United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2017
Patrick T. Carothers U.S. Marshals Service Hiring Improvement Act of 2017 This bill allows the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service to appoint a qualified candidate to the position of deputy marshal or criminal investigator in accordance with the statutes, rules, or regulations governing excepted service appointments notwithstanding any statutes, rules, or regulations governing appointments in the competitive service. The appointment of a deputy marshal or criminal investigator under this authority shall not be considered to cause the position to be converted from the competitive service to the excepted service. Service by an incumbent as deputy marshal or criminal investigator may not exceed four years. The Director may, upon satisfactory completion of three years of substantially continuous service by a qualified incumbent, convert the appointment of the individual, without competition, to a career or career-conditional appointment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2017
College Transparency Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the National Center for Education Statistics to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must: evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and post-collegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid at the student level; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by colleges and universities; and link with other federal systems of data.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, to be headed by the Assistant Secretary for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The VA shall develop criteria to promote supervisory protection of whistle-blowers and provide supervisors with related training. The bill revises VA authority to remove certain employees or senior executives for reasons of misconduct or performance, including by permitting such individuals to be demoted or suspended. The VA: (1) shall reduce the federal annuity of a removed individual who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position, and (2) may reduce the federal annuity of a retired individual who was convicted of such a felony but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to an employee under specified circumstances. The VA may directly appoint medical center directors and Veterans Integrated Service Network directors. The bill revises time periods for adverse action reviews with respect to physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries. The VA shall: (1) assess the effect of the enactment of this bill on the hiring, promotion, retention, and productivity of individuals in senior executive positions; and (2) collect information on the outcomes and effectiveness of disciplinary actions carried out during the three-year period ending on the date of enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2017
Thin Blue Line Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to expand the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2017
Recognizes, on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army military working dog program: (1) the service that military working dogs and contract working dogs (war dogs) have provided to the Armed Forces, and (2) that not all war dogs were given due recognition by being allowed to retire honorably from service. Honors the sacrifices made by war dogs in combat and the services war dogs provide in retirement to members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2017
Homeless Veterans Prevention Act of 2017 This bill provides that the services for which a recipient of a grant under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive service program for homeless veterans may receive per diem payments may include furnishing care for a dependent under the care of a veteran who is receiving services. The VA shall enter into partnerships with public or private entities to fund a portion of the legal services such entities provide to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness related to housing, family law, income support, and criminal defense. The bill: (1) expands VA dental care authority authority to include those veterans receiving assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937, (2) repeals the September 30, 2013, sunset on the authority of the VA and the Department of Labor to carry out a program of referral and counseling for veterans who are at risk of homelessness and are transitioning from certain institutions, including penal institutions, and (3) extends supportive services assistance for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing. The Government Accountability Office shall complete a study of VA assistance to homeless veterans. The requirement that the VA report annually on its assistance programs for homeless veterans is eliminated.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Recognizes the historic struggle of the people of Mexico for independence and freedom, which Cinco de Mayo commemorates. Encourages the people of the United States to observe Cinco de Mayo with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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
Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of State to work through nongovernmental organizations to provide public health commodities, basic food commodities, and related technical assistance to Venezuela. The State Department shall submit a multi-year strategy to Congress that: (1) describes how the United States will secure international support for the provision of humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, (2) identifies governments that will provide financial and technical assistance, and (3) identifies financial and technical assistance to be provided by multilateral institutions. The State Department shall work: (1) with the Organization of American States to ensure international observation that contributes to free and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela; and (2) to defend internationally recognized human rights for the people of Venezuela, support the efforts of independent media outlets to share information beyond the limited channels made available by the Venezuelan government, facilitate open access to the Internet, and to combat government corruption. The bill declares it to be U.S. policy to increase engagement with the governments in the Caribbean region and with the private sector and civil society in the United States and in the Caribbean. The State Department shall report to Congress regarding the involvement in corruption of senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the National Electoral Council, the judicial system, and government security forces. The bill amends the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 to: (1) direct the President to impose sanctions on any current or former official of the Venezuela government who is determined to have perpetrated significant acts of public corruption or actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions, and (2) extend the requirement to impose sanctions under such Act until December 31, 2022.
