United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2018
Fairness for Farm Workers Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 with respect to agricultural workers. The bill requires employers, beginning in 2019, to compensate agricultural workers for hours worked in excess of their regular hours (i.e., 55 hours in 2019, 50 hours in 2020, 45 hours in 2021, and 40 hours in 2022) at not less than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, the overtime pay requirements begin in 2022. These overtime pay requirements do not apply, as in current law, to employees who are the parent, spouse, child, or other member of the employer's immediate family. The bill also repeals the exemption from overtime pay requirements for employers in various agriculture-related industries, including certain small farms, irrigation projects, sugar processing, and cotton ginning and compressing.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2018
Bot Disclosure and Accountability Act of 2018 This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations to require social media providers to establish and implement policies and procedures to require their user to publicly disclose the use of any automated software program or process intended to impersonate or replicate human activity online. A violation of such regulations shall be treated as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a candidate or political party from: (1) using any automated software programs or processes intended to impersonate or replicate human activity online to make, amplify, share, or otherwise disseminate any public communication; or (2) soliciting, accepting, purchasing, or selling any automated software programs or processes intended to impersonate or replicate human activity online for any purpose. No political committee, corporation, or labor organization may: (1) use or cause to be used any automated software programs or processes intended to impersonate or replicate human activity online to disseminate any message that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate; or (2) solicit, accept, purchase or sell any such programs or processes for any such purpose. This prohibition shall not apply to internal or administrative systems not oriented or accessible to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2018
Strengthening Antibiotic Oversight Act This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration to review the duration of use of medically-important antibiotics in animals. This applies to antibiotics approved for use in animals for a duration that exceeds 21 days.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2018
Designates June 2018 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27, 2018, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. Expresses support for efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), as well as the medical community, to educate members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress. Expresses support for efforts by the VA and DOD to foster cultural change around the issue of post-traumatic stress. Welcomes the efforts of the VA's National Center for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and local Vet Centers to assist veterans suffering from the effects of this injury. Encourages U.S. Armed Forces commanders to support appropriate treatment of Armed Forces personnel who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2018
Designates June 20, 2018, as American Eagle Day. Applauds the issuance of bald eagle commemorative coins by the Department of the Treasury to generate funds for the protection of the bald eagle. Encourages entities with an interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate and develop educational tools for use in public schools.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2018
Living Shorelines Act of 2018 This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to award grants to state or local governments and nonprofit organizations to (1) implement climate-resilient living shoreline projects; and (2) encourage innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities, habitats, and natural system functions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Act of 2018 This bill requires an executive agency head to represent compliance with specified labor and other laws in the solicitation of contracts and subcontracts for property and services in excess of $500,000 (covered contracts and subcontracts). Each executive agency shall designate a senior official to act as the agency's Labor Compliance Advisor. The Department of Defense, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall reissue the final rule entitled "Federal Acquisition Regulation; Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces." GSA shall establish a single Internet website for federal contractors to use for all federal contract reporting requirements. Each executive agency entering into a covered contract or subcontract must provide employees with information concerning hours worked and overtime and additions to or subtractions from pay.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2018
Designates June 19, 2018, as Juneteenth Independence Day. Recognizes the historical significance and supports the continued celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2018
Workers' Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2018 This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA) and related labor laws to extend protections to union workers. Specifically, it: revises the definition of "employee" and "supervisor" to prevent employers from removing employees from the protections of the labor laws, prohibits employers from interfering with certain rights granted to employees under the NLRA, expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions against replacement of worker who strike or discrimination against them, imposes new penalties against employers who violate labor law requirements, allows workers to bring civil actions against employers for labor law violations and unfair labor practices, requires certain disclosures with respect to worker wages, and requires contractors seeking federal contracts over $500,000 to disclose labor law violations when applying for such contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2018
Commemorates the victims killed in the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Honors the survivors of the attack and pledges continued support for their recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2018
Designates July 2018 as American Grown Flower Month and recognizes that flowers grown in the United States support farmers, small businesses, jobs, and the economy; are a vital part of the U.S. agricultural industry; and enhance the ability of the people of the United States to celebrate holidays and special occasions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2018
Tribal Food Sovereignty Act of 2018 This bill amends the Indian Self-Determination Act to direct the Department of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts upon the request of Indian tribes and tribal organizations to carry out supplemental nutrition assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2018
