) develop and implement a public outreach program in coordination with state and local governments regarding recommendations in such report for improving readiness in responding to such attacks, and (2) consider the report's recommendations when issuing grants under the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement and the Hospital Preparedness Program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2018
Honors the contributions of school counselors to the success of students in elementary and secondary schools. Encourages the observation of National School Counseling Week with ceremonies and activities that promote awareness of the crucial role school counselors play in preparing students for fulfilling lives as contributing members of society.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2018
Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to Rosie the Riveters (i.e., any female individual who held employment or volunteered in support of the war efforts during World War II), in recognition of their contributions to the nation and the inspiration they have provided to ensuing generations. The medal shall be displayed at the National Museum of American History, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with the Rosie the Riveters.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to make grants to: (1) increase the availability of treatment for abuse of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), and phencyclidine (PCP); (2) provide vouchers to individuals in underserved populations for services related to such treatment; and (3) establish programs to provide for and coordinate the provision of specified services to individuals reentering the community after successfully receiving treatment for abuse of such substances. The grant program to provide residential substance abuse treatment to pregnant and postpartum women is revised to: (1) make caregiver parents eligible for treatment, (2) make Indian tribes and tribal organizations eligible for grants, and (3) set forth the priority for allocation of grants. The National Institute on Drug Abuse must conduct research on the effectiveness of drugs to reduce the problems associated with stimulant abuse. The Department of Health and Human Services must seek to enter into a contract with the National Academy of Medicine (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) to complete a literature review on the effectiveness of drugs for the treatment of stimulant abuse. The Government Accountability Office must study: (1) the impact of the programs authorized by this Act, (2) how the level of federal funding available for such treatment compares to the amount necessary to provide adequate treatment, and (3) the cost savings of effective treatment due to the reduced need for criminal justice and other services.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an interagency study regarding research on lung cancer in women, access to lung cancer preventive services, and public awareness and education campaigns on lung cancer. The study must include a comprehensive report on research and knowledge gaps related to lung cancer in women in the federal government and recommendations for: (1) a research program that would encourage innovative approaches to eliminate knowledge gaps, (2) the development of a national lung cancer screening strategy with sufficient resources to expand access to screening, and (3) the development of a national public education and awareness campaign on lung cancer in women and the importance of early detection of lung cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2018
Safe Coasts, Oceans, And Seaside Towns Act or the Safe COAST Act This bill provides statutory authority for specified safety regulations that govern offshore oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf and provide protections for human, marine, and coastal environments. The Department of the Interior must contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to complete the study titled "Review and Update of Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program" within 21 months.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2018
Pay Our Military Act of 2018 This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for military pay and death benefits during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2018 are not in effect. In the event of a government shutdown, the bill provides continuing appropriations for: pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service (including drill) during the period; payments of death benefits for individuals who die during the period; and pay and allowances to civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to members of the Armed Forces and payments in connection with death benefits. The appropriations provided by this bill are available until the earlier of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the public service loan forgiveness program by expanding the types of payments made by public service employees for Federal Direct Loans that qualify as repayment plans under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act This bill requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether a state substantially provides public safety officers or employees: the right to form and join a labor organization; recognition by public safety employers of the employees' labor organization, agreement to bargain with the organization, and reduction of any agreements to writing in a contract or memorandum of understanding; the right to bargain over hours, wages, and terms and conditions of employment; and binding interest arbitration to resolve an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations. The bill makes the authority responsible for: (1) determining the appropriateness of units for labor representation; (2) supervising elections; (3) conducting hearings and resolving complaints of unfair labor practices; and (4) protecting the right of employees to form, join, or assist any labor organization, or to refrain from doing so. An employer, public safety officer, or labor organization may not engage in a lockout, sickout, work slowdown, strike, or any other organized job action that will measurably disrupt the delivery of emergency services and is designed to compel an employer, public safety officer, or labor organization to agree to the terms of a proposed contract.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
