United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act of 2018 This bill delays required compliance with specified emission rules applicable to kilns. Specifically, the bill delays national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for brick and structural clay products manufacturing or clay ceramics manufacturing until the earlier of: two years after final judicial review, or December 26, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2018
This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled "Restoring Internet Freedom." The rule published on February 22, 2018: (1) restores the classification of broadband Internet access service as a lightly-regulated "information service"; (2) reinstates private mobile service classification of mobile broadband Internet access service; (3) requires Internet service providers to disclose information about their network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of service; and (4) eliminates the Internet Conduct Standard and the bright-line rules.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2018
National FFA Organization's Federal Charter Amendments Act This bill revises the charter of the National FFA Organization (Future Farmers of America). Such revisions include (1) making it a purpose of the organization to be an integral component of agricultural education, and (2) removing the Secretary of Education as the chair of the National FFA Board of Directors.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2018
Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act This bill provides a permanent appropriation for the payment of death gratuities and related benefits to survivors of deceased members of the uniformed services during a period of lapsed appropriations. The bill provides the appropriations at the rate and under the conditions provided for the most recent fiscal year for which an Act making appropriations for the uniformed services has been enacted. The appropriations are provided during a period of lapsed appropriations, in which appropriations are unavailable due to the absence of the timely enactment of an Act or joint resolution providing appropriations or continuing appropriations for the death gratuity and related benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2018
Fair Agricultural Reporting Method Act or the FARM Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to exempt air emissions from animal waste at a farm from specified release notification requirements, recordkeeping requirements, and associated penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2018
This bill modifies the formula that the Department of Transportation uses to apportion federal highway funds among the states for the national highway performance program, the surface transportation block grant program, the highway safety improvement program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the national highway freight program, and metropolitan transportation planning.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Expresses support for: (1) the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the contributions of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States; and (2) the continued dedication of Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers toward academic excellence and the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2018
Kennedy-King Establishment Act of 2018 This bill establishes the Kennedy-King National Historic Site in Indiana as a unit of the National Park System for the preservation, protection, and interpretation of the site of the speech given by Senator Robert F. Kennedy on April 4, 1968, that is associated with the Kennedy-King Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.
United States · United States Congress · 19 January 2018
Pay Our Military Act of 2018 This bill provides FY2018 appropriations for military pay and death benefits during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2018 are not in effect. In the event of a government shutdown, the bill provides continuing appropriations for: pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service (including drill) during the period; payments of death benefits for individuals who die during the period; and pay and allowances to civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) who are providing support to members of the Armed Forces and payments in connection with death benefits. The appropriations provided by this bill are available until the earlier of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 18 January 2018
Small Business Credit Availability Act This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to reduce the required asset-coverage ratio applicable to a Business Development Company (BDC) from 200% to 150% if: (1) the BDC makes specified disclosures on its website and to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and (2) the modified asset-coverage ratio is approved by the required majority of the BDC's directors, general partners, or shareholders (as applicable). The SEC must allow BDCs to use securities offering and proxy rules that are available to other issuers.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2018
Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines Act of 2018 This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), no more than 30 days after a U.S. election, to determine whether a foreign government interfered with the election and report on that determination. If the DNI reports that there was not interference and subsequently determines that there was interference, the DNI shall report on the subsequent determination. If the DNI determines that Russia interfered with an election, the President shall impose specified sanctions. The President shall brief Congress on any foreign government the President determines interfered with, or is likely to interfere with, an election.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
Protecting Veterans from Predatory Lending Act of 2018 The bill establishes mortgage loan protections for veterans. A refinanced home loan may not be guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) unless: (1) a specified minimum time period has passed between the original loan and the refinancing; and (2) the lender complies with provisions related to fee recoupment, mortgage interest rates, and net tangible benefit tests. The National Housing Act is amended to prohibit the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) from guaranteeing a new refinanced VA loan until the later of: (1) 210 days after the first loan payment, or (2) the sixth monthly loan payment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2018
Access to Independent Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative costs for purposes of calculating the medical loss ratio of a health insurance plan. The bill defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under state law to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Fruit and Vegetable Planting Flexibility Act of 2017 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to modify the effect that planting fruits, vegetables, or wild rice on a farm has on the acreage eligible for payments under Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodity programs. Under current law, payments acres on a farm must be reduced by specified amounts in any year in which fruits, vegetables (other than mung beans and pulse crops), or wild rice have been planted on base acres on the farm. For each year in which there is a reduction in payment acres on a farm due to the planting of fruits, vegetables, or wild rice on base acres, the bill requires USDA to maintain the commodity program eligibility of those base acres by considering the acres to be planted or prevented from planting to a covered commodity when USDA recalculates the base acres for the farm under the commodity programs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the international education programs at the Department of Education.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Congressional Harassment Reform Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to: (1) require certain discrimination and harassment awareness and prevention training for Members of Congress, officers, employees, interns, fellows, and detailees; (2) extend CAA nondiscrimination requirements and remedies to legislative interns, fellows, and detailees; (3) revise CAA procedures for certain harassment and discrimination complaints; (4) require a Member of Congress to reimburse the Treasury if an employee receives an award or settlement for the Member's alleged act of discrimination or harassment, unless the Member's request for a nonreimbursement determination is approved; and (5) rename the Office of Compliance the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2017