Recognizes: (1) the accomplishments of the men and women of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on the 75th anniversary of its establishment during World War II; and (2) the contributions of the aircraft designed, developed, and produced by it to the national security of the United States over the last 75 years.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Keep Families Together Act This bill prohibits an agent or contractor of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the Department of Health and Human Services from removing a child who is under the age of 18 and has no permanent immigration status from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless: an authorized state court determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed; a state or county child welfare official with expertise in child trauma and development determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed because of abuse or neglect; or the Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director authorizes separation based on a documented finding that the child is a trafficking victim or is at significant risk of becoming a victim, a strong likelihood exists that the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. An agency may not remove a child from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goals of deterring migration to the United States or of promoting immigration law compliance. The bill sets forth presumptions: (1) in favor of family and sibling unity and parental rights, and (2) that detention is not in the best interests of families and children. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of the prosecution of asylum seekers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Counting Our Unexpected Natural Tragedies' Victims Act of 2018 or the COUNT Victims Act This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contract with the National Academy of Medicine to conduct a study of matters concerning best practices in mortality counts as a result of a major disaster. A report on the study must be completed and transmitted to FEMA within two years after the contract date of September 30, 2018. The study shall address approaches to quantifying mortality and significant morbidity among populations affected by major disasters and shall include best practices and policy recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act or the STATES Act This bill eliminates regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act for marijuana-related conduct and activities that are authorized by state or tribal law, subject to specified exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
Americans Giving Care to Elders (AGE) Act of 2018 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for a portion of a taxpayer's expenses for eldercare. The credit applies to expenses to care for certain relatives or members of the taxpayer's household who have attained the age of 65 and require assistance with activities of daily living. Eldercare expense include amounts paid for: medical care, lodging away from home, adult day care, custodial care, respite care, assistive technologies and devices (including remote health monitoring), environmental modifications (including home modifications), and counseling or training for a caregiver. The amount of eldercare expenses incurred during any year that may be taken into account for the credit may not exceed $6,000.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2018
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2018 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTI people. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to require that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Contra Costa Canal Transfer Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior, in consideration for the Contra Costa Water District, California, assuming all liability for the Contra Costa Canal, to offer to convey to the district all U.S. interest in the canal and associated land. Upon agreement between Interior and the district regarding safe and reliable operations of the Rock Slough fish screen facility, Interior shall convey to the district all U.S. interest in the facility.
United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2018
Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance and NATO's importance to the United States, its allies, and the trans-Atlantic partnership.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2018
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions regarding those wildlife species to include: (1) certain entities that hold Class C licenses in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and (2) current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those entities and owners may not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species. A person who knowingly violates the prohibition must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to revise administrative and judicial dispute resolution procedures for initiating and resolving claims by employees alleging that employing offices have violated their CAA rights and protections, including protections against sexual harassment. The bill revises CAA provisions, including to: eliminate CAA counseling requirements and make mediation an employee's option before filing a claim with the Office of Compliance (OOC) alleging the violation; require current and former Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for compensatory damages included in an award or settlement resulting from the Member's alleged act of discrimination or retaliation; require referral to congressional ethics committees of final disposition of claims alleging CAA violations by Members of Congress and senior staff of employing offices; require non-congressional legislative offices that violate CAA requirements to reimburse the Treasury for resulting award or settlement payments; extend CAA nondiscrimination requirements and remedies to uncompensated legislative branch interns, detailees, and fellows; and provide OOC and CAA resources and services to employees outside of the Washington, DC area. The bill applies CAA rights and protections to the China Review Commission, the Congressional-Executive China Commission, the Helsinki Commission, the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development, and their employees. Non-congressional CAA employing offices must develop programs to train and educate employees about their CAA rights and protections and available procedures to consider alleged CAA violations. The bill renames the OOC the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act or the PACE Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the sponsoring or exhibiting of animal fights involving live birds (such as cockfights). Under current law, the fights are unlawful only if they take place in states or U.S. territories or possessions that have banned it.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2018 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2018
Expresses support for the designations of: (1) June 2018 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month; and (2) June 1-June 3, 2018, as National Gun Violence Awareness Weekend.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2018
Commends Li Ka-shing for his global business leadership and service to humanity through the advancement of philanthropy, and congratulates him upon his retirement as chairman of the CK Group of Companies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
Do No Harm Act This bill makes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) inapplicable to federal laws (or implementations of laws) that: protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Executive Order 11246 (concerning equal employment opportunity), the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) rules entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity"; require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. Under current law, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. The bill makes RFRA inapplicable to: (1) terms requiring goods, services, functions, or activities to be performed or provided to beneficiaries of government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or awards; or (2) denials of a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. To assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2018
This bill delays by one year (to January 1, 2020) the Medicaid federal matching rate reduction that is scheduled to take effect for states that fail to require an electronic visit verification system for personal care services (services that help certain individuals with basic needs of daily life).
