United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2020
Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act This bill allows individual taxpayers an additional 2020 recovery rebate in the amount of $1,000 ($2,000 for joint returns), plus $1,000 for each dependent of the taxpayer. The amount of such rebate is phased out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 for joint returns). A recovery rebate is a stimulus payment for taxpayers and their dependents who are adversely affected by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2020
Transparency in Campaign Text Message Act This bill prohibits a political committee from soliciting a contribution by a hyperlink that is contained in a text message unless the message includes the full and unabbreviated name of the hyperlink and the identification of the committee. Further, an authorized committee of a candidate must also include in such a text message the identification of the candidate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
Teacher, Principal, and Leader Residency Access Act This bill expands the federal work-study programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) to include work-study programs that compensate students serving in a residency program at the IHE. A residency program refers to a school-based educator preparation program in which a prospective teacher, principal, or school leader (1) works for one academic year with a mentor teacher, principal, or other school leader; (2) receives concurrent instruction from the IHE; (3) acquires effective teaching or school leader skills; and (4) attains certification or licensure prior to completion of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2020
This resolution (1) expresses support for the recognition of Constitution Week; and (2) encourages schools and universities to include, in a grade appropriate manner, lessons explaining the history and importance of the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2020
I Am Vanessa Guillen Act of 2020 This bill addresses the response of the Department of Defense to sex-related offenses committed against members of the Armed Forces, including allowing a member to confidentially allege a complaint of sexual harassment to an individual outside the immediate chain of command of that member.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2020
Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act 2.0 or the CREEPER Act 2.0 This bill expands the federal prohibition on importing or transporting obscene materials to include child sex dolls and makes it a crime to buy, sell, or distribute a child sex doll in interstate or foreign commerce. An individual who imports, transports, buys, sells, distributes, or possesses these dolls is subject to a fine, a prison term, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 4 September 2020
VA High Altitude and Suicide Research Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on the connection between living at high altitude and the risk of developing depression or dying by suicide among veterans. Depending on the results, a follow-up study may be required to identify biological causes and effective treatments.
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 2020
Rural Equal Aid Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay the principal, interest, and any associated fees owed on loans made under certain rural development loan programs for a six-month period. USDA must also encourage the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and state bank regulators to not require lenders to increase their reserves on account of receiving such payments made by USDA. USDA must waive statutory limits on maximum loan maturities for certain loan durations where the lender provides a deferral and extends the maturity of such loans and, when necessary to provide more time because of difficulties during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, extend lender site visit requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Portal for Appraisal Licensing Act of 2020 This bill establishes a central portal for real estate appraisers and real estate appraisal management companies to apply for and to renew certain licenses, certifications, and registrations. The portal must provide connectivity with state agencies and include the ability to pay fees. The Department of Justice must provide access to criminal history information to state officials for required background checks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
This resolution recognizes the selfless dedication to fellow citizens displayed through heroic actions across the country and calls upon the Members of the House of Representatives and all people of the United States to observe a National Heroes Day.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2020
American Flag Production Act of 2020 This bill subjects a person to a fine if the person purchases a U.S. flag that is not 100% domestically made. Federal agencies are prohibited from purchasing such a flag.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2020
Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2020 or the JUSTICE Act This bill addresses policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill funds state and local grants, incentivizes state and local reporting on the use of certain policing practices, creates new federal offenses for certain misconduct, establishes a commission to study the conditions affecting Black men and boys, and establishes best practices and training requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2020
Operation Overlord Study Abroad Program Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the Department of State to establish a two-week study abroad program in Normandy, France, for eligible U.S. high school students to learn about the historical relationship between the United States and France. The State Department may accept and use donations for program expenditures and shall use such funds before any funds appropriated by the government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2020
American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020 This bill addresses the availability, development, and production of domestic critical minerals, including by providing incentives to increase domestic production of critical minerals that are needed to ensure the economic and national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2020
No TikTok on Government Devices Act This bill prohibits federal employees from using the social media video application TikTok on government-issued devices. Specifically, the bill prohibits employees and officers of the United States, Members of Congress, congressional employees, and officers and employees of government corporations from downloading or using TikTok, or any successor application from the developer, on any device issued by the federal government or a government corporation, with the exception of specified activities (e.g., cybersecurity research).
