United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2018
Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to the Republic of Korea to support, participate in, and help ensure the security of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games. Recognizes the importance of such games as a leading international sporting event that can contribute to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and around the world. Reaffirms that the United States, the Republic of Korea, and other partners remain committed to pursuing the policy of maximum pressure and engagement toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Expresses hope that the games will contribute to the decision by the DPRK to engage in negotiations that will result in complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Wishes the Republic of Korea success in preparing for and hosting such games.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2018
Expresses support for the designation of a Women's Health Research Day. Supports efforts to: (1) recognize the importance of biomedical and clinical research to women's health, (2) increase awareness of the value of sex- and gender-based biomedical research, and (3) encourage individuals to advocate on behalf of sex- and gender-inclusive research.
United States · United States Congress · 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 · 9 January 2018
Small Business 7(a) Lending Oversight Reform Act of 2018 This bill amends the Small Business Act to provide statutory authority for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Credit Risk Management and the SBA Lender Oversight Committee. For FY2018 and each ensuing fiscal year, the SBA may, with congressional approval, increase the cap for general business loans if the cap will be reached within that fiscal year. An increase may only be implemented once each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2018
Good Accounting Obligation in Government Act or the GAO-IG Act This bill requires each federal agency, in its annual budget justification, to include a report on: (1) each public recommendation of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that is classified as "open" or "closed, unimplemented"; (2) each public recommendation for corrective action from the agency's office of the inspector general (OIG) for which no final action has been taken; and (3) the implementation status of each such recommendation. Each agency shall also provide a copy of this information to its OIG and to the GAO.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2018
Supports the right of all Iranian citizens to have their voices heard. Calls on the government of Iran to respect the rights of the people of Iran to freedoms of speech, press, religion, association, and assembly. Condemns Iran's human rights violations. Warns Iran against any violence or retribution targeting peaceful protestors. Objects to acts of censorship, intimidation, and other restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, and expression. Encourages the President, the Department of State, and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) to work to convene emergency sessions of the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. Human Rights Council to condemn Iran's ongoing human rights violations and establish a related Security Council monitoring mechanism. Calls on Iran to cooperate with and allow visits of the U.N. Special Rapporteurs for Human Rights and the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Urges the President and State Department to work with the international community to ensure that human rights violations are part of all multilateral or bilateral discussions with and regarding Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 21 December 2017
Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act of 201 7 This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work during a lapse in appropriations beginning on or after December 22, 2017, to be compensated for the period of the lapse on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations may use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to occur if FY2018 appropriations legislation is not enacted prior to the expiration of the continuing resolution that currently funds federal agencies through December 22, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2017
Access to Birth Control Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to ensuring access to contraceptives. Among other requirements, pharmacies must provide a customer a contraceptive or related medication without delay if it is in stock. If the contraceptive is not in stock, the pharmacy must immediately inform the customer and either transfer the prescription to a pharmacy that has it in stock or order it. Civil penalties and a private cause of action are established for violations of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2017
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act This bill specifies that the tax deduction for certain state, local, and foreign taxes may not be reduced, suspended, or eliminated in any manner.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2017
Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the detention authority of the United States. Specifically, it adds a provision to prohibit the detention or imprisonment of an individual based solely on an actual or perceived protected characteristic of that individual. A protected characteristic includes race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2017
Promoting Women in the Aviation Workforce Act This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to create and facilitate the Women in Aviation Advisory Board to promote organizations and programs that provide education, training, mentorship, outreach, and recruitment of women into the aviation industry.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2017
Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources, and Care Act or the EMPOWER Care Act This bill amends the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 to extend funding through FY2022 for the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and to otherwise revise the program. (Under this program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must award grants to state Medicaid programs to assist in rebalancing states' long-term care systems.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2017
Stop Underrides Act of 2017 This bill amends federal transportation law to require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule to require the installation of rear underride guards that meet a specified performance standard on all trailers, semi-trailers, and single unit trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds that are manufactured on or after the effective date of the rule. DOT shall issue a final rule requiring the installation of side underride guards that meet a specified performance standard on all trailers, semi-trailers, and single unit trucks with a gross vehicle rating of more than 10,000 pounds manufactured on or after the effective date of the rule. DOT shall issue a final rule requiring all commercial motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds manufactured on or after the effective date of the rule to be equipped with front underride guards. It shall complete research on equipping commercial motor vehicles with a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds with a front underride guard to prevent trucks from overriding the passenger vehicle and submit to the congressional transportation committees a report on such research. The bill sets forth provisions regarding retrofit and maintenance requirements, and requires post-accident inspections and pre-trip inspections by drivers.
