United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Medical Expense Savings Act This bill makes permanent the reduction in the adjusted gross income threshold that must be exceeded before a taxpayer is allowed to claim an itemized tax deduction for medical expenses. (In 2017, the threshold was temporarily reduced from 10% to 7.5% for 2017 and 2018. This bill makes the 7.5% threshold permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes for FY2020-FY2024 and makes appropriations for the Community Health Center Fund, which provides enhanced funding for the community health center program and the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
Acadia National Park Boundary Clarification Act This bill declares that the boundary of Acadia National Park in Maine is confirmed to include approximately 1,441 acres of land and interests in the Schoodic Peninsula. The bill ratifies and approves the acquisition by the United States of such land and interests, effective as of September 26, 2013, and any alteration of such land or interests held or claimed by the United State that occurred after such date. The Department of the Interior may make certain technical and limited revisions to the permanent boundaries of the park. Interior shall reestablish and appoint members to the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission. Certain land in the park that was conveyed by Interior to the town of Tremont, Maine, shall no longer be used exclusively for school purposes, but for public purposes, subject to specified conditions. Interior shall allow for the traditional taking of marine species, marine worms, and shellfish on land within the park between the mean high watermark and the mean low watermark in accordance with the laws of the State of Maine. Interior shall convey to the town of Bar Harbor a specified parcel of land within the park to be used for a solid waste transfer facility.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2019
This resolution declares that (1) the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable John Chester Culver, former Member of the Senate; and (2) when the Senate adjourns on January 10, 2019, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable John Chester Culver.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act This bill codifies certain Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations that govern the appointment, oversight, and removal of a special counsel. Additionally, the bill provides new statutory limitations and requirements with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel. Finally, the bill requires DOJ to notify Congress when a special counsel is appointed, before a special counsel is removed, and after a special counsel's investigation concludes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act This bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate proceedings against parties to any agreement resolving or settling a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product. Such an agreement is presumed to have anticompetitive effects and is a violation of this bill if the filer of the generic drug or biosimilar application receives anything of value and agrees to limit or forego research, development, manufacturing, marketing, or sales of the generic drug or biosimilar. An agreement is exempted if the only consideration granted to the generic manufacturer is (1) the right to market its product prior to the expiration of any statutory exclusivity, (2) a payment for reasonable litigation expenses, or (3) a covenant not to sue on any claim that the generic drug or biosimilar infringes a patent. An agreement is also exempt if the agreement's pro-competitive benefits outweigh the anticompetitive effects. When a generic or biosimilar drug manufacturer enters into an agreement with another drug manufacturer related to the manufacturing, marketing, or sale of a drug, the manufacturers must certify that the material they have given the FTC concerning the agreement contains the complete agreement and any agreements related to that main agreement, including descriptions of any oral agreements or representations. The bill imposes penalties for violations of this bill, including the forfeiture of the 180-day marketing exclusivity period for a generic drug.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2019
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2019 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to promulgate regulations within 180 days permitting individuals to import a prescription drug purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy if the drug is dispensed by a pharmacist licensed in Canada; is purchased for personal use in quantities not greater than a 90-day supply; is filled using a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice in the United States; and has the same active ingredients, route of administration, dosage form, and strength as a prescription drug approved by the FDA. Under the bill, certain drugs may not be imported, including controlled substances and biological products. The bill establishes a certification process for approving Canadian pharmacies. The FDA must publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Natural Resources Management Act This bill sets forth provisions regarding various programs, projects, activities, and studies for the management and conservation of natural resources on federal lands. Specifically, the bill addresses, among other matters land conveyances, exchanges, acquisitions, withdrawals, and transfers; national parks, monuments, memorials, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, historic and heritage sites, and other conservation and recreation areas; wildlife conservation; helium extraction; small miner waivers of claim maintenance fees; wildland fire operations; the release of certain federal reversionary land interests; boundary adjustments; the Denali National Park and Preserve natural gas pipeline; fees for medical services in units of the National Park System; funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund; recreational activities on federal or nonfederal lands; a national volcano early warning and monitoring system; federal reclamation projects; and search-and recovery-missions. In addition, the bill reauthorizes the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Program and the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2019