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2020
COVID-19 Accountability Act This bill authorizes sanctions in relation to the Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak. It also increases the research tax credit and imposes requirements related to the acquisition of items for the Strategic National Stockpile. The President shall periodically certify to Congress that the Chinese government (1) is cooperating with efforts related to the COVID-19 outbreak, (2) has prohibited wet markets, and (3) has released and dropped all charges for anyone involved in protests in Hong Kong related to COVID-19. If the President cannot make such a certification, the President may (1) impose sanctions on Chinese government officials, entities owned or controlled by the Chinese government, and individuals affiliated with such entities; or (2) prohibit Chinese nationals from obtaining student visas (i.e., F and M visas) or exchange visitor visas (i.e., J visas). With respect to the research tax credit, the bill increases the alternative simplified credit from 14% to 20% of qualified research expenses above a certain threshold. The Department of Health and Human Services generally may not purchase personal protective equipment, critical medical supplies, or certain fabric products not produced in the United States for the Strategic National Stockpile. However, this restriction shall not apply if (1) there is not a sufficient amount of U.S.-produced items available at U.S. market prices when needed, or (2) the purchase is worth less than $150,000.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2020
Getting Americans Back to Work Act This bill prohibits an individual from receiving unemployment benefits, including pandemic unemployment compensation, during any week in an amount that exceeds that individual's average weekly wages prior to receiving such benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2020
Accelerate Long-term Investment Growth Now Act or the ALIGN Act This bill makes permanent the expensing of certain new business equipment. Expensing allows the deduction of the full amount of an expense item in the same taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2020
Protecting Life in Crisis Act This bill specifies that federal funds allocated for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts may not, in general, be used for abortions. Current law (specifically, language that has historically been included in certain appropriations bills, commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment) generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions. The bill also restricts the use of federal tax credits or other federal funding for health insurance coverage if the coverage includes abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2020
Bring Entrepreneurial Advancements To Consumers Here In North America Act This bill allows accelerated depreciation of nonresidential real property acquired to relocate facilities for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and medical devices or supplies in the United States. It also allows an exclusion from gross income of gain from the sale or exchange of relocation property that was used to manufacture medical products in a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2020
This resolution recognizes all contributors to American small businesses, commends the innovation and prosperity that small businesses provide to the American people and economy, and acknowledges the need for continued congressional support for America's small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2020
This concurrent resolution establishes the Joint Select Committee on the Events and Activities Surrounding China's Handling of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to investigate and report to Congress and the executive branch, including recommendations on the origins and causes of the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19); certain coronavirus-related policies, decisions, and activities by the government of China; accountability for policies, decisions, and activities related to influencing the World Health Organization's response to the coronavirus outbreak; vulnerabilities in the U.S. domestic and global supply chain to combat a global pandemic due to reliance on Chinese manufacturing; information related to lessons learned from China's handling of the coronavirus; and actions the federal government should take in response to China's handling of the coronavirus.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2020
This bill defers for four years the tax on gain from investment in opportunity zone property. Opportunity zone property is property located in low-income communities for which certain tax incentives are provided, including deferral of the recognition of capital gains.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2020
Coronavirus Community Relief Act This bill provides $250 billion for certain localities affected by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Specifically, the bill provides funding for FY2020 for units of local government with a population of 500,000 or less. Payment shall be made within 30 days after submission of a specified certification by the locality. The amount of the payment is proportional to population. Local governments shall use the funds provided to cover only those costs that (1) are necessary and related to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19, and (2) were incurred during the period of March 1-December 30, 2020. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury shall conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of funds.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2020
Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act This bill establishes in the legislative branch a National Commission on United States Preparedness for National Emergencies. Not later than 18 months after this bill's enactment, the commission shall report to the President and Congress regarding (1) which medical, pharmaceutical, and emergency preparedness products are determined to be essential; and (2) actions states should take to be better prepared, national federal stockpile requirements, and national surge capacity infrastructure deficiencies in hospitals and medical centers. States that fail to implement the findings of the commission's report by January 1, 2025, at the state and local level, will lose access to all federal funds for emergency preparedness unless the Department of Homeland Security exempts a state determined to be working to implement such findings in good faith. The bill (1) requires certain medical, pharmaceutical, and emergency preparedness products integral to the response to a national emergency to be manufactured and procured within the United States; and (2) provides for a temporary 100% expensing for firms that incur costs associated with pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturing within the United States, including personal protective equipment and other necessary items.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2020
Securing America's Vaccines for Emergencies Act of 2020 or the SAVE Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the President to make payments to manufacturers to increase supply-chain security if doing so is important to the national defense. The President must submit a strategy to Congress that includes, among other elements (1) a plan to use authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure the supply of medical articles essential to the national defense; and (2) plans to diversify, and address vulnerabilities in, supply chains for essential medical articles.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2020
This resolution condemns the Chinese government's decision to hide the emergence and spread of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) within China. It also calls for an investigation by public health officials from the United States and other affected countries into how China's actions contributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2020
This bill provides funds with which the Federal Communications Commission shall reimburse small business broadband providers for costs incurred during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period to voluntarily (1) provide free or discounted service to students in need of distance learning capacity, or (2) refrain from disconnecting low-income households that cannot afford to make a full payment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2020
Strengthening America's Supply Chain and National Security Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take specified actions concerning the importation of pharmaceutical products from China and any other countries selected by DOD. DOD must submit to Congress a classified report that addresses, among other issues, the percentage of pharmaceutical products used by DOD that are made by such countries and recommendations related to the domestic manufacturing capacity and the resiliency of the supply chain for such products. An unclassified summary of this report must be published on a DOD website. A manufacturer of a pharmaceutical product that has received market approval must annually submit to HHS specified information about the product's active and inactive pharmaceutical ingredients, including the sources of such ingredients and the percentage of the aggregate amount of such ingredients from China and other countries selected by DOD. HHS shall provide such information to DOD. In addition, the bill revises certain statutory tests used to determine the country of origin of a pharmaceutical product. Specifically, a pharmaceutical product shall be deemed to have the same country of origin as the product's active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). (A recent court case held that a drug manufactured in the United States using an API from India is considered a U.S.-made product for procurement purposes.)
