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![Official portrait of Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000944_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
8,769 records where Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Homeownership for DREAMers Act This bill prohibits federal mortgage providers from limiting insurance eligibility on the basis of the mortgagor's participation in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act of 2019 This bill revises the Summer Food Service Program to direct the Department of Agriculture to establish electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards and off-site consumption as two alternative delivery options for certain children through schools and service institutions in the program. These options shall be available to a child only if (1) the child lives in a rural area or outside of an area in which poor economic conditions exist, and (2) the child is eligible for a free or reduced price lunch and breakfast. In the case of off-site consumption, the option is also available if the summer program is available to the child at a congregate feeding site but (1) the site is closed due to extreme weather conditions, (2) violence or other public safety concerns in the area prevent the child from traveling safely to the site, (3) the site is open not more than four days a week, or (4) the site provides only one meal per day. A state may not operate the EBT card option and the off-site consumption option simultaneously in the same area. Each state desiring to participate in the summer food service program shall include in its annual management and administration plan the state's plans for using one or both of these alternative delivery options.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
This resolution reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and the bipartisan U.S. commitment to promote the safety, health, well-being, and education of refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
This resolution designates September 2019 as National Democracy Month.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
This resolution designates June 19, 2019, as "Juneteenth Independence Day" to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Treatment Family Care Services Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue guidance outlining opportunities for states to fund treatment family care services through Medicaid, the Payments for Foster Care and Permanency program, or other HHS programs. Treatment family care services are structured, daily emotional and behavioral services and interventions provided in a home-based setting for children less than 21 years old. Additionally, HHS must develop and issue guidance about best practices for states to establish treatment family care services programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 This bill directs various departments to assess whether political developments in Hong Kong justify changing Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law. Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system. The Department of State shall report annually to Congress as to whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its unique treatment. The report shall assess whether China has eroded Hong Kong's civil liberties and rule of law as protected by Hong Kong's Basic Law. The Department of Commerce shall report annually to Congress on China's efforts to use Hong Kong to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions. The President shall provide Congress an assessment as to whether to withdraw from the U.S.-Hong Kong extradition treaty, and what actions are needed to protect U.S. citizens and national security interests, if Hong Kong (1) amends its laws to allow the rendition of individuals to countries that lack defendants' rights protections, or (2) passes a national security law. The State Department shall allow otherwise qualified Hong Kong residents to obtain visas to work or study in the United States, even if the applicant had been arrested for participating in certain nonviolent protests supporting human rights or the rule of law. The President shall report to Congress a list of individuals responsible for abducting and torturing people for exercising internationally recognized human rights in Hong Kong. The bill bars such individuals from entering the United States and imposes sanctions on them.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Affordability is Access Act This bill establishes several requirements relating to health-insurance coverage of, and access to, over-the-counter contraceptives. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury to specify that private health-insurance plans must cover over-the-counter contraceptives that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), even without a prescription. Under current law, private health-insurance plans (with some exceptions) must cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, without cost-sharing requirements. The bill also prohibits retailers from interfering with an individual's access to oral contraceptives that are meant for routine, daily use and are FDA-approved for use without a prescription.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Outsourcing Accountability Act of 2019 This bill requires an issuer that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose specified information related to the number of domestic and foreign employees of the issuer and its subsidiaries. An issuer that is an emerging growth company (in general, a newly public company with revenues below a specified threshold) shall be exempt from the bill's disclosure requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
3D Printed Gun Safety Act of 2019 This bill makes it unlawful to intentionally publish digital instructions for programming a three-dimensional printer to make a firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act or the Broadband DATA Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the way broadband data is collected, verified, and reported. Specifically, the FCC must collect and disseminate granular broadband service availability data (broadband maps) from wired, fixed-wireless, satellite, and mobile broadband providers. To do this, the FCC is required to establish the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric (a dataset of geocoded information for all broadband service locations, atop which broadband maps are overlaid) as the vehicle for reporting broadband service availability data. Additionally, the FCC must put forth specified requirements for service availability data collected from broadband providers, and it must create a challenge process to enable the submission of independent data challenging the accuracy of FCC broadband maps.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act This bill redefines "oppressive child labor," for purposes of child labor prohibitions under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, to include the employment of any employee under age 18 who has direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Kids Eat Local Act of 2019 This bill modifies Department of Agriculture requirements for the national school food programs relating to the purchases of locally produced food. The bill allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification in food procurement requests.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Safe Cribs Act of 2019 This bill makes it unlawful to manufacture, sell, or otherwise distribute crib bumpers. Crib bumpers are generally padded materials inserted around the inside of a crib and intended to prevent the crib occupant from becoming trapped in any part of the crib's openings.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
