United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill updates the Department of Defense's Survivor Benefit Plan and how it operates in relation to other benefits. The plan currently provides a monthly annuity (based on a percentage of a service member's retirement pay) to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the service member. Currently, if a surviving spouse is also entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation, the annuity paid under the plan will be reduced. The bill repeals certain provisions that require the offset of the plan annuity from amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation. Under current law, upon the request of the surviving spouse, the military branch concerned is authorized to pay an annuity to the member's dependent children instead of to the surviving spouse. The bill restores the annuity to an eligible spouse who previously elected to transfer payment to a dependent child.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Lessening Regulatory Costs and Establishing a Federal Regulatory Budget Act of 2019 This bill establishes procedures and provides statutory authority to reduce the number of federal regulations. Specifically, it requires each agency to establish a regulatory reform task force chaired by a designated regulatory reform officer. Each task force must, among other duties (1) review each existing agency regulation; (2) estimate the potential cost savings of repealing or modifying each regulation; and (3) identify regulations that are appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification based on cost, effectiveness, and impact on employment. The bill further provides statutory authority for the executive order prohibiting agencies from issuing a new regulation with an economic impact of at least $100 million without identifying two regulations for repeal that will offset the cost of the proposed new regulation. Agencies also must submit a list of all planned regulatory actions for inclusion in the semiannual Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, including (1) the estimated economic effect of each action, and (2) proposed deregulatory actions to offset the cost of each proposed new regulation. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget must establish an annual regulatory budget for each federal agency that specifies the net allowable increase in regulatory costs for each agency during the next fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Tax Free Health Insurance Act of 201 9 This bill allows an individual taxpayer a deduction from gross income for insurance premiums paid for the health care coverage of the taxpayer and the taxpayer's spouse and dependents. The bill makes the deduction available whether or not the taxpayer itemizes other deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2019 This bill makes state or local governments that violate immigration laws ineligible for federal financial assistance. A governmental entity shall be ineligible if it violates federal law by prohibiting its officials from communicating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the immigration status of any individual, restricts compliance with DHS detainer requests, or has any laws or policies that violate immigration laws. A DHS detainer request is an order or request to a state or local government to (1) temporarily hold or transport an alien for transfer into federal custody, or (2) notify DHS before releasing an alien from custody. A government or law enforcement officer that complies with a DHS detainer request shall be acting under the color of federal authority, for the purposes of liability or immunity in a lawsuit filed by the detained individual. The bill makes it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers for complying with a DHS retainer request.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Permanently Repeal the Estate Tax Act of 201 9 This bill repeals the federal estate tax, effective for estates of decedents dying after December 31, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act of 2019 or the BRACE Act of 2019 This bill permanently extends the tax credit for railroad track maintenance. The extension applies to expenditures paid or incurred during tax years beginning after 2017. Assignments of miles of railroad track, including related expenditures, for tax years ending after 2017 must be treated as timely if they are made pursuant to a written agreement entered into within 90 days of the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher tragically killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. The design of the coins shall bear an image and the name of Christa McAuliffe on the obverse side and a design on the reverse side that depicts the legacy of McAuliffe as a teacher. Treasury may issue the coins from January 1-December 31, 2020. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of the coins shall be paid to the FIRST robotics program for the purpose of engaging and inspiring young people, through mentor-based programs, to become leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2019 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud an individual of veterans' benefits. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act of 2019 or the SAFE for America Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant program, which makes immigrant visas available to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2019 This bill provides continuing appropriations to the U.S. Coast Guard for any period during FY2019 in which interim or full-year appropriations for the Coast Guard are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty; and retired pay. The appropriations are provided until the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation. The bill compensates civilian Coast Guard employees furloughed as a result of a lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018, and ended upon the enactment of this bill. The bill also ratifies and approves certain obligations incurred in anticipation of the appropriations made and the authority granted by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Preserving America's Battlefields Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program and expands the purposes of the American Battlefield Preservation Program to include the preservation and protection of nationally significant battlefields of not only the Civil War but also the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and the enhancement of visitors' experiences at those battlefields.