Military Reserve Jobs Act of 2017 This bill establishes tiered hiring preferences for members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces. The bill grants: (1) a 2-point preference to current members of a reserve component who have completed at least 6 years of service in a reserve component and were credited with at least 50 retirement points in each year of service, and (2) a 3-point preference to current members of a reserve component who have completed a least 10 years of service and were credited with at least 50 retirement points in each year of service. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on federal employment opportunities for members of a reserve component and the impact of this bill on the hiring of reservists and veterans by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
Empowering Student Borrowers Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to establish best practices for institutions of higher education (IHEs) regarding methods to: (1) teach financial literacy skills, and (2) provide information to assist students when making financial decisions related to student borrowing. In addition, the bill requires an IHE that participates in federal student aid programs to provide an annual estimate of borrowing costs to each enrolled student who receives an education loan. The cost estimate must include the student's cumulative education loan balance, projected monthly payment amount, and interest rate on each loan.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2017
Veterans Crisis Line Study Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a study on the outcomes and the efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line during the five-year period beginning January 1, 2014, based on an analysis of national suicide data and data collected from the line. Such study shall address: (1) the efficacy of the line in leading veterans to sustained mental health regimens and suicide prevention; (2) the line's visibility; (3) the role of the line as part of the VA's mental health care services; and (4) whether receiving sustained mental health care affects suicidality, including among veterans who are at high risk for suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to allow institutions with less than $10 billion in assets to waive ability-to-repay requirements for certain residential-mortgage loans. Other mortgage-lending provisions related to appraisals, mortgage data, employment of loan originators, manufactured homes, and transaction waiting periods are also modified. The bill amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to exempt banks with assets valued at less than $10 billion from the "Volcker Rule," which prohibits banking agencies from engaging in proprietary trading or entering into certain relationships with hedge funds and private-equity funds. Certain banks are also exempted by the bill from specified capital and leverage ratios, with federal banking agencies directed to promulgate new requirements. The bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to reduce inspection requirements and environmental-review requirements for certain smaller, rural public-housing agencies. Provisions relating to enhanced prudential regulation for financial institutions are modified, including those related to stress testing, leverage requirements, and the use of municipal bonds for purposes of meeting liquidity requirements. The bill requires credit reporting agencies to provide credit-freeze alerts and includes consumer-credit provisions related to senior citizens, minors, and veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Butch Lewis Act of 2017 This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan. The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act or the ME TOO Congress Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), including to (1) extend CAA nondiscrimination requirements and remedies to sexual orientation, gender identity, and to legislative branch interns, detailees, and fellows; (2) revise CAA procedures for certain harassment and discrimination complaints; (3) require the offending Member of Congress to pay for settlements and awards in such complaints; and (4) rename the Office of Compliance the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. The bill sets forth requirements for certain harassment and discrimination awareness and prevention training.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Truck Technology Parity Act This bill allows a vehicle that is propelled exclusively by means of electric battery power to exceed the Interstate System vehicle weight limit by an amount that is equal to the difference between: (1) the weight of the vehicle attributable to the electric batteries and the vehicle's wiring system, and (2) the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system. Current law caps the weight of a vehicle at 80,000 pounds. This bill allows an electric vehicle to have a maximum gross weight of 82,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to grant independent military prosecutors the authority to decide whether to convene courts-martial for sexual assault cases and other serious crimes punishable by confinement of more than one year (currently, this authority lies within the chain of command). The bill allows the chain of command to retain authority to decide whether to prosecute serious crimes uniquely military in nature and all crimes punishable by less than one year of confinement.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
This bill amends the Rural Development Act of 1972, with respect to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, to require USDA to give priority to applicants that will use the grants for substance use disorder education, prevention, or treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Fix NICS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to: certify whether it has provided to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm, and establish and substantially comply with an implementation plan to maximize record submissions and verify their accuracy. The bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the NICS; waive the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) for a state that complies with its implementation plan; reauthorize through FY2022 the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP); establish, as a priority area for NARIP grant funding, a domestic abuse and violence prevention initiative; and create a funding preference under the NARIP program for states that establish an implementation plan and use grant funds to upload felony conviction and domestic violence records. It amends the Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998 to reauthorize through FY2022 the NCHIP program. If a state complies with its implementation plan, then the federal share of an NCHIP grant may exceed 90% of program costs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2017
Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2017 This bill directs the House of Representatives and the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. merchant mariners of World War II in recognition of their service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Community Lender Exam Act This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to increase the asset limit below which certain depository institutions are eligible for an 18-month, instead of a 12-month, examination cycle.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Declares that the Senate joins the Small Business Administration in recognizing and encouraging the observance of Small Business Saturday on November 25, 2017. Supports efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of such businesses on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis , in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service to the United States. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Memorial Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. It is the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that if it creates a presumption of service connection between the occurrence of a disease and exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at a military base in Thailand, such presumption shall also apply to exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at any military base in Thailand without regard to where on the base the veteran was located or what military job specialty the veteran performed. The VA may provide to any spina bifida-affected child of a veteran who served on active duty in Thailand beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, and who was exposed to a herbicide agent during such service, the same health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance required to be paid to a similarly affected child of a Vietnam veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017 This bill directs the appropriate military department to issue a standardized Gold Star Installation Access Card to the widow and dependent children of a deceased member of the Armed Forces to allow them to gain unescorted access to military installations to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, and obtain on-installation services and benefits. The Department of Defense shall prescribe regulations to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased member, regardless of martial status, who has guardianship of dependent children of the deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as the unremarried spouse of a member of the uniformed services.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Nourishing Our Golden Years Act This bill amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to establish a minimum certification period of one year for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). During the certification period, a participant in the program may continue to receive benefits without a formal review of eligibility. (The CSFP provides supplemental food to low-income elderly persons who are at least 60 years of age. Certification periods currently vary by state.) Upon the request of a state, the Department of Agriculture must approve a state certification period of more than year, if, on an annual basis, the local agency administering the program: (1) verifies the address and continued interest of each participant in receiving benefits; and (2) has sufficient reason to determine that the participant still meets the income eligibility standards, which may include a determination that the participant has a fixed income.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2017
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of American Diabetes Month, including encouraging individuals to fight diabetes through public awareness about prevention and treatment options and enhancing education about the disease; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in the United States through increased research, treatment, and prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2017
Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act or the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to award cooperative agreements: (1) for the establishment or support of national or regional centers of excellence in public health practice in Alzheimer's disease; (2) to state public health departments, Native American tribes, and other entities to promote cognitive functioning, address cognitive impairment and unique aspects of Alzheimer's disease, and help meet the needs of caregivers; (3) for analysis and public reporting of data on the state and national levels regarding cognitive decline, caregiving, and health disparities, and monitoring of objectives on dementia and caregiving in the Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2020 report.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Kevin and Avonte's Law of 2017 Missing Americans Alert Program Act of 2017 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise, rename, and reauthorize through FY2022 the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program. It directs the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants: to develop or operate programs to prevent wandering and locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities, and to develop tracking technology programs to locate missing individuals with dementia or children with developmental disabilities. The bill amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to specify that, with respect to training and technical assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cases involving missing and exploited children include cases involving children with developmental disabilities such as autism. DOJ must establish and certain grant recipients must comply with standards and best practices related to the use of tracking technology to locate missing individuals with dementia or developmental disabilities. The bill prohibits the use of data from tracking devices to create a federal database. It also prohibits construing this bill to require a parent or guardian to use a tracking device.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017
Fruit and Vegetables Access for Children Act of 2017 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow the Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to include canned, dried, frozen, or pureed fruits and vegetables. (Under current law, the program provides grants to states to make fresh fruits and vegetables available in elementary schools.)
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Competitive Need Limitations Modernization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise the competitive need limitation review process by: (1) modifying the deadline for the review process, and (2) establishing the relevant domestic production time frame for such review as within the preceding three years (currently on January 1, 1995). (The competitive need limitation terminates duty-free treatment with respect to articles from a beneficiary developing country if certain import limits are exceeded.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2017
Small Business and Family Health Tax Relief Act of 2017 This bill suspends the annual fee imposed on health-insurance providers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for 2019 and makes the fee tax-deductible beginning in 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
Condemns the attack at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 1, 2017, and honors the memory of the victims killed. Expresses hope for the recovery of those injured, and applauds the efforts of law-enforcement and counterterrorism officials and emergency-medical and healthcare professionals in response to the attack.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
American Miners Pension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds and provide loans to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan in order to provide pension benefits for retired coal miners. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer additional funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury 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 prohibits the plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received. Treasury must make annual loans to the plan equal to the amount certified by the trustees of the plan as necessary to prevent insolvency. The loans may not exceed $600 million per year. The trustees must annually certify that the plan is projected to be solvent and is able to repay the loans under terms specified in the bill. The bill also establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the community health centers program and the National Health Service Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
VA Provider Equity Act This bill: (1) makes a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) doctor of podiatric medicine eligible for any supervisory position to the same degree as a VHA physician, and (2) increases the pay grade of podiatric surgeons to match the compensation of other VHA surgeons, physicians, and dentists. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall establish standards to ensure that specialists appointed to supervisory VHA positions do not provide direct clinical oversight for purposes of peer review or practice evaluation for providers of other clinical specialties.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Designates September 2017 as National Workforce Development Month. Supports federal initiatives to promote workforce development. Acknowledges that workforce development plays a crucial role in supporting workers and growing the economy.
![Official portrait of Sen. Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000607_200.jpg)