This bill establishes in the Executive Office of the President an Office of Critical Technology and Security, which, among other things, shall serve as a centralized focal point within the Executive Office of the President for coordinating policy and actions of the federal government to stop the transfer of critical emerging, foundational, and dual-use technologies to countries that pose a national security risk, and to maintain U.S. technological leadership and ensure supply chain integrity and security for such technologies; lead messaging and outreach efforts by the government on the national security threat posed by the improper acquisition and transfer of such technologies; lead the development of a comprehensive, long-term strategic plan in coordination with U.S. allies and defense partners to protect and enforce intellectual property rights and to develop a strategy to inform the private sector about critical supply chain risks; and use measures developed to monitor and track key trends relating to transfer of such technologies, and relating to U.S. government investments in innovation and competitiveness compared to governments of other countries. The bill establishes the Council on Critical Technologies and Security to advise the President on matters relating to challenges posed by foreign powers with respect to technology acquisition and transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 This bill authorizes assistance and weapons transfers to Israel, and extends defense cooperation with Jordan. It establishes additional sanctions related to the conflict in Syria, and allows states to divest from entities boycotting Israel. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2019 The bill reauthorizes through FY2028 Foreign Military Financing to Israel. It extends loan guarantees to Israel through FY2023, and authorizes the President to transfer precision-guided munitions to the country. The bill directs the President to report on steps taken to help Israel secure a strategic trade authorization exception. United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act The bill extends through 2022 arrangements that allow certain defense articles to be transferred to Jordan on an expedited basis. The bill also directs the President to submit a report to Congress assessing the costs and benefits of establishing a fund to support private investment in Jordan. Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 The bill directs the Department of the Treasury to determine whether the Central Bank of Syria is a primary money-laundering concern and, if so, impose special measures on transactions involving the bank. The bill also imposes sanctions on individuals providing support for the Syrian government. Combating BDS Act of 2019 The bill allows a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities using boycotts, divestments, or sanctions to influence Israel's policies. Such measures shall meet various requirements, including those related to written notice and comment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 This bill requires employees of the federal government or a District of Columbia public employer who are furloughed or required to work during a lapse in appropriations beginning on or after December 22, 2018, to be compensated for the period of the lapse. The employees must be compensated 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.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Pay Our Coast Guard Act This bill provides continuing appropriations to the U.S. Coast Guard for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for the Coast Guard are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty; and retired pay. The appropriations are provided until the enactment of specified Coast Guard appropriations legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act of 2019 This bill establishes a new grant program to help states and Indian tribes implement extreme risk protection order laws. Extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, generally allow certain individuals (e.g., law enforcement officers or family members) to petition a court for a temporary order that prohibits an at-risk individual from purchasing and possessing firearms. The bill also expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Specifically, it adds a new category of prohibited persons: persons who are subject to an extreme risk protection order.
United States · United States Congress · 2 January 2019
This resolution urges the President to work with allies to lead a multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea to push back against excessive Russian claims of sovereignty. It also calls for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to enhance allied maritime presence and capabilities in the Black Sea and for European governments to cancel the Nord Stream 2 pipeline due to its threat to European energy security. The resolution also urges the President to provide additional security assistance to Ukraine and states that the President is required by statute to impose mandatory sanctions on Russia.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Calls on the President to reconsider the decision to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from Syria and urges any future withdrawal decision to be based on a robust interagency process and on conditions in the region.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Condemns the Burmese military's atrocities against Burma's minority Rohingya population, and calls on the Department of State to formally determine whether such acts amount to genocide. Commends the government of Bangladesh for receiving Rohingya refugees, and calls on Burma's government to immediately release journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2018
United States Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act of 2018 This bill recognizes service in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II as active military service. Individuals who served in the corps are eligible for specified honors but shall not be entitled by reason of such service to veterans' benefits generally.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2018
Declares that the Senate: (1) notes with deep sorrow and solemn mourning the death of former President George H.W. Bush, (2) extends heartfelt sympathy to former President George W. Bush and the entire family of former President George H.W. Bush, and (3) honors and expresses deep appreciation for former President George H.W. Bush's outstanding and important service to his country. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on December 5, 2018, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of former President George H.W. Bush.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2018
Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2018 This bill addresses the humanitarian crisis in Burma (Myanmar) related to the displacement of the Rohingya people. Specifically, the bill authorizes humanitarian assistance and reconciliation programs in the region, establishes prohibitions on military and security assistance for Burma's armed forces, and places sanctions and visa or import restrictions on various Burmese officials and goods.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2018
Guardianship Accountability Act of 2018 This bill provides resources to support individuals who are at least 18 years old and who are placed under guardianships because they are unable to make safe and sound decisions. Specifically, the bill requires the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to establish a National Online Resource Center on Guardianship. In addition, the bill expands a demonstration grant program for elder abuse prevention to include grants for collecting information about guardianships, training court visitors, and sharing guardian background checks.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
First Step Act This bill amends various provisions of law and sets forth new provisions: to require the Department of Justice to establish and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to implement a risk and needs assessment system; to modify the computation of good time credit; to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison; to limit the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery; to reduce mandatory minimum prison terms for certain nonviolent repeat drug offenses; to broaden the existing safety valve to permit a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain nonviolent, cooperative drug offenders with a limited criminal history; to make the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive; to require prisoners to be placed within 500 miles of their primary residence; to require low-risk prisoners to be placed on home confinement for the maximum amount of time permitted; to reauthorize through FY2022 and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program; to require the BOP to help prisoners obtain identification documents prior to release, to incorporate de-escalation procedures into training programs, and to make tampons and sanitary napkins available free of charge; to authorize Federal Prison Industries to sell products to additional markets; to require probation and pretrial services officers to perform court-directed supervision of sex offenders conditionally released from civil commitment; to require the BOP to establish pilot programs on youth mentorship and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals; and to limit juvenile solitary confinement.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act of 2018 This bill suspends certain weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia. It also imposes sanctions on individuals for various activities related to the civil war in Yemen and for involvement in the death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The United States may not authorize transfers to Saudi Arabia of missiles, ammunition, ground vehicles, aircraft, or other weapons that fall within Categories III, IV, VII, or VIII of the U.S. Munitions List. The prohibitions do not apply to ground-based missile defense systems and shall expire September 30, 2020. The United States may not provide in-flight refueling for Saudi coalition aircraft involved in the civil war. (A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting against Ansar Allah, a group in armed conflict with the government of Yemen.) The United States shall impose sanctions on individuals who are blocking the flow of humanitarian goods and services into Yemen or working to undermine the country's stability. This includes sanctions on supporters of Ansar Allah if the United States determines the group has not made meaningful efforts towards peace. This bill amends the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to impose sanctions on foreign individuals, including any members of the Saudi royal family, who are responsible for or who aided in Khashoggi's death.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission in Cervidae Study Act This bill requires the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to contract the National Academy of Sciences to study the predominant pathways and mechanisms of the transmission of chronic wasting disease in wild, captive, and farmed populations of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose populations in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Condemns: (1) the anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 27, 2018, in which 11 innocent people were killed and 6 were injured, and (2) rising anti-Semitism. Honors the memory of the victims and expresses the hope that their memory may be a blessing to their families and community. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to condemn anti-Semitism, protect the right of people in the United States to freely exercise their religious beliefs, and ensure their safety and security.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2018
Recognizes the important contribution women entrepreneurs make to the economy of the United States. Commemorates the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2018
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the reduction in the adjusted gross income threshold that must be exceeded before a taxpayer is allowed to claim an itemized deduction for medical expenses. (In 2017, the threshold was temporarily reduced from 10% to 7.5% for 2017 and 2018. This bill makes the 7.5% threshold permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2018
Faster Access to Federal Student Aid Act of 2018 This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to disclose certain tax return information to the Department of Education (ED) for the purpose of administering financial aid and loan programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965. (Under current law, students must obtain their own tax return information from the IRS and submit it to ED.) Upon receiving a request from ED, the IRS must disclose specified tax return information to ED for the purposes of establishing, renewing, administering, and conducting analyses and forecasts for estimating costs related to income-contingent or income-based repayment programs; the discharge of loans based on a total and permanent disability; determining the eligibility for, and the amount of, federal student financial aid; and conducting analyses and forecasts for estimating costs related to federal student financial aid programs. ED may only use the disclosed information for the purposes above and for mitigating risks related to the programs. Mitigating risks includes activities related to analyzing or estimating costs, conducting oversight, developing statistics, and reducing improper payments. It does not include conducting criminal investigations or prosecutions. With the consent of the taxpayer, ED may disclose the return information to certain institutions of higher education, state higher education agencies, and scholarship organizations solely for the use in financial aid programs. The bill also specifies notification and reporting requirements related to the disclosures and the implementation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2018
Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act of 2018 This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Stamp Out Elder Abuse Semipostal Stamp, with the proceeds from the sale of the stamp transferred to (1) the Department of Justice for specified purposes, including prevention and education regarding elder abuse, data collection, and victim services; and (2) the Department of Health and Human Services for purposes of elder justice activities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2018
Protect our Elections Act This bill requires each state to annually certify that each entity that provides services related to any component of the state's election system meets certain criteria related to (1) the entity's ownership, and (2) compliance with cybersecurity best practices and incidence reporting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2018
Commemorates October 3, 2018, as the 10th anniversary of the enactment of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Declares access to behavioral health services a priority. Expresses support for enforcement of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2018
Home Health Payment Innovation Act of 2018 This bill allows the home confinement requirement for home health services to be waived under Medicare and Medicare Advantage. The bill also alters the payment methodology under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health services, including by eliminating the requirement that such methodology include certain behavioral assumptions regarding the implementation of specified changes to units of payment and case-mix adjustment factors.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 This bill amends and reauthorizes through FY2023 the Museum and Library Services Act and provides funding for library services and technology through FY2023. The bill expands the definition of "library" and "museum" to include a tribal library or museum and expands the services museums are authorized to provide. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the 21st Century Museum Professional Program established by this bill, may enter into arrangements with museum, museum consortia and associations, institutions of higher education, and other entities for projects to: increase the number of students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in graduate and undergraduate museum-related programs; recruit future museum professionals from such backgrounds; develop new or enhance current professional development and retention programs for museum professionals and the museum workforce; and support and conduct research, needs assessments, pilot programs, and evaluation of education and professional development programs to recruit, prepare, educate, and retain the next generation of museum professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2018
Designates September 2018 as Campus Fire Safety Month. Encourages administrators of institutions of higher education and municipalities across the United States to: (1) provide educational programs about fire safety to all college students in September and throughout the school year, (2) evaluate the level of fire safety being provided in both on- and off-campus student housing, and (3) ensure fire-safe living environments.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Economic Exclusion Act This bill expands sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The President shall report to Congress regarding: foreign and domestic supply chains that significantly aid the IRGC; Iranian state-owned entities that provide support to terrorist entities, including Mahan Air; and foreign persons owned or controlled by the IRGC, including companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange or companies with a value in excess of $100 million. The bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran's membership in the World Trade Organization and similar international bodies as long as Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2018
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Retirement Security Week and acknowledges the need to raise public awareness of a variety of tax-preferred retirement vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2018
Improving Coverage for Substance Use Disorder Recovery Expansion Act This bill allows state Medicaid programs to cover certain inpatient substance-use disorder treatment services for individuals who are 21 to 64 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2018
ZTE Enforcement Review and Oversight Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to report on and ensure ZTE Corporation's compliance with the June 7, 2018, settlement agreement regarding sanctions violations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2018
Designates September 22, 2018, as National Falls Prevention Awareness Day. Recognizes that there are cost-effective falls prevention programs and policies. Commends the Falls Free Coalition and others for their efforts to increase awareness of falls prevention. Recognizes: (1) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its work to make falls prevention a routine part of clinical care, and (2) the Administration for Community Living for its work to promote access to evidence-based programs and services.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2018
Calls for the release of imprisoned journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and expresses concern about the crackdown by Burma (Myanmar) on journalists and freedom of the press. Calls on the President and the Department of State to engage with the government of Burma regarding these issues.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2018
Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the federal government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2018
Reaffirms that it is U.S. policy to support Moldova's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Supports the U.S.-Moldova Strategic Dialogue as a means to strengthen relations and enhance Moldova's democratic, economic, and security reforms.