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
Mahan Air and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to submit an annual report to Congress through 2020 that includes: (1) a list of all airports at which aircraft owned or controlled by Mahan Air (a Tehran-based commercial airline under U.S. sanctions) have landed during the preceding two years; and (2) for each such airport, an assessment of whether such aircraft continue operations at that airport, an assessment of whether any of the landings were emergency landings, a determination of whether additional security measures should be imposed on flights to the United States that originate from that airport, and an explanation of the rationale for such determination.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Restoring Internet Freedom Act This bill nullifies the rule adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 26, 2015, relating to the reclassification of broadband Internet access service as a telecommunications service. The FCC is prohibited from reissuing such rule in substantially the same form, or from issuing a new rule that is substantially the same, unless the rule is specifically authorized by a law enacted after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Congratulates the students, families, teachers, administrators, and staff of public charter schools across the United States for: (1) making ongoing contributions to public education, (2) making impressive strides in closing the academic achievement gap in U.S. schools, and (3) improving and strengthening the public school system. Expresses support for the ideals and goals of the 18th annual National Charter Schools Week (May 1-May 5, 2017).
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire at least 50 Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists, place each one at an eligible VA medical center, and ensure that each one serves as part of a justice team in a veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused court. An eligible VA medical center is one that: complies with all VA guidelines and regulations for placement of a specialist; works with a veteran with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system; maintains an affiliation with one or more veterans treatment courts or other veteran-focused courts; and either routinely provides specialists, or establishes a VA-approved plan to provide specialists, to serve as part of a justice team in such a court. The VA shall prioritize the placement of specialists at eligible VA medical centers that have an affiliation with such a court that: (1) was established after the date of this bill's enactment, or (2) was established before such date and is not fully staffed with specialists.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
New Hope and Opportunity through the Power of Employment Act or the New HOPE Act This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to require state leadership activities funded by the Act to include consulting and coordinating with other state agencies for the identification, consolidation, or elimination of licenses or certifications that pose an unnecessary barrier to entry for aspiring workers and provide limited consumer protection.
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 · 6 April 2017
Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: extend the Independence at Home demonstration program; modify provisions regarding access to home dialysis therapy under Medicare and special needs plans under Medicare Advantage (MA); expand testing of the MA Value-Based Insurance Design test model; allow an MA plan to provide additional telehealth benefits to enrollees and, to chronically ill enrollees, certain supplemental health care benefits; modify other provisions regarding the use of telehealth services; allow prospective, voluntary assignment of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to accountable care organizations (ACOs); and allow ACOs to operate beneficiary incentive programs. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct studies on: the establishment of a payment code for a visit for longitudinal comprehensive care planning services, the extent to which Medicare prescription drug plans and private payors use programs that synchronize pharmacy dispensing to facilitate comprehensive counseling and promote medication adherence, and the use of prescription drugs to manage the weight of obese patients and the impact of such drug coverage on patient health and health care spending.
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 · 5 April 2017
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA) to modify and reauthorize through FY2021 juvenile justice programs and activities. Specifically, it: revises and expands the purpose areas of the JJDPA; expands membership on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to include the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Secretary of the Interior; expands requirements for the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) with respect to the annual report on juveniles in custody; modifies the required components of a state's juvenile justice and prevention plan; modifies the four core requirements with which a state must comply to receive a full allocation of funds under the State Formula Grant Program; broadens the authorized grant purposes under the Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs to include evidence-based or promising programs on mentoring, parent training and support, or in-home family services; and subjects juvenile justice grants to accountability provisions. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate the OJJDP's performance and audit selected grant recipients. The bill also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to condition a state's receipt of funds under the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program on compliance with the core requirements of the JJDPA applicable to the detention and confinement of juveniles.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the federal government, and any state or local government that receives federal funding for any program that provides child welfare services under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), from discriminating or taking an adverse action against a child welfare service provider that declines to provide, facilitate, or refer for a child welfare service that conflicts with the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. The prohibition also applies to Indian tribal organizations or consortia that have an approved foster care and adoption assistance plan or that have an agreement with a state for the administration of funds under part B or part E of the SSAct. The bill bars such prohibition from applying to SSAct requirements that forbid state entities from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements on the basis of an adoptive parent's or a child's race, color, or national origin. The Department of Health and Human Services must withhold 15% of the federal funds that such a state, local, or tribal entity receives for such programs if the state, local, or tribal entity violates this bill. An aggrieved child welfare service provider may assert such an adverse action violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain all appropriate relief (including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs).
