United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Office of Disability Policy Act of 2019 This bill establishes the Office of Disability Policy within the Government Accountability Office to provide Congress, the executive branch, the states, and the public with data and analysis regarding the effects of legislation, regulations, and guidance on individuals with disabilities, their families, and service providers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank through FY2029. It also provides for a temporary board of directors of the Export-Import Bank if the existing board fails to constitute a quorum for 90 consecutive days during the term of a President.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Renewable Energy Extension Act of 2019 This bill extends the energy tax credit for certain renewable resources and the credit for residential energy efficient property for five years.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Battery Storage Innovation Act of 2019 This bill makes certain battery storage technologies eligible for loan guarantees provided by the Department of Energy for innovative technology.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Expedited Disability Insurance Payments for Terminally Ill Individuals Act of 2019 This bill allows an individual diagnosed with a terminal illness to receive disability payments under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program during the waiting period for such payments (which typically lasts five months). It also establishes a phased-in payment schedule for such payments. These provisions shall expire January 1, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2019 This bill prohibits employers from retaliating against certain employees who report criminal antitrust violations to the federal government. Among other things, the bill sets forth provisions that authorize an employee to seek relief by filing a complaint with the Department of Labor or to bring an action in U.S. district court if the individual alleges discharge or other discrimination by an employer who violates the prohibition against retaliation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Butch Lewis Act of 2019 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 · 23 July 2019
Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for Veteran Caregivers Act or the TEAM Veteran Caregivers Act The bill revises the administration of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) caregiver programs. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to formally recognize caregivers of veterans by identifying any caregiver in the health record of the veteran. Such caregivers covered by the bill include those participating in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and those participating in the Program of General Caregiver Support Services. The bill requires the VA to notify veterans and their caregivers regarding any clinical determinations made relating to claims under, or eligibility for, the specified caregiver programs. The notifications must be standardized and contain specified details regarding the decisions. The bill also requires the VA to temporarily extend benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers for at least 90 days after the receipt of notice that a veteran is no longer clinically eligible for the program. Such an extension shall not apply to the termination of caregiver benefits (1) for cause, (2) because the veteran died, or (3) upon request of the caregiver or veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Brand USA Extension Act This bill (1) extends funding for Brand USA, the Corporation for Travel Promotion, through FY2027; (2) raises the fee for using the electronic system for travel authorization; and (3) otherwise modifies the duties and powers of Brand USA.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum Act or the AIRWAVES Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish a bidding marketplace for the use of commercially licensed spectrum in lower-frequency bands and to make additional unlicensed spectrum available in higher-frequency bands. From the proceeds of transactions conducted under the bill, 10% shall be allocated for the placement of wireless infrastructure in rural areas with limited or no wireless internet service.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
Research and Development Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2019 This bill modifies the refundable research tax credit for new and small businesses to (1) increase the limit on refundability to $500,000, with an adjustment for inflation; (2) allow refundable amounts to cover all payroll taxes paid by such businesses; and (3) extend eligibility for the credit to small businesses with less than $10 million in gross receipts (currently, less than $5 million). The bill also increases the rate of the alternative simplified tax credit for such businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
This resolution honors John Paul Stevens, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Specifically, the resolution commends his decades of service, acknowledges his enormous contributions, and extends sympathies to his family and friends.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Carbon Monoxide Alarms Leading Every Resident To Safety Act of 2019 or the CO ALERTS Act of 2019 This bill requires the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in each unit of specified federally assisted housing, in accordance with certain standards. Specifically, the requirement applies to (1) supportive housing for the elderly and for persons with disabilities, (2) public housing, (3) rental housing for which the owner receives low-income voucher assistance, and (4) certain rural housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must provide guidance to public housing agencies on how to educate tenants on health hazards in the home. HUD must also report on the inclusion of carbon monoxide detectors in federally assisted housing not covered by the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to expand the information it publishes in its inventory of agency programs. The inventory must include information such as links to program performance reviews and details regarding financial assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Duplication Scoring Act of 2019 This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to analyze legislation reported by a congressional committee in order to prevent duplication of and overlap with existing federal programs, offices, and initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Trauma-Informed Modernization of Eldercare for Holocaust Survivors Act or the TIME for Holocaust Survivors Act This bill includes matters concerning Holocaust survivors in federal grants and programs that serve older adults. Specifically, the bill includes an individual's status as a Holocaust survivor within the scope of the greatest social needs for purposes of such programs. Under current law, these programs must target populations with the greatest economic and social needs. Additionally, among other activities, the Administration on Aging must establish a national center to provide resources, training, and technical assistance related to delivering services to older individuals who experience the long-term and adverse consequences of trauma. In addition, the administration may designate within it a person responsible for implementing and coordinating services for individuals who are Holocaust survivors.