United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2022 support for nursing workforce programs and grants. Eligibility for advanced nursing education grants is expanded to include education programs for clinical nurse leaders and all combined registered nurse and graduate degree programs. (Clinical nurse leaders are advanced generalist clinicians who apply research and coordinate care in order to improve outcomes for patients.) To be eligible for these grants, clinical nurse specialist programs must provide registered nurses with full-time clinical nurse specialist education that qualifies the nurses to provide a full range of care. Programs for loan repayment and scholarships for nurses, loans for nursing faculty, and geriatric care education are extended through FY2022. Grants for increasing nursing workforce diversity are also extended through FY2022. Nurse education, practice, and quality grants are extended through FY2022 and eligibility is expanded to include nurse-managed health clinics. Grants for nursing career ladder programs are expanded to: (1) promote career advancement for individuals to become registered nurses or advanced education nurses; and (2) support internships and residency programs to encourage mentoring and the development of specialties.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Miners Pension Protection Act This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan to provide pension benefits to retired coal miners and their families. The Department of the Treasury must transfer additional funds to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill also: (1) prohibits the pension plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received, and (2) establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan. As an offset, the bill amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend the authority of Treasury to collect certain customs user fees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development Act or the Offshore WIND Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax credit for investment in energy property to include a qualified offshore wind property with construction that begins before January 1, 2026. A "qualified offshore wind property" is a facility that: (1) uses wind to produce electricity; and (2) is located in the inland navigable waters of the United States including the Great Lakes, or in the coastal waters of the United States, including the territorial seas of the United States, the exclusive economic zone of the United States, and the outer Continental Shelf of the United States. The term excludes certain small wind energy property that uses a small wind turbine to generate electricity.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act This bill prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for job applicants or employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Specifically, the bill declares that it is an unlawful employment practice to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations of such job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. The bill sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must provide examples of reasonable accommodations that shall be provided to affected job applicants or employees unless the employer can demonstrate that doing so would impose an undue hardship. The bill prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2017
Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act This bill establishes a Federal Task Force to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. The task force shall identify, promote, coordinate, and publicly disseminate information and resources to help grandparents or other relatives meet the needs of the children in their care and maintain their own health and emotional well-being. The task force terminates after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2017
This bill removes the prohibition on TRICARE Standard eligibility for members of the Selected Reserve of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the federal health benefits program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2017
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 · 9 May 2017
Keep Our Pension Promises Act This bill repeals the elimination of the pension anti-cutback provisions under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The anti-cutback provisions prohibit reductions in pension benefits to participants in multiemployer pension plans. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with respect to partitions of eligible multiemployer plans, to modify the procedures and allow plan sponsors to petition the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for a partition of additional financially-troubled pension plans. The PBGC must establish a legacy fund to cover the administrative and benefit costs resulting from a partition. The Department of the Treasury must transfer amounts to the fund that are equal to the increase in revenues as a result of specified provisions of this bill that amend the Internal Revenue Code. The provisions amend the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a limit of $1 million on the exemption of the gain from the exchange of real property in a like kind exchange, (2) prohibit the use of like kind exchanges for collectibles, and (3) limit contributions and require increased minimum distributions for individuals with certain retirement plans with balances that exceed $5 million (adjusted for inflation after 2017). The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to assign first claim priority to pension obligations under ERISA.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese-American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to reauthorize for FY2019-FY2023 the national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program and the action strategy of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. The task force must include a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each required scientific assessment of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters must examine freshwater harmful algal blooms that originate in freshwater lakes or rivers and migrate to coastal waters. Federal officials may determine whether a hypoxia (a deficiency of oxygen) or harmful algal bloom event is an event of national significance and give funding to the affected state or local government for assessing and mitigating the event's environmental, economic, social, and public health effects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Supports designation of National Foster Care Month, and recognizes it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster care system.