United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program to assess the effectiveness of addressing veterans' post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms through the therapeutic medium of training service dogs for veterans with disabilities. The VA shall: seek to enter into contracts with non-government entities that are certified in the training and handling of service dogs and that are located in close proximity to at least three but not more than five VA medical centers, provide such entities access to a training area in a VA facility that would be appropriate for use in educating veterans with mental health conditions in service dog training and handling, administer the program through the Center for Compassionate Innovation of the Veterans Health Administration in collaboration with the Recreation Therapy Service under the direction of a certified recreational therapist, and establish a director of therapeutic service dog training. Veterans may participate in the program in conjunction with the VA's compensated work therapy program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Health Equity and Access for Returning Troops and Servicemembers Act or the HEARTS Act This bill extends TRICARE eligibility to certain former members of the Armed Forces regardless of whether they enroll (as required under current law) in Medicare's supplementary medical insurance program. Specifically, the bill applies to former members who are: (1) younger than 65 years of age, (2) medically retired from the Armed Forces, and (3) entitled to Medicare hospital insurance benefits on the basis of their former entitlement to disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act. Furthermore, these former members shall not be subject to late-enrollment penalties under Medicare's supplemental medical insurance program. The Department of Defense must coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) identify former members to which the bill applies, (2) counsel those former members on the effects of declining to enroll in Medicare's supplemental medical insurance program, and (3) report to Congress on specified issues related to the bill's implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to grant "Recognizing Inspiring School Employees" awards to classified public school employees, within certain occupational specialties, who provide exemplary service to students in prekindergarten through higher education. ED must annually select an awardee, out of nominations received from states, from any of the following occupational specialties: (1) paraeducator services, (2) clerical and administrative services, (3) transportation services, (4) food and nutrition services, (5) custodial and maintenance services, (6) security services, (7) health and student services, (8) technical services, and (9) skilled trades.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Community College to Career Fund Act This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to eligible community colleges, four-year public institutions of higher education, tribal colleges or universities, public or private nonprofit two-year institutions of higher education in specified U.S. territories, or a consortium of any of them, in partnership with employers or an employer or industry partnership representing multiple employers, in order to develop, offer, improve, and provide educational or career training programs for workers. The governor of the state in which at least one of these entities is located shall establish criteria for an educational or career training program leading to a recognized postsecondary credential for which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Consolidated Authorization for Use of Military Force Resolution of 2017 This joint resolution authorizes the President, for three years, to use all necessary and appropriate force to protect U.S. national security against Al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Afghan Taliban, and any associated organized and armed group that is a co-belligerent against the United States. Congress declares that this authorization is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization under the War Powers Resolution and that nothing in this joint resolution supersedes any requirement of such resolution. The President shall: (1) submit to Congress and publish in the Federal Register at least every 90 days a list of entities (including their locations) against which such authority has been exercised. If the President exercises such authority to deploy ground forces in a combat role, the President shall notify Congress at the earliest possible date after such deployment consistent with U.S. national security interests. A joint resolution introduced on or after such notification that provides for modification or repeal of a deployment authority shall be considered to be in accordance with applicable procedures under the War Powers Resolution. Specified prior authorizations for the use of military force are repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 This bill prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. It bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Individuals or entities shall not assist or facilitate a conversion therapy if they receive monetary compensation from any source in connection with providing such therapies. These prohibitions are inapplicable to practices or treatments that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if they provide: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. The Federal Trade Commission and states are provided authority to enforce against violations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Expresses support for the designation of National Stress Awareness Month. Recognizes the efforts made by the Department of Health and Human Services to educate people about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of stress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend the J-1 visa waiver program (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) through September 30, 2021. The bill sets forth specified employment protections and contract requirements for alien physicians working in underserved areas, including: (1) a six-month status extension for a physician whose application his been denied by an oversubscribed state and who then agrees to work in an undersubscribed state, and (2) an allowable adjustment from a J-1 to an H-1B visa (specialty workers with a permitted U.S. stay of up to six years) for a physician fulfilling waiver requirements. The bill permits a state, under specified circumstances, to recapture a waiver slot lost to another state if a physician working in a health facility accepts employment with such a facility in another state. The number of alien physicians that a state may be allocated is increased from 30 to 35 per fiscal year under specified circumstances. The bill provides for: (1) additional increases or decreases based upon demand, and (2) up to three visa waivers per fiscal year per state for physicians in academic medical centers. Dual intent is permitted for an alien coming to the United States to receive graduate medical education or training or to take examinations required for graduate medical education or training.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2017