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
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
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017 This bill authorizes: (1) a Domestic Terrorism Unit within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall be responsible for monitoring and analyzing domestic terrorism activity; (2) a Domestic Terrorism Office in the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which shall be responsible for investigating and prosecuting incidents of domestic terrorism; and (3) a Domestic Terrorism Section within the Counterterrorism Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which shall be responsible for investigating domestic terrorism activity. Such offices shall focus on the most significant domestic terrorism threats, as determined by the number of domestic terrorism related incidents in the preceding year. DHS, DOJ, and the FBI shall annually submit to Congress a joint report authored by such offices, which shall include: an assessment of the domestic terrorism threat posed by White supremacists; an analysis of incidents or attempted incidents of domestic terrorism that have occurred in the United States since April 19, 1995, for the first report, and during the preceding year, for each subsequent report; and a quantitative analysis of domestic terrorism for the preceding year. The bill also authorizes a Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee, which shall coordinate with key public safety officials to promote information sharing and ensure an effective joint effort to combat domestic terrorism. The State and Local Anti-Terrorism Program, funded by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall include training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating acts of domestic terrorism. The joint terrorism task forces of the FBI and state, local, and regional fusion centers shall each, in coordination with the committee and such offices: (1) share intelligence to address domestic terrorism activities; (2) conduct an annual, intelligence-based assessment of domestic terrorism activities in their jurisdictions; and (3) formulate and execute a plan to address and combat such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act or the SECURE Act This bill permits a qualifying alien who is not inadmissible or deportable under certain criminal or security grounds or who did not participate in persecution to apply for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status if such alien: (1) is in temporary protected status (TPS), (2) held TPS status, (3) qualified for TSP status at the time of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) last TPS designation, or (4) is a national of a foreign country that was at any time a TPS-designated country. TPS designation permits eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. An alien who has applied for status adjustment may work while the application is pending. The spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien who has adjusted to lawful permanent resident status may also adjust to such status subject to certain conditions. An unmarried son or daughter must additionally establish physical presence in the United States for at least one year. An alien subject to a final order of removal may not be removed if the alien has a pending status adjustment application or is prima facie eligible to file an application and indicates an intention to do so. An alien who raises the defense of status adjustment eligibility may not be removed unless DHS has already denied the alien's application.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collection bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2017
PSLF Technical Corrections Act This bill amends the the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Under current law, the PSLF program forgives the the balance of a borrower's student debt after the borrower makes 120 qualifying loan payments under specified repayment plans while while employed in a public service job. This bill expands the program to include comparable payments under additional repayment plans as payments that qualify borrowers for loan forgiveness under PSLF.
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 · 14 November 2017
Supporting Working Moms Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to extend the requirement that certain employers provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child to bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity employees or outside salesmen who are exempt from federal labor laws that limit the number of hours in a workweek.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Merrill's Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), commonly known as Merrill's Marauders, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service in the jungles of Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be displayed and made available for research. It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with Merrill's Marauders.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2017
Military and Veterans Education Protection Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise a requirement, commonly known as the 90/10 rule, which directs proprietary (for profit) institutions of higher education to derive at least 10% of their revenue from nonfederal financial aid sources, or risk becoming ineligible for title IV funding. Currently the rule allows federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans to count toward the 10%. This bill defines federal educational assistance to include federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans. Thus, the bill prohibits proprietary institutions from counting federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans as nonfederal funding sources.