SNAP Healthy Incentives Act of 201 8 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide a financial incentive for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) participants to purchase fruits and vegetables.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Shirley Chisholm. The committee may authorize the Architect of the Capitol to enter into the agreement as well as related contracts. The committee shall place the statue in a suitable permanent location in the U.S. Capitol.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that if it creates a presumption of service connection between the occurrence of a disease and exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at a military base in Thailand, such presumption shall also apply to exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at any military base in Thailand without regard to where on the base the veteran was located or what military job specialty the veteran performed. The VA may provide to any spina bifida-affected child of a veteran who served on active duty in Thailand beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, and who was exposed to a herbicide agent during such service, the same health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance required to be paid to a similarly affected child of a Vietnam veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about January 19, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to revise procedures for initiating, investigating, and resolving claims by legislative branch employees alleging that their employing offices have violated CAA rights and protections, including protections against sexual harassment and discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Expresses support and respect for Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations. Censures and condemns President Trump for his derogatory statements about Haiti and other countries at the January 11, 2018, White House meeting and calls on him to retract and apologize for such remarks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018
Transparent Health Care Pricing Act of 2018 This bill requires entities that offer or furnish health care related products or services to the public to disclose the price for those products and services at the point of purchase and on the Internet. The entities must disclose all prices, including wholesale, retail, and discounted prices, that are accepted as payment in full for products and services furnished to individual consumers. The Department of Health and Human Services may investigate and impose civil penalties on entities that fail to comply with this requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
New England Coastal Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas off the coast of: (1) Maine, (2) New Hampshire, (3) Massachusetts, (4) Rhode Island, or (5) Connecticut.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
Affordable Care Act Outreach for the Uninsured, Transformative Recruitment, and Enrollment Action for Compassionate Healthcare Act of 2018 or the ACA OUTREACH Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide funds through FY2021 for the Department of Health and Human Services to support (1) navigator programs, which conduct public education activities about qualified health plans and facilitate enrollment; and (2) outreach and promotional activities for health insurance exchanges.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2018
Airport Advanced Logistics, Emergency Response, and Training Act or the Airport ALERT Act This bill requires airport air transportation security programs to include: training focused on active violence response, crowd management, mass evacuation, event recovery, and unified command, that is coordinated with security stakeholders, including all Transportation Security Administration employees at the airport; security and emergency preparedness training for all airport employees; a mass evacuation plan; a risk communications plan; a continuity of operations plan; and a family assistance and customer care plan. For a category X airport (a large airport that requires the highest level of security to address terrorist threats), such programs shall also include an integrated and unified operations center responsible for overseeing and directing security operations for the entire airport that is based on a formalized concept of operations and that provides direction and resources through a unified command structure. For smaller category I through IV airports, such programs shall include a formalized concept of operations and a unified command structure through which direction and resources are provided.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Ending Secrecy About Workplace Sexual Harassment Act This bill directs every employer required to submit to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission an Employer Information Report EEO-1 to include in such report the number of settlements reached in the resolution of claims pertaining to sex discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Puppy Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require the Department of Agriculture to expand standards that govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals to include new requirements for commercial dog dealers. Specifically, the standards must require dog dealers to provide to dogs: (1) adequate housing, exercise, and veterinary care; (2) appropriate and nutritious food; (3) continuous access to potable water; and (4) meaningful socialization with humans and compatible dogs for at least 30 minutes each day. The standards must also include requirements for breeders to use safe breeding practices and make all reasonable efforts to find humane placement for retired breeding dogs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Welfare of Our Friends Act of 2017 or the WOOF! Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from licensing a dealer of dogs whose previous licenses have been suspended or revoked in the last 10 years if the license is for operating a facility that the dealer previously used. Further, USDA may not issue or renew a license to: (1) the dog dealer's immediate family members, (2) a person who resides at the same address as the dog dealer, or (3) certain legal entities if such dealer holds an ownership interest in the entity.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Inclusive Campuses Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions of higher education to use federal aid provided under title III of the Act to establish resource centers on campus that provide support to and education about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about December 22, 2017, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Recovering America's Wildlife Act This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to direct the Department of the Treasury to transfer, beginning in FY2018, revenues from energy and mineral development on federal lands totaling $1.3 billion to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Subaccount of the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Fund, to be available without further appropriation. The bill revises the requirements governing how the funds from the subaccount may be used, including by requiring funds to be used to develop, revise, and implement state wildlife conservation strategies. The bill expands the allowable