United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
One In, One Out Act This bill prohibits a federal agency from issuing a rule that imposes a cost or responsibility on a nongovernmental person or a state or local government unless: (1) such agency has repealed or revised one or more related rules in a way that reduces costs to the regulated entities, and (2) the cost of the new rule is less than or equal to the cost of the rules being repealed or revised. Any such repealed or revised rule must be published in the Federal Register. This bill is inapplicable to any rule that: (1) relates to procurement by the agency, or (2) is being revised to be less burdensome by decreasing requirements imposed or compliance costs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools Act or the MEND Act This bill lessens the organizational requirements that hospital-based nursing and allied-health education programs must meet in order to be eligible to receive certain Medicare payments for program support.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Conscience Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion. Health care providers include health care professionals, health care facilities, social services providers, health care professional training programs, and health insurers. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), must investigate complaints alleging discrimination based on an individual's religious belief, moral conviction, or refusal to be involved in an abortion. DOJ or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may obtain equitable or legal relief in a civil action. Administrative remedies do not need to be sought or exhausted prior to commencing an action or granting relief. Such an action may be brought against a governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Death Tax Repeal Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. The bill provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2017
VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The VA may remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. A demoted individual shall not be placed on administrative leave or any other category of paid leave during the appeals period and can receive pay only if he or she reports for duty. The bill: (1) establishes an expedited appeals process by the Merit Systems Protection Board, (2) amends the disability benefits appeals process, (3) prescribes restrictions on the VA's authority to remove or demote an employee, and (4) establishes whistleblower protections. The VA shall reduce the federal annuity of an individual removed from the VA Senior Executive Service (SES) who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position. The VA may reduce the federal annuity of an individual who was convicted of such a felony and was subject to removal or transfer from the SES but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to a VA employee under specified circumstances. The VA may suspend, reprimand or admonish an SES employee for misconduct or performance that does not merit removal. Appeals may be made to the Senior Executive Disciplinary Appeals Board (as provided for by this bill). The bill amends the disability benefits appeals process. The bill prohibits payment of an award or bonus to any SES employee during each of FY2017-FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2017
Sanctity of Human Life Act This bill declares that: (1) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human and is a person's most fundamental right; (2) each human life begins with fertilization, cloning, or its equivalent, at which time every human has all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and (3) Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and each U.S. territory have the authority to protect all human lives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
This bill redesignates as the "Nancy Reagan Memorial Park" the Gravelly Point Park located along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of a hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service with liability protection provided by the United States for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency or post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Military Residency Choice Act This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to permit the spouse of a servicemember to elect to use the same residence as the servicemember for purposes of taxation and voting, regardless of the date on which the marriage of the spouse and the servicemember occurred.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
United States Commission on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Act of 2017 This bill establishes the United States Commission on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to investigate and address any practices on the part of OPEC that prevent or reduce competition in the global oil market. The Commission shall be composed of a bipartisan group of 16 experts on energy and related matters chosen by the leadership of both parties in Congress and appointed by the President. All members of the Commission must be U.S. citizens. The bill requires the Commission to: determine whether the anti-competitive behavior of OPEC is designed to disadvantage U.S. oil producers; assess the impact of OPEC's policies on U.S. economic and energy security interests; assess how federal agencies are working to alleviate the potential negative impacts of OPEC's behavior; and produce policy recommendations for tax, trade, defense, diplomacy, and other areas where OPEC's behavior is found to cause adverse impacts. The Commission must submit a report of its findings and recommendations to Congress and the President within 12 months. The Commission shall terminate within 90 days after submission of its report. On receipt of the Commission's report, the President will have 90 days to submit Congress a proposal to implement or respond to the recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