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 201 7 This bill expands tax incentives and federal assistance for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) that are sponsored by S corporations. The bill provides additional tax incentives for ESOPs by (1) extending to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an ESOP; and (2) allowing a tax deduction for 50% of the interest received by a bank on loans to S corporation-sponsored ESOPs for the purchase of employer securities. The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The bill defines an "ESOP business concern" and allows such a concern to continue to qualify as a small business for the purposes of programs under the Small Business Act. An "ESOP business concern" is a business concern that was a small business concern eligible for a loan, preference, or other program under the Small Business Act before more than 49% of the business concern was acquired by an ESOP.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Kerrie Orozco Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that the following persons may be naturalized upon compliance with all naturalization requirements, except that no prior residence or specified physical presence within the United States shall be required: a person who is the surviving spouse, child, or parent of a U.S. citizen who died as a result of injury or disease incurred in or aggravated by employment as a first responder; and in the case of such a surviving spouse, the person was living in marital union with the citizen spouse at the time of the citizen spouse's death. The Department of Homeland Security shall provide for the granting of posthumous citizenship at the time of death to a person who, while an alien or a noncitizen national of the United States, died as a result of injury or disease incurred or aggravated while serving as a first responder.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Commemorates the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Special Operations Command by honoring the U.S. Special Operations Forces community for their service and commitment to keeping the United States safe.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2017 The bill requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee Act This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act to establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting. The advisory committee must advise the departments on policies or programs related to: implementing Executive Order No. 13443: Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation; conserving and restoring wetlands, agricultural lands, grasslands, forest, and rangeland habitats; promoting opportunities for and access to hunting and shooting sports on federal lands; recruiting and retaining new hunters and shooters; increasing public awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation and the benefits of recreational hunting and shooting; and encouraging coordination among the public, the hunting and shooting sports community, wildlife conservation groups, states, tribes, and the federal government. The bill also specifies requirements for membership, meetings, pay and expenses, administrative support, and annual reports to Congress. The advisory committee is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The bill abolishes the existing Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, effective on the date of the first meeting of the advisory committee established by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
This bill directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to assess an annual fee of $200 for any film crew of five persons or fewer to conduct commercial filming activities or similar projects on federal land administered by such departments and to require a one-year permit for such activities or projects that occur in areas designated for public use during public hours on federal land and waterways administered by such departments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2017 This bill permanently extends the Medicare-Dependent Hospital program (which provides increased payments to certain smaller, rural hospitals that serve a proportionally high number of Medicare patients) and the program for increased payments under Medicare for low-volume hospitals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2017 This bill allows coverage, under Medicare, of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by providers other than primary care physicians and practitioners. Additionally, it allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Social Security 2100 Act This bill increases various Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits and related taxes. The bill increases the primary insurance amount (e.g., the amount a Social Security beneficiary receives if the beneficiary begins receiving benefits at normal retirement age) by increasing the percentage of the beneficiary's average indexed monthly earnings used to calculate the amount. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall publish a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, which the Social Security Administration (SSA) shall use to calculate cost-of-living adjustments to benefits. Currently, the SSA uses a price index for wage earners to make such adjustments. The bill increases the minimum benefit amount for individuals who worked for more than 10 years by creating an alternative minimum benefit. A qualifying beneficiary shall receive that alternative minimum if it is higher than the standard calculated benefit amount. The bill increases the income threshold that a beneficiary must reach before Social Security benefits are taxable. Increased benefits from this bill shall not count as income when determining an individual's eligibility or benefit amounts for (1) Medicaid, (2) the Children's Health Insurance Program, or (3) the Supplemental Security Income program. Income above $400,000 shall be included when calculating Social Security benefits and taxes. The bill also increases rates for the payroll and self-employment taxes that fund OASDI. The bill establishes the Social Security Trust Fund, which replaces the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects students' education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act This bill provides a permanent appropriation for the payment of death gratuities and related benefits to survivors of deceased members of the uniformed services during a period of lapsed appropriations. The bill provides the appropriations at the rate and under the conditions provided for the most recent fiscal year for which an Act making appropriations for the uniformed services has been enacted. The appropriations are provided during a period of lapsed appropriations, in which appropriations are unavailable due to the absence of the timely enactment of an Act or joint resolution providing appropriations or continuing appropriations for the death gratuity and related benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: President Trump, his family, his business associates, his campaign associates, and members of his Administration should cooperate fully with all investigations examining the Russian Federation's attack during the 2016 U.S. elections, ties between President Trump's campaign officials and the Russian Federation, and possible coordination between these officials and the Russian Federation as part of its attack; until the conclusion of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's criminal and counterintelligence investigation, the Trump Administration is acting under the appearance of a conflict of interest and should refrain from taking any actions or making any changes to U.S. policy that could be seen as benefitting President Putin or his inner circle; and the appearance of any conflict of interest concerning a foreign adversary and U.S. government institutions primarily responsible for national defense and the conduct of foreign policy weakens U.S. national security and erodes confidence between the United States and its allies.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Honoring Hometown Heroes Act This bill authorizes the governor of a state, territory, or possession of the United States or the Mayor of the District of Columbia to proclaim that the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (public safety officer) working in such jurisdiction who dies while serving in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act This bill designates approximately 1,559,538 acres of land within Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill amends equal pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to: (1) restrict the use of the bona fide factor defense to wage discrimination claims, (2) enhance nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) make it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increase civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs shall train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to: (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace is established for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Recognizes that the intent of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 included the presumption that veterans who served in the Armed Forces in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, served in Vietnam for all purposes under the Agent Orange Act of 1991. Expresses the intent that such veterans who served in those areas and other areas exposed to Agent Orange who have been diagnosed with connected medical conditions should be equally recognized for such exposure through equitable benefits and coverage as those who served in the inland rivers and on the Vietnamese land mass. Calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to review its policy that excludes presumptive coverage for Agent Orange exposure for such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
Larry Doby 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 presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2017 This bill allows Medicare payment for home health services ordered by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2017 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
This bill authorizes FY2018-FY2023 appropriations for the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for 50% of the clinical testing expenses for: (1) infectious disease products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening infection, including one caused by an antibacterial or antifungal resistant pathogen or a qualifying pathogen listed by the Department of Health and Human Services as having the potential to pose a serious threat to public health; and (2) in-vitro diagnostic devices that identify in less than four hours the presence, concentration, or characteristics of a serious or life-threatening infection.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act This bill establishes a comprehensive women's history museum within the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, to provide for: (1) the collection, study, and establishment of programs related to women's contributions that have influenced the direction of the United States; (2) collaboration with other Smithsonian museums and facilities, outside museums, and educational institutions; and (3) the creation of exhibitions and programs that recognize diverse perspectives on women's history and contributions. The bill establishes a council within the Smithsonian Institution to: (1) make recommendations to the Smithsonian's Board of Regents for the construction of the museum; (2) advise and assist the board on the administration and preservation of the museum; (3) recommend annual operating budgets for the museum; and (4) report annually to the board on the acquisition, disposition, and display of objects related to women's art, history, and culture. The council shall have sole authority to: (1) acquire artifacts for the museum's collections, (2) dispose of any part of the collections but only if funds generated are used for additions to the collections, (3) specify criteria for the use of the museum's collections and resources, and (4) preserve and maintain the collections. The museum's director may carry out educational and liaison programs in support of its goals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act This bill authorizes the military department concerned to reimburse a member of the Armed Forces who is reassigned for a permanent change of station or assignment from one state to another for qualified relicensing costs of the member's spouse. Reimbursement may not exceed $500 for each change of station or assignment. The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) shall work with states to improve license portability. "Qualified relicensing costs" are the costs, including exam and registration fees, needed to secure a license or certification to engage in the same profession in the new state.