United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
Opioid Response Enhancement Act This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to reauthorize through FY2023 a program of grants to states and tribal entities to carry out activities addressing the opioid epidemic. It allows states and tribal entities to use the grants to carry out public health-related activities addressing other substance abuse that is a substantial or similar public health threat to the opioid epidemic.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2018
Protecting Rights Of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking Act of 2018 This bill amends the federal criminal code to specify that supplying, furnishing, or providing a drug or substance to a person, including to exploit or create an addiction, constitutes: (1) coercion, for purposes of a child sex trafficking offense; and (2) coercive means, for purposes of a forced labor offense.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2018
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal: (1) the authority for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to contract with private debt collection agencies to collect delinquent federal tax debt, and (2) the IRS Special Compliance Personnel Program Account which is funded by a portion of the funds collected under the private debt collection program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2018
Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act This bill requires: (1) state Medicaid programs to adopt a streamlined screening and enrollment process for eligible out-of-state providers and suppliers, and (2) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a process for providers and suppliers to enroll simultaneously in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2018
Calls for: (1) the President, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of State to impose sanctions with respect to activities of the Russian Federation undermining cybersecurity, corruption in the Russian Federation, or other sanctionable conduct; and (2) the President to work with Congress to protect U.S. democratic institutions in advance of the 2018 elections.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2018
Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, and Important Contributions to Society Act or the CLASSICS Act This bill provides federal copyright protection for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, specifically the right to make digital transmissions. Currently, pre-1972 recordings are only covered by state law. Pre-1972 recordings will fall within the existing compulsory license system for digital transmissions, which currently only cover post-1972 recordings. The bill preempts claims under state and common law for digital transmission of pre-1972 recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
This bill designates the federal building and U.S. courthouse located at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio, as the "Walter H. Rice Federal Building and United States Courthouse."
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Carryover Equity Act of 2018 This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to allow 1890 land-grant colleges and universities (historically black colleges and universities that were established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890 and receive funding from the Department of Agriculture) to carry over all extension funding into the succeeding fiscal year. (Under current law, the institutions are prohibited from carrying over more than 20% of the funds received in any fiscal year.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2018
Recognizes: (1) January 2018 as National Mentoring Month, and (2) the staff and volunteers at quality mentoring programs who help young people reach their full potential. Acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial in that it supports educational achievement and self-confidence, reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and strengthens communities. Expresses support for: (1) the creation and expansion of quality mentoring programs across the United States, and (2) initiatives to increase the percentage of young people who have a mentor.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2018
Equifax Consumer Protection and Data Empowerment Act of 2018 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to revise the consumer protection duties of consumer reporting agencies. Credit reporting agencies must provide a cost-free method for consumers to control the release of their information for certain purposes. The bill limits the purposes for which a consumer reporting agencies may provide a consumer's information to a third party. For example, consumer reporting agencies may not provide consumer information to a third party for a credit or insurance transaction not initiated by the consumer. The bill revises the requirements for fraud alerts provided by consumer reporting agencies, including by extending the length of all alerts to 10 years and expanding access to free reports.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Safe Freight Act This bill prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Accountability in Department of Veterans Affairs Scheduling and Consult Management Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to evaluate and monitor its processes of making health care appointments and scheduling at both VA facilities and non-VA facilities. The Government Accountability Office shall review such VA compliance and data veracity.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Stronger Medical Workforce for Veterans Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop criteria to designate VA medical centers, ambulatory care facilities, and community based outpatient clinics as underserved facilities. The VA must commence a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing individuals with tuition and loan repayment incentives to work at underserved facilities. The VA must also ensure that clinical staff working at Vet Centers (community-based counseling centers that provide veterans with post-deployment social and psychological services) are eligible to participate in the VA education debt reduction program. The bill directs the VA and the Surgeon General to enter into a memorandum of understanding to assign at least 500 Public Health Service commissioned officers to the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2018