uses of the subaccount, including by allowing funds to be used for managing invasive and nuisance species and for law enforcement activities that are directly related to the conservation of species of the greatest conservation need. Funds apportioned from the subaccount may not be conditioned upon the provision of public access to private lands, waters, or holdings. The bill specifies what types of funds and donations states may use to meet matching fund requirements. The bill revises the formula used to determine how funds are distributed to states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that the veterans peer counseling program includes a sufficient number of peer counselors for women veterans. Such counselors may be VA employees and may have expertise in: (1) gender-specific issues and services, (2) VA services and benefits, and (3) employment mentoring. The VA shall: (1) emphasize facilitating peer-to-peer counseling for women veterans who suffered sexual trauma while in the Armed Forces, have post-traumatic stress disorder or suffer from another mental health condition, or are otherwise at risk of becoming homeless; (2) conduct program outreach; and (3) coordinate with community organizations, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, local business organizations, and legal assistance organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
Military Domestic Violence Reporting Enhancement Act This bill establishes a punitive article in the Uniform Code of Military Justice on domestic violence and aggravated domestic violence against an intimate partner. "Aggravated domestic violence" involves the use of a weapon, or force in a manner likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm. Military departments must submit to the Department of Justice the identity of each member of the Armed Forces who has been convicted of a domestic violence offense for inclusion in the national instant criminal background check system.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
National Commission on Scleroderma and Fibrotic Diseases Act of 2017 This bill temporarily establishes a National Commission on Fibrotic Diseases within the National Institutes of Health that must recommend improvements regarding fibrosis and fibrotic disease research.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2017
Receiving Electronic Statements To Improve Retiree Earnings Act This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the electronic delivery of pension plan documents required to be furnished to a plan participant, beneficiary, or other individual. The system for furnishing such a document must: (1) be designed to result in effective access to the document, (2) permit the recipient to select the electronic means through which the document is received or request paper documents, and (3) protect the confidentiality of personal information. An annual paper notice must be provided describing: the selection of electronic means for furnishing documents, the right to modify the selection or to elect to receive paper versions of the documents at no additional direct cost and how to make the election, and any election that has been made to receive paper documents. An electronically furnished document must be prepared and furnished in a manner that is consistent with the style, format, and content requirements for the document. It must also include a notice that apprises the individual of the significance of the document when it is not otherwise reasonably evident as transmitted.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
Supports community-oriented policing and encourages efforts to increase the hiring and retention of diverse law enforcement officers within law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
Supporting Children of the National Guard and Reserve Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include students with a parent who serves in the reserve component of the Armed Forces under the military student identifier program. Thus, schools must assign those students identification numbers that allow the schools to monitor their achievement on academic assessments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2017 This bill requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make annual grants to each state's protection and advocacy system for the purpose of conducting reviews of representative payees under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. The SSA must also conduct periodic onsite reviews of individual and organizational payees. The bill lessens certain monitoring requirements with respect to specified family members who are serving as representative payees. The bill provides for advance designation of representative payees. In general, an individual who has been convicted of a felony, or of an attempt or a conspiracy to commit a felony, may not serve as a representative payee. An individual who has a representative payee may not also serve as a representative payee. The SSA must report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to representative payment with respect to SSI and OASDI benefits. The SSA must: (1) enter into agreements with each state for the purpose of sharing information to identify represented minor beneficiaries who are in foster care; and (2) determine the appropriate representative payee for any represented minor beneficiary who has entered foster care, exited foster care, or changed foster care placement in a given month. The bill modifies provisions related to overpayment liability with respect to a represented minor beneficiary in foster care. The Government Accountability Office must report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to represented minor beneficiaries in foster care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
This bill makes all veterans enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system eligible for VA-provided dental services by removing certain dental service restrictions. The bill phases in eligibility over four years based upon existing eligibility, degree of service-connected disability or other disability, prisoner of war status, award of a Purple Heart, financial need, or VA health care eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2017
