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United States · Official source
3,657 records where LAMAR SMITH is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11158 Highway 146 North in Hardin, Texas, as the "Lucas Lowe Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2018
Expresses: (1) appreciation for the profound public service of former President George H.W. Bush, and (2) deep sympathy to the entire family of the former President.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2018
This bill establishes that certain activities on or below the waters within the U.S. exclusive economic zone that infringe a U.S. patent shall be considered an infringing act that occurs within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2018
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should issue a postage stamp honoring the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2018
50 Votes for the Wall Act This bill establishes the Border Wall and Security Trust Fund for funds appropriated to construct a wall (including physical barriers and associated detection technology, roads, and lighting) along the international border between the United States and Mexico by January 19, 2021. The bill provides appropriations to the fund equal to amounts requested by the Department of Homeland Security, which may not exceed a total of $25 billion. The authority provided by this bill terminates on September 30, 2028. When the authority expires, any unobligated balances in the fund must be returned to the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2018
Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2018 This bill prohibits a state or local jurisdiction from imposing: (1) multiple taxes on the sale of a covered electronic good or service, or (2) discriminatory taxes on the sale or use of a digital good or service. A "digital good or service" is delivered or transferred electronically to a customer. A "covered electronic good or service" is a digital good, digital service, audio or video programming service, or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. The bill also: specifies services that are excluded from the definition of "digital service;" restricts taxation of a covered electronic good or service to taxation by a state or local jurisdiction whose territorial limits encompass a customer tax address, as defined by this bill; makes the seller of covered electronic goods or services responsible for obtaining and maintaining such address; and specifies rules regarding the taxation of bundled transactions, digital code, and VoIP services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2018
Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act of 2018 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to modify provisions relating to the enforcement of immigration laws. Specifically, the bill prohibits any individual (e.g., an employer) from restricting or interfering with the enforcement of the immigration laws by federal officials. It also denies states or localities (i.e., sanctuary jurisdictions) that fail to cooperate in the enforcement of the immigration laws eligibility for federal funds and law enforcement grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The bill amends detainer provisions to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to issue detainers for the arrest of an illegal alien if there is probable cause to believe that the alien is inadmissible or deportable. It also provides qualified immunity to governmental and certain nongovernmental entities that detain an alien, except in cases of mistreatment, and allows a private right of action to relatives of victims of crime committed by an alien released from custody by a state or local governmental entity that failed to honor a detainer. The bill also revises provisions requiring detention of aliens during the pendency of removal proceedings to require indefinite detention of aliens who have committed certain serious crimes; enhances penalties for the criminal offense of reentry after removal; establishes new and specific grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for aliens who are members of designated criminal gangs (consisting of five or more persons); and provides funding for border barriers, technology and other resources at the southern border to prevent illegal entry.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 201 8 This bill establishes a new formula for adjusting benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program for individuals who receive pensions based on certain non-covered employment. This formula replaces the existing formula (known as the "windfall elimination provision") for making such adjustments to OASDI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Expresses the policy of the United States to enter into a military treaty alliance of extended deterrence with Israel which would provide Israel with U.S. nuclear protection.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2018
Judiciary Reforms, Organization and Operational Modernization Act of 2018 or the Judiciary ROOM Act of 2018 This bill makes various changes to the operation and organization of federal courts. Among other things, the bill does the following: adds 52 new permanent district court judgeships, converts 8 temporary district court judgeships into permanent judgeships, restructures certain judicial districts, requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to issue a judicial code of conduct for judges and justices of U.S. courts (including Justices of the Supreme Court), and requires certain proceedings to be live streamed.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2018
Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish within itself a Joint Threat Assessment and Management Task Force, which shall provide recommendations to Congress and DHS on the development and implementation of a national strategy for preventing targeted violence through threat assessment and management. The task force shall make recommendations relating to the most effective use of existing government infrastructure, workforce, and experience, unit support, training, and school violence prevention. The bill defines "threat assessment and management" as the systematic and evidence-based process of: (1) identifying individuals whose behavior indicates a capacity for committing acts of violence; (2) investigating and gathering information to assess whether such individuals pose a real threat; and (3) the subsequent management of such a threat. DHS shall develop and implement the national strategy and provide information and training services related to it. The bill directs DHS to award grants to governmental and educational entities and nongovernmental organizations to establish community based units for implementing the national strategy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2018
Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to establish the Secure the Southern Border Fund to provide funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) construct a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico international border, and (2) purchase U.S. Border Patrol vehicles and equipment. DHS shall annually provide the Department of State and Congress with the number of apprehensions and nationality of aliens who illegally entered the United States through the U.S- Mexico land border. The bill reduces by $2,000 per alien the foreign assistance provided to the countries of nationality of such aliens and transfers such revenue to the fund. The State Department may opt to not reduce appropriations to Mexico for military, narcotics control, and anti-terrorism activities. The Electronic Fund Transfer Act is amended to establish a 5% foreign remittance fee to be transferred to the fund. A foreign country that aids an individual to avoid such fee shall be ineligible for foreign assistance and the visa waiver program. The bill increases the fee for the alien admission/departure I-94 form and transfers such revenue to the fund, the Land Border Inspection Fee account, and the Border Patrol. The bill directs DHS by December 31, 2019, to: (1) design and install physical barriers, roads, and technology along the the U.S.-Mexico international border to prevent illegal crossings; and (2) achieve operational control of the U.S. international land and maritime borders. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is amended to permit Border Patrol agents to receive overtime pay.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2018
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to expand activities under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program to include: (1) gathering information on community resilience (i.e., the ability of a community to prepare for, recover from, and adapt to earthquakes); (2) publishing a systematic set of maps of active faults and folds, liquefaction susceptibility, susceptibility for earthquake-induced landslides, and other seismically induced hazards; and (3) continuing the development of the Advanced National Seismic System, including earthquake early warning capabilities. With respect to earthquake hazard reduction activities, the bill revises or expands the duties of: (1) the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), (4) the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and (5) the National Science Foundation. The Government Accountability Office shall complete a review of federal earthquake hazard risk reduction efforts. NIST and FEMA must jointly convene a committee of experts to assess and recommend options for improving seismic safety standards for federal buildings. The USGS must submit to Congress a five-year management plan for the continued operation of the Advanced National Seismic System.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Our Communities, Our Choices Act of 2018 This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require consultation with state and local elected officials and a public hearing before awarding grants or contracts for housing unaccompanied alien children in a facility that is not on federal property.
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
Occupational Licensing Board Antitrust Damages Relief and Reform Act of 2018 This bill prohibits any person not affiliated with a state from recovering damages under antitrust law from certain occupational licensing boards or members of such boards. For a board to qualify for this immunity, various conditions must be met, such as the existence of a state law authorizing the board's regulation of a particular profession and the presence of a mechanism for reviewing the board's decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2018
Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act This bill modifies procedures related to specified chemical assessments performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, chemical hazard identification and dose response assessments, currently performed by the Integrated Risk Information System program, must be performed by the appropriate EPA program office.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
AG and Legal Workforce Act This bill establishes a new H-2C nonimmigrant visa for aliens coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services. In addition, the bill (1) directs the Department of Homeland Security to create an electronic employment-eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system, and (2) mandates the use of such a system by employers.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
United States Ports of Entry Threat and Operational Review Act This bill directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to submit to the congressional homeland security and tax committees a threat and operational analysis of U.S. air, land, and sea ports of entry.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
Department of Energy Veterans' Health Initiative Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a research program in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing that is focused on the development of tools to: (1) solve big data challenges associated with veterans' health care, and (2) support the Department of Veterans Affairs in identifying potential health risks and challenges. DOE shall carry out a pilot program to develop tools for big data analytics in order to advance artificial intelligence technologies to solve complex big data challenges.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
Chemical Assessment Improvement Act This bill modifies procedures related to specified chemical assessments performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, chemical hazard identification and dose response assessments, currently performed by the Integrated Risk Information System program, must be performed by the appropriate EPA program office.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2018
Recognizes the significance of the parsonage allowance to the nation's religious and spiritual communities, and supports its continued retention in the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2018
Ensuring Meaningful Petition Outreach While Enhancing Rights of States Act of 2018 or the EMPOWERS Act of 2018 This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise the process for listing, delisting, or reclassifying a species under the Act. Before submitting to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, a petition to list a species as a threatened or endangered species, the petitioner must notify each county and state in which the species is located of the intent to submit a petition. Upon finding that the petition may be warranted, the appropriate department must solicit advice from each county and state in which the species is located. If a state or county advises that the listing is not warranted, then the appropriate department may not proceed with the listing unless the department demonstrates that the information submitted in support of the advice is incorrect and that the listing is warranted. The bill expands requirements regarding providing notice of a proposed regulation that determines whether a species is endangered or threatened, including by requiring the appropriate department to provide notice to each person who requests a notice. The appropriate department must justify a final regulation that conflicts with the advice of a state or county.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2018