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage and Allow Legal HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 or the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) should: (1) not place unique or additional burdens on such individuals solely as a result of their HIV status; and (2) demonstrate a public health-oriented, evidence-based, medically accurate, and contemporary understanding of HIV transmission, health implications, treatment, and the impact of punitive HIV-specific laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions on public health and on affected people, families, and communities. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to initiate a national review of federal (including military) and state laws, policies, regulations, and judicial precedents and decisions regarding criminal and related civil commitment cases involving people living with HIV. DOJ must transmit to Congress and make publicly available the results of such review with related recommendations. DOJ and HHS must: (1) develop and publicly release guidance and best practice recommendations for states, and (2) establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation system to measure state progress. DOJ, HHS, and DOD must transmit to the President and Congress any proposals necessary to implement adjustments to federal laws, policies, or regulations. This bill shall not be construed to discourage the prosecution of individuals who intentionally transmit or attempt to transmit HIV to another individual.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2017
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2017 This bill requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept, for purposes of establishing a claim for veterans disability benefits, a report of a medical examination administered by a private physician without requiring confirmation by a Veterans Health Administration physician if the report is sufficiently complete (defined as competent, credible, probative, and containing such information as required to make a decision on the claim for which the report is provided). The VA is required to submit: (1) a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations, and (2) an annual report for each VA regional office regarding claims for which private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The President shall report to Congress regarding the foreign and domestic supply chain in Iran that supports Iran's ballistic missile program. The report shall identify individuals and companies involved in such activities. The President shall submit to Congress a determination of whether any Iranian ballistic missile test violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. Such resolution endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and sets out a mechanism to monitor Iranian compliance. The President shall impose sanctions against: (1) Iranian government agencies involved in ballistic missile development; (2) foreign entities that supply material for, or otherwise facilitate or finance, such efforts; (3) foreign persons or foreign government agencies that import, export, or re-export prohibited arms or related material to or from Iran; and (4) foreign persons or entities that transfer goods or technologies contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, including launch technology, and destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons. The President shall investigate potential violations of ballistic missile and conventional weapons sanctions against Iran. The President shall report to Congress regarding credible information about Iran's violations of arms restrictions and attempts to pursue sanctionable activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Protection and Advocacy for Veterans Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a five-year grant program to improve the monitoring of VA mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. The VA shall award a grant to four protection and advocacy systems under which each recipient shall investigate and monitor VA facilities care and treatment of veterans with mental illness or substance abuse issues. Criteria for selecting recipients shall include whether the state in which the protection and advocacy system operates has low mental health, performance, and access scores. During each year in which a protection and advocacy system carries out a demonstration project, the VA shall award a joint grant to a national organization with extensive knowledge of the protection and advocacy system and a veterans service organization to: (1) coordinate training and technical assistance, and (2) provide for related data collection, reporting, and analysis. "Protection and advocacy system" means the state-established system to protect and advocate the rights of persons with developmental disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act or the MAR-A-LAGO Act This bill directs the President to establish and update, every 90 days, a publicly available database that contains records of: the name of each visitor at the White House, residence of the Vice-President, or any other location at which the President or Vice President regularly conducts official business (covered location); the name of each individual with whom the visitor met at the covered location; and the purpose of the visit. The President shall not include in the database any such record: (1) the posting of which would implicate personal privacy or law enforcement concerns or threaten national security, or (2) relating to a purely personal guest at a covered location. For a particularly sensitive meeting, the President shall: (1) include in the database the number of visitors at the covered location, and (2) post the applicable records in the database when their release is no longer sensitive.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act of 2017 This bill amends title VII (Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize through FY2018 the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program. The bill also authorizes new grants under the FIPSE program. Specifically, the Department of Education may award grants to institutions of higher education for dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs that allow high school students to earn college credits.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) support advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor 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 emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to help finance the construction of a new building and renovation of existing National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States, in seeking to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against religious and ethnic groups in the Middle East, should draw upon relevant lessons of the U.S. government, civil society, and humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide, Seyfo, and the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Global Health Innovation Act of 2017 This bill directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to report to Congress, annually for four years, on the development and use of global health innovations in USAID programs, projects, and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2017