Affordable Medications Act This bill revises and expands various requirements relating to prescription-drug pricing and affordability. Specifically, the bill expands financial reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and establishes corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance; adds reporting requirements for certain nonprofit patient-assistance programs; requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs under Medicare; requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the CMS to test specified models for negotiating drug prices; establishes reporting requirements, and corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance, for pharmaceutical companies with respect to spikes in prescription-drug prices; establishes an excise tax on prescription drugs subject to price spikes; lessens prescription-drug cost-sharing requirements under qualified health plans and group health plans; modifies requirements for the importation of prescription drugs; requires drug manufacturers to provide drug rebates for drugs dispensed to certain low-income individuals under the Medicare program; limits the time frame that trade agreements are required to provide market exclusivity for biological products; establishes an innovation incentive fund for new or more effective treatments of bacterial infections; establishes a Center for Clinical Research within the National Institutes of Health; revises certain time frames and conditions related to drug exclusivity; requires the Food and Drug Administration to establish a database of generic drugs; and modifies other provisions related to generic drugs, prescription-drug advertising, disclosure of wholesale acquisition prices, and patent-infringement proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2019 This bill establishes restrictions on businesses that relocate call centers or redirect customer service calls to locations outside the United States. Specifically, a business must notify the Department of Labor that it intends to move its customer service call center overseas and Labor must maintain a publicly available list of such businesses. Subject to narrow exceptions, a business appearing on such list is ineligible to receive federal grants or guaranteed loans for five years after the business is added to the list. Further, agencies must condition the awarding of government contracts on the requirement that any call center activity pursuant to the contract must be performed in the United States. Additionally, the bill requires call center employees to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each call initiated or received, unless all employees of the business participating in the communication are located in the United States, among other exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2019
This resolution expresses support for the rights, freedoms, and equal treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The resolution r ecognizes that LGBTQ rights are human rights and protected by the U.S. Constitution and international treaties. Additionally, the resolution encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month in June.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2019 This bill modifies the process for convening courts-martial for sexual assault cases and certain other offenses. For example, the bill authorizes independent military prosecutors to decide whether to convene courts-martial for (1) sexual assault cases and other specified crimes punishable by confinement of more than one year; and (2) other specified offenses, such as retaliation for reporting a crime, regardless of the maximum punishment authorized for the offenses. Under current law, the military's chain of command generally has sole decisionmaking authority as to whether to prosecute such cases.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Labor to update the salary threshold applicable to bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees for purposes of determining eligibility for overtime pay. The bill adopts rulemaking promulgated by Labor in 2016 that established the threshold for exempting such employees from overtime requirements at the 40th percentile of earnings for full-time salaried employees in the lowest-wage census region. The bill also requires updates to the threshold amount every three years. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shall publish quarterly on its public website data on the weekly earnings of nonhourly, full-time salaried workers by census region.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers Act of 2019 or the POST Act of 2019 This bill modifies requirements for a proprietary (i.e., for-profit) institution of higher education (IHE) to participate in federal student aid programs. Current law requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 10% of its revenue from sources other than federal student aid. This bill requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds (i.e., it replaces the so-called 90/10 rule with an 85/15 rule). Additionally, the bill limits what a proprietary institution may treat as revenue to the school in calculating whether it derives at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds. Finally, the bill makes compliance with the 85/15 rule a condition of institutional eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs (i.e., failure to comply results in immediate loss of institutional eligibility). Currently, a proprietary IHE must violate the rule for two consecutive years before losing eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2019
This resolution supports the people of Guatemala as they prepare to exercise their fundamental democratic right to vote in their country's June 16, 2019, general elections. It encourages all Guatemalan political actors and institutions to take continued steps to uphold a free, fair, and transparent electoral process and calls upon political leaders of Guatemala and the United States to support Guatemalan human rights and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2019
Disaster Relief Medicaid Act This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements relating to Medicaid coverage of individuals affected by a federally declared major disaster. In particular, the bill provides for specific disaster relief coverage under Medicaid for individuals who meet specified income eligibility standards and, during the seven-day period preceding the disaster, were either residents of the impacted area or were employed in the impacted area (and subsequently lost employment). Coverage is effective for two years after the date of the disaster declaration. State Medicaid programs must provide disaster relief coverage that is at least as comprehensive as the state's Medicaid coverage and the Medicaid coverage of the individual's home state, as applicable. The bill applies a 100% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage to such coverage and related administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This concurrent resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The resolution also honors the bravery and skill of the crew of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins; and commends the efforts of all individuals of the United States who contributed to the achievement of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