Localizing Authority of Management Plans Act of 2018 or the LAMP Act of 2018 This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to revise requirements governing cooperative management agreements to manage areas established for the conservation of endangered or threatened species. Under current law, the agreements are between states and the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate. This bill allows the appropriate department to enter into: (1) agreements with local governments, Indian tribes, or nonfederal persons; and (2) agreements to manage areas established for the conservation of species that are candidates for listing. The bill exempts the actions of preparing, approving, and entering into an agreement from environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The departments may: (1) delegate authority under the ESA to states that establish and maintain an adequate program for the conservation of endangered or threatened species that reside in the state, and (2) provide financial assistance to a state that has entered into an agreement with the department or to a state with delegated authority.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2018
Less Imprecision in Species Treatment Act of 2018 or the LIST Act of 2018 This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise the process for removing a species from the endangered or threatened species lists. The Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, must remove a species from the endangered or threatened species lists if Interior produces or receives substantial scientific or commercial information demonstrating that the species is recovered or that recovery goals set for the species have been met. The publication and notice of a proposed regulation to remove a species from the lists must consist solely of a notice of the removal. The bill establishes a process for removing species from the lists if they were erroneously or wrongfully listed. The bill prohibits a person from submitting a petition to list a species as a threatened or endangered species for 10 years if the person knowingly submitted a petition with information that was inaccurate beyond scientifically reasonable margins of error, fraudulent, or misrepresentative.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2018
This bill restates current law concerning specified U.S. space programs and related activities. Those provisions are consolidated into title 51 of the United States Code (National and Commercial Space Programs).
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2018
Expresses support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and personnel and denounces calls for ICE's abolishment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
American Space Situational Awareness and Framework for Entity Management Act or the American Space SAFE Management Act This bill declares that it is U.S. policy to encourage the coordination of public and private sector science and technology activities to improve space situational awareness and space traffic management. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) must submit a national civil space situational awareness and space traffic management science and technology plan to carry out this policy. NASA shall establish a Center for Civil Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management Science and Technology Excellence at a U.S. academic institution or institutions. The Department of Commerce shall establish a civil situational awareness program to furnish situational awareness services and information to, and obtain space situational awareness data and information from, specified eligible entities, including a state, a U.S. commercial entity, the government of a foreign country, or a foreign commercial entity. Commerce shall establish a civil space traffic coordination pilot program to facilitate communication, coordination, negotiation, and resolution among domestic and international civil spacecraft operators (including governmental and private entities operating those spacecraft) to improve the safety of spaceflight. Commerce must submit a report on the role that Commerce, including of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall have in the development of civil space traffic coordination standards to promote innovation and U.S. competitiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
National Quantum Initiative Act This bill directs the President to implement a National Quantum Initiative Program to, among other things, establish the goals and priorities for a 10-year plan to accelerate the development of quantum information science and technology applications. The bill defines "quantum information science" as the storage, transmission, manipulation, or measurement of information that is encoded in systems that can only be described by the laws of quantum physics. The National Science and Technology Council shall establish a Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science, including membership from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to guide program activities. The President must establish a National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee to advise the President and subcommittee on quantum information science and technology research and development. NIST shall carry out specified quantum science activities and convene a workshop to discuss the development of a quantum information science and technology industry. The National Science Foundation shall: carry out a basic research and education program on quantum information science and engineering, and award grants for the establishment of Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education. The Department of Energy (DOE) shall carry out a basic research program on quantum information science. The Office of Science of DOE shall establish and operate National Quantum Information Science Research Centers to conduct basic research to accelerate scientific breakthroughs in quantum information science and technology.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through FY2019. NIST shall carry out specified quantum information science and technology activities and convene a workshop to discuss the development of quantum information science. NIST shall: enhance and expand its guidance and assistance to federal agencies in helping them to effectively use its Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity; expand fundamental and applied research to address key questions related to the measurement of privacy, security, and vulnerability of software tools and communications networks; and implement the recommendations in the December 2017 Road Mapping Workshop Report on Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Composites in Sustainable Infrastructure. NIST shall continue to: support the development of artificial intelligence and data science; and conduct research on the expanded connectivity, interoperability, and security of interconnected systems and other aspects of the Internet of things. The bill grants NIST the authority to appoint scientific, engineering, and professional personnel regardless of the civil service laws to carry out research and development that requires the services of personnel who are specially qualified.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2018
