United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Veterans Conservation Corps Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a veterans conservation corps to assist unemployed veterans in the transition from service in the Armed Forces to civilian life and to employ such veterans: (1) in conservation, resource management, fire fighting, law enforcement, and historic preservation projects on public lands; (2) in maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery Administration; and (3) as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and disaster relief personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that veterans treatment courts are a successful program aimed at helping veterans charged with non-violent crimes receive the help and the benefits to which they are entitled. The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall establish a Veteran Treatment Court Program to provide assistance to state circuit court systems that have adopted or filed a notice of intent to establish such a program. The DOJ program shall include veterans treatment court grant programs carried out pursuant to laws establishing other incarceration alternatives programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Lyme Disease Research Stamp Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Lyme Disease Research Semipostal Stamp. The proceeds from the sale of the stamp shall be transferred to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for funding Lyme disease and related tick-borne illness research, through payments which shall be made at least twice a year. The stamp shall be made available to the public for at least six years.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Keeping Russian Entrapments Minimal and Limiting Intelligence Networks Act or the KREMLIN Act This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to produce a National Intelligence Estimate on the political intentions of Russia, including: (1) Russian leadership intentions in pursuing military scenarios against members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (2) Russian leadership reactions to the European Reassurance Initiative, and (3) areas of possible joint cooperation with Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Blast Exposure Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes a Department of Veterans Affairs' presumption of service-connection for a veteran's injury or illness associated with a blast exposure during active military, naval, or air service in spite of there being no record of the injury or illness during a period of service.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Hear Our Heroes Act of 2017 This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for veterans with permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, or both, who served on active duty in combat or in a military occupational specialty in which they were exposed to a high level of acoustic trauma.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
Admiral Lloyd R. "Joe" Vasey Pacific War Commemorative Display Establishment Act This bill authorizes the Pacific Historic Parks to establish and maintain a commemorative display to honor the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Allies who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Federal funds may not be used to design, procure, prepare, install, or maintain the commemorative display, but the National Park Service may accept and expend contributions of nonfederal funds and resources for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Safeguarding Election Infrastructure Act of 2017 This bill requires voting systems for federal elections to produce paper ballots that the voter may inspect and verify before the vote is cast and counted. The bill also requires (1) the paper ballot to be suitable for manual audits, (2) each state to audit federal election results by administering hand counts of paper ballots at randomly selected precincts, and (3) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress and the affected state if DHS believes a state's voter-registration database or voting system has been breached.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Gun Safety: Not Sorry Act of 2017 This bill establishes a seven-day waiting period for certain firearm and ammunition transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals).
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Sugar Policy Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and other agricultural laws to modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sugar program. The bill modifies the sugar program to: reduce the rates for price support loans to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets; require USDA to recover the net cost of the program from domestic sugar processors; extend through 2019 and then terminate the Feedstock Flexibility Program under which USDA purchases surplus sugar from domestic processors for resale to ethanol producers; extend through 2020 and then repeal the flexible marketing allotments which limit the amount of sugar that domestic processing companies may sell for domestic human use; require USDA to administer the program to provide adequate supplies of sugar at reasonable prices; require USDA to adjust sugar tariff-rate quota imports to achieve specified ratios of sugar stocks to total sugar use; and allow the transfer of quotas between countries.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to expand activities related to Alzheimer's disease, including activities involving early detection, support for caregivers, and public awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017 This bill modifies various provisions of federal firearms laws. Among other things, it does the following: prohibits certain firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check; and requires states to implement plans to improve the submission of mental health and criminal history records to the national instant criminal background check system.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2017
American Promise Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit an alien who is in temporary protected status (TPS) or deferred enforced departure (DED) status to apply for legal permanent resident status if such alien: is eligible for permanent resident status, applies for adjustment within three years, was granted or was eligible for TPS or DED status on or before October 1, 2017, and has been continuously physically present in the U.S. for at least three years. (TPS designations permit eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. DED designations permit eligible nationals of presidentially-designated counties to be temporarily not subject to removal from the United States.) The bill: waives certain grounds of inadmissibility; authorizes the waiver of the continuous physical presence requirement if an alien's removal would cause extreme hardship to the alien or to the alien's spouse, children, parents, or domestic partner; authorizes an alien who has applied for status adjustment to work; and authorizes an alien who has been ordered removed or granted voluntary departure to apply for status adjustment. An alien's spouse, parent, or unmarried child shall have his or her status adjusted to legal permanent resident if such person is eligible for status adjustment and applies within three years. Aliens from countries that no longer have valid TPS designation and aliens who no longer have valid DED status are not included in this bill unless such TSP or DED status expires on or after January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Protecting Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment Access Act of 2017 or the Protecting HOME Access Act of 2017 This bill: (1) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay by one year the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment, and (2) revises a Medicare budget-neutrality requirement related to oxygen. Under current law, the CMS may establish separate payment classes under Medicare for items of oxygen and related equipment only if doing so does not result in increased program expenditures. The bill provides an exception to this budget-neutrality requirement with respect to such items that are included in a competitive acquisition program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017 This bill amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include the specific needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals among the "greatest social needs" served under that Act. An LGBT individual shall be considered a "minority" for purposes of services provided under the Act. The bill authorizes the Administration of Aging to designate within it a person with responsibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individuals. In addition, the administration shall conduct studies and collect data to determine the services needed by LGBT older individuals. The administration shall establish and operate the National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging to provide national, state, and local organizations with the information and technical assistance needed by those organizations to effectively serve LGBT older individuals. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman of each state shall, as a condition of receiving certain federal funding under the Act, collect and analyze data related to discrimination against LGBT older individuals in long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Recognizes and encourages the observance of Small Business Saturday. Supports efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of such businesses on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