United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2017
Assault Weapons Ban of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is: (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
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
Senate Training on Prevention of Sexual Harassment Resolution or the STOP Sexual Harassment Resolution Directs the Committee on Rules and Administration to issue rules requiring Senators and Senate officers, employees, interns, fellows, and detailees to periodically complete sexual harassment training provided by the Office of Compliance or the Office of the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment. Requires the individuals to complete the training within 60 days after: (1) issuance of the rules if the individual has not previously completed training, or (2) assuming a Senate position. Requires the head of each covered office, including a joint commission or joint committee, to report to the committee: a list of each individual who previously completed the training and was serving in a covered position in the office on the date the rules are issued, information regarding the completion of the training after the date, and an individual's failure to comply with the rules. Requires the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate to: (1) periodically conduct an anonymous survey of Senators, Senate officers, and Senate employees regarding the prevalence of sexual harassment in the Senate during the previous Congress; and (2) report the results only to the Chairman and Ranking Member of specified congressional committees.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
SCORE for Small Business Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to (1) reauthorize through FY2020 the Service Corps of Retired Executives program, (2) rename the program as the SCORE program, and (3) establish SCORE volunteer requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Preventing Preemptive War in North Korea Act of 2017 This bill prohibits funds from being used without express congressional authorization for kinetic military operations in North Korea absent an imminent threat to the United States. The prohibition shall not apply to the introduction of the Armed Forces to: (1) repel an attack on the United States, its territories or possessions, the Armed Forces, or U.S. allies; or (2) rescue or remove U.S. personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to award grants to states to carry out certain policies and procedures that restrict and penalize firearm possession by or transfer to a person subject to a domestic violence protection order or a person convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the prohibition on firearm sale or transfer to or purchase or possession by an individual who is subject to a court order that restrains the individual from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of an intimate partner. Specifically, the bill revises the elements of a qualifying court order. It also broadens the definition of "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill (1) converts the Corporation for National and Community Service into the National and Community Service Administration and revises its membership, leadership, and authority; (2) reauthorizes programs carried out by the administration; (3) establishes a National Service Foundation to accept and administer gifts on behalf of the administration; (4) modifies the calculation of national service educational awards; and (5) otherwise modifies provisions related to national and volunteer service programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Recognizes that prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV worldwide, and that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV worldwide has been a priority for more than 13 years. Supports providing women with HIV counseling and testing services and expanding pediatric treatment of HIV.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Background Check Expansion Act This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require mammography facilities to include up-to-date information about breast density in both the written report of the results of a mammography examination provided to a patient's physician and the summary of that written report given to the patient. The summary must convey: (1) the effect of breast density in masking the presence of breast cancer on a mammogram, and (2) that individuals with dense breasts should talk with their health care providers about any questions or concerns regarding the summary and whether they would benefit from additional tests. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify research on breast density, the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of supplemental imaging relating to breast density, and best practices concerning mammograms and supplemental screening for those with dense breasts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month in October 2017 as: (1) a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans, and (2) a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: October has been designated National Women's Small Business Month by the Small Business Administration; minority women often work in low-paying jobs in the traditional workforce; minority women entrepreneurs are paving the way for women-owned businesses and are an important segment of the domestic and global economies; in order to sustain the U.S. economy, Congress must fully support and encourage the growth of minority women-owned businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper. The rule must direct: public water systems to meet certain reporting requirements; the EPA to develop a sampling protocol and develop instructions for compliance with the protocol; the EPA, or the state exercising primary enforcement responsibility, to require on-site investigations for determining the source of lead when the concentration of lead or copper contamination exceeds specified levels; public water systems to meet certain notification and reporting requirements when lead or copper concentration limits are exceeded; the systems to develop and publish an inventory of the material composition of the service lines at residential and nonresidential facilities; the systems to collect and publish information about the ownership of those service lines; and the systems, when replacing lead service lines, to entirely replace the lines instead of partially replacing them. The EPA must also revise the rule to lower the allowable level of lead in drinking water.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