529 and ABLE Account Improvement Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the tax treatment of qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) and ABLE accounts. (Tax-favored ABLE [Achieving a Better Life Experience] accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses.) The bill excludes from gross income a fringe benefit consisting of up to $100 per year (adjusted for inflation after 2017) of employer contributions to an employee's 529 or ABLE account. The employer contribution must be made: (1) to an account for which the designated beneficiary is the employee or a member of the employee's family, and (2) in connection with a payroll deduction contribution program established by the employer. The bill also: (1) expands the tax credit for small employer pension plan startup costs to include the costs of establishing a payroll deduction contribution program for 529 plans and ABLE accounts, (2) permits 529 funds to be used for education loan payments or charitable contributions without being subject to the additional tax for distributions that are not used for qualified higher education expenses, and (3) permits tax-free rollovers of funds between 529 and ABLE accounts for the benefit of the same beneficiary or a family member of the beneficiary. For the purpose of current law restrictions on the frequency of investment directions that a beneficiary or contributor may provide for a 529 or ABLE account, rebalancing investments among broad-based investment strategies established under the program is not an investment direction unless the beneficiary or contributor directs the specific investments within the strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act This bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to declare that, pursuant to the minimum standards for the elimination of sex trafficking, if a government has the authority to prohibit the purchase of commercial sex acts but fails to do so, it shall be deemed to have failed to make serious and sustained efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act or the WINGMAN Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide each veteran who submits a claim for VA benefits with an opportunity to permit a covered congressional employee in the office of the veteran's Member of Congress to have read-only access to all of the veteran's records in the Veterans Benefits Administration databases. A Member may designate up to two such covered congressional employees. A covered congressional employee may not be recognized as an agent or attorney with respect to veterans' benefit claims. Funds under this bill may not be used to design or administer any training for covered congressional employees. The bill makes funds available for FY2018 through FY2021 for such congressional employee access program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Death with Dignity Act of 2016, signed by the Mayor of the District on December 19, 2016, and transmitted on January 6, 2017, to Congress pursuant to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The D.C. Act authorizes terminally ill patients to request and to be prescribed medication to end their lives.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
This bill designates the U.S. exclusive economic zone (as established by Presidential Proclamation Numbered 5030, dated March 10, 1983) as the "Ronald Wilson Reagan Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States."
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion: (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat. It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Veteran Suicide Prevention Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to complete a publicly available review of the deaths of all covered veterans who died by suicide during the preceding five-year period. Such review shall include: the total number of veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period; a summary that includes age, gender, and race; a list of the medications prescribed to, and found in the systems of, such veterans at the time of their deaths, and a summary of medical diagnoses by VA physicians which led to the prescribing of such medications; the number of instances in which the veteran was concurrently on multiple medications prescribed by VA physicians; the percentage of veterans who were not taking any medication prescribed by a VA physician; the percentage of veterans with combat experience or trauma; Veterans Health Administration facilities with markedly high prescription and patient suicide rates; a description of VA policies governing the prescribing of medications; and recommendations to improve the safety and well-being of veterans. "Covered veteran" means any veteran who received VA hospital care or medical services during the five-year period preceding the veteran's death.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a house of Congress that has not agreed to a budget resolution for FY2018 by April 15, 2017, as required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Salaries are withheld from April 16, 2017, until the house of Congress agrees to a budget resolution or the last day of the 115th Congress, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Default Prevention Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to borrow to pay the principal and interest on certain obligations if the debt of the United States exceeds the statutory limit. If the debt limit is exceeded, Treasury must issue obligations solely for the payment of the principal and interest on debt held by the public or the Social Security trust funds. Obligations issued under this bill may not be used to compensate Members of Congress. If Treasury exercises authority provided by this bill, it must submit to Congress a report that includes an accounting of: (1) the principal on mature obligations and interest that is due or accrued, and (2) obligations issued under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
American Future Healthcare Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to health savings accounts (HSAs), to: repeal the requirement that an individual making a tax deductible contribution to an HSA be covered by a high deductible health care plan; increase the maximum HSA contribution level; allow Medicare eligible individuals to contribute to an HSA; allow HSAs to be used to purchase health insurance; provide a cost-of-living adjustment for the limits on additional contributions for individuals 55 or older (catch-up contributions); require the cost-of-living adjustments to be indexed to the CPI medical care component (the medical care component for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor); and allow a rollover of HSA amounts to a Medicare Advantage Medical Savings Account (MSA).