Small and Seasonal Business Relief Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt returning workers from the nonimmigrant H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural services) annual numerical limitations: (1) through FY2018 for those individuals already counted toward such limitation in FY2016 or FY2017, and (2) during the next fiscal year for those individuals already counted toward such limitation in FY2018 or FY2019. Such amendment shall take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act or the PACE Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the sponsoring or exhibiting of animal fights involving live birds (such as cockfights). Under current law, the fights are unlawful only if they take place in states or U.S. territories or possessions that have banned it.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to pay, to a provider that furnishes a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, an adjusted Medicare payment consistent with the Medicare payment methodology for kidney-acquisition costs outlined in regulation. Under the applicable regulation, kidney-acquisition costs are treated apart from the prospective payment rate for inpatient operating costs, and payment is adjusted to compensate the hospital for certain reasonable expenses. "Hematopoietic stem cell transplant" means the infusion of allogeneic hematopoietic cells (including bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and cord-blood units, but excluding embryonic stem cells) that are: (1) not more than minimally manipulated; and (2) intended to reestablish hematopoietic function in an individual whose blood marrow or immune system is damaged, defective, or adversely affective by a congenital disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Removing Barriers to Sexual Assault Victims Compensation Act This bill amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to require state crime victim compensation programs to eliminate time limits on applying for compensation for victims of sexual assault with backlogged sexual assault evidence collection kits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act This bill makes a series of changes relating to the prices of prescription drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans, including requirements relating to rebates for low-income individuals and drug price negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Competitive Deals Resulting in Unleashed Generics and Savings Act of 2017 or the Competitive DRUGS Act of 2017 This bill establishes a series of requirements and prohibitions regarding certain patent infringement agreements between brand name and generic drug manufacturers in which the generic drug manufacturer agrees to delay the availability of applicable generic drugs. Among other things, the bill specifies that such agreements constitute an unfair method of competition and are subject to specified civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Transparent Drug Pricing Act of 2017 This bill requires drug manufacturers to report specified financial and sales information, including drug pricing, tax credit, and patent information; violations are subject to civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017 This bill revises the requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to permit schools participating in the NSLP to offer students low-fat and fat-free milk, including low-fat flavored milk containing no more than 150 calories per 8-ounce serving. For students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a medical or other dietary need, schools may offer a nondairy beverage that is: (1) nutritionally equivalent to low-fat and fat-free milk; and (2) meets USDA nutritional standards, including fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B-12. (Under current law, the substitute is only required to include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow's milk.) In establishing national school nutritional standards, USDA must provide that containers of all beverages sold in schools have the same maximum volume. USDA must also: (1) report to Congress on recent trends in fluid milk consumption in schools; (2) carry out a pilot program to test and demonstrate strategies by which schools can increase the consumption of fluid milk; and (3) make lactose-free milk with an extended shelf life available to schools. If available evidence indicates that woman and children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) typically consume fewer than the number of daily servings of dairy recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA must ensure that women have access to reduced fat milk for themselves and their children upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
Surviving Spouses Income Security Act This bill increases monthly rates for veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
Improve Addiction Education Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to require a practitioner (other than a hospital, pharmacy, or veterinarian) to comply with a training or education requirement, as a condition of obtaining or renewing a registration to prescribe or dispense a controlled substance in schedule II or III for the treatment of pain or pain management.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
Opioid Immediate Suspension Order Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to eliminate the provision that defines the phrase "imminent danger to the public health and safety." Under current law, the Drug Enforcement Administration may immediately suspend the registration of a controlled substances manufacturer, distributor, or dispenser to prevent imminent danger to the public health and safety.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms (and explosives) licenses and permits to a known or suspected terrorist.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Keep Americans Safe Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly transfer, possess, import, or bring into the United States a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). It permits the continued possession of a grandfathered LCAFD. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to an LCAFD: manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; transfer or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification that clearly shows the device was manufactured after this bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2017 This bill prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. The bill prescribes civil penalties for knowing violations of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Title IX Protection Act This bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require recipients of federal financial assistance to comply with specified procedural requirements when responding to sexual harassment and sexual violence to prevent and effectively respond to sexual discrimination as required by title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise the quorum requirement for the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to require the lesser of three members or the number of members holding office on the board (currently, at least three members) for there to be a quorum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2017 This bill establishes the United States Commission on Hate Crimes to investigate and report on: whether hate crimes have increased; factors that contributed to an increase in hate crimes, if one is determined to exist; policies or actions by law enforcement agencies to reduce hate crimes; and the impact of underreporting on hate crimes statistics and prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Opioid Addiction Prevention Act of 2017 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit the Drug Enforcement Administration from registering, or renewing the registration of, a practitioner who is licensed to prescribe opioids in schedule II, III, or IV unless the practitioner agrees to comply with certain requirements when prescribing opioids for the initial treatment of acute pain, such as a limit on the initial supply. An opioid that is approved and prescribed for the treatment of addiction is not subject to the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Local Food And Regional Market Supply Act or the Local FARMS Act This bill consolidates, modifies, and authorizes several Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to expand regional or local food markets and implement food safety practices. The bill authorizes and provides mandatory funding for a new Agricultural Market Development Program that is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and consolidates: the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program, Value-Added Producer Grants, regional food chain coordination, and public-private partnerships to plan and develop regional food systems. The bill modifies the Food Safety Outreach Program to move the program to the AMS, provide mandatory funding, and expand the project priorities. The bill also: establishes a national food safety cost-share program; reauthorizes the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program; authorizes rural development grants and loans to be used for meat, dairy, and poultry processing infrastructure; allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification; authorizes grants for produce prescription programs for low-income individuals and households; and reauthorizes the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and expands eligibility to include low-income veterans. The bill modifies the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program to: (1) require the majority of funds to be reserved for national or regional programs involving multiple states, and (2) expand the purposes of the program to include food waste reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish detention standards for each facility at which aliens in DHS custody are detained. Such standards shall provide for at least the level of detainee protections described in the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. A detained individual who is injured as a result of a violation of such standards may file a claim in U.S. district court. The bill: (1) provides for facility oversight and transparency, (2) phases out the use of private detention facilities and jails for such aliens, and (3) revises procedures for detaining aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act This bill amends the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 to increase the number of states that may participate in two-year Medicaid demonstration programs that improve access to community mental health services. It also extends the two-year term for existing state demonstration programs by one year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Hurricane Harvey Small Business Recovery Grants Act This bill establishes within the Small Business Administration (SBA) the Office of Hurricane Harvey Small Business Recovery Grants to compensate small businesses, located in a qualified disaster area, for substantial economic injury they suffered resulting from Hurricane Harvey beginning August 25, 2017, and ending August 25, 2018. This compensation (1) excludes interest on the amount of the payment before the settlement or payment of a claim or any punitive or noncompensatory damages; and (2) is limited to $100,000, except in cases where the SBA determines that a greater amount up to $250,000 is appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
National Health Service Corps Strengthening Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
AFG and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to: (1) repeal the expiration dates of, and to reauthorize through FY2023, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program, the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FPSG) Program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) Program; and (2) authorize the use of AFG Program grants, instead of SAFER Program grants, to provide specialized training to first responders on how to recognize and properly intervene with individuals with mental illness. The SAFER Program is revised to permit the use of grants to change the status of part-time or paid-on-call firefighters to full-time firefighters. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) may develop and make widely available an electronic, online training course for members of the fire and emergency response community on matters related to the administration of AFG, FPSG, and SAFER grants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall ensure that any such training is: (1) tailored to the financial and time constraints of members of the fire and emergency response community; and (2) accessible to all individuals in the career, combination, paid-on-call, and volunteer fire and emergency response community. The USFA shall develop and implement a grant monitoring and oversight framework to mitigate and minimize risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement relating to such grants programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). USDA must modernize the international trade tracking and data collection systems of the NOP, which must include ensuring that trade and transaction certificates are fully traceable without unduly hindering trade. The bill authorizes mandatory funding to be used for this purpose and for maintaining previous database and technology upgrades. The bill modifies requirements for recordkeeping, investigations, and enforcement with respect to the organic certification process to: allow parties to an active investigation to share confidential business information with government officers or employees and certifying agents involved in the investigation, require federal agencies that administer cross-border documentation systems to provide USDA with access to the data from the systems, allow the NOP to grant an accredited certifying agent the authority to require additional documentation or verification before granting certification, and require USDA to issue regulations limiting the type of operations that are excluded from certification. With respect to the accreditation process for certifying agents, the bill: (1) authorizes USDA to oversee and approve certifying agents operating in a foreign country, and (2) requires certifying agents that intend to operate in a foreign country to be annually authorized.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Drinking Water Infrastructure for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2017 appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency to remain available through FY2022 for capitalization grants to the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. (The program assists public water systems in financing infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and meet health objectives under the Safe Drinking Water Act.) The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the amounts as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The bill also exempts the funding from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Transportation Infrastructure for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2017 appropriations to the Department of Transportation to remain available through FY2022 for national infrastructure investments under a competitive grant program commonly known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the amounts as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The bill also exempts the funding from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, or age). The office may award grants to educational entities and partnerships to: train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.
![Official portrait of Rep. Shea-Porter, Carol [D-NH-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001170_200.jpg)