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement and submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a staffing plan that complies with specified minimum nurse-to-patient ratios by unit. Hospitals must post a notice regarding nurse-to-patient ratios in each unit and maintain records of actual ratios for each shift in each unit. HHS must adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs incurred in providing services to Medicare beneficiaries that are attributable to compliance with these ratios. The bill states that nurses have a duty and a right to act based on their professional judgment and provide care in the exclusive interests of patients. Nurses may object to, or refuse to participate in, an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios or if they are not prepared by education or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of a patient or jeopardizing their nurse's license. Hospitals may not: (1) take specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminate against individuals for good faith complaints relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or related facilities. HHS must publish the names of hospitals penalized for violating the requirements in this bill. The bill adds stipends to the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program. The nurse retention grant program is expanded to authorize programs to implement nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Taiwan Travel Act This bill states that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) allow officials at all levels of the U.S. government to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, (2) allow high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, and (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan to conduct business in the United States. Officials at all levels of the U.S. government are authorized to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts. The Department of State shall report to Congress regarding travel by U.S. executive branch officials to Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Save Women's Preventive Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand preventive care and screening coverage for women under a group health plan. Under current law, a group health plan must provide preventive care and screening coverage for women as prescribed for in the comprehensive guidelines by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The bill repeals that condition, and instead, specifies the following preventive care and screenings must be covered under a group health plan: comprehensive lactation support services; screening for adolescents and women for interpersonal and domestic violence; screening for gestational diabetes mellitus; screening for cervical cancer; directed behavioral counseling for sexually transmitted infections; prevention education, risk assessment, and screening for HIV; contraceptive care; screening for breast cancer; and well-woman preventive care visits. The bill authorizes states to require group health plans to provide more generous coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017 This bill modifies requirements regarding access to preferred pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies that provide reduced enrollee cost sharing for prescription drugs) under a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP). Specifically, if a Medicare PDP has, in its pharmacy network, one or more preferred pharmacies located in a health shortage or medically underserved area, then the PDP sponsor must allow any pharmacy in the health shortage or medically underserved area to join the preferred pharmacy network under comparable terms and conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 This bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims appeals system. The bill permits a veteran to appeal within one year by: (1) requesting a review of the agency of original jurisdiction's (AOJ) decision by a higher-level adjudicator within AOJ using the same evidentiary record; (2) filing a supplemental claim with a regional office that includes the opportunity to submit additional evidence and have a hearing; or (3) appealing directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, with the opportunity to select an expedited review to submit new evidence but without a hearing, or to select a review with the option to submit new evidence and request a hearing. A veteran may: (1) maintain the original effective date of a claim if he or she submits new and relevant evidence within one year of the most recent decision, and (2) retain the services of attorneys and accredited agents who charge a fee when the AOJ provides notice of the original decision. The VA's statutory duty to assist a veteran terminates after the original decision. The bill: (1) requires the VA to issue decision notification letters, (2) permits certain veterans who initiated an appeal prior to the bill's effective date to opt-in to the new appeals system, (3) authorizes the VA to conduct a pilot program to test such system, and (4) requires the VA, prior to full implementation, to certify to Congress that it has sufficient resources and personnel to carry out the legacy and new appeals systems.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Military Injury Surgical Systems Integrated Operationally Nationwide to Achieve ZERO Preventable Deaths Act or the MISSION ZERO Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to award grants to certain trauma centers to enable military trauma care providers and trauma teams to provide trauma care and related acute care at those trauma centers. Funds may be used to train and incorporate military trauma care providers into the trauma center, including expenditures for malpractice insurance, office space, information technology, specialty education and supervision, trauma programs, and state license fees. Grantees must allow the military trauma care providers to be deployed for military operations, training, or response to a mass casualty incident.