International Climate Accountability Act This bill prohibits implementation of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the United Nations agreement to address climate change adopted December 12, 2015. The President shall annually report to Congress a plan for how the United States will achieve its goals to reduce greenhouse gases under the agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2019
This resolution expresses support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and opposes the unilateral annexation of portions of the West Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2019 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to establish a 4% minimum credit rate for certain housing projects, repeal the qualified census tract population cap, 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, eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits, and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, acquisition credits, and foreclosures.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2019
This resolution acknowledges the contributions that Senior Corps volunteers make to the communities in which they live and serve and to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2019
Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2019 This bill creates a four-year safe harbor from antitrust laws for print or digital news companies to collectively negotiate with online content distributors (e.g., social media companies) regarding the terms on which the news companies' content may be distributed by online content distributors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act This bill requires a federal agency that issues a license for the conduct of a lunar activity in outer space to require that each license applicant agree to abide by recommendations, guidelines, or principles issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) related to the protection and preservation of U.S. government lunar artifacts. A federal agency may exempt specific activities from such an agreement if the activities have legitimate and significant historical, archaeological, anthropological, scientific, or engineering value; assess a penalty fee for violations of such an agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Worker Ownership, Readiness, and Knowledge Act or the WORK Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to (1) establish within the Employment and Training Administration an Employee Ownership and Participation Initiative to promote employee ownership and participation in business decisionmaking; and (2) establish a program that may include grants for outreach, technical assistance, and training, to encourage new and existing state programs to foster employee ownership and participation in business decisionmaking.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Grandfamilies Act of 2019 This bill expands access to specified programs for children living with grandparents or other family members who are not their legal guardian. Specifically, the bill provides that a child of a relative eligible for Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefits is eligible for such benefit payments if that child (1) began living with such relative before age 18, (2) receives at least 50% of their support from such relative, and (3) has lived with such relative pursuant to a court order for at least 12 months. Additionally, the bill revises the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligibility requirements for children living with specified caretaker relatives. First, the bill lessens the requirement for TANF applicants to assign their rights to child support when such assignment may impact the likelihood of reunifying the child with their noncustodial parent, such as where the noncustodial parent is working to gain financial stability so they may reunify with their child. Further, when a child, but not the caretaker relative, receives TANF benefits (i.e., child-only cases), or if the caretaker relative is 55 or older, the bill (1) excludes such caretaker’s income from that child’s eligibility determination, (2) removes the 5-year cap on assistance, and (3) exempts such caretaker relatives from TANF work requirements. The bill also (1) encourages states to enact temporary guardianship laws, (2) establishes the National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies, and (3) provides grants supporting caretaker relatives.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Fostering Success in Higher Education Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Education to provide formula grants to states for activities to improve college access, retention, and completion rates for foster and homeless youth. States that receive such grants must award subgrants to institutions of higher education to carry out these activities in partnership with child welfare agencies and organizations serving homeless youth.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act This bill prohibits the application of, and repeals authority for, administrative offsets to Social Security, railroad retirement, and black lung benefits. (An administrative offset is the withholding of funds payable by or held by the United States to satisfy a debt.)
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Women's Health Protection Act of 2019 This bill prohibits state or local governments from imposing certain restrictions on access to abortion services. Specifically, state or local government may not require unnecessary tests or procedures in connection with the provision of abortion services, the same health care provider who provides abortion services to perform such tests or procedures, providers to offer medically inaccurate information to patients before or during abortion services, providers to refrain from prescribing certain drugs, certain hospital facility transfer agreements, one or more medically unnecessary in-person visits, or patients to disclose the reason for seeking abortion services. The bill also prohibits limitations or requirements that both single out and impede access to abortion services based on a number of factors (e.g., restrictions that are reasonably likely to decrease the availability of abortion services in a state). A state or local government also may not prohibit abortions prior to fetal viability nor prohibit abortions after fetal viability in cases where the health care provider determines that continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the patient's life or health. Additionally, the Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to prospectively enjoin a limitation or restriction that is prohibited by this bill. The bill further requires the government defending such a limitation or restriction to show that (1) it significantly advances the safety of abortion services or patient health, and (2) such advancement cannot be met by a less-restrictive measure.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Agriculture Research Integrity Act of 201 9 This bill reaffirms that the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and any successor agencies must be (1) within the research, education, and economics mission area of the Department of Agriculture (USDA); and (2) administered by the USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics. The headquarters and the majority of the staff of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture must be located within the National Capital Region.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