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2018
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement with the city of Vallejo, California, for the transfer to the VA of Mare Island Naval Cemetery in Vallejo, California, to be maintained as a national shrine.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2018
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 19th annual National Charter Schools Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Using Data to Prevent Opioid Diversion Act of 2018 This bill establishes a new requirement intended to help drug manufacturers and distributors identify and prevent suspicious orders of opioids and reduce rates of diversion. Specifically, the Drug Enforcement Administration must to use its automated data system—the Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System—to inform drug manufacturers and distributors about the quantity and type of opioids that are distributed to pharmacies and practitioners.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2018
Expresses support for the goals of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) International Awareness Day. Encourages the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies to work with experts, stakeholders, and individuals with ME/CFS to support research to discover the cause of, and a cure for, ME/CFS.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Music Modernization Act This bill makes various changes to copyright law related to sound recordings, including providing protection for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, creating a system for paying royalties to producers and sound engineers, and establishing a statutory blanket license for digital music services. The blanket license allows music services to distribute sound recordings covered by the license without negotiating for the rights for each individual recording, as long as the music service complies with the license's requirements, such as paying the required royalties.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Ensuring Diverse Leadership Act of 2018 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to require that in making the appointment of a president, a Federal Reserve Bank must interview at least one individual reflective of gender diversity and one reflective of racial or ethnic diversity. The bill amends numerous banking-, finance-, and trade-related Acts to make references to officials (including those to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) gender-neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2018
Thanks the teachers of the United States and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act This bill addresses certain driftnet fishing. (Driftnet fishing is a method of fishing in which a gillnet composed of a panel or panels of webbing, or a series of such gillnets, is placed in the water and allowed to drift with the currents and winds for the purpose of entangling fish in the webbing.) Currently, the use of large-scale drift gillnets with a total length of 2.5 kilometers or more is prohibited in the United States. The bill expands the definition of large-scale driftnet fishing to prohibit the use of gillnets with a mesh size of 14 inches or greater. This expanded prohibition does not apply within the U.S. exclusive economic zone prior to January 1, 2020. The Department of Commerce must conduct a transition program to facilitate the phase out of large-scale driftnet fishing and to promote the adoption of alternative fishing practices that minimize the incidental catch of living marine resources. Commerce may award grants to program participants.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Substance Abuse Prevention Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 various health and law enforcement programs related to the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and the reduction of demand for illicit drugs. The bill reauthorizes, among others, the following: the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Drug-Free Communities Program, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, and the Drug Courts Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
This bill reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act through FY2023. The Act provides services and support for victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
Investing in 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish a career pathways innovation grant program to award grants to address the specialized skill needs of business and industry by carrying out study or career pathways programs, featuring school partnerships, that support career pathways in high school or career exploration in the middle grades. The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct ED to award grants for partnerships—between certain educational entities and employers—that provide educational or career training programs leading to recognized postsecondary credentials.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2018
COPS Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize through FY2023 the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The COPS program provides grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to support community policing efforts.
![Official portrait of Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000062_200.jpg)