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. Individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Holding Health Insurers Harmless Act This bill exempts health insurers and group health plan sponsors from penalties for offering coverage or plans that fail to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Coverage and plans must continue to comply with (1) the prohibition on excluding preexisting conditions from coverage, and (2) the requirement for coverage of dependent children to be available until the dependent turns 26 years old.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act This bill establishes the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism as an ambassador-rank official, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, who leads the Office to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism within the Department of State. (Under current law, the special envoy is appointed by the Secretary of State.) The President may nominate the special envoy from among State Department officers and employees. The special envoy shall be the primary advisor in the government relating to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism in foreign countries. The individual shall be of recognized distinction in religious freedom, law enforcement, or combating anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act of 2019 or the GREAT Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget, jointly with the executive department that issues the most federal grant awards, to (1) establish government-wide data standards for information reported by grant recipients, (2) issue guidance directing federal agencies to apply those standards, and (3) require the publication of recipient-reported data collected from all agencies on a single public website.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
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 2019
James K. Polk Presidential Home Study Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the James K. Polk Home and adjacent property in Columbia, Tennessee. In conducting this study, Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the site and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act This bill establishes funding for a U.S.-Mexico border barrier and revises how border patrol agents are compensated for overtime. The Department of the Treasury shall set up an account for funding the design, construction, and maintenance of the barrier. The funds are appropriated only for that purpose and for vehicles and equipment for border patrol agents. For each fiscal year, financial assistance to a country shall be reduced by $2,000 for each citizen or national of that country apprehended for illegally entering the United States through its southern border. The reduced amount shall be transferred to the border barrier account. The Department of State may opt not to reduce amounts appropriated to Mexico for various military and law enforcement-related activities. This bill establishes a 5% fee on foreign remittance transfers and increases the fee for the arrival/departure I-94 form for various aliens entering the United States, with part of the fees to go into the border barrier account. By December 31, 2019, DHS shall (1) take all actions necessary, including constructing barriers, to prevent illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico barrier; and (2) achieve operational control over all U.S. international borders. The bill changes how border patrol agents receive overtime pay when working up to 100 hours in a two-week period. For hours worked above 80, an agent shall receive at least 150% of the agent's regular hourly rate.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Buy a Brick, Build the Wall Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to accept gifts of money for designing, constructing, or maintaining a barrier on the U.S. and Mexico border. Treasury shall establish a trust fund and website for that purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2019 This bill limits birthright citizenship by redefining what it means to be "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. Currently, a person born in the United States and subject to U.S. jurisdiction is entitled to citizenship. Under the bill, a person is subject to U.S. jurisdiction if he or she is born to a parent who is (1) a U.S. citizen or national, (2) a lawful permanent resident residing in the United States, or (3) an alien performing active service in the Armed Forces. The bill does not affect the citizenship or nationality status of any person born before the bill's enactment date.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Grant's Law This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to detain any alien found to be unlawfully present in the United States and arrested for various crimes that would render the alien deportable or inadmissible. The bill transfers release authority from DOJ to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS may release the alien to an appropriate authority for proceedings related to the arrest, but DHS must resume custody for any period that the alien is not in such authority's custody. If the alien is not convicted of crimes for which the alien was arrested, DHS must continue to detain the alien until removal proceedings are completed. DHS must complete the removal proceedings within 90 days.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows individuals to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid concealed carry permit issued by any state or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence. Additionally, the bill specifies that a qualified individual who lawfully carries or possesses a concealed handgun in another state (1) is not subject to the federal prohibition on possessing a firearm in a school zone, and (2) may carry or possess the concealed handgun in federally owned lands that are open to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