Reaffirms: (1) the proud U.S. history of refugee resettlement, and (2) the strong bipartisan commitment to promote the safety, health, and well-being of refugees. Recognizes: (1) January 27, 2018, as the anniversary of the first refugee and Muslim ban; and (2) the profound consequences faced by refugees and their families who have been stranded, separated, and scarred by current U.S. policies. Underscores the importance of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program as a critical tool for U.S. global leadership. Calls upon the U.S. government to: (1) resettle 45,000 refugees in FY2018 and at least 75,000 refugees in FY2019, (2) uphold its international leadership role in responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance and protection of the most vulnerable populations, and (3) recommit to offering freedom from oppression and to resettling the most vulnerable refugees regardless of their country of origin or religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Justice Served Act of 2018 This bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to add, as a purpose area under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, increasing the capacity of prosecutors to address the backlog of violent crime cases involving suspects identified through DNA evidence. The Department of Justice (DOJ) must allocate a specified percentage of grant funds for such purpose, subject to limitations. Additionally, of amounts made available over FY2019-FY2022 for a DNA analysis and capacity enhancement program and for other forensic activities, DOJ must allocate at least 5% for grants to prosecute cold cases involving violent crime, where suspects have been identified through DNA evidence.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Veteran Debt Fairness Act of 2018 This bill limits the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to recover overpayments of benefits from veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Federal Labor-Management Partnership Act of 2018 This bill establishes the Federal Labor-Management Partnership Council to: (1) advise the President on matters involving labor-management relations in the executive branch; (2) collect and disseminate information about and provide guidance on partnership efforts in the executive branch, including the results of those efforts; and (3) use the expertise of individuals, both inside and outside the federal government, to foster partnership arrangements in the executive branch. The head of each agency that is subject to authority permitting employees of the agency to select an exclusive representative shall take the following actions: (1) create labor-management partnerships by forming labor-management committees or councils at appropriate levels, or adapting existing committees or councils if such groups exist; (2) involve employees and employee representatives as full partners with management representatives to improve the civil service to better serve the public and carry out the mission of the agency; (3) provide systemic training of appropriate agency employees (including line managers, first-line supervisors, and labor organization representatives) in consensual methods of dispute resolution; (4) allow employees and employee representatives to have pre-decisional involvement in all workplace matters to the fullest extent practicable, without regard to whether those matters are negotiable subjects of bargaining; and (5) evaluate progress and improvements in organizational performance resulting from labor-management partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Expresses support for the designation of a Women's Health Research Day. Supports efforts to: (1) recognize the importance of biomedical and clinical research to women's health, (2) increase awareness of the value of sex- and gender-based biomedical research, and (3) encourage individuals to advocate on behalf of sex- and gender-inclusive research.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2018
Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities. Calls on: the government of Burma to allow full access to Rakhine State and to ensure the full participation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that the voices of refugees are represented, the UNHCR and international nongovernmental organizations to play a role in monitoring repatriation efforts by the governments of Bangladesh and Burma, and the United Nations to consider the feasibility of Bangladesh's proposal for a safe zone or for a peacekeeping mission to protect vulnerable communities under international supervision. Commends: (1) the positive role of the government of Bangladesh in receiving Rohingya refugees and urges that government to continue allowing the full participation of the UNHCR and human rights organizations in accessing refugee camps, and (2) the Bangladesh's efforts to provide shelter and relief for such refugees. Calls for any return of Rohingya to include specified guarantees. Recognizes that any forced relocation of Rohingya refugees into areas not of their choosing is unacceptable. Calls on the government of Burma to: allow for a flexible and practical approach to dealing with evidence of Rohingya residence in Burma; address root causes consistent with the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations and fully implement such recommendations; address the issue of statelessness for the Rohingya, the deprivation of rights, and institutionalized and pervasive discrimination; and release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. Calls on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that all refugees have freedom of movement and are not subject to unsafe, involuntary, precipitous, or uninformed returns to Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
Pay Our Military Act of 2018 This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for military pay and death benefits during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2018 are not in effect. In the event of a government shutdown, the bill provides continuing appropriations for: pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service (including drill) during the period; payments of death benefits for individuals who die during the period; and pay and allowances to civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to members of the Armed Forces and payments in connection with death benefits. The appropriations provided by this bill are available until the earlier of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
No Government No Pay Act of 2018 This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid during a government shutdown, beginning with the 116th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2018
Pension Stability Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to establish user fees for qualified professional asset managers (QPAMs) who have been convicted of a crime and apply for an individual exemption (known as a QPAM waiver) to the prohibited transaction rules under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The fees: apply to large regulated banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, and federally registered investment advisors who are QPAMs; must be at least $1 million per application for an individual exemption; and increase based on the severity of the crime and the number of prior applications for individual exemptions. Labor must transfer the amounts collected from the user fees to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to assist in guaranteeing benefits under pension plans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2018
Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to revise the qualifications required for a practitioner to administer, dispense, or prescribe narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment in an office-based opioid treatment program. It increases the maximum patient limit for a qualifying practitioner who meets certain requirements. The maximum patient limit is the maximum number of patients a qualifying practitioner can treat at one time. The bill expands qualifying practitioners to include additional nonphysician practitioners: clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. It makes permanent the authorization for certain nonphysician practitioners to become qualifying practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018