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it awards grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment. An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran: coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy, hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran, payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more during a period of 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training. The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must provide to Congress a briefing on the methodology established for, and a report on, the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Equality Act This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. The bill defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. The bill expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. The bill prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The bill revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Employers must recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. The bill provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. DOJ may intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin shall include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. The bill amends Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Protecting America's Workers Act This bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) to increase the scope of the Act by applying its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees. However, the bill makes OSHA inapplicable to working conditions covered by the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The bill revises requirements governing worker protection, including by: increasing protections for whistle-blowers as well as employees participating in or aiding inspections; directing employers to furnish a hazard-free place of employment to all individuals, not just employees; requiring the posting of employee rights concerning protection from retaliation; requiring site logs of employees' work-related injuries and illnesses, including those of employees of other employers and contractors; directing employers to report work-related deaths or hospitalizations; prohibiting employers from discouraging accurate record keeping and reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses; requiring the Department of Labor to investigate an incident in the workplace that results in the death of an employee or one that results in the hospitalization of two or more employees; establishing rights for victims, or representatives of victims, with respect to inspections or investigations of work-related bodily injuries or deaths; setting the permitted period for employers to correct serious, willful, or repeated violations while citations for the violations are being contested; increasing civil and criminal penalties for certain violations; expanding enforcement requirements relating to state occupational safety and health plans, including by allowing Labor concurrent enforcement authority in states where the state plans fail to meet minimum requirements; and expanding requirements for workplace health hazard evaluations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Creating and Restoring Equal Access To Equivalent Samples Act of 2017 or the CREATES Act of 2017 This bill permits the developer of a drug or biological product to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved drug or biological product if the holder has declined to make available sufficient quantities of the approved drug or product for the developer's testing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow energy tax credits through 2021 for investments in: (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. The bill also permits new clean renewable energy bonds to be used for such properties. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that: (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane, and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment under Medicare for certain services furnished to hospice patients by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). With respect to a patient who elects to receive hospice care under Medicare, current law generally limits payment for services that are either duplicative of such care or related to the treatment of the individual's terminal illness. However, current law exempts from this limitation: (1) physicians' services furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program; and (2) services provided or arranged by the hospice program. The bill expands this exemption with regard to rural health clinic and FQHC services. Specifically, the payment limitation shall not apply to such services that: (1) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual unaffiliated with a rural health clinic or FQHC; and (2) are either arranged by the hospice program or furnished by an attending physician not employed by the hospice program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of, and repeal 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 · 27 April 2017
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017 This bill expands the TRICARE health care program to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Cost-sharing may not be imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Such pregnancy prevention care shall include: (1) all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (2) contraceptive care, (3) sterilization procedures, and (4) patient education and counseling. The Department of Defense shall establish a uniform standard curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces. Every military treatment facility, upon request, shall provide emergency contraception, information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, and notification of confidentiality rights to any woman who: (1) states, or is accompanied by another individual who states, that the woman is a victim of sexual assault; or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2017 This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Invest in Rural Small Business Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to modify the definition of qualified Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business concern to reduce from 35% to 33% the number of a small firm's employees required to live within a HUBZone. The HUBZone program is expanded to include a qualified area located outside of an urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or less (covered area) designated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in response to a petition by the governor of a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory. The SBA: may designate as a HUBZone, in response to a governor's petition, a covered area that has an average unemployment rate at least 120% of the average U.S. or state unemployment rate, whichever is less; shall establish procedures to ensure that it accepts petitions from all states each fiscal year and give an interested governor technical assistance before a petition is filed; and must approve or deny, within 60 days upon receipt, a small business concern's application for certification as a qualified HUBZone small business concern.