FairTax Act of 201 9 This bill imposes a national sales tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services in lieu of the current income taxes, payroll taxes, and estate and gift taxes. The rate of the sales tax will be 23% in 2021, with adjustments to the rate in subsequent years. There are exemptions from the tax for used and intangible property; for property or services purchased for business, export, or investment purposes; and for state government functions. Under the bill, family members who are lawful U.S. residents receive a monthly sales tax rebate (Family Consumption Allowance) based upon criteria related to family size and poverty guidelines. The states have the responsibility for administering, collecting, and remitting the sales tax to the Treasury. Tax revenues are to be allocated among (1) the general revenue, (2) the old-age and survivors insurance trust fund, (3) the disability insurance trust fund, (4) the hospital insurance trust fund, and (5) the federal supplementary medical insurance trust fund. No funding is authorized for the operations of the Internal Revenue Service after FY2023. Finally, the bill terminates the national sales tax if the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (authorizing an income tax) is not repealed within seven years after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2019 This bill establishes requirements regarding audits of certain financial agencies performed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Specifically, the bill directs the GAO to complete, within 12 months, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks. In addition, the bill allows the GAO to audit the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks with respect to (1) international financial transactions; (2) deliberations, decisions, or actions on monetary policy matters; (3) transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee; and (4) discussions or communications among Federal Reserve officers, board members, and employees regarding any of these matters.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2018
Celebrates the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the subsequent relocation of the U.S. embassy to the city. Reaffirms the friendship between the United States and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2018
50 Votes for the Wall Act This bill establishes the Border Wall and Security Trust Fund for funds appropriated to construct a wall (including physical barriers and associated detection technology, roads, and lighting) along the international border between the United States and Mexico by January 19, 2021. The bill provides appropriations to the fund equal to amounts requested by the Department of Homeland Security, which may not exceed a total of $25 billion. The authority provided by this bill terminates on September 30, 2028. When the authority expires, any unobligated balances in the fund must be returned to the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
U.S.-Israel Cooperation Expansion Act This bill states that it is U.S. policy to: support bilateral training between U.S. and Israeli law enforcement personnel to share best practices relating to anti-terrorism, community policing, and mass casualty management; and continue to counter threats to U.S. and Israeli security and embassy protection posed by illicit cross-border tunneling and unmanned aerial systems.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2018
This bill alters the payment methodology under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health services, including by eliminating the requirement that such methodology include certain behavioral assumptions regarding the implementation of specified changes to units of payment and case-mix adjustment factors.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
This bill prohibits a homeowners association from seeking to enforce a policy (1) that restricts the right of a member to lease the real property of such member, and (2) against a servicemember whose residence is that property during a period of military service of at least 90 days.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2018
Creating Advancement and Personal Improvement in Targeted American Localities Act of 2018 or the CAPITAL Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow opportunity zones to be designated every 10 years. (Opportunity zones are certain low-income areas in which various tax incentives are available for investments in the zones. Under current law, the existing designations expire after 10 years, and no additional designations are permitted.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2018
Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to establish the Secure the Southern Border Fund to provide funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) construct a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico international border, and (2) purchase U.S. Border Patrol vehicles and equipment. DHS shall annually provide the Department of State and Congress with the number of apprehensions and nationality of aliens who illegally entered the United States through the U.S- Mexico land border. The bill reduces by $2,000 per alien the foreign assistance provided to the countries of nationality of such aliens and transfers such revenue to the fund. The State Department may opt to not reduce appropriations to Mexico for military, narcotics control, and anti-terrorism activities. The Electronic Fund Transfer Act is amended to establish a 5% foreign remittance fee to be transferred to the fund. A foreign country that aids an individual to avoid such fee shall be ineligible for foreign assistance and the visa waiver program. The bill increases the fee for the alien admission/departure I-94 form and transfers such revenue to the fund, the Land Border Inspection Fee account, and the Border Patrol. The bill directs DHS by December 31, 2019, to: (1) design and install physical barriers, roads, and technology along the the U.S.-Mexico international border to prevent illegal crossings; and (2) achieve operational control of the U.S. international land and maritime borders. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is amended to permit Border Patrol agents to receive overtime pay.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 530 East Main Street in Johnson City, Tennessee, as the "Major Homer L. Pease Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Sex Offender Registration and Victim Protection Act of 2018 This bill requires aliens who are registered sex offenders and are subject to removal to provide additional information for inclusion in the sex offender registry, including the alien's registration number, country of nationality, immigration status, and biometric information.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2018
Inventor Protection Act This bill creates additional protections for patents wholly owned by their inventors, such as exempting such patents from administrative validity challenges and allowing inventors to sue for infringement in any district where the defendant is subject to that court's personal jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2018
Eliminating Foreign Intervention in Elections Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used to make payments to local governments that permit noncitizens to vote in state or local elections.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2018