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
Working Families Flexibility Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to their employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required, but only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. This bill prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time. An employer must provide monetary compensation for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year. This bill requires an employer to give employees 30-day notice before discontinuing compensatory time off. This bill prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, or coercing an employee in order to: (1) interfere with the employee's right to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment of monetary overtime compensation, or (2) require an employee to use such compensatory time. This bill makes an employer who violates such requirements liable to the affected employee in the amount of the compensation rate for each hour of compensatory time accrued, plus an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, reduced for each hour of compensatory time used.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology To Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2017 or the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2017 This bill amends the PROTECT our Children Act of 2008 to reauthorize through FY2022 the National Internet Crimes Against Children Data System and the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that, effective as if enacted on January 1, 2017, a returning H-2B visa alien (temporary nonagricultural worker) who has already been counted toward the applicable numerical limitation shall: not again be counted toward that limitation during the fiscal year, but shall be considered a returning worker; or shall be counted again toward the limitation if the alien departs the United States for a period longer than one year, was not counted toward the limitation in any of the three most recent fiscal years, or violated his or her status during the authorized period of stay. "Other temporary service or labor" for H-2B purposes means that an employer's labor need will last: (1) at most 1 year if peak load or intermittent, unless it is a one-time occurrence not to exceed 3 years; or (2) not to exceed 10 months if the employer's need is seasonal. An H-2B employer shall file an employee petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall have exclusive authority to issue rules and final determinations for the H-2B visa program. H-2B employer requirements are set forth regarding: (1) petitions, (2) admissions and maximum stay in status, (3) housing, (4) enforcement, (5) transportation, (6) recruitment, (7) U.S. worker protections, (8) wages, and (9) absconding workers. DHS shall consult with the Department of State to develop an electronic notification system to notify the latter within 48 hours after an H-2B petition's final approval.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Lacey Act and the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 by exempting certain water transfers between public water supplies located on, along, or across the boundaries of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana from prohibitions on illegal trade of plants and wildlife. Specifically, the prohibitions do not apply to covered water transfers containing a prohibited species if: (1) the species are present in both public water supplies before the transfer and the water is transferred directly between them; or (2) the water is transferred in a closed conveyance system (a closed system that collects, contains, and transports the flow of water, such as pipe systems) and sent directly to treatment facilities where the species will be destroyed.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Reaffirms the strategic partnership between the United States and Mexico. Supports: (1) continued diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation between the United States and Mexico; and (2) efforts by the Mexican government to strengthen the rule of law, reduce corruption, and advance civil and human rights. Encourages enhanced security cooperation between the U.S. and Mexican militaries and law enforcement agencies. Commits to: (1) continue the U.S. government's partnership with the Mexican government to combat transnational criminal organizations, and (2) a relationship between the United States and Mexico that is based on mutual respect and the promotion of shared democratic values.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2017
Condemns the Russian Federation's occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, continued aggression in eastern Ukraine, and efforts to intimidate and coerce nations in Eastern Europe from strengthening their ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Calls on the Russian Federation to: end its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine, withdraw its military presence there, and allow Ukraine to regain control of its internationally recognized borders. provide greater access to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission to ensure credible international monitoring of compliance with the Minsk agreement; and engage in dialogue with the government of Ukraine in coordination with key international partners to come to an agreement that respects Ukraine's sovereignty, ensures regional stability, and puts both nations on the path towards a permanent cease-fire. Urges the President: in coordination with U.S. allies, to stand by Ukraine, condemn continued Russian aggression, and use all possible tools to combat Russian belligerence; to continue U.S. support for the Ukrainian economy and civil society; and not to agree to any final settlement of the conflict in Ukraine without the consent of its government. Encourages U.S. allies in Europe to continue coordinated efforts to counter Russian aggression.