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Acting on the Annual Duplication Report Act of 2019 This bill requires specified federal agencies to address recommendations made to Congress by the Government Accountability Office and detailed in the annual duplication report. Specifically the Defense Security Cooperation Agency shall review options for expanding the use of administrative surcharges under the foreign military sales program; the Department of Energy shall review options for a long-range target for the optimal size and configuration of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; the U.S. Mint may modify the composition of circulating coins in accordance with a study and analysis conducted by the Mint if such modification will reduce costs incurred by taxpayers, be seamless, and have no impact on the public and stakeholders; and the Department of the Treasury shall require that any tax return which is prepared electronically, but is printed and filed on paper, bear a code which can, when scanned, convert such return to electronic format. Regarding student loan debt, among other things, an institution of higher education may not include placing students in forbearance as a means of reducing the cohort default rate of the institution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill expands and reauthorizes through FY2024 various programs related to the screening of newborns for heritable diseases, including (1) grants to local public health agencies, (2) the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, (3) assessments of the effectiveness of such screenings, and (4) research into new screening technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2019
Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2019 This bill revises a variety of programs to encourage energy efficiency in buildings, industry, and the federal government, including by encouraging energy efficiency in residential, commercial, federal, or school buildings; energy-efficient technologies and processes for industrial applications; sustainable manufacturing; energy-efficient electric motors or transformers; or federal use of energy-efficient and energy-saving information technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2019
Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act This bill establishes limitations on separating alien children from parents and on detaining families, and also addresses other immigration-related matters. A child may be separated from a parent or legal guardian at or near a port of entry or U.S. border only if (1) a state court has made a relevant ruling, such as terminating the parent's rights; (2) a qualified child welfare agency official has ruled that separation is in the child's best interest; or (3) a specified official makes certain determinations, such as concluding that a child is a trafficking victim. A child may not be separated from a parent or guardian solely to deter migration or promote compliance with immigration laws. This bill establishes presumptions (1) in favor of family unity and keeping siblings together, and (2) against detention. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall (1) document all child separations, (2) develop training for officers handling separations, (3) publish guidance on how to locate a separated child, (4) periodically provide a parent or guardian information about a separated child, and (5) pay for counsel to represent unaccompanied alien children in removal proceedings. The Flores settlement (an agreement imposing conditions on the treatment of detained alien minors) and a related court holding shall apply to the detention of families. The bill also contains provisions relating to the detention of aliens, including (1) requiring medical assessments of detained children, (2) imposing health-related standards for detention facilities, and (3) requiring DHS to provide sufficient funds for alternatives to detention programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Turn the Tide Act This bill funds through FY2023 the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which established various programs to address opioid addiction. Funded programs include (1) grants to increase access to substance use disorder treatments; (2) research, training, and developing best practices within the public health sector; (3) prevention and recovery services for youth, women, and infants; (4) overdose prevention and treatment; and (5) other community, judicial, and administrative programs. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2024 and increases funding for the Opioid State Targeted Response grants program and reauthorizes through FY2029 and increases funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program. Further, the bill prohibits health insurance plans, including Medicaid, from requiring prior authorization for medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. Plans also must cover at least one overdose-reversing drug without any cost-sharing requirement. The bill also revises Medicaid to require state payments to providers of mental and behavioral health services for substance use disorders and extends funding for demonstration projects that link provider payments to certain metrics. The bill also targets loan repayments for substance use disorder treatment professionals to states with the highest rates of drug overdoses. Additionally, separate payment classifications must be established for specified procedures covered by Medicare that utilize non-opioid drugs to treat pain after surgery. The bill also (1) establishes grant programs to support responses to children exposed to trauma, (2) expands support for the drug-free communities program, and (3) funds peer-mentoring pilot programs for law enforcement agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
This resolution condemns nonconsensual organ harvesting of prisoners in China and calls on China to immediately cease the persecution and imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners. (Falun Gong is a religious practice that is denounced by the Chinese government.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2019
Never Again Education Act This bill creates the Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund for the Department of Education (ED) to (1) award grants to eligible entities to carry out Holocaust education programs, and (2) conduct periodic regional workshops to provide teachers with technical assistance on how to incorporate Holocaust education within state and local education standards. The fund may accept donations and in-kind contributions. ED shall (1) create and maintain a Holocaust education program website containing resources for middle grades and high schools; and (2) establish the Holocaust Education Advisory Board to advise on developing application criteria for the fund's grants, to advise on content for the Holocaust education program website, and to lead efforts to solicit donations for the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2019
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take a series of actions relating to palliative-care training. Specifically, HHS must provide support for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. The centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced-education nursing degrees, social-work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician-assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may provide support to medical schools, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical-education programs for training physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development, (2) support entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center, (3) support individuals in specified fields who are pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields, and (4) award grants to nursing programs to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2019
Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 This bill removes the requirement that a health care practitioner apply for a separate waiver through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to dispense certain narcotic drugs (e.g., buprenorphine) for maintenance or detoxification treatment (i.e., substance use disorder treatment). Further, a community health aide or community health practitioner may dispense certain narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment without registering with the DEA if the drug is prescribed by a health care practitioner through telemedicine. It preempts state laws related to licensure for this activity. The bill also directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to conduct a national campaign to educate health care practitioners and encourage them to integrate substance use disorder treatment into their practices.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
Deepfake Report Act of 2019 This bill requires the Science and Technology Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security to report at specified intervals on the state of digital content forgery technology. Digital content forgery is the use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, to fabricate or manipulate audio, visual, or text content with the intent to mislead.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2019
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that everyone in the United States has certain rights with respect to health care, including affordable coverage, access to care, transparency and privacy, protection from discrimination, and culturally appropriate care.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2019
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2019 or the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act This bill establishes various grants within the Department of Justice for states and units of local government to improve law enforcement activities to address hate crimes, including by improving the reporting of hate crime data to relevant national systems. It also allows a court to order, as a penalty for a violation of a federal hate crime statute, a defendant to participate in educational classes or community service related to the community harmed by the defendant's offense as part of a supervised release.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Understanding and Studying American Civics Act of 2019 or the USA Civics Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and revises the American History for Freedom grant program. The bill renames the program as the American Civics Education Program. The bill authorizes the Department of Education to award grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) once every three years to establish or strengthen academic programs to promote American political thought and history; the history, achievements, and impact of American representative democracy and constitutional democracies globally; and the means of participation in political and civic life. Currently, such grants are awarded to IHEs for three years and are focused on traditional American history and the history and achievements of Western civilization. IHEs may use grants to support additional activities, such as collaborating with federal or state humanities programs and using open educational resources.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2019 This bill prohibits commercial conversion therapy, which is a practice or treatment designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or otherwise change behaviors, thoughts, or expressions related to gender or sexual attraction. This prohibition does not apply to treatment that assists an individual undergoing a gender transition or facilitates identity exploration and development.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Willie O'Ree 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 Willie O'Ree, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and commends the bravery and resiliency of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in the face of violence and discrimination, past and present. The resolution also condemns violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community and recommits the House of Representatives to securing justice, equality, and well-being for LGBTQ people.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
This bill amends the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) to repeal the permanent rescission on July 1, 2020, of $7.569 billion in unobligated federal-aid highway funds for states.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2019
Community Re-Entry through Addiction Treatment to Enhance Opportunities Act or the CREATE Opportunities Act This bill establishes the Medication-Assisted Treatment Corrections and Community Reentry Program in the Department of Justice. Under the program, the National Institute of Corrections may award grants to support local programs that provide medication-assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals who have opioid-use disorders; such treatment must be provided in accordance with specified requirements, including drug, screening, and personnel criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Fallen Journalists Memorial Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work on eligible federal land in commemoration of the sacrifices made by journalists for a free and independent press.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Recreation Not Red-Tape Act This bill revises and sets forth provisions related to recreation areas and special recreation permits issued by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for individual or group use of federal recreational lands and waters. The bill makes permanent certain authorizations, including regarding such permits and the fees charged for them. Interior and USDA shall evaluate the special recreation permitting process and identify opportunities for eliminating duplicative processes, reducing costs, and decreasing processing times; establish categorical exclusions from environmental review requirements for special recreation permits if it would reduce processing times or costs without significantly affecting the human environment; authorize the issuance of temporary permits for new or additional recreational uses of federal lands and waters managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management; allow online payment of certain federal passes and fees; develop initiatives to promote private-sector volunteer opportunities; and establish an interagency trail management plan. Permittees issued a special recreation permit may voluntarily and temporarily return one or more of their service days. The bill sets forth requirements for review by USDA of the renewal or adjustment of the allocations for the use of a special recreation permit. Interior and USDA may enter into agreements with states to allow the purchase of federal and state recreation passes in the same transaction. The bill establishes a National Recreation Area System.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2019 This bill prohibits strikes by certain individuals and requires the issuance of rules that provide for federal minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) shall determine for each state whether the laws of such state substantially provide for each of the minimum standard collective bargaining rights and procedures specified by this bill, including the right of public employees and supervisory employees to self-organize, form or join a labor organization, or collectively bargain. The FLRA must issue rules and take actions to establish and administer bargaining rights and procedures for those states that do not substantially provide for them. No employers, emergency services employees, or law enforcement officers may engage in a lockout, strike, or any other organized job action that would probably result in a measurable disruption of the delivery of emergency or public safety services. Furthermore, no labor organization may be the cause of a violation of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act of 2019 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 sex discrimination 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 discrimination based on multiple characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, age, actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, or gender or gender identity. The office may award grants to eligible entities and partnerships that apply to carry out programs and activities designed to implement title IX and prevent and reduce sex discrimination, including programs that increase campus resources. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in 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 discrimination based on multiple characteristics.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2019