Environmental Justice Act of 2017 This bill requires agencies to address the disproportionate impact of environmental and human health hazards on communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities resulting from agencies' programs and policies. This bill provides statutory authority for: the interagency Federal Working Group on Environmental Justice, certain environmental justice requirements established under Executive Order 12898, a guidance titled "Environmental Justice Guidance Under the National Environmental Policy Act," a guidance titled "EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes: Guidance for Discussing Tribal Treaty Rights," the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, and the Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant programs. The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address potential cumulative impacts of pollutant discharges when issuing or renewing permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program. The bill amends the Clean Air Act to require the EPA to address potential cumulative impacts of a major stationary source of air pollutants when issuing or renewing permits for those sources. The bill states that the authorization to bring citizen suits under certain environmental laws does not preclude the right of an individual to bring a civil action for deprivation of implied rights under those laws or common law. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to allow a person aggrieved by the failure of a covered entity to comply with the Act to bring an action against the entity in a federal or state court for discriminatory practices.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Honest Ads Act This bill expands source disclosure requirements for political advertisements by (1) establishing that paid internet and paid digital communications may qualify as “public communications” or “electioneering communications” that may be subject to such requirements, and (2) imposing additional requirements relating to the form of such source disclosures and the information contained within. The bill also requires certain online platform companies to maintain publicly available records about qualified political advertisements that have been purchased on their platforms.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Safety Enhancements for Communities Using Reasonable and Effective Firearm Storage Act or the SECURE Firearm Storage Act This bill establishes security requirements for the business premises of a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer. Specifically, when the premises are closed for business, an importer, manufacturer, or dealer must secure the firearms inventory and securely store paper business records. A violator is subject to penalties—a civil fine, suspension or revocation of a license, or both a civil fine and suspension or revocation of a license.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2017
This bill prohibits any federal agency funds, resources, or fees from being used to implement or enforce Executive Order 13780 and the presidential proclamation of September 24, 2017. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States. The proclamation revised such order to include entry restrictions on nationals from Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, and remove such restrictions on nationals of Sudan. The proclamation additionally provides for enhanced U.S. vetting capacities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2017
Pilot Records Improvement Enhancement Act of 2017 This bill allows an air carrier that is the prospective employer of a pilot to request and receive information about such an individual from the National Driver Register through an organization approved by the Department of Transportation for purposes of obtaining and transmitting the information directly to the prospective employer or an authorized agent.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
SBIR and STTR Oversight and Pilot Program Extension Act of 2018 This bill amends the Small Business Act to extend through FY2018 pilot programs under the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR), specifically: phase flexibility that allows, under specified conditions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Education to each provide a small business award under Phase II (research and development) of the SBIR program for a project whether or not the business was provided an award under Phase I (proof of concept); awards for technology development, testing, evaluation, and commercialization assistance for SBIR and STTR Phase II technologies or to support the progress of research, research and development, and commercialization conducted under SBIR or STTR programs to Phase III (commercialization); the NIH Phase 0 Proof of Concept Partnership to accelerate the creation of small businesses and the commercialization of research innovations from qualifying institutions; and the authority of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to allow federal agencies to use up to 3% of SBIR program funds for administrative, oversight, and contract processing costs. The SBA shall establish the Regional SBIR State Collaborative Initiative Pilot Program to provide awards to specified regional collaboratives to address the needs of small businesses in order to: be more competitive in the proposal and selection process for SBIR and STTR program awards, and increase technology transfer and commercialization.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for the unveiling of the American Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Chair of Honor.
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 · 5 October 2017
Keep Americans Safe Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The bill does not prohibit, with respect to an LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification and the date of manufacture. The bill also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender an LCAFD under a buy-back program.
![Official portrait of Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000622_200.jpg)