Steel Industry Preservation Act This bill extends and modifies the production tax credit for steel industry fuel. (Under current law, steel industry fuel is a fuel which is: (1) produced through a process of liquefying coal waste sludge and distributing it on coal, and (2) used as a feedstock for the manufacture of coke.) The bill modifies the tax credit for steel industry fuel to extend the credit period and the placed-in-service date, revise the definition of "steel industry fuel" to allow blends of coal and petroleum coke or other coke feedstock in the fuel, set forth ownership requirements, and specify requirements for treating an owner as producing and selling steel industry fuel. A taxpayer that produces steel industry fuel may elect to accept an increased tax credit in lieu of certain deductions for expenses in connection with the production of steel industry fuel. The bill specifies the treatment of the credit for the purpose of the alternative minimum tax. It also exempts transactions related to steel industry fuel from rules that restrict deductions and other tax benefits for activities that are not engaged in for profit or that do not have economic substance.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Foster Care Month and for the designation of May 31, 2019, as National Foster Parent Appreciation Day.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2019
This resolution congratulates Vision To Learn on helping 200,000 students and expresses support for its mission to ensure that no child goes without the glasses needed to succeed in school and life.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Expanding Access to Apprenticeships Act This bill allows tax-free distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for certain expenses associated with registered apprenticeship programs.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act of 2019 or the HOT CARS Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight to be equipped with a system to alert the operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle engine is turned off. The alert must (1) include a distinct auditory and visual alert which may be combined with a haptic alert (i.e., vibrations), and (2) be activated when the vehicle engine is turned off. DOT must enter into an agreement with an independent third party for a study on retrofitting existing passenger motor vehicles with technology to address the problem of children left in rear seats after the vehicle engine is turned off.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish a report at least every 10 years that contains physical-activity recommendations for the general public based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge, including information for population subgroups as needed. HHS must publish updated reports that detail evidence-based practices and highlight continuing physical-activity issues between the publications of full reports. Updated reports may focus on particular population subgroups or issues relating to physical activity. A federal agency that proposes to issue physical-activity recommendations that differ from the recommendations in the most recent full report must consider the recommendations in reports issued under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies Act or the Maternal CARE Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to health-professional training programs for training that addresses implicit bias (e.g., racial bias) in the practice of obstetrics and gynecology. HHS must also award grants to up to 10 states for pregnancy medical-home programs that reduce adverse maternal-health outcomes and racial disparities. Among other requirements, such programs must prioritize the care of uninsured individuals or Medicaid enrollees. The National Academy of Medicine must make recommendations for incorporating bias recognition in clinical-skills tests at medical schools.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2019 This bill exempts from worldwide or numerical limitations certain family-sponsored immigrant visas for the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under certain laws providing for naturalization for service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
Stop Overdraft Profiteering Act of 2019 This bill prohibits a depository institution from engaging in certain acts in connection with overdraft coverage. Each depository institution that offers overdraft coverage for accounts must disclose overdraft coverage fees and certain related information. A depository institution must provide certain other disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. The bill limits the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged each month and year and provides that such fees must be reasonable. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. The bill also prohibits a depository institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
End Mass Deportation Act This bill rescinds Executive Order 13768, dated January 25, 2017, entitled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States . (The executive order contains various provisions relating to immigration enforcement, including ones (1) directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize removal of certain criminal aliens, and (2) authorizing the Department of Justice and DHS to render a sanctuary jurisdiction ineligible for certain federal grants if the jurisdiction willfully violates any law requiring local officials to cooperate with immigration enforcement officials.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2019
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. The resolution also recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2019
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act This bill requires the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to (1) cooperatively issue regulations to require group health plans and health insurance issuers to annually disclose the analyses performed to ensure compliance with mental health parity laws, and (2) conduct annual random audits of group health plans and health insurance issuers to determine compliance. (Mental health parity laws prohibit health insurance plans that cover mental health and substance use disorder services from imposing less favorable limitations on those benefits than are placed on medical and surgical benefits under that plan.) Additionally, HHS must establish a consumer parity unit: (1) to facilitate the collection of, monitoring of, and response to consumer complaints; and (2) to provide consumers information about the disclosure requirements and enforcement of the mental health parity laws.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2019
American Students Abroad Act This bill directs the Department of State to periodically share with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. embassy and consulate reports relating to a death of a U.S. citizen aboard. The Department of Health and Human Services shall expand CDC programs and activities related to the surveillance of deaths of U.S. citizens abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2019
No Junk Plans Act This bill nullifies a rule by the Department of Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans. Short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans are plans that may only offer coverage for a limited amount of time under law and that are exempt from the market requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (e.g., coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions). The rule increases the maximum authorized duration of such plans from less than 3 months (including renewals) to an initial maximum duration of less than 12 months (with a total duration of up to 36 months, including renewals). The rule took effect October 2, 2018.