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act This bill designates specified National Forest System lands, National Park System lands, and public lands in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness and as components or additions to existing components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The bill also designates specified federal lands as biological connecting corridors and as special corridor management areas. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is amended to designate segments of specified rivers and creeks in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill designates specified areas as wildland recovery areas. The Department of Agriculture shall develop a wildland recovery plan for each recovery area. A specified panel of independent scientists shall study roadless lands greater than 1,000 acres that are within the National Forest System in the Wild Rockies bioregion in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming, but not designated as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, for their role in maintaining biological diversity in the Northern Rockies and as part of the overall forest reserve system. Any new or existing road construction or reconstruction or timber harvest is prohibited in those lands after the evaluation. Oil or gas leasing, mining, or other development that impairs the natural and roadless qualities of the land is also prohibited. The Department of the Interior may apply the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act in carrying out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 This bill prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for compensation. It bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Individuals or entities shall not knowingly assist or facilitate a conversion therapy if they receive compensation from any source in connection with providing such therapies. These prohibitions are inapplicable to practices or treatments that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if they provide: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. The Federal Trade Commission and states are provided authority to enforce against violations.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Honors National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day on April 9, 2017. Commemorates the 75th anniversary of the fall of Bataan in the Philippines on April 9, 1942. Applauds the Japanese government's efforts toward a historic apology for the maltreatment of U.S. prisoners of war by Imperial Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2017
Social Security Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the "government pension offset" and the "windfall elimination provision." Under current law, those provisions reduce OASDI benefits for individuals who receive a pension based on earnings in government employment that was not covered under the Social Security program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2017 This bill: (1) condemns the violence and human rights violations carried out by the Syrian government and pro-government forces; (2) urges all parties to halt civilian attacks; and (3) calls on the President to support efforts to ensure accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed during the conflict. The Department of State shall report to Congress on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in Syria. The State Department shall: (1) complete a study of the feasibility of potential transitional justice mechanisms for Syria (including a hybrid tribunal) to address war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide perpetrated in Syria beginning in March 2011; and (2) include in the report on such study recommendations on which transitional justice mechanisms the U.S. government should support, why, and what type of support should be offered. The State Department may provide assistance to entities that: (1) identify suspected perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; (2) collect evidence of crimes; (3) conduct criminal investigations or protect witnesses; or (4) build Syria's investigative, enforcement, and judicial capacities. The State Department also may provide assistance to support the creation and operation of transitional justice mechanisms. The bill includes in the State Department's Rewards for Justice program information leading to the arrest or conviction of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in Syria beginning in March 2011. The bill calls for the State Department to advocate that the United Nations Human Rights Council annually extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic until the commission has completed its investigation of alleged violations of international human rights laws in Syria beginning in March 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits federal agency funds from being obligated or expended to purchase, transfer, export, or use any cluster munitions unless: (1) the submunitions of such munitions, after arming, do not result in more than 1% unexploded ordnance across the range of intended operational environments; and (2) the policy applicable to the export or transfer of such munitions specifies that they will be used only against clearly defined military targets and not in areas normally inhabited by civilians or where civilians are known to be present. Expresses the sense of Congress that: the Department of Defense should ensure that the July 2008 Gates policy on cluster munitions is being fully implemented and that the United States will no longer use such munitions by the end of 2018 except in compliance with the 1% unexploded ordnance limit; the U.S. government should adopt a policy and develop a strategy to phase out the transfer, export, and use of such munitions; any alternatives that the government develops to replace cluster munitions should be compliant with the Convention on Cluster Munitions; and the United States should take all steps necessary to accede to such convention.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