Recognizes that the national debt is a threat to national security and that deficits are unsustainable, irresponsible, and dangerous. Commits to restoring regular order to the appropriations process and immediately passing a balanced budget.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Education when reviewing whether there has been a violation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance) based on an individual's actual or perceived shared Jewish ancestry or Jewish ethnic characteristics to consider the definition of "anti-Semitism" as part of its assessment of whether a practice was motivated by anti-Semitic intent. For purposes of this bill, the definition of "anti-Semitism" is the definition set forth by the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism of the Department of State in the Fact Sheet issued on June 8, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
National Innovation Modernization by Laboratory Empowerment Act or the NIMBLE Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to delegate signature authority to the nonmilitary national laboratories for certain agreements. Activity under such an agreement must have a total cost of less than $1 million (including the contributions of the national laboratory and the cost share of the contractor). Agreements must fall within the scope of: a strategic plan for the laboratory that has been approved by DOE, or the most recent congressionally approved budget for DOE activities that are to be carried out by the laboratory.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
ARPA-E Act of 2018 This bill amends the America COMPETES Act to require the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in the Department of Energy (DOE) to overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of transformative science and technology solutions to address energy, environmental, economic, and national security challenges. (Currently, ARPA-E must overcome barriers in the development of energy technologies.) The bill expands the goals of ARPA-E to include the development of energy technologies that: provide transformative solutions to improve management of radioactive waste, improve the efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of energy production, and address other challenges within the mission of DOE. The bill expands the responsibility of ARPA-E to accelerate novel early-stage research to include nonenergy research. ARPA-E must: include a strategic vision roadmap in each annual report on energy technology projects or advanced technology projects, and ensure that it does not fund an advanced technology project unless the prospective grantee has demonstrated that it has sufficiently attempted to secure private financing or that such project is not independently commercially viable. Specified categories of proprietary information collected by ARPA-E from award recipients shall be considered privileged and confidential and not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018 This bill authorizes various scientific research activities, programs, and initiatives in the Department of Energy (DOE). The bill states that the mission of DOE's Office of Science shall be the delivery of scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major scientific tools to transform the understanding of nature and to advance energy, economic, and national security. The bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Science's basic energy sciences program, construction and operation of user facilities, Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, and Science Laboratories Infrastructure Program. DOE shall provide for specified upgrades to or construction of basic energy sciences research infrastructure. DOE shall carry out a Solar Fuels Research Initiative and a Electricity Storage Research Initiative. The Office of Science shall: carry out specified research programs; ensure the access of U.S. researchers to the most advanced accelerator facilities and research capabilities in the world, including the Large Hadron Collider; and assess the potential of fusion energy projects supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2018
Coastal Texas Protection Act This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the completion of the feasibility studies for flood damage reduction, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and ecosystem restoration in the coastal areas of Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Charitable Giving Tax Deduction Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income (above-the-line deduction) for charitable contributions that are allowed as an itemized deduction under current law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2018
Recognizes the 300th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio, Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2018
Honors the life and contribution to the United States of Barbara Bush and extends sympathies to her family.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018
Peter, Ellie, and Grayson Victims of Illegal Criminal Entry Act of 2018 or the VOICES Act of 2018 This bill establishes new criminal offenses and penalties related to illegal reentry into the United States after deportation or removal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to community colleges to develop or improve associate degree and certificate programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) fields in which there is a significant workforce demand in their region and a need to strengthen the global competitiveness of affected companies. The NSF shall award competitive grants to universities partnering with employers or employer consortia that commit to offering apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, or applied learning experiences to university students in identified four-year STEM degree programs. The NSF shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research on student outcomes and determine best practices and scalability of computer-based and online courses for technical skills training. The NSF Directorate of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, in coordination with the Department of Labor, shall support research to improve the efficiency of skilled technical labor markets in the United States. The NSF shall commission research that compares and contrasts skilled technical workforce development between the United States and other developed countries. The NSF National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics shall coordinate with other relevant federal statistical agencies in exploring