United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Report and Educate About Campus Hazing Act or the REACH Act This bill addresses hazing incidents that involve students attending an institution of higher education (IHE). Hazing means an intentional, knowing, or reckless act committed by a student, or a former student, of an IHE against another student, that (1) is connected with an initiation into, an affiliation with, or the maintenance of membership in, an organization that is affiliated with the IHE; and (2) contributes to a substantial risk of physical injury, mental harm, or degradation or causes physical injury, mental harm or personal degradation. Specifically, an IHE must disclose hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies in its annual security report. In addition, each IHE must provide students with an educational program on hazing that includes information on hazing awareness, hazing prevention, and the IHE's policies on hazing.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This resolution acknowledges the importance of the U.S.-Egypt partnership and Egypt's role in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. It also urges the Egyptian government to enact serious and legitimate reforms to ensure that Coptic Christians have the same rights and opportunities as other Egyptian citizens, and to take steps to end the culture of impunity for attacks on Christians.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Ellie Helton, Lisa Colagrossi, Teresa Anne Lawrence, and Jennifer Sedney Focused Research Act or Ellie's Law This bill authorizes appropriations for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to conduct or support research on unruptured brain aneurysms in a patient population diversified by age, sex, and race.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act This bill expands TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility to include members of the Selected Reserve who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill updates the Department of Defense's Survivor Benefit Plan and how it operates in relation to other benefits. The plan currently provides a monthly annuity (based on a percentage of a service member's retirement pay) to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the service member. Currently, if a surviving spouse is also entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation, the annuity paid under the plan will be reduced. The bill repeals certain provisions that require the offset of the plan annuity from amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation. Under current law, upon the request of the surviving spouse, the military branch concerned is authorized to pay an annuity to the member's dependent children instead of to the surviving spouse. The bill restores the annuity to an eligible spouse who previously elected to transfer payment to a dependent child.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans who have not previously operated a farm or ranch.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Agent Orange Exposure Fairness Act This bill expands eligibility for a presumption of service-connection for veterans exposed to certain herbicide agents (e.g., Agent Orange) during military service in Vietnam. Specifically, the bill removes the manifestation period required for the presumption of service-connection for chloracne and porphyria cutanea tarda. Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for a presumption of service-connection for certain cases of acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy without a manifestation period. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts Act of 2019 or the BRAVE Act of 2019 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for (1) burial and funeral expenses of veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall also increase such amounts each fiscal year to account for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act of 2019 or the BRACE Act of 2019 This bill permanently extends the tax credit for railroad track maintenance. The extension applies to expenditures paid or incurred during tax years beginning after 2017. Assignments of miles of railroad track, including related expenditures, for tax years ending after 2017 must be treated as timely if they are made pursuant to a written agreement entered into within 90 days of the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. The design of the coins shall bear an image and the name of Christa McAuliffe on the obverse side and a design on the reverse side that depicts the legacy of McAuliffe as a teacher. Treasury may issue the coins from January 1-December 31, 2020. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be paid to the FIRST robotics program for the purpose of engaging and inspiring young people, through mentor-based programs, to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to treat a notification of the death of a veteran rated totally disabled at the time of death as a claim by the veteran's surviving spouse and children for dependency and indemnity compensation benefits. The VA may not require that such spouse and children file a claim for such benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2019 This bill provides continuing appropriations to the U.S. Coast Guard for any period during FY2019 in which interim or full-year appropriations for the Coast Guard are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty; and retired pay. The appropriations are provided until the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation. The bill compensates civilian Coast Guard employees furloughed as a result of a lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and ended upon the enactment of this bill. The bill also ratifies and approves certain obligations incurred in anticipation of the appropriations made and the authority granted by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Continuing Coverage for Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 This bill establishes severability between provisions relating to the requirement to maintain minimum essential health care coverage (i.e., the individual mandate) and other provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the bill provides that if the individual mandate is found to be illegal or incapable of being enforced, such findings do not affect the validity of other provisions relating to (1) the availability and renewability of coverage, or (2) the prohibitions against discriminatory coverage practices based on preexisting conditions or health status.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Financial Reporting Threshold Modernization Act This bill increases the threshold dollar amounts above which financial institutions are required to file currency-transaction and suspicious-activity reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Preserving America's Battlefields Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program and expands the purposes of the American Battlefield Preservation Program to include the preservation and protection of nationally significant battlefields of not only the Civil War but also the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and the enhancement of visitors' experiences at those battlefields.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Ensuring Diverse Leadership Act of 2019 This bill requires that in making the appointment of a president, a Federal Reserve Bank must interview at least one individual reflective of gender diversity and one reflective of racial or ethnic diversity. The bill amends numerous banking-, finance-, and trade-related Acts to make references to officials (including those to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) gender-neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 This bill addresses certain health benefit and home loan programs for veterans. Specifically, the bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served (1) offshore of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or (2) in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill extends eligibility for health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance to children with spina bifida who have at least one veteran parent who may have been exposed to an herbicide agent while serving in Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Additionally, the bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan guaranty program to adjust loan fee rates and eliminate the limit on the amount of a loan for which the VA may provide a guaranty of 25%. Under current law, these loan guarantees are subject to a limit on loan size determined by Freddie Mac. The bill also waives loan fees for active duty Purple Heart recipients. The VA shall permit a VA-approved appraiser to make a housing loan appraisal based solely on information gathered by a person with whom the appraiser has entered into an agreement for such services.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. Individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Providing Pay for Essential Employees Act This bill provides appropriations to pay the salaries and expenses of federal employees who are working during the lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and resulted in a partial government shutdown.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Main Street Tax Certainty Act This bill makes permanent the tax deduction for qualified business income. (Under current law, the deduction expires after December 31, 2025.