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2017 or the POWER Act This bill requires each U.S. Attorney for each judicial district to lead at least one public event that promotes pro bono legal services as a critical way to: (1) empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (2) engage citizens in assisting those survivors. A similar requirement applies to districts containing Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Each U.S. Attorney shall: (1) have discretion on the design, organization, and implementation of such public events; and (2) seek to maximize an event's local impact and the access of such survivors to high-quality pro bono legal services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 This bill directs the Departments of State, Defense, and Treasury and the Director of National Intelligence to submit a strategy every two years for deterring conventional and asymmetric Iranian activities that threaten the United States and key allies in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. The President shall impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions against any person that materially contributes to: (1) Iran's ballistic missile or weapons of mass destruction programs, or (2) the sale or transfer to Iran of specified military equipment or the provision of related technical or financial assistance. The President shall impose against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated foreign persons sanctions with respect to blocking property of, and prohibiting transactions with, foreign persons who commit or support terrorism. The President may impose asset blocking sanctions against any person identified by the State Department as responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against certain individuals in Iran. The bill requires specified existing sanctions against persons for materially contributing to Iran's ballistic missile program or for supporting Iran's acts of international terrorism to continue until 90 days after the President certifies that such activities ceased during the immediately preceding three-month period. The bill exempts certain humanitarian and national security activities from sanctions. The President may temporarily waive the imposition or continuation of sanctions under specified circumstances. The bill sets forth reporting requirements with respect to: (1) persons contributing to Iran's ballistic missile program, (2) U.S.-European Union sanctions coordination, (3) U.S. citizens detained by Iran, and (4) each use of the waiver authority.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Israel Anti-Boycott Act This bill declares that Congress: (1) opposes the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution of March 24, 2016, which urges countries to pressure companies to divest from, or break contracts with, Israel; and (2) encourages full implementation of the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 through enhanced, governmentwide, coordinated U.S.-Israel scientific and technological cooperation in civilian areas. The bill amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to declare that it shall be U.S. policy to oppose: requests by foreign countries to impose restrictive practices or boycotts against other countries friendly to the United States or against U.S. persons; and restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by an international governmental organization, or requests to impose such practices or boycotts, against Israel. The bill prohibits any U.S. person engaged interstate or foreign commerce from supporting: any request by a foreign country to impose any boycott against a country that is friendly to the United States and that is not itself the object of any form of boycott pursuant to United States law or regulation, or any boycott fostered or imposed by any international governmental organization against Israel or any request by any international governmental organization to impose such a boycott. The bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to include as a reason for the Export-Import Bank to deny credit applications for the export of goods and services between the United States and foreign countries, opposition to policies and actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of Israel, entities organized under the laws of Israel, or the government of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2017
Sinai Service Recognition Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a qualified hazardous duty area to be treated in the same manner as a combat zone for certain tax provisions. A "qualified hazardous duty area" is the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt if a member of the Armed Forces performs services in such location that qualify for special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. The requirement applies to specified tax provisions relating to: the special rule where a deceased spouse was in missing status; the exclusion from gross income of certain combat pay of members of the Armed Forces; income taxes of members of the Armed Forces on death; combat zone-related deaths of members of the Armed Forces; the definition of wages relating to combat pay for members of the Armed Forces; the taxation of phone service originating from a combat zone from members of the Armed Forces; joint tax returns where an individual is in missing status; and additional time for individuals serving in combat zones to file returns, pay taxes, and perform other specified acts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2017