UNRWA Reform and Refugee Support Act of 2018 This bill states that it shall be U.S. policy to recognize the refugee status of a Palestinian receiving assistance through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) if such person, or the person's spouse or minor child: resided, between June 1946 and May 1948, in the region controlled by Britain known as Mandatory Palestine; was personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict; and has not accepted an offer of legal residency status, citizenship, or other permanent adjustment in status in another country. In applying such criteria to refugees under UNRWA it shall be U.S. policy, consistent with the definition of a refugee under the Immigration and Nationality Act, that: derivative refugee status may only be extended to the spouse or minor child of such a refugee, and an alien who was firmly resettled in any country is not eligible to retain refugee status.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2018
AG and Legal Workforce Act This bill establishes a new H-2C nonimmigrant visa for aliens coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services. In addition, the bill (1) directs the Department of Homeland Security to create an electronic employment-eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system, and (2) mandates the use of such a system by employers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2018
Taxpayer Identity Protection Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service to submit to Congress a report regarding the Taxpayer Identification Number Perfection Program, including an explanation of the extent to which the information could be used to identify individuals receiving wages without work authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2018
Zero Tolerance for Illegal Entry Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase from a misdemeanor to a felony a first-time illegal entry into the United States. It also withholds federal assistance from sanctuary jurisdictions and transfers amounts appropriated for public works and housing programs for those jurisdictions to the Department of Homeland Security for border control and the enforcement of the immigration laws. Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act The bill makes the E-Verify program permanent. It requires mandatory participation in the program by federal agencies, critical employers, and contractors and imposes increased fines for failure to participate. It also expands E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of existing employees not previously verified and to require employers to terminate an employee following the receipt of a final E-Verify nonconfirmation. The bill amends the federal criminal code to impose enhanced criminal penalties and fines for facilitating or assisting in harboring or hiring unauthorized workers in violation of the immigration laws.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2018
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to arrange for the award of a single gold medal to the U.S. Army Ranger veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated wartime service. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2018
Insists that, by July 6, 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) fully comply with the requests, including subpoenas, of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Committee on the Judiciary relating to potential violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by DOJ personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2018
Expresses support for the designation of a national day of remembrance for members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed or injured by the terrorist attack on the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 23, 1983.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2018
Honest Operators Undertake Road Safety Act or the HOURS Act This bill amends the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 with respect to commercial motor vehicle safety regulations involving the transportation of agricultural commodities and farm supplies. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall issue or revise regulations to ensure that a driver is exempt from requirements with respect to a driver's record of duty status and supporting documents, if (1) the driver meets certain requirements, including that he or she operates within a 150 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location and, if driving a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, returns to the work reporting location and is released from work within 14 consecutive hours; and (2) the motor carrier that employs the driver maintains and retains for a period of six months accurate and true records showing certain information, including the time the driver reports for duty each day and the total number of hours the driver is on duty each day. DOT shall issue or revise regulations to ensure that a driver or motor carrier subject to the use of an electronic logging device, hall only be required, for purposes of federal hours of service requirements, to obtain and retain supporting documentation regarding the start and end times of each applicable daily on-duty period. The public participation requirements shall not apply to a rulemaking regarding hours of service requirements as they relate to sleeper berths for property-carrying commercial motor vehicle drivers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Recognizes that the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and all federal law enforcement agencies have a duty to uphold the Constitution and to protect the United States without any partisan or ideological inclination affecting their important work. Calls on DOJ to appoint a special counsel to investigate specified concerns.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2018
Mayor Libby Schaaf Act of 2018 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for an officer, employee, or agent of a state or local government to obstruct, hinder, delay, or otherwise impede the enforcement of federal laws, or attempt to do so. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2018
Putting Our First-Responders First Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow first responders to exclude from gross income certain service-connected disability payments received as part of a pension or annuity after reaching the age of retirement. The bill applies to law enforcement officers, employees in fire protection activities, and individuals who provide out-of-hospital emergency medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2018
Expresses the need for a swift resolution of the Special Counsel's investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election and related matters.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2018
Criminal Alien Removal Clarification Act of 2018 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to subject to deportation an alien who at any time after admission has been convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors under state or federal law.