the feasibility of expanding its surveys to include the collection of objective data on certain skilled technical workers who use significant levels of STEM knowledge in their jobs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through FY2019. The bill authorizes NASA programs, activities, and reports, including those regarding the International Space Station (ISS); launch, crew, and cargo vehicle critical path redundancy; space suits; earth observation; land remote sensing data collection; Landsat systems; the Goddard Institute for Space Studies; in-space nuclear fission power; civil supersonic transportation research; unmanned aircraft systems research; commercially provided space products and services; commercial in-space infrastructure; and NASA-funded institutes. NASA shall: continue the operation of the ISS; establish a research office at the Johnson Space Center to build upon its expertise in human space flight missions for future challenges; partner with private sector and philanthropic organizations to search for technosignatures, such as radio transmissions, in the search for life's origin and future in the universe; establish the 21st Century Aeronautics Research Capabilities Initiative; more effectively and efficiently share its electromagnetic spectrum with U.S. nongovernmental entities operating or proposing to operate space objects; and restrict contracting with contractors who have a history of poor performance on space contracts. The bill extends NASA's authority to lease nonexcess properties through 2020. The National Space Council shall publish a report that relates the strategic national importance of space to the inherent risk of exploring and using it.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes and extends the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and associated programs through FY2023 at increased levels. The Department of Transportation's (DOT's) State block grant program is expanded. The Air Traffic Control Contract Program is modified. Grant authority for competitive land use planning and projects by state and local governments is extended. Various requirements are imposed on the FAA, including those for: (1) conducting a review of the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and its effects on communities around airports; (2) establishing a Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee; and (3) convening a multidisciplinary expert review panel to conduct a survey of Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) holders and ODA program applicants to document and assess FAA certification and oversight activities. The General Accountability Office shall conduct a review to assess the workforce and training needs of the FAA Office of Aviation Safety in the anticipated budgetary environment. Safety provisions are outlined, which include safety critical staffing provisions, as well as air service improvement provisions, which include a cell phone voice communication ban. Provisions with regard to aviation consumers with disabilities are also outlined. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is amended with respect to wild fire prevention, eligibility for code implementation and enforcement, and program improvements. FAA Leadership in Groundbreaking High-Tech Research and Development Act or the FLIGHT R&D Act Appropriations are authorized with respect to various research and development (R&D) related matters including Safety Research and Development programs. FAA shall appoint an Associate Administrator for Research and Development. Provisions are set forth regarding unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity, and FAA R&D activities. The Internal Revenue Code is amended with regard to: (1) expenditure authority from the airport and airway trust fund; and (2) extension of taxes funding such trust fund.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018
Stephen Michael Gleason 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 award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018
Permitting Litigation Efficiency Act of 2018 This bill modifies conditions and requirements for judicial review of a federal agency's decision with respect to permits for certain construction projects.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018
Ending the Fentanyl Crisis Act of 2018 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to modify the drug quantity thresholds that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who manufactures, distributes, imports, exports, or possesses with intent to distribute fentanyl. Specifically, the bill reduces from 400 to 20 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 100 to 5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a 10-year or 20-year mandatory minimum prison term for high-level first-time or repeat offenders. It also reduces from 40 to 2 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 10 to 0.5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a 5-year or 10-year mandatory minimum prison term for low-level first-time or repeat offenders. Additionally, the bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to increase the availability of chemical screening devices and dedicate the appropriate number of personnel to interdict fentanyl and other substances that are unlawfully imported into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018
Music Modernization Act This bill makes various changes to copyright law related to sound recordings, including providing protection for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, creating a system for paying royalties to producers and sound engineers, and establishing a statutory blanket license for digital music services. The blanket license allows music services to distribute sound recordings covered by the license without negotiating for the rights for each individual recording, as long as the music service complies with the license's requirements, such as paying the required royalties.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2018
Funding Americans First Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to direct each federal agency to use the number of citizens and legal permanent residents residing in a state, as determined under the decennial census (beginning with the 2020 decennial census), when determining funding for grants and other funding measures.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018
Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2018 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize training and technical assistance to help law enforcement agencies anticipate, survive, and respond to violent encounters during the course of their duties, including duties related to security at courthouses. Additionally, the bill amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to allow grant funds awarded by the State Justice Institute to be used to improve the safety and security of state and local courts. Finally, when the General Services Administration disposes of surplus security equipment (e.g., metal detectors), it must give priority to state and local courthouses.