Save Affordable Housing Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing tax credit, to repeal the qualified contract option for a building that received its allocation of housing credit dollar amount before January 1, 2019, or received before that date, a determination from the bond issuer or housing credit agency of its eligibility to receive an allocation of a housing credit dollar amount. Under current law, properties subject to the low-income housing tax credit are subject to a 30-year affordability period, during which the value of properties is set at a below market rate. The qualified contract option allows property owners, in some cases, to convert to market rate after 15 years.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2019
This resolution (1) 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; and (2) encourages the Department of Education and Department of Justice to ensure that students have a safe learning environment by working to ensure that schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2019
Refund Equality Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit legally married same sex couples to amend their tax returns to file as married filing jointly for returns outside of the statute of limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2019
Expand Navigators' Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity Act of 2019 or the ENROLL Act of 2019 This bill makes several changes to the navigator program for health insurance exchanges (a program through which entities receive funding to provide education and enrollment assistance). Specifically, the bill addresses certain funding decisions and regulatory actions taken by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For example, the bill increases funding for navigators in federally facilitated exchanges (FFEs) beginning in FY2020. (The CMS decreased annual funding for FFE navigators for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 program years.) The bill also counters guidance issued by the CMS regarding navigator criteria by requiring FFE navigators to be chosen without regard to how the entity provides information on association health plans or short-term, limited-duration insurance. The bill also reinstates certain requirements that were removed by the CMS in 2018. Specifically, the bill requires (1) at least two navigators in each FFE, including at least one community and consumer-focused nonprofit group; and (2) that navigators be physically present in the state where the exchange is located.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2019
Government Shutdown Accountability Act This bill establishes various procedures and requirements for government shutdowns that occur due to a lapse in appropriations. Among other provisions, the bill directs the Office of Personnel Management to designate services related to Federal Employee Health Benefits Program enrollments as excepted services under the Antideficiency Act to require the services to continue during a government shutdown, allows federal employees who are furloughed or working without pay during a government shutdown to seek and obtain employment outside the federal government, limits expenditures for official travel, restricts congressional recesses and adjournments, and prohibits Congress from considering legislation that is unrelated to appropriations or an emergency if a government shutdown is in effect. The provisions that restrict recesses, adjournments, and the consideration of legislation may be waived or suspended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members of the applicable chamber of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-efficiency Technology Act or the BRIGHT Act This bill revises and sets forth provisions related to the procurement of lighting systems. The General Services Administration (GSA) shall (1) issue guidance to federal agencies for the procurement and use of the most life-cycle cost effective and energy efficient lighting systems; and (2) publish or otherwise make available to state, local, and tribal entities information on ways of improving efficiency, effectiveness, and economy by procuring and using such lighting systems. The GSA must (1) procure the most life-cycle cost effective and energy efficient lighting systems, and (2) ensure that procurements of lighting systems or their individual components maximize life-cycle cost effectiveness and energy efficiency. Each public building that is constructed, altered, acquired, or leased by GSA must be equipped with the most life-cycle cost effective and energy efficient lighting systems. Each individual component of a lighting system that is replaced in the normal course of the maintenance of public buildings shall be replaced with the most life-cycle cost effective and energy efficient lighting system possible. The bill modifies requirements for the use of energy efficient lighting systems.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Federal Energy and Water Management Performance Act of 2019 This bill revises federal energy and water performance requirements for federal buildings and directs the Department of Energy to establish a Federal Energy Management Program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
DHS Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems Coordinator Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate a senior DHS official within the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans as the Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Coordinator to oversee and coordinate with relevant DHS offices and components on the development of guidance and regulations to counter threats associated with UAS (i.e., drones). The coordinator shall serve as the principal DHS official for sharing information regarding counter-UAS technology to the private sector.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Affordability is Access Act This bill establishes several requirements relating to health-insurance coverage of, and access to, over-the-counter contraceptives. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury to specify that private health-insurance plans must cover over-the-counter contraceptives that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), even without a prescription. Under current law, private health-insurance plans (with some exceptions) must cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, without cost-sharing requirements. The bill also prohibits retailers from interfering with an individual's access to oral contraceptives that are meant for routine, daily use and are FDA-approved for use without a prescription.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2019
Access to Free Speech for All Act or the AFSFA Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to support national resource centers, as well as to establish an advisory committee, to address augmentative and alternative communication devices, services, and supports (which supplement or replace speech or sign language for individuals with disabilities that inhibit those forms of communication).