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Stay on Schedule (S.O.S.) Resolution Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order for the House to consider a concurrent resolution for its adjournment during any day in August of any calendar year until the House has passed by July 31 of that year each of the regular appropriation bills for the fiscal year beginning on October 1.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2017
Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2017 This bill amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to declare that nothing in that Act modifies, impairs, or supersedes the operation of antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance, including the business of dental insurance. Prohibitions against unfair methods of competition apply to the business of health insurance without regard to whether the business is for profit.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2017
Hearing Protection Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the $200 transfer tax on firearm silencers, and (2) treat any person who acquires or possesses a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer. Any person who pays a transfer tax on a silencer after October 22, 2015, may receive a refund of such tax. The bill amends the federal criminal code to preempt state or local laws that tax or regulate firearm silencers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2017 or the RPM Act of 2017 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to allow the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls if the vehicle is used solely for competition.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions related to the interstate transportation of firearms and ammunition. An individual may transport a firearm between two places (e.g., states) where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the firearm. During transport, the firearm must be unloaded and secured or securely stored. Additionally, an individual may transport ammunition, or a detachable magazine or feeding device, between two places where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device. During transport, the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device must not be loaded into a firearm and must be securely stored. This bill prohibits the arrest or detention of an individual for a state or local firearm or ammunition violation unless there is probable cause to believe the individual failed to comply with the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017 This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. This restriction does not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this bill. Additional funding for community health centers is provided for the one-year period described above.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 This bill includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act This bill amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase-in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate a phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill: (1) allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only for a disability rated at 50% or more), and (2) repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Individuals who were retired or separated from 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 · 5 January 2017
Health Care Choice Act of 2017 This bill repeals the health insurance and health coverage expansion requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and related provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Provisions of law amended or repealed by those provisions are restored. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that the laws of a state designated by a health insurer (primary state) apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that insurer in any state (secondary state) if the coverage, states, and insurer comply with the conditions of this bill. Insurers are exempted from any secondary state's laws that would prohibit or regulate the operation of the insurer in that state. The primary state is given sole jurisdiction to enforce its covered laws in any secondary state. The Government Accountability Office must study the effect of this bill on specified health insurance issues.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
American Health Care Reform Act of 2017 This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective January 1, 2018. The bill restores provisions amended by the repealed provisions. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax standard deduction for health insurance. Provisions regarding health savings accounts (HSAs) are revised, including to raise contribution limits and to expand the products and services that may be paid for using an HSA. Group health plans may vary premiums and cost-sharing based on participation in a wellness program. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to states for high risk health insurance pools. Individual health insurance coverage is governed by the laws of a state designated by the health insurance issuer. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services must publish Medicare claims and payment data. This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to provide for association health plans, which are group health plans sponsored by certain business associations. Veterans with certain service-related disabilities or who have been awarded a medal of honor must be provided access to medical services though specified entities other than the Department of Veterans Affairs. Independent medical review panels must review health care lawsuits in which the defendant alleges adherence to clinical practice guidelines. Federal courts have jurisdiction over health care lawsuits. This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to revise non-security discretionary spending limits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on a health insurance provider based on its net premium income.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Trust Returned to the United States Taxpayer Act or the TRUST Act This bill denies retirement benefits under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System to a Member of Congress who is convicted of any crime committed after the enactment of this bill that is a felony under federal or state law (currently, limited to specified felonies under federal law).