Delivering Elderly Lunches and Increasing Volunteer Engagement and Reimbursements Act of 2017 or the DELIVER Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the standard mileage rate for the tax deduction for the charitable use of a passenger automobile to deliver meals to homebound individuals who are elderly, disabled, frail, or at risk. The bill increases the rate from the standard charitable rate of 14 cents per mile to the standard business mileage rate, which is 53.5 cents per mile for 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns and infants, including to expand the programs to include young children. The programs are reauthorized through FY2022. Health Resources and Services Administration support for the education and training of personnel and health care providers for such programs is expanded to include education and training of family members.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Reserve Component Benefits Parity Act This bill makes reserve component members who are deployed to support pre-planned operations of a combatant command eligible for: (1) pre-mobilization health care, (2) transitional health care, (3) consideration of active duty service to reduce the age for retired pay, (4) the high-deployment allowance for lengthy or numerous deployments and frequent mobilizations, (5) Post-9/11 educational assistance, and (6) non-reduction in pay while serving in the uniformed services or National Guard. The bill makes reserve component members who are deployed in response to a major disaster or emergency eligible for Post-9/11 educational assistance. The bill makes all such reserve component members eligible for extension of the time limitation during deployment with respect to training and rehabilitation assistance for veterans with service-connected disabilities. This bill shall apply to any order issued on or after January 1, 2012, for a reserve component member to serve on active duty in support of a pre-planned operation of a combatant command or in response to a major disaster or emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate court or U.S. district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings over which that judge presides, except when it would constitute a violation of the due process rights of any party. Upon the request of any witness in a trial proceeding other than a party, a district court must order the face and voice of the witness to be disguised or otherwise obscured to render the witness unrecognizable to the broadcast audience of the trial proceeding. The presiding judge in a trial proceeding must inform each witness who is not a party of the right to make such request. A presiding judge may obscure the face and voice of an individual if good cause is shown that photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising such features would threaten the individual's safety, the court's security, the integrity of future or ongoing law enforcement operations, or the interest of justice. The bill prohibits a presiding judge from permitting the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising of any juror in a trial proceeding, or of the jury selection process. The bill terminates a district court's authority under this bill three years after its enactment. The Judicial Conference of the United States must promulgate mandatory guidelines that a presiding judge must follow for obscuring certain vulnerable witnesses. The bill prohibits any audio pickup or broadcast of conferences which occur in a court proceeding between attorneys and their clients, co-counsel of a client, adverse counsel, or counsel and the presiding judge, if the conferences are not part of the official record of the proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2017
Fair and Open Competition Act This bill prohibits a federal executive agency that awards any construction contract after the enactment of this bill from requiring or prohibiting a contract bidder from entering into agreements with labor organizations (i.e., Project Labor Agreements [PLAs]) or otherwise discriminating against a bidder or contractor who signs, or refuses to sign, a PLA. Agencies that award grants, provide financial assistance, or enter into cooperative agreements for construction projects after the enactment of this bill must ensure that the bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents for such projects do not contain any requirements or prohibitions relating to PLAs. An agency may exempt a particular project or grant from the prohibition of this bill if it determines that special circumstances exist requiring an exemption to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve the national security.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2017
Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions related to the interstate transportation of firearms and ammunition. An individual may transport a firearm between two places (e.g., states) where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the firearm. During transport, the firearm must be unloaded and secured or securely stored. Additionally, an individual may transport ammunition, or a detachable magazine or feeding device, between two places where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device. During transport, the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device must not be loaded into a firearm and must be securely stored. This bill prohibits the arrest or detention of an individual for a state or local firearm or ammunition violation unless there is probable cause to believe the individual failed to comply with the provisions of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to work with a consortium, including the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium, to support efforts to address cybersecurity risks and incidents, including threats or acts of terrorism. DHS may work with such a consortium to assist its national cybersecurity and communications integration center to: provide training to state and local first responders and officials, develop curriculums, and provide technical assistance; conduct cross-sector cybersecurity training and simulation exercises for state and local governments, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and private industry; help states and communities develop cybersecurity information sharing programs; and help incorporate cybersecurity risk and incident prevention and response into existing state and local emergency plans and continuity of operations plans. DHS's authority to carry out this bill terminates five years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2017 This bill establishes the National Criminal Justice Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system; make recommendations for criminal justice reform; and disseminate findings and guidance to the federal government and to state, local, and tribal governments.