Labor Rights for Development Act of 2018 This bill amends the Trade Act of 1974 to require a developing country, as a condition for eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences, to establish in its law and practice: freedom of association; recognition of the right to collective bargaining; elimination of all forms of compulsory or forced labor; abolition of, and the prohibition of the worst forms of, child labor; elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation; and acceptable conditions of work regarding minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health. The Generalized System of Preferences is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in developing countries by providing preferential duty-free entry for certain products from designated beneficiary countries. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative shall prescribe regulations necessary for the implementation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
Trafficking Victims Housing Act of 2017 This bill requires the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, in coordination with other agencies, to conduct a study assessing the availability and accessibility of housing and services for homeless individuals who are victims of trafficking or at risk of being trafficked.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Internal Revenue Code to require 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. 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 · 11 January 2018
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act of 2018 or the FAIR Act This bill increases by 3% in FY2019 the rates of basic pay for federal employees under the statutory pay systems (i.e., the General Schedule, the Foreign Service Schedule, and various schedules related to the Veterans Health Administration) and for prevailing rate employees.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2018
BuyAmerican.gov Act of 2018 This bill requires the General Services Administration to establish a publicly available website that contains details regarding waivers of and exceptions to Buy American laws. The website must contain information on all waivers and exceptions that have been requested, are under consideration, or have been granted by federal agencies. The bill also: (1) specifies requirements for granting public interest waivers of Buy American laws; and (2) requires the Department of Commerce to report to Congress and the President on the implementation of, and compliance with, Buy American laws.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2018
Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act This bill states that the Department of Veterans Affairs may not prohibit the display of a Battlefield Cross in any national cemetery. "Battlefield Cross" means a memorial monument in honor of fallen members of the Armed Forces that may include a replica of an inverted rifle, boots, helmets, and identification tag.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2018
Bridge Investment Act This bill establishes a bridge investment program to provide financial assistance for projects to repair, improve, rehabilitate, or replace a bridge on a public road. The program includes small, medium, and large bridge projects and nationally or regionally significant projects involving more than $500 million. The program's goals include improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges and the reduction of the number of bridges in need of significant repair. The Department of Transportation may award grants for bridge investment projects that meet specified criteria. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct, and report on, an assessment of the bridge investment grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act of 201 7 This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work during a lapse in appropriations beginning on or after December 22, 2017, to be compensated for the period of the lapse on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations may use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to occur if FY2018 appropriations legislation is not enacted prior to the expiration of the continuing resolution that currently funds federal agencies through December 22, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the HBCU Capital Financing Program, which guarantees low-cost private loans to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to finance infrastructure repairs, maintenance, and construction. It replaces statutory references to "escrow account" with "bond insurance fund." The bill authorizes the Department of Education to provide financial counseling that prepares an eligible HBCU to qualify for, apply for, and maintain a capital improvement loan. It revises and expands reporting requirements for the HBCU Capital Financing Advisory Board.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Celebrates the 150th anniversaries of nine historically black colleges and universities and honors the accomplishments of historically Black colleges and universities in general.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Access to Birth Control Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to ensuring access to contraceptives. Among other requirements, pharmacies must provide a customer a contraceptive or related medication without delay if it is in stock. If the contraceptive is not in stock, the pharmacy must immediately inform the customer and either transfer the prescription to a pharmacy that has it in stock or order it. Civil penalties and a private cause of action are established for violations of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
This bill amends the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway Act of 1996 to repeal the limitation on the total amount that may be appropriated for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Congressional Harassment Reform Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to: (1) require certain discrimination and harassment awareness and prevention training for Members of Congress, officers, employees, interns, fellows, and detailees; (2) extend CAA nondiscrimination requirements and remedies to legislative interns, fellows, and detailees; (3) revise CAA procedures for certain harassment and discrimination complaints; (4) require a Member of Congress to reimburse the Treasury if an employee receives an award or settlement for the Member's alleged act of discrimination or harassment, unless the Member's request for a nonreimbursement determination is approved; and (5) rename the Office of Compliance the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources, and Care Act or the EMPOWER Care Act This bill amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend funding through FY2022 for the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and to otherwise revise the program. (Under this program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must award grants to state Medicaid programs to assist in rebalancing states' long-term care systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2017