American Jobs Matter Act of 2017 This bill requires an executive agency to include the effects on employment within the United States (a jobs impact statement) in the evaluation factors that must be considered in each solicitation for competitive proposals for contracts in excess of $1 million for the procurement of: (1) manufactured goods, (2) goods or services listed in a required report of industrial base capabilities, or (3) any item procured as part of a major defense acquisition program. An offeror's jobs impact statement may include a guarantee that jobs created or retained in the United States will not be moved outside the United States after award of the contract unless doing so is required to provide the goods or services stipulated in the contract or is in the best interest of the federal government. Each agency shall: (1) assess, annually, the accuracy of such a statement submitted by an offeror awarded a contract; and (2) track the number of jobs created or retained during the performance of such contract. If the number of jobs created or retained falls short of agency estimates, an agency may consider this as a factor that affects a contractor's past performance in the award of future contracts. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall report annually on the frequency of use within DOD of jobs impact statements in the evaluation of competitive proposals. The Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation shall be revised to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. Recognizes the efforts of public health professionals, governments, tribes, and individuals in preventing disease and injury. Encourages increased efforts and the use of additional resources to improve the health of people in the United States and to make the United States the healthiest nation in one generation through greater opportunities to improve community health and by strengthening the public health system.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the National Sea Grant College Program is: (1) important to improving the economy, health, stewardship, and preparedness of the United States; (2) an exceptional example of effective partnerships between federal, state, and local governments; and (3) a valuable investment for the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report on Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs mental health practices and services that could be adopted by law enforcement agencies. Additionally, DOJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services must report on programs to address the psychological health and well-being of law enforcement officers. The bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to include establishing peer mentoring mental health and wellness pilot programs within state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. DOJ must coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop educational resources for mental health providers regarding the culture of law enforcement agencies and therapies for mental health issues common to law enforcement officers. DOJ must also: (1) review existing crisis hotlines, recommend improvements, and research annual mental health checks; (2) examine the mental health and wellness needs of federal officers; and (3) ensure that recommendations, resources, or programs under this bill protect the privacy of participating officers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Made in America Water Infrastructure Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by requiring all of the iron and steel products used in projects funded by the drinking water state revolving fund program to be produced in the United States, unless: (1) it would be inconsistent with the public interest, (2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality, or (3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
This joint resolution prohibits the transfer to Saudi Arabia of U.S. air-to-ground munitions until the President certifies to Congress that: (1) Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners are taking all feasible precautions to reduce the risk of civilian harm and exercising proportional use of force in the course of military actions and are making demonstrable efforts to facilitate the flow of critical humanitarian aid and commercial goods; and (2) Saudi Arabia is taking effective measures to target designated foreign terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as part of its military operations in Yemen.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2017 or the Fair Chance Act This bill prohibits: (1) federal agencies and federal contractors from requesting that applicants for employment disclose criminal history record information before receiving a conditional offer of employment, and (2) agencies from requiring an individual or sole proprietor who submits a bid for a contract to disclose criminal history record information regarding that individual or sole proprietor before determining the apparent awardee. The bill: (1) sets forth positions to which such prohibitions shall not apply, such as positions for which prior consideration of criminal history record information is otherwise required by law, positions with law enforcement and national security duties, and positions requiring access to classified information; and (2) requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue regulations identifying additional positions with respect to which the prohibition shall not apply, giving due consideration to positions that involve interaction with minors, access to sensitive information, or managing financial transactions, consistent with relevant federal civil rights laws. The OPM, the Office of Compliance, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the GSA, and DOD must: (1) establish procedures for submitting complaints about, and taking actions against, agency employees and contractors for violating such prohibitions and for appealing such an action; and (2) issue regulations to implement this bill. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the requirements of this bill. The Bureau of Justice Statistics, in coordination with the Bureau of the Census, must: (1) design and initiate a study on the employment of individuals who are released from federal prison after completing a term of imprisonment for a federal criminal offense, and (2) report to Congress at specified intervals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act This bill designates the Veterans Memorial and Museum currently being constructed in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017 This bill expands Department of Defense (DOD) sexual trauma counseling and treatment to include: (1) cyber harassment of a sexual nature, and (2) members of the Armed Forces on active duty for training or inactive duty training. The bill sets forth the standard of proof, which may be rebutted, in the case of a veteran who claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active service. The reasons for granting or denying service-connection in each case shall be recorded in full. DOD shall ensure that: (1) in a compensation claim for post-traumatic stress disorder