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2020
This resolution condemns the Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak, including China's censorship of doctors and journalists during the early days of the outbreak and its refusal to accept assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The resolution also calls for (1) China to publicly state that there is no evidence that COVID-19 originated from outside China, and (2) the World Health Organization to retract misleading statements of support for China's response to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2020
Improving Emergency Disease Response via Housing Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to share with the Department of Health and Human Services information regarding populations that are particularly vulnerable to or at risk of contracting COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, HUD must identify the location of projects for supportive housing for the elderly and provide any information available regarding encampments of homeless individuals and other areas that have a high concentration of homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2020
State- and Science-based Gray Wolf Reintroduction Act of 2020 This bill requires a state to obtain approval from the Department of the Interior before reintroducing the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ) and allows a person to take (e.g., kill or harm) a gray wolf under certain circumstances. Specifically, the bill prohibits a state from reintroducing the gray wolf unless Interior approves a state petition that meets the requirements of this bill. If an affected county makes a recommendation to deny the petition, then Interior may not approve the petition. A person in a state with an approved petition may take a gray wolf that is attacking a stock animal or dog if the person (1) is not trespassing or on land administered by the National Park Service; and (2) did not intentionally bait, feed, or otherwise attract the wolf.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to provide educational assistance through December 21, 2020, for programs of education that have been converted to distance learning due to an emergency or health-related situation. Such assistance includes monthly housing stipends or certain subsistence allowances.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2020
Eliminate Agency Excess Space Act This bill modifies requirements with respect to the disposal of surplus and excess property by federal agencies. Among other things, the bill repeals provisions that require federal agencies to report excess property to the General Services Administration (GSA). Additionally, the GSA must issue regulations that allow federal agencies to dispose of surplus and excess property without first making the property available to other agencies or state or local governments. The bill also requires the GSA to survey all unused or underutilized office spaces held by federal agencies, make recommendations to reduce agency real estate assets, and report on costs associated with property disposal.
United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2020
Consumer Financial Protection Commission Act This bill removes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from the Federal Reserve System, converts the bureau into an independent commission, and modifies its leadership structure. Specifically, the bill eliminates the positions of director and deputy director and establishes a five-person commission appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2020
Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act of 20 20 This bill directs the Bureau of Reclamation to provide financial assistance to states with Reclamation projects to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species into and out of reservoirs operated and maintained by Reclamation, including assistance to purchase, establish, operate, or maintain a watercraft inspection and decontamination station that has the highest likelihood of preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. In providing financial assistance, Reclamation must prioritize projects that (1) prevent the spread of an aquatic invasive species to waters under its jurisdiction, including irrigation, reclamation, or other water projects; and (2) align with the priorities of the state and with the document titled Quagga-Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters , published in February 2010. The bill provides authority for each federal agency on the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force to (1) conduct mandatory inspections and decontamination of watercraft; and (2) if necessary, impound, quarantine, or otherwise prevent entry of a watercraft. The membership of the task force is expanded to include the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Reclamation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2020
Employment Fairness for Taiwan Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to instruct U.S. directors at each international financial institution to ensure that Taiwanese nationals are not discriminated against in employment decisions. (China's position is that Taiwan is a part of China and, as a result, international financial institutions generally do not recognize Taiwan as a country or a member country of the institution.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020
Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting Fentanyl Act This bill adds the entire category of fentanyl-related substances to schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020
Blast Exposure Protection Act of 2020 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. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or 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 · 29 January 2020
Safeguarding Readiness in Military Aviation Training Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to report on the impacts that the expansion of wilderness designations in the western United States would have on the readiness of the Armed Forces with respect to aviation training.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020
Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified diseases becoming manifest in certain veterans to a degree of disability of 10% or more within 15 years of the veteran's separation from active military, naval, or air service. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or 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. Veterans addressed by this bill are those who (1) trained in fire suppression, and (2) served on active duty in a military occupational specialty or career field with a primary responsibility of firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the aggregate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020
Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for Parkinsonism, bladder cancer, hypertension, and hypothyroidism for veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions 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 · 13 January 2020
Weigh Habitats Offsetting Locational Effects Act of 2020 or the WHOLE Act of 2020 This bill revises the process by which the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce reviews an agency action to determine whether the action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of the critical habitat of the species. When making such determination, the appropriate department must consider the offsetting effects of protection or conservation measures that are already in place or proposed to be implemented as part of the action.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2020
This resolution condemns the actions of Iran with respect to Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. It also expresses support for the protestors in Iran and condemns Iran for killing citizens protesting their government. In addition, it calls on Iran to refrain from using violence and to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