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2022 the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Revisions are made to: (1) requirements for fishery management plans for overfished fisheries; and (2) catch limit requirements, including by authorizing Regional Fishery Management Councils to consider changes in an ecosystem and the economic needs of the fishing communities when establishing the limits. To distinguish between fish that are depleted due to fishing and those that are depleted for other reasons, the term "depleted" replaces the term "overfished" throughout the MSA. Fishery impact statements must analyze the impacts of proposed actions in fishery management plans on the quality of the human environment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must publish a plan for implementing the Cooperative Research and Management Program. The offshore jurisdiction of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama is extended from three miles to nine miles for the recreational management of red snapper. The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission must conduct all fishery stock assessments used for management purposes by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council for the fisheries managed under the Council's Reef Fish Management Plan. Any commercial catch share allocation in a fishery in the Gulf of Mexico may only be traded by sale or lease within the same commercial fishing sector. NOAA must develop a plan to conduct stock assessments for all fish for which a fishery management plan is in effect under this bill. Additionally, NOAA must develop guidelines that will incorporate data from private entities into fishery management plans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on the sale of a medical device by the manufacturer, producer, or importer.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to allow 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 2017
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. The bill provides exceptions for an abortion: (1) that is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2017 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (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 · 3 January 2017
Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2017 This bill revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking. A federal agency promulgating a rule must publish information about the rule in the Federal Register and include in its report to Congress and to the Government Accountability Office: (1) a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule, and (2) a copy of the cost-benefit analysis of the rule that includes an analysis of any jobs added or lost. A "major rule" is any rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget finds results in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. A joint resolution of approval must be enacted within 70 session days or legislative days after the agency proposing a major rule submits its report on such rule to Congress in order for the rule to take effect. A major rule may take effect for 90 days without such approval if the President determines it is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement. The bill sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules. A joint resolution addressing a report classifying a rule as a major rule must be introduced within three legislative days in the House of Representative and three session days in the Senate. The bill prohibits any amendments to, and provides for expedited consideration of, such a joint resolution. A court may review whether an agency has completed the necessary requirements under this bill for a rule to take effect. The bill limits the effect of a joint resolution of approval of a major rule. The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended to provide that any congressional approval procedure set forth in this bill affecting budget authority, outlays, or receipts shall be assumed to be effective unless it is not approved in accordance with this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Miners Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan and the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to provide health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families. The bill expands the group whose retiree health benefits are taken into account in determining the amount that the Department of the Treasury must transfer from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan. A voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA) established as a result of certain bankruptcy proceedings must transfer to the plan any amounts received as a result of the bankruptcy proceeding, reduced by the amount of the VEBA's administrative costs. Transfers by Treasury are reduced by the amount of the VEBA transfers. Treasury must also transfer additional funds to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill also: (1) prohibits the pension plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received, and (2) establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan. The bill repeals requirements for current and former signatories to labor agreements with the UMWA to pay unassigned beneficiaries premiums or backstop premiums if transfers under SMCRA are less than the amount required to be transferred.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
ObamaCare Repeal Act This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Provisions of law amended by those Acts are restored.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. The bill prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts for human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit financial assistance to a foreign country that refuses or unreasonably delays the acceptance of an alien who: (1) is a citizen, subject, national, or resident of such country; and (2) has received a final order of removal from the United States. A country shall be deemed to have refused or unreasonably delayed acceptance of an alien if it does not accept such alien within 90 days of receiving an authorized repatriation request. The Department of Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress every three months that: (1) lists the countries that refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation; and (2) includes the total number of aliens who were refused repatriation, organized by country, detention status, and criminal status. A listed country shall be subject to U.S. entry and financial assistance prohibitions unless it issues appropriate travel documents: (1) within 100 days after such report's submission for aliens convicted of a crime committed in the United States, and (2) within 200 days after such report's submission for all other aliens. A victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal shall have standing in federal district court to enforce entry and financial prohibitions. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to: (1) discontinue granting visas to a subject, national, or resident of a listed country unless the country has issued the appropriate travel documents pursuant to this bill; and (2) grant standing to enforce such provision in federal district court to a victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the admission of covered aliens into the United States for four years unless Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to admit them. No covered alien may be admitted into the United States after such four-year period. "Covered alien" means an alien applying for refugee admission to the United States who: (1) is a national of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen; or (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. The Government Accountability Office shall report on: (1) the national security impact of refugee admissions; and (2) specified costs of providing refugees with benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.
![Official portrait of Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000804_200.jpg)