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing credit, to rename the credit "the affordable housing credit" and make several modifications to the credit. The bill revises tenant eligibility requirements, with respect to: the average income test, income eligibility for rural projects, increased tenant income, student occupancy rules, and tenant voucher payments that are taken into account as rent. The bill revises various requirements to: establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain projects, permit relocation costs to be taken into account as rehabilitation expenditures, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, require housing credit agencies to make certain determinations regarding community revitalization plans, prohibit local approval and contribution requirements, increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households, increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies, increase the population cap for difficult development areas, and eliminate the basis reduction for a property that receives the tax credit for investments in energy property if the affordable housing credit is allowed for the property. The bill also modifies requirements regarding the reconstruction or replacement period after a casualty loss, rights related to building purchases, the prohibition on claiming acquisition credits for properties placed in service in the previous 10 years, foreclosures, and projects that assist Native Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Student Agriculture Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of a student farmer up to $5,000 of the gain from the sale or exchange of personal property (including livestock, crops, and agricultural mechanics or shop products) produced or raised by the student farmer. A student farmer is an individual who is under 19 years of age and is enrolled in: (1) a program established by the National FFA Organization; (2) a 4-H Club or other program established by 4-H; or (3) a student agriculture program that is under the direction or guidance of an agricultural educator, advisor, or club leader. To qualify for the exclusion, the production and sale or exchange of the property must be supervised by one of the specified agriculture programs. The sale or exchange must also occur during qualified public entertainment or convention and trade show activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is made available for the lifetime of the passholder without charge to any U.S. citizen or person domiciled in the United States who has been medically determined to be permanently disabled, to be made available to any veteran with a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Servicemember Intimate Privacy Protection Act This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prohibit the nonconsensual distribution of private sexual images. To be guilty of such offense, a person must have: knowingly broadcast or distributed a visual image of another person who is at least 18 years of age, who is identifiable from the image itself or from information displayed in connection with the image, and who is engaged in a sexual act or exposes a private area; obtained the image under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private; and known, or reasonably should have known, that the person depicted in the image has not consented to its broadcast or distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Mary Jo Lawyer Spano Mesothelioma Patient Registry Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to develop a patient registry to collect data on mesothelioma. The agency must use the registry to: enhance and expand infrastructure and activities for tracking the epidemiology of mesothelioma patients; collect, consolidate, and report on health information on mesothelioma patients; describe the incidence and prevalence of mesothelioma in the United States; facilitate research on mesothelioma; examine factors that may be associated with mesothelioma; outline key demographic factors associated with mesothelioma; and make information available to the public to facilitate and enhance research on, and the prevention and treatment of, mesothelioma.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Duty First Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 20,000 $5 gold coins, 100,000 $1 silver coins, and 200,000 half-dollar clad coins, emblematic of the 100-year anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Society of the 1st Infantry Division for renovation of the existing 1st Infantry Division Memorial located in the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or the HELLPP Act This bill adds podiatrists as covered physicians under the Medicaid program. Documentation requirements related to Medicare coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes are revised. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier to a continuing levy for federal taxes owed by the provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Native American Indian Education Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Department of Education, for FY2018-FY2022, to pay Native American-serving, nontribal institutions of higher education the tuition of their out-of-state Native American students. This applies only to schools that are required to provide a tuition-free education, with the support of their state, to Native American students as a condition under which the college or state received its original grant of land and facilities from the federal government. Payments are treated as reimbursements to institutions from their states.
![Official portrait of Rep. Walz, Timothy J. [D-MN-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000799_200.jpg)