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![Official portrait of Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000457_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
1,984 records where Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Child Care Access Means Parents in School Reauthorization Act or the CCAMPIS Reauthorization Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise and permanently reauthorize the Child Care Access Means Parents in School grant program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to: (1) negotiate drug prices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and (2) institute a price structure for the reimbursement of drugs covered under the benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Supports the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act of 2017 or the HOT CARS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight to be equipped with a system to alert the operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle engine is turned off. The alert shall: (1) include a distinct auditory and visual alert, which may be combined with a haptic alert (i.e., vibrations); and (2) be activated when the vehicle engine is turned off. DOT must enter into an agreement with an independent third-party for a study on retrofitting existing passenger motor vehicles with technology to address the problem of children left in rear seats after the vehicle engine is turned off.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2017 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%. The bill also sets forth criminal penalties for violations and empowers state Attorneys General to enforce the bill. Credit card billing statements must include the fee and interest rate, displayed as "FAIR," instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Email Privacy Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions that limit an electronic communication service (ECS) or remote communication service (RCS) provider from disclosing the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is in electronic storage. Additionally, it revises the standards for the government to compel an ECS or RCS provider to disclose contents of a wire or electronic communication or noncontent records or information pertaining to a subscriber or customer. An ECS or RCS provider may notify a subscriber or customer of the receipt of a warrant, court order, subpoena, or request, unless the government obtains an order for delayed notification. The bill revises the process for obtaining a delayed notification order and lengthens the maximum duration of a delayed notification order.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Department of Education, to award grants for: (1) comprehensive sex education for adolescents, (2) comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education, and (3) training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to adolescents. HHS must enter a contract with a nonprofit organization to evaluate and report on these grants. The bill makes appropriations to carry out the the bill. Grants may not be used for health education programs that: withhold health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender or racial stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of certain youth, including survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, or individuals with varying gender identities or sexual orientations; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements and eliminate prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the AIDS prevention program. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for: (1) materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity, and (2) contraceptive distribution in schools. The bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require employers to make initial disclosures to employees of the terms of their employment, provide such employees with regular paystubs, and make final payment to a terminating employee for uncompensated hours within 14 days of the employee's termination. An employer shall compensate an employee at the rate specified in an employment contract or other employment agreement, including a collective bargaining agreement, that specifies a rate of pay higher than the minimum wage rate. The bill establishes new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of FLSA overtime or minimum wage requirements, including referral to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution of employers who engage in wage theft, falsification of wage records, or retaliation against employees. The bill: (1) increases damages for employees who are victims of wage theft from two to three times the wages owed or who are fired for filing a complaint concerning wage theft or for cooperating in an investigation by the Department of Labor, (2) revises requirements for wage recordkeeping by employers and establishes penalties for violations of those requirements, (3) grants employees the right to inspect employer wage records, and (4) increases the statute of limitation for bringing a claim for owed wages from two to four years (three to five years for willful violations). Labor must award grants to assist certain entities in the enforcement of FLSA wage and hour requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2017
Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to support the access of marginalized youth to sexual health services such as sexual health education and contraception. Marginalized youth are disadvantaged individuals under the age of 26. Grants may be awarded to state or local health or education agencies, public schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. Grants may be used to: (1) provide sexual health information to marginalized youth, (2) promote effective communication regarding sexual health among marginalized youth, (3) promote and support opportunities for school-age parents, and (3) train individuals who work with marginalized youth to promote sexual health and the development of safe and supportive environments. Grants may not be used to provide access to health services that: (1) are medically unsound; (2) withhold sexual health-promoting or lifesaving information; (3) promote gender stereotypes; or (4) are insensitive or unresponsive to the needs of young people, including youth with varying gender identities and sexual orientations, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, and survivors of sexual abuse or assault. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available for these grants.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Fair Elections Now Act This bill establishes the Fair Elections Fund, which shall provide funding to Senate candidates who meet specified conditions and agree to abide by certain requirements, such as limits on types of campaign funding sources and a minimum number of appearances in public debates. The bill also (1) revises provisions related to broadcasts of Senate campaign advertisements, (2) provides a tax credit for individuals who make certain types of Senate campaign contributions, and (3) imposes a tax on certain U.S. government contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act of 2017 This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to include within the definition of "families" a child who is in foster care and has attained an age such that the provision of foster care for such child will end by reason of the age of the child within six months. Preference is given, subject to certain terms and conditions, for public housing occupancy and section 8 housing assistance under such Act to certain otherwise eligible children who are aging out of foster care and are at-risk for homelessness. The bill amends the Housing Act of 1949 to give preference for rural rental assistance to certain otherwise eligible children who are aging out of foster care and are at-risk of homelessness.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