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collective bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Stop Harmful and Abusive Telecommunications Expression Act of 2017 or the Stop HATE Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to report about the role of telecommunications in violent acts and the commission of crimes of hate against individuals or groups of individuals on the basis of race, gender and gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, color, or national origin. The report must analyze information about the use of telecommunications to advocate and encourage violent acts and the commission of crimes of hate, including: (1) the role that such telecommunications are playing in giving groups that advocate and commit such crimes a platform to spread their messages and to organize; (2) how such use and the role of telecommunications have changed with new forms of communication on the Internet and other electronic media; and (3) any recommendations, consistent with the First Amendment, necessary to address such use and such role of telecommunications.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Living Shorelines Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide grants for climate resilient living shoreline projects and to encourage innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Bears Ears National Monument Expansion Act This bill expands the boundaries of the Bear Ears National Monument in Utah. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture USDA shall administer the lands under their jurisdictions within the expanded boundaries: (1) as part of the monument; and (2) in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 9558, dated December 28, 2016, which provided for establishment of the monument. Interior and USDA shall promptly carry out the proclamation's provisions, including the provisions requiring them to engage the Bear Ears Commission to: ensure the proper care and management of the objects identified; ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge; and provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the monument. The National Park Service shall administer Natural Bridges National Monument and those portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that are within the expanded boundaries as part of the monument. Interior and USDA may acquire lands, waters, or interests in land that are located within the revised boundaries of the monument by donation, purchase, or exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2017
Stop Tax Breaks for Sexual Misconduct Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit a tax deduction for trade or business expenses paid or incurred for: (1) liability insurance providing coverage with respect to sexual misconduct by an employee; or (2) damages, settlement costs, or attorney's fees with respect to sexual misconduct by an employee. The bill also excludes from gross income amounts received as damages or settlement payments on account of injuries due to sexual misconduct.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to provide additional funds through FY2027 for state grants to address the opioid abuse crisis. The bill provides funds to the Department of Health and Human Services through FY2022 for state grants to conduct research on addiction and pain related to substance misuse.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2017
Directs the Committee on House Administration to issue regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives to complete a training program on workplace rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, during each congressional session. Requires Members, officers, or employees to certify completion of such training within 90 days after a congressional session begins or within 90 days after beginning service during a session. (Sets forth a special rule requiring such training to be completed within 180 days after the beginning of the second session of the 115th Congress.) Directs the committee to issue regulations requiring that each House employing office post in a prominent location in its office and in each Member's congressional district office a statement of rights and protections provided to House employees under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, including procedures for responding to and adjudicating allegations of violations of such rights and protections.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2017
Chronic Wasting Disease Management Act This bill requires the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services to support state and tribal efforts to address chronic wasting disease. The transmissible disease afflicts deer, elk, and moose populations. The agency must make grants to research centers to support efforts to expand and accelerate applied research on the disease. Land management agencies of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior must work cooperatively with states in researching the disease and implementing state response plans to reduce the spread and prevalence of the disease.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act or the ME TOO Congress Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to revise procedures for reporting, investigating, and resolving allegations of legislative branch employees that their rights and protections under the CAA, such as protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, have been violated.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Impeaches President Donald J. Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. Sets forth articles of impeachment for offenses related to: obstruction of justice, violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution, violation of the domestic emoluments clause of the Constitution, abuse of power by undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and the rule of law, and undermining freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
This bill nullifies a rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on November 13, 2017, that modifies payment under Medicare for certain drugs purchased through the 340B discount program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2017
Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act This bill prohibits U.S. assistance to Israel from being used to support the military detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in violation of international humanitarian law or the use against Palestinian children of: (1) torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment; (2) physical violence or psychological abuse; (3) incommunicado or administrative detention; (4) solitary confinement; (5) denial of parental or legal access during interrogations; or (6) force or coercion to obtain a confession. The Department of State shall annually submit to Congress: (1) a certification that none of the funds obligated or expended in the previous fiscal year for assistance to Israel have been used to support any of such activities; or (2) if the State Department cannot make such certification, a report describing each activity and the amount of funds used by Israel in violation of this bill. The State Department shall include in each annual report on the barring of development assistance to a country that engages in human rights violations a description of the nature and extent of detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli military forces or police in violation of international humanitarian law.
![Official portrait of Rep. Shea-Porter, Carol [D-NH-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001170_200.jpg)