United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2017
75th Anniversary of the End of World War II Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 500,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The coins shall be emblematic of the sacrifices made by millions of people of the United States 75 years ago in bringing an end to World War II. The design on each coin shall represent the World War II Victory Medal, which was awarded to all 16 million U.S. military personnel who served from December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946. The bill requires all sales of such coins include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the congressionally designated National WWII Museum to fund its educational mission of telling the story of the U.S. experience in World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2017
Targeting Child Predators Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to add new provisions with respect to a nondisclosure requirement issued in connection with an administrative subpoena in a child exploitation or abuse investigation. The bill modifies the process for issuing a nondisclosure requirement in a child exploitation or abuse investigation and lengthens the period of time during which a recipient of an administrative subpoena is prohibited from disclosure. It also subjects a nondisclosure requirement to judicial review, requires the administrative subpoena to include notice of the availability of judicial review, and establishes a process for judicial review.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017 This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to specify that communications decency provisions protecting providers from liability for the private blocking or screening of offensive material shall not be construed to impair the enforcement of, or limit availability of victim restitution or civil remedies under, state or federal criminal or civil laws relating to sex trafficking of children or sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. The bill amends the federal criminal code to specify that the violation for benefiting from "participation in a venture" engaged in sex trafficking of children, or by force, fraud, or coercion, includes knowing conduct by any person or entity by any means that assists, supports, or facilitates the violation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Taylor Force Act This bill: (1) calls on the Palestinian Authority's (PA) to stop making payments to terrorists in Israeli prisons and to the families of deceased terrorists as an incentive to commit acts of terror, (2) calls on countries to cease providing direct budgetary assistance to the PA until it stops all such payments, (3) urges the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) and the Department of State to highlight the issue and urge other nations to call for an end to such payments, and (4) expresses support for creation of a general welfare system for all Palestinian citizens. Certain assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that directly benefits the PA may not be made available for the West Bank and Gaza unless the State Department certifies that the PA: is taking steps to end acts of violence against U.S. and Israeli citizens perpetrated by individuals under its jurisdictional control, such as the March 2016 attack that killed former Army officer Taylor Force; has terminated payments for acts of terrorism against U.S. and Israeli citizens to any individual who has been fairly tried and imprisoned for such acts, to any individual who died committing such acts, and to family members of such an individual; and has revoked any law, decree, or document authorizing or implementing a system of compensation for imprisoned individuals that uses the sentence or incarceration period to determine compensation. Certain assistance under such Act for the West Bank and Gaza may not be made available unless the State Department certifies, every 180 days, that the PA is taking verifiable steps to end acts of violence against Israeli and U.S. citizens by individuals under its jurisdictional control.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2017
Regionally Empowered Decision-making for Snapper, Noting the Angling Public and the Preservation of an Exceptional Resource Act or the RED SNAPPER Act This bill requires any fishery management plan or regulation for red snapper fisheries that is submitted by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to contain conservation and management measures that establish separate catch limits. The bill gives Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (Gulf states) exclusive authority through FY2024 to establish the timing and duration of the fishing season for private recreational fishing of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico in the extended red snapper management zone of each Gulf state.
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
Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 to impose specified sanctions on: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist in or provide support for fund raising or recruitment activities for Hizballah; (2) agencies of foreign governments that provide Hizballah with financial support, arms, or other assistance; and (3) Hizballah by reason of its narcotics trafficking and significant transnational criminal activities. The bill prescribes reporting requirements or reporting modifications with respect to: (1) foreign persons that knowingly assist or provide significant financial, material, or technological support for foreign persons assisting Hizballah; (2) financial institutions that are owned or organized under the laws of state sponsors of terrorism; (3) Hizballah's racketeering activities; (4) combating illicit tobacco trafficking networks used by Hizballah and other foreign terrorist organizations to finance their operations; (5) the estimated net worth of senior Hizballah officials and how their funds were acquired and used; and (6) revenue from Hizbollah's global logistics networks and legal measures available to target such networks.