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Homeless Veteran Families Act This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for entities furnishing services to homeless veterans to include funding for a minor dependent. The rate for per diem payments is the daily cost of care as estimated by the grant recipient or eligible entity. This bill would expand the per diem payment amount for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent to the daily cost of care plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of such daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 This bill establishes additional sanctions and financial restrictions on institutions and individuals related to the conflict in Syria. The Department of the Treasury shall determine whether the Central Bank of Syria is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern and, if so, impose one or more special measures, such as requiring domestic financial institutions to maintain additional records on transactions involving the bank. The President shall impose sanctions on foreign persons that provide significant support to or engage in a significant transaction with the Syrian government or the military forces or contractors acting on behalf of Syria, Russia, or Iran. The bill also imposes sanctions on those that knowingly sell or provide significant goods, services, technology, or information that facilitates or expands the Syrian government's domestic petroleum production; aircraft, parts, or related services used by military forces related to the Syrian government; or construction or engineering services to the Syrian government. The sanctions include blocking of financial and property transactions and barring of entry into the United States. Such sanctions shall not apply to various nongovernmental organizations and activities related to providing humanitarian aid or supporting democratic institutions in Syria. The President may suspend some or all of the sanctions under certain conditions, including if it is in the United States' national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government job. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receives government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act of 2019 This bill prohibits sending bad faith patent demand letters. A patent demand letter is a written communication claiming that the recipient may be liable for patent infringement. Bad faith means making knowingly false or misleading statements, making claims with reckless disregard for the truth, or omitting information with the intent to deceive. Bad faith representations include false or misleading claims about the sender's right to assert a patent and whether lawsuits have been filed. It also includes making written demands for compensation for invalid patents, or to demand compensation without identifying the ultimate parent entity of the letter sender. The sender shall have an affirmative defense that it acted in good faith, by proving its misstatements or omissions were unintentional and it made an error in spite of procedures to avoid such errors. The bill preempts state laws relating to patent assertion communications. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general may bring actions to enforce these provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows individuals to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by any state or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence. Additionally, the bill specifies that a qualified individual who lawfully carries or possesses a concealed handgun in another state (1) is not subject to the federal prohibition on possessing a firearm in a school zone, and (2) may carry or possess the concealed handgun in federally owned lands that are open to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2019 This bill establishes requirements regarding audits of certain financial agencies performed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Specifically, the bill directs the GAO to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
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 · 30 November 2018
This resolution expresses support for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, condemns the Assad regime and the governments of Russia and Iran for their continued support of war crimes, and calls on the President and the Department of State to work toward a sustainable political transition in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 27 November 2018
Verification Alignment and Service-disabled Business Adjustment Act or the VA-SBA Act This bill transfers the responsibility for verifying that a small business concern is owned and controlled by a veteran or service-disabled veteran, for the purposes of eligibility for certain procurement programs, from the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Small Business Administration. It also modifies various aspects of such programs, including penalties for misrepresenting ownership status.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2018
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 · 28 September 2018
Veterans Right to Expediency Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to deliver notice of the denial of claims for VA benefits by certified mail.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
Expresses support for the designation of National Kinship Care Month. Honors the commitment and dedication of kinship caregivers and advocates. Encourages Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2018 or the PAWS Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide service dogs to certain veterans regardless of whether they have a mobility impairment.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2018
Violence Against Women Extension Act of 2018 This bill extends through March 31, 2019, 19 grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and subsequent legislation and administered by the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2018
Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent several tax provisions that were enacted in 2017 and are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The bill makes permanent provisions that: reduce individual tax rates, modify the taxation of the unearned income of children, allow a deduction for qualified business income of pass-through entities, increase the standard deduction, increase and modify the child tax credit, increase the limitation for certain charitable contributions, allow additional contributions to ABLE accounts (tax-favored accounts designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses), allow certain members of the Armed Forces in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt to receive combat zone tax benefits, exclude from gross income discharges of student loan debt due to the death or disability of the student, repeal the deduction for personal exemptions, limit individual deductions for state and local taxes, limit the mortgage interest deduction, double the estate and gift tax exemption amount, increase the alternative minimum tax exemption amount for individuals, and repeal or limit several other deductions and exclusions. The bill also: extends through 2020 the reduction in the adjusted gross income threshold for the medical expense deduction, modifies the capital gains tax brackets, and modifies tax filing requirements for married taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2018
Full Military Honors Act of 2018 This bill provides full military honors for the funeral of an eligible veteran who: is first interred or inurned in Arlington National Cemetery on or after enactment of this bill, was awarded the medal of honor or the prisoner-of-war medal, and is not entitled to full military honors because of such veteran's grade.
United States · United States Congress · 28 August 2018
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment services for congenital anomalies and birth defects, including reconstructive services and prosthetics.
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 · 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 · 23 July 2018
Integration of Baseball Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in recognition and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the integration of the game of baseball. All sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges. All surcharges received by Treasury shall be distributed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with the understanding that the Hall of Fame shall work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to develop and operate education programs about the integration of the game of baseball and to preserve artifacts related to the integration of the game.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
UNRWA Reform and Refugee Support Act of 2018 This bill states that it shall be U.S. policy to recognize the refugee status of a Palestinian receiving assistance through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) if such person, or the person's spouse or minor child: resided, between June 1946 and May 1948, in the region controlled by Britain known as Mandatory Palestine; was personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict; and has not accepted an offer of legal residency status, citizenship, or other permanent adjustment in status in another country. In applying such criteria to refugees under UNRWA it shall be U.S. policy, consistent with the definition of a refugee under the Immigration and Nationality Act, that: derivative refugee status may only be extended to the spouse or minor child of such a refugee, and an alien who was firmly resettled in any country is not eligible to retain refugee status.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Stivers, Steve [R-OH-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001187_200.jpg)