based on sexual assault, battery, cyber harassment, or harassment experienced during active military service, non-DOD evidence may corroborate the veteran's account of such assault, battery, or harassment; and (2) behavior changes may be considered as corroborating evidence. DOD shall: (1) report annually through 2027 on submitted claims to identify and track the consistency of decisions across regional offices, (2) inform members of the Armed Forces of their eligibility for services at Vet Centers, and (3) ensure that Sexual Assault Response Coordinators advise members of the Armed Forces who report instances of military sexual trauma about their eligibility for Vet Center services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 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 April 28, 2017, to be compensated for the period of the lapse on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations may use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to occur if FY2017 appropriations legislation is not enacted prior to the expiration of the continuing resolution that currently funds most federal agencies through April 28, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
African American Civil Rights Network Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) an African American Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement. In carrying out the network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Campus Accountability and Safety Act This bill addresses sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other violence and harassment on the campuses of colleges and universities. The bill amends provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to expand reporting requirements included in the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees. Specifically, the report must include information about: (1) the institutions coordination with local law enforcement about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking occurring against its students or against other individuals on its campus; (2) statistics about certain criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities or local police, including rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape; and (3) information about how the institution is addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Department of Education (ED) must administer and publish the campus-level results of a biannual survey of students regarding their experiences with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Each institution must establish a campus security policy that meets certain requirements with respect to: (1) assisting survivors; (2) training individuals who are involved in implementing the student grievance procedures or who are responsible for interviewing survivors; and (3) establishing a uniform process for student disciplinary proceedings relating to any claims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking or a sexual misconduct policy violation against a student. ED and the Department of Justice may impose civil penalties for failure to meet certain requirements under this bill. The bill also authorizes grants to address these issues.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to revise requirements for miners' claims for pneumoconiosis (black lung) benefits. The Department of Labor must pay the attorneys' fees of prevailing parties on a qualifying benefit claim. This bill revises: (1) the standards of medical evidence that establish a presumption that a miner is totally disabled by black lung, and (2) payments to such miners, including their dependents. Black lung clinics may use federal funds to help individuals file claims. A person may not: (1) knowingly and willfully make a false statement or misrepresentation in increasing or reducing black lung benefits, or (2) threaten or mislead a participant in a proceeding regarding the benefits. Labor, upon request, must give a claimant the opportunity to substantiate a claim for benefits through a pulmonary evaluation of the miner. Labor must also authorize a CT (computerized tomography) scan in diagnosing complicated pneumoconiosis. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health must establish a pilot program to ensure accurate classifications of chest radiographs in black lung cases where the diagnosis is at issue. Labor must educate certain individuals who work on black lung benefits about medical evidence relevant to claims. A previously denied claimant may file a new claim for black lung benefits within one year. This bill amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to direct Labor to use data from continuous personal dust monitors to determine whether to make changes to respirable dust concentration standards, controls, and measurements. This bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to revise requirements governing: (1) investigations of mine accidents, (2) miners' rights and protections (e.g., whistle-blower rights and protections), (3) mine health and safety standards, (4) underground coal mines, and (5) health and safety training for miners. The Department of Labor, when investigating coal or other mines, must: (1) determine why an accident occurred and whether there were violations of law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other requirements; (2) refer to the Department of Justice cases involving violations of federal criminal law; and (3) make recommendations to avoid a recurrence of an accident. The bill expands Labor's enforcement authority, including by requiring Labor to: (1) revoke the approval of mine operators' plans or programs based on certain criteria, and (2) order mine operators to withdraw all persons from a mine until Labor approves a new plan. The bill revises civil and criminal penalties, including by subjecting a mine operator who knowingly violates health or safety standards to a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $1 million fine. Underground coal mines operators must implement a communication program to brief miners of current mine conditions and install atmospheric monitoring systems. The bill amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) to expand its coverage to government employees and increase civil and criminal penalties for violations of the Act. The bill also expands whistle-blower rights and protections against retaliation under the OSH Act, establishes employee rights with respect to work-related bodily injuries or death, and establishes procedures for correcting serious, willful or repeated violations of occupational safety and health standards.
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