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
Wounded Officers Recovery Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Capitol Police Board to make payments from the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund to employees of the U.S. Capitol Police who have sustained serious line-of-duty injuries. The board is required to issue specific regulations governing the fund's use for making such payments. These regulations shall ensure that the payments are in addition to, and do not otherwise affect, other forms of compensation payable to the employee, including worker's compensation benefits. The bill requires amounts received by the board in response to the shooting incident at the practice for the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity on June 14, 2017, to be deposited into the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Banking Restrictions Involving North Korea (BRINK) Act of 2017 This bill requires the President to: (1) submit to Congress a list of financial institutions that are providing financial or banking support to the government of North Korea; (2) impose specified financial and asset blocking sanctions on an institution that has knowingly engaged in such conduct, and (3) impose specified civil penalties upon a U.S. institution based upon whether it has taken steps to prevent a recurrence of such conduct. The President: (1) may suspend, renew, or terminate sanctions subject to prior congressional notification and review; and (2) may not take an action if Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval of such action. The President shall prohibit, with specified exceptions, transactions involving the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer, import, or export of certain North Korean goods, services, or technology (covered property) by a U.S. person or such transactions that are conducted in the United States. The President may impose specified sanctions with respect to: (1) persons providing specialized financial messaging services to North Korean financial institutions or sanctioned persons, and (2) governments that fail to take specified actions against North Korean financial institutions or persons designated under a United Nations Security Council resolution. A state or local government may divest its assets from, or prohibit investment of its assets in, any person engaging in investment activities involving North Korean covered property valued at more than $10,000. The bill expresses the sense of Congress with respect to: (1) blocking of property of North Korean officials, (2) divestiture of certain employee benefit plan funds involving North Korean covered property, and (3) the Kaesong Industrial Complex and North Korean nuclear disarmament.
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 · 18 July 2017
Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2017 This bill replaces the deference given to an agency's interpretation of a statute with a requirement that courts decide all relevant questions of law without giving deference to the agency's interpretation. Thus, this bill overturns Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
Hearing Small Businesses Act of 2017 This bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Internal Revenue Service to seek and consider the advice of small entities about a proposed or interim final rule before publishing the rule if the rule will have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2017
Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico mixed-use fisheries. The bill authorizes a regional fishery management council to use alternative fishery management measures in developing a fishery management plan for a recreational fishery or the recreational component of a mixed-use fishery. The bill establishes a temporary moratorium on any new limited access privilege programs (programs whereby limited access privileges to harvest a portion of the total allowable catch in a fishery are issued by federal permit) in mixed-use fisheries under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. Additionally, the bill establishes exemptions from annual catch limit requirements for certain fisheries. NOAA must follow certain guidelines before issuing a new exempted fishing permit. NOAA must develop a report on facilitating greater incorporation of data, analysis, stock assessments, and surveys from state agencies and nongovernmental sources into fisheries management decisions. NOAA must also establish partnerships with states and make grants to improve recreational fisheries data collection.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation for Wildlife Act or the HELP for Wildlife Act This bill revises a variety of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. The bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, and the Chesapeake Bay Program. It also reauthorizes through FY2023 the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Grants Assistance Program. The proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges is increased. The bill revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds. The Department of the Interior must reissue two rules that removed protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for the gray wolf populations located in the western Great Lakes (all of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, as well as portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio) and Wyoming. Interior's prior rules that removed the protections were overruled by district courts. Components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its components (such as lead sinkers) are exempted from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The National Fish Habitat Board is established to: (1) promote, oversee, and coordinate the implementation of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan; (2) establish national goals and priorities for fish habitat conservation; (3) recommend the designation of Fish Habitat Partnerships; and (4) review and make recommendations regarding fish habitat conservation projects.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
State Flood Mitigation Revolving Fund Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to permit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide capitalization grants to states to establish revolving funds to address flood risks. Revolving funds may be used to provide: (1) financial assistance to participants in the National Flood Insurance Program, including homeowners, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local governments; or (2) support for leveraged loans or state bonds. Financial assistance may be used for elevation projects, flood-proofing activities, relocation or removal of buildings, environmental restoration, acquiring property, obtaining protective easements, and other activities identified by FEMA. States must annually submit to FEMA a plan that identifies the intended uses of the state loan fund. States may provide additional subsidies to low-income homeowners and recipients of financial assistance in low-income areas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to fund an endowment for increased operations and educational programming.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
License Natural Gas Now Act of 2017 or the LNG Now Act of 2017 This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to prohibit the federal government from imposing any restriction on the importation and exportation of natural gas.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration to establish a program for certifying employees of small business development centers to provide cybersecurity planning assistance to small businesses.