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include as an allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services program prioritizing the hiring and training of veterans as career law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled "Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services." The rule published on December 2, 2016: (1) applies the customer privacy requirements of the Communications Act of 1934 to broadband Internet access service and other telecommunications services, (2) requires telecommunications carriers to inform customers about rights to opt in or opt out of the use or the sharing of their confidential information, (3) adopts data security and breach notification requirements, (4) prohibits broadband service offerings that are contingent on surrendering privacy rights, and (5) requires disclosures and affirmative consent when a broadband provider offers customers financial incentives in exchange for the provider's right to use a customer's confidential information.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
American Soda Ash Competitiveness Act This bill sets at 2%, for a five-year period, the royalty rate on the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium compounds and related products at the point of shipment to market from federal land.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
National Right-to-Work Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a rule submitted by the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration regarding savings arrangements established by qualified state political subdivisions for non-governmental employees. (The rule amends a final regulation that describes how states may design and operate payroll deduction savings programs for private-sector employees, including programs that use automatic enrollment, without causing the states or private-sector employers to have established employee pension benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 [ERISA]. The amendment expands the regulation beyond states to cover qualified state political subdivisions and their programs that otherwise comply with the regulation.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies a rule submitted by the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration regarding savings arrangements established by states for non-governmental employees. (The rule describes circumstances in which state payroll deduction savings programs with automatic enrollment would not give rise to the establishment of employee pension benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 [ERISA]. It provides guidance to states designing the programs to reduce the risk of ERISA preemption of state laws and private-sector employers that may be covered by the state laws.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to modify the licensing process for commercial advanced nuclear reactor facilities. In addition, the bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to revise how the NRC preserves budgeted funds for conducting and accelerating license reviews of commercial advanced nuclear reactor facilities. The NRC must implement a licensing process that is designed to be predictable and efficient while conforming to existing NRC regulatory guidelines. The Department of Energy (DOE) must provide cost sharing grants to license applicants for the purpose of funding a portion of the NRC review fees. The NRC must also develop a new technology-inclusive, regulatory framework by the end of 2024 that encourages greater technological innovation for the advanced nuclear reactor program. The NRC must publish necessary revisions to the guidance on the baseline examination schedule and any subsequent examinations for baffle-former bolts in pressurized water reactors with down-flow configurations. The NRC must: (1) report to Congress on the safety and feasibility of extending the duration of uranium recovery licenses from 10 to 20 years, and (2) complete a voluntary pilot program to determine the feasibility of establishing a flat fee structure for routine licensing matters relating to uranium recovery. DOE must issue a long-term federal excess uranium inventory management plan at least every 10 years that details the management of DOE excess uranium inventories.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Servicemember Retirement Improvement Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow members of the Ready Reserve of a reserve component of the Armed Forces to make the maximum allowable contribution ($18,000 in 2017) to their Thrift Savings Plans (TSPs) without limiting the amount such members may contribute to a retirement plan based upon other employment. The bill also doubles the maximum allowable contribution amount to the TSPs of federal employees in the Ready Reserve who are not eligible to make contributions to any plan other than the TSP.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Office of Natural Resources Revenue titled "Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform." The rule published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2016, addresses royalties generated from oil, gas, and coal production.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule entitled, "Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management Programs under the Clean Air Act." The rule addresses safety at facilities that use and distribute hazardous chemicals. It was published on January 13, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the Department of Labor's rule that was published on December 19, 2016, about employers' ongoing obligation to make and maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This joint resolution nullifies the "Teacher Preparation Issues" rule finalized by the Department of Education on October 31, 2016. The rule implements requirements related to assessing the quality of teacher preparation programs under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
![Official portrait of Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001056_200.jpg)