Recognizes that international education and exchange programs enhance national security, further U.S. foreign policy goals and economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations. Encourages such programs to ensure that the United States maintains a broad international knowledge base. Supports such programs as a means of strengthening foreign language skills and fostering a better understanding of the world by U.S. citizens. Commends American and international education and exchange participants, volunteers, educators, program alumni, host families, high schools, colleges, universities, and host communities for their involvement in such programs. Celebrates the integral role such programs play for the United States and its people.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2017
Recognizes the 69th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of Human Rights Day. Supports the ideals of human rights and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security which can be achieved through democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Military Families Credit Reporting Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to: (1) allow a consumer to provide proof to a consumer reporting agency that an adverse credit report item occurred while on active duty, and (2) require a consumer reporting agency to provide an active duty military consumer's relevant active duty status on adverse credit report items. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is required to publish a model form that allows a consumer to: (1) notify a consumer reporting agency that the consumer is an active duty military consumer, and (2) provide contact information for communicating with the consumer while on active duty. Notice of active duty status may not be the basis for an adverse credit action. A consumer reporting agency must notify an active duty military consumer of negative information received about that consumer.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Restoring Overtime Pay Act of 2017 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.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2017
Medical Innovation Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require certain drug manufacturers to make payments to fund research supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A drug manufacturer with over $1 billion in net income in a fiscal year that has entered into a settlement agreement in the previous five years with a federal agency regarding specified violations must pay 0.75%-1.5% of its net income to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for each of its covered blockbuster drugs. A covered blockbuster drug is a drug that has at least $1 billion in net sales in a year and was developed, in whole or in part, through federal investments in medical research, including a drug for which a patent contains information that relates to, or is based upon, federally funded research. Each fiscal year, HHS must publish a list of manufacturers that make payments, each manufacturer's covered blockbuster drugs, and payment amounts. Payments are divided between the FDA and the NIH in proportion to the discretionary funding of those agencies, excluding FDA user fees. Payments are not disbursed if appropriations for the FDA or the NIH are lower than in the prior fiscal year. The FDA's priority use for payments must include advancing regulatory science for medical products. The NIH's priority use for payments must include supporting: (1) research that fosters radical innovation, (2) research that advances fundamental knowledge and technology, (3) research related to diseases that disproportionately account for federal health care spending, and (4) early career scientists. A covered blockbuster drug for which a manufacturer has not made a required payment is considered misbranded and may not be sold until payment is made.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Butch Lewis Act of 2017 This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act or the ME TOO Congress Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), including to (1) extend CAA nondiscrimination requirements and remedies to sexual orientation, gender identity, and to legislative branch interns, detailees, and fellows; (2) revise CAA procedures for certain harassment and discrimination complaints; (3) require the offending Member of Congress to pay for settlements and awards in such complaints; and (4) rename the Office of Compliance the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. The bill sets forth requirements for certain harassment and discrimination awareness and prevention training.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Drug-Price Transparency in Communications Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to impose a civil penalty on any person who disseminates a direct-to-consumer drug advertisement that does not include the wholesale acquisition cost (the manufacturer's list price to wholesalers or direct purchasers) for a 30-day supply of the drug. The bill requires any representative of a drug manufacturer who communicates with a health care practitioner about a drug manufactured by the drug manufacturer to disclose the wholesale acquisition cost for a 30-day supply of the drug.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collection bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to grant independent military prosecutors the authority to decide whether to convene courts-martial for sexual assault cases and other serious crimes punishable by confinement of more than one year (currently, this authority lies within the chain of command). The bill allows the chain of command to retain authority to decide whether to prosecute serious crimes uniquely military in nature and all crimes punishable by less than one year of confinement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Fix NICS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to: certify whether it has provided to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm, and establish and substantially comply with an implementation plan to maximize record submissions and verify their accuracy. The bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the NICS; waive the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) for a state that complies with its implementation plan; reauthorize through FY2022 the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP); establish, as a priority area for NARIP grant funding, a domestic abuse and violence prevention initiative; and create a funding preference under the NARIP program for states that establish an implementation plan and use grant funds to upload felony conviction and domestic violence records. It amends the Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998 to reauthorize through FY2022 the NCHIP program. If a state complies with its implementation plan, then the federal share of an NCHIP grant may exceed 90% of program costs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Andrew White Veterans Community Care Opioid Safety Act This bill establishes a process to ensure safe opioid prescribing practices by non-Department of Veterans Affairs providers.
![Official portrait of Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000944_200.jpg)