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 · 15 June 2017
Gulf States Protection and Restoration Coordination Act This bill designates the Gulf of Mexico Alliance as a regional coordination partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The regional coordination will strengthen collaboration efforts among federal, state, local, and private participants in the five Gulf states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) to restore and protect the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. The alliance may provide grants to carry out this bill, including to research the effects of natural and human-induced environmental changes on the water quality and living resources of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Sustainable, Affordable, Fair, and Efficient (SAFE) National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend through FY2023 the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). NFIP policy coverage limits for residential and nonresidential buildings are increased. NFIP premiums, surcharges, and fees may not be increased by more than 10% each year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must provide: (1) loans for mitigation projects, and (2) other financial assistance to qualified households for NFIP premium payments and mitigation projects. The limitation on Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage (offered by NFIP to cover the cost of flood mitigation measures on certain structures) is increased to $100,000 and ICC eligibility is expanded. This bill prevents the Department of the Treasury from charging interest to FEMA on amounts borrowed for NFIP through FY2023. This bill directs FEMA to revise: (1) directives related to the Write Your Own program, (2) specified elements of the claims process, (3) the appeals process for claims and flood map determinations, and (4) certain flood risk zones. FEMA must study business interruption coverage and participation rates in specified flood zones. This bill also makes changes to: (1) FEMA's mitigation assistance programs, (2) the usage and collection of specified surcharges and fees, (3) the scope of coverage available under NFIP, (4) requirements of NFIP engineers and adjusters, and (5) regulations relating to the disclosure of flood risks on rental property. This bill amends the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to reauthorize through FY2023 the National Flood Mapping Program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Recognizes: U.S. Capitol Police Special Agents David Bailey, Crystal Griner, and Henry Cabrera for responding to and ultimately ending the threat to Members of Congress, their staff, and others during the shooting at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017; the Police Department, the Office of the Sheriff, and the Fire Department of Alexandria, Virginia, and the first responders who reported to the scene; victims Steve Scalise, Zachary Barth, and Matthew Mika, who survived the shooting; and the U.S. Capitol Police for their professionalism, vigilance, and self-sacrifice in protecting Members of Congress and congressional employees, visitors, and facilities. Recognizes that threats to Members of Congress also threaten the foundations of our representative democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017 This bill expands the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) authority to issue public safety and community policing grants to include funds for training of school resource officers in the prevention of human trafficking offenses. DOJ may bring a civil action in a federal court to enjoin persons from violating federal laws pertaining to the trafficking of persons and the sexual exploitation of children. The bill amends the purposes for which the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children may spend funds from grants issued by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection. The bill formally establishes in Immigration and Customs Enforcement the Office of Victim Assistance and delineates the functions of that office. DOJ's Office of Victims of Crimes may use not more than 1% of the amount to be distributed from the Crime Victims Fund to provide and improve direct assistance services for crime victims. DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Labor shall periodically implement improvements to the training programs on human trafficking for their employees. DOJ shall ensure that each human trafficking program operated by DOJ includes training on screening all adults and children suspected of engaging in commercial sex acts to determine whether individuals are victims of human trafficking. DOJ shall issue a screening protocol for use during all anti-trafficking law enforcement operations in which DOJ is involved.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017 This bill sets forth a variety of measures to address the prevention and punishment of human trafficking and to assist trafficking victims. Included among these are provisions concerning: restitution for victims; funding of investigations of offenses relating to sexual abuse of children; grants to states and localities and other entities for victim service assistance; training of health, victim service, and federal law enforcement personnel, including through the use of a victim screening protocol by the Department of Homeland Security; penalties imposed for slavery offenses, sex trafficking of children, and repeat convictions for transportation for illegal sexual activity and related crimes; travel for the purpose of engaging in any illicit sexual conduct; designation of additional Department of Justice resources for prosecution and service coordination; penalties for offenses involving organized human trafficking, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or transportation for prostitution or any illegal sexual activity; and studies of the physical and psychological effects of serious harm to victims.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act This bill amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to exempt a depository institution from certain records and disclosure requirements related to the itemization of loan data: (1) with respect to closed-end mortgage loans, if the depository institution originated fewer than 500 such loans in each of the two preceding years; and (2) with respect to open-end lines of credit, if the depository institution originated fewer than 500 such lines of credit in each of the two preceding years.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Flood Insurance Affordability and Sustainability Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through FY2027 (currently, certain provisions expire FY2017). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is directed to base the coverage limit of flood insurance obtained through NFIP on the maximum confirmation loan limit determined by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). Under current law, coverage is limited to $250,000 for residential dwellings and $500,000 for nonresidential buildings. The Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage limitation is increased to $75,000 (currently $30,000). ICC coverage is offered by NFIP to cover the cost of flood mitigation measures on certain structures. The bill also directs FEMA to: annually transfer a portion of the risk from NFIP to private reinsurance or capital