American Business for American Companies Act of 2017 This bill prohibits an executive agency from awarding a contract for the procurement of property or services (including a defense contract) to: (1) any foreign incorporated entity determined to be an inverted domestic corporation or any subsidiary of such entity, or (2) any joint venture more than 10% of which is held by such an entity or subsidiary. Each agency must include in each such contract awarded with a value in excess of $10 million, other than a contract for exclusively commercial items, a clause that prohibits the prime contractor from: (1) awarding a first-tier subcontract with a value greater than 10% of the total prime contract to such an entity or joint venture, or (2) structuring subcontract tiers enabling such entity or joint venture to perform more than 10% of the total value of the prime contract. An agency may waive such requirements for a contract: (1) in the interest of national security, or (2) if necessary for the efficient or effective administration of federal or federally funded programs that provide health benefits to individuals or public health programs. The bill provides for termination of a contract or suspension or debarment of a contractor in violation of this bill. A foreign incorporated entity must be treated as an inverted domestic corporation if: (1) the entity acquires, on or after May 8, 2014, substantially all of the properties held by a domestic corporation or substantially all of the assets of, or substantially all of the properties constituting a trade or business of, a domestic partnership; and (2) after the acquisition, either more than 50% of the stock of the entity is held by former shareholders of the domestic corporation or former partners of the domestic partnership, or the management and control of the expanded affiliated group which includes the entity occurs primarily within the United States and such expanded affiliated group has significant domestic business activities. The bill: (1) sets forth an exception for an entity within an expanded affiliated group with substantial business activities in the foreign country in which the entity is created, and (2) requires the Department of the Treasury to prescribe regulations for determining cases in which the management and control of an expanded affiliated group is to be treated as occurring primarily within the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States). The bill provides that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2017
Recognizes the role of Latinos in protecting and preserving U.S. land, water, and wildlife. Supports the engagement of Latinos in environmental protection and conservation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017
Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand lender disclosure requirements. A lender must provide a quarterly statement to a Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Loan borrower during a period when loan payments are not required. Such statement must include the current loan balance, original principal loan amount, interest rate, total interest paid, aggregate payments, the lender's or servicer's contact information, accumulated interest amount, and information about making payments while a student to offset interest accrual. It must also explain the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes and suggest a payment amount based on interest charged. Additionally, the legislation modifies loan counseling requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. Currently, an IHE must provide one-time entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill requires an IHE to provide pre-loan counseling to a student borrower of a federal student loan at or prior to the first disbursement of each new loan. It revises and expands required elements of pre-loan counseling to include a borrower's estimated debt-to-income ratio at graduation, a statement to borrow the minimum necessary amount, a warning that high debt-to-income ratio makes repayment more difficult, options to reduce borrowing, and an explanation of the importance of on-time graduation. Prior to certifying a Federal Direct Loan disbursement to a student, an IHE must ensure that such student manually enters the exact dollar amount of the loan.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017
Bob Dole 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 Bob Dole in recognition for his service to the nation as a soldier, legislator, and statesman.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies. The bill provides statutory authority for the veterans success of campus program which provides veterans with on-campus educational and vocational counseling. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall: (1) make a new determination regarding each denied veteran's claim for disability compensation in connection with full-body exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite at specified locations during World War II, and (2) presume such exposure unless there is affirmative evidence otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
In-Home Caregiver Assessment Resources and Education Act or the In-Home CARE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administration for Community Living to award grants to carry out home visiting programs for unpaid caregivers. The Department of Health and Human Services must coordinate with the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others on this grant program. Grantees must provide: caregiver education and training regarding medication management, food preparation, falls prevention, and other subjects; services or referrals for services related to home care, such as transportation, home modification, or respite care; and an assessment and referral for physical and mental health services for the caregiver or person receiving care from the caregiver.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017
Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing Act This bill amends the Fair Housing Act to specify that the following unwelcome conduct in or around a dwelling shall be considered sufficiently severe or pervasive as to constitute a discriminatory housing practice: (1) unwelcome touching of a sexual nature or groping; or (2) any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is intended to be coercive, threatening, or intimidating.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to update at least once every seven years its environmental sensitivity index products for each coastal area of the Great Lakes. (An environmental sensitivity product is a map or similar tool that is utilized to identify sensitive shoreline, coastal or offshore, resources prior to an oil spill event.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an S corporation-sponsored employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The bill also amends the Small Business Act to define "ESOP business concern" and allow such a concern to continue to qualify for loans, preferences, and other programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Democracy Restoration Act of 2017 This bill establishes that an individual's right to vote in a federal election may not be abridged due to a criminal conviction unless the individual is incarcerated for a felony sentence at the time of the election. The bill also (1) requires incarcerated individuals to be notified of the restoration of their voting rights upon release, and (2) prohibits states and local governments that do not comply with this bill from receiving federal funds for constructing or improving prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2017 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to ban campaign contributions and expenditures by corporations that are controlled, influenced, or owned by foreign nationals. The bill redefines the term "independent expenditure" to include an expenditure that is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate. The bill expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. The bill prescribes disclosure requirements for campaign-related disbursements by corporations, labor organizations, and other entities, including a political committee with an account established for the purpose of accepting donations or contributions that do not comply with the contribution limits or source prohibitions under FECA.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. When appropriate, agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017
President John F. Kennedy Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 silver coins in commemoration of President John F. Kennedy. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include a surcharge of $10 per coin, which shall be paid by Treasury to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to support the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act This bill establishes the Reclamation Rural Water Construction and Settlement Implementation Fund, which shall consist of the Rural Water Project Account and the Reclamation Infrastructure and Settlement Implementation Account. The Department of the Treasury shall deposit into such accounts for each of FY2018-FY2038 specified revenues that would otherwise be deposited in the reclamation fund established by the Reclamation Act of 1902. The bill permits the Department of the Interior to use specified Rural Water Project Account funds to complete construction of rural water projects: (1) authorized before this bill's enactment, or (2) for which a feasibility study was submitted by February 27, 2015, pursuant to the Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 and for which Congress authorizes construction after enactment of this bill. Interior may not expend any amounts from the fund to carry this out until development of: (1) programmatic goals that would enable the completion of construction of the authorized rural water projects as expeditiously as practicable and that reflect the priorities identified in the laws authorizing the projects; and (2) funding prioritization criteria to serve as a methodology for distributing funds that take into account specified factors, including the need for potable water supplies in the affected rural and tribal communities. Interior shall use specified Reclamation Infrastructure and Settlement Implementation Account funds to: (1) provide authorized compensation to resolve all monetary claims of an Indian tribe against the United States relating to use of tribal land by the United States for the generation of hydropower; or (2) complete projects and implement provisions authorized by Congress that resolve litigation involving the United States and the water rights of Indian tribes or that implement approved agreements limiting such rights.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Care And Readiness Enhancement for Reservists Act of 2017 or the CARE for Reservists Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide counseling without referral, which may include a comprehensive individual assessment, to any member of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma. Outpatient services shall also be available to such reservists. The VA shall evaluate current and future workloads to determine whether more Vet Centers, including mobile Vet Centers, are needed to handle an expansion of services resulting from such increased eligibility. If a Vet Center's workload treating members of the Armed Forces exceeds its workload treating veterans, the VA shall enter into discussions with the Department of Defense (DOD) to determine whether a reimbursable memorandum of understanding between the VA and DOD for the center's services is warranted. The VA may furnish mental health services to such reservists. Such reservists are included in the VA programs of: (1) comprehensive suicide prevention, and (2) mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified missions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Supporting Future Educators Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish the Strengthen-Our-Schools Grant Program, which shall award competitive, renewable five-year grants to local education agencies to fund: teaching residency programs, including distance-learning facilities or infrastructure, mentor teacher incentives, resident salaries, and resident tuition; additional credit requirements for a teacher to become licensed in a second subject area or earn an additional qualification that meets a specific need of the school; additional credit requirements needed to qualify teachers to teach dual or concurrent enrollment programs; and housing supplements or special housing programs to support prospective teachers in high-need districts. Not less than 10% of available grant funds shall be directed to programs that address teacher shortages in rural school districts. ED must create a national database of qualified mentor teachers who can provide student-teacher supervision to participants in teacher preparation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Refund Equality Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt certain same-sex couples who were legally married under state law from the three-year time limitation for filing: (1) a claim for a credit or refund of an overpayment of any tax, or (2) an election to file jointly after having filed separate returns. Certain legally married same-sex couples who were first treated as married for federal tax purposes by the application of the holdings of Revenue Ruling 2013-17 may file amended returns for previous years until the due date for the return for the year in which this bill is enacted. The bill applies only to amended returns and claims for a credit or refund that relate to a change in the marital status of the spouses. (In Revenue Ruling 2013-17, the Internal Revenue Service adopted a general rule recognizing, for federal tax purposes, the validity of a same-sex marriage that was valid in the state where it was entered into, regardless of the married couple's place of domicile.)
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Act This bill reauthorizes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act through FY2023.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Anti-Voter Suppression Act This bill nullifies Executive Order 13799 (titled "Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity") and specifies that no funds shall be made available by any act of Congress to the commission described in the order or to any similar commission established for studying voter fraud.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
No Funds for Cyber Coordination with Russia Act of 2017 This bill prohibits federal funds from being used to establish a cyber security unit in cooperation with the government of the Russian Federation. It is the sense of Congress that the President: (1) should publicly endorse the assessment of the Armed Forces and the intelligence community that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election and take measures to deter such future activities; (2) must not use taxpayer funds to engage in cyber coordination with the Russian government, a foreign adversary; and (3) should work with Congress to establish a non-partisan commission of experts to report on Russian cyber operations and other attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Furthering carbon capture, Utilization, Technology, Underground storage, and Reduced Emissions Act or the FUTURE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration. The bill modifies the credit to apply it to carbon oxide sequestration. (Carbon oxide refers to any of the three oxides of carbon: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon suboxide.) The bill also: allows certain new industrial or direct air capture facilities to qualify for the credit if construction begins before January 1, 2024; allows qualified projects to claim the credit for 12 years, beginning on the date the equipment was originally placed in service; increases the separate credit amounts, with respect to projects placed in service upon or after the enactment of this bill, that apply to captured carbon oxide that is: (1) disposed of in secure geological storage, and (2) used as a tertiary injectant in an enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project and disposed of in secure geological storage; expands the purposes for which captured carbon oxide may be used; establishes separate carbon oxide capture thresholds for electricity generating facilities, direct air capture facilities, and facilities used for other purposes; specifies that the 75 million metric ton cap on the carbon dioxide that may qualify for the credit applies to carbon oxide and only to projects placed in service before the enactment of this bill; and allows the credit to be transferred from the entity that owns and uses the capture equipment to the entity that disposes of or uses the carbon oxide.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Condemns the violence and persecution in Chechnya. Calls on: Chechen officials to cease the abduction, detention, and torture of individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and hold accountable those involved in perpetrating such abuses; the government of the Russian Federation to protect the human rights of all its citizens, condemn the violence and persecution, investigate such crimes in Chechnya, and hold accountable those involved in perpetrating such abuses; and the U.S. government to continue to condemn the violence and persecution in Chechnya, demand the release of individuals wrongfully detained, and identify those individuals whose involvement in such violence qualifies for the imposition of sanctions under the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 or the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Affirms that the rights to freedom of assembly, association, and expression and freedom from extrajudicial detention and violence are universal human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Designates June 19, 2017, 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 · 29 June 2017
Helping State and Local Governments Prevent Cyber Attacks (HACK) Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to (1) report to Congress on best practices for election cybersecurity and audits, (2) provide grants to states for implementing such best practices, and (3) develop an online voter-registration platform. The bill also requires states to (1) provide for early voting, either in person or by mail; and (2) count a provisional ballot from an individual eligible to vote, regardless of the precinct or polling place within the state at which the individual cast the ballot.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Biomass Thermal Utilization Act of 2017 or the BTU Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to include 30% of qualified biomass fuel property expenditures for property placed in service before 2022 in the residential energy efficient property tax credit. A "qualified biomass fuel property expenditure" is an expenditure for property which uses the burning of biomass fuel (a plant-derived fuel available on a renewable or recurring basis) to heat a dwelling used as a residence, or to heat water for use in such dwelling, and which has a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75%. The bill also allows: (1) a 15% energy tax credit until 2022 for investment in open-loop biomass heating property, including boilers or furnaces that operate at thermal output efficiencies of at least 65% and provide thermal energy in the form of heat, hot water, or steam for space heating, air conditioning, domestic hot water, or industrial process heat; and (2) a 30% credit until 2022 for investment in such property that operates at a thermal output efficiency of at least 80%.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Recognizing the Environmental Gains In Overcoming Negligence Act or the REGION Act This bill prohibits funds made available for FY2018 from being used to close, consolidate, or eliminate any regional or program office of the Environmental Protection Agency.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Expresses support for the rights, freedoms, and equal treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Recognizes that LGBTQ rights are human rights and protected by the U.S. Constitution and international treaties. Encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month in June.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that the final rule issued on May 23, 2016, by the Department of Labor titled "Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees": (1) would provide more than 13 million workers with greater economic security, (2) was created through the legally valid exercises of the congressionally delegated authority of the Department of Labor under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and (3) should be defended and enforced with due haste.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Energy Storage Goals and Demonstration Projects Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish new goals for its energy storage program and enter into agreements to carry out at least three grid-scale energy storage demonstration projects. (The energy storage program supports the ability of the United States to remain globally competitive in energy storage systems for electric drive vehicles, stationary applications, and electricity transmission and distribution.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. The VA shall give grant priority to institutions that have entered into a partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. An "eligible institution" is an educational institution that is either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or that demonstrates an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if it receives a grant. The bill requires the VA to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic research.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Designates June 2017 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27, 2017, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. Supports efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense, as well as the medical community, to educate members of the Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment 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 post-traumatic stress. Encourages Armed Forces commanders to support appropriate treatment of Armed Forces personnel who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make appropriations for and extend indefinitely: (1) enhanced funding for the community health centers program and the National Health Service Corps, and (2) grants for federally qualified health centers and nurse-managed health centers to train family nurse practitioners to become primary care providers. The bill makes appropriations for capital projects under the community health centers program. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to make appropriations for and extend indefinitely a program that pays teaching health centers to establish or expand graduate medical residency training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Expresses support for: (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBT Equality Day on June 26 to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on that day in 2003, 2013, and 2015. Acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Safe Skies Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to modify a specified DOT final rule relating to flight crew member duty and rest requirements so that the requirements under that rule apply to all-cargo flight crew members to the same extent they apply to air passenger flight crew members.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, or age). The office may award grants to educational entities and partnerships to: train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to certain requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless as specified. This bill prescribes transparency requirements regarding any changes to specified matters. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on a William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan made after this bill's enactment. (Currently, the balance of a borrower's Direct Loan is canceled if the borrower is not in default and has made 120 monthly payments on such loan while employed as a public service employee.) The bill: (1) requires borrowers availing themselves of such loan cancellation to submit an employment certification form that includes self-certification of employment and employer certification of employment dates, and (2) places the borrower's loan in deferment during the period in which the borrower is employed in an eligible public service job if the borrower submits such form to ED. If a portion of a loan is canceled for any year, the interest on such loan for such year must be canceled.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Recognizes the increase in educational opportunities, including in sports, for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Encourages the Department of Education and Department of Justice to ensure that students have a safe learning environment by working to ensure schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex including sexual assault, harassment, domestic and dating violence, pregnancy, sex-stereotyping, and actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Recognizes that progress remains to ensure that no educational institution that receives federal funding discriminates against any persons because of their sex. Recognizes the progress in education opportunities for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments. Expresses the need to ensure students have a safe learning environment through schools' prevention efforts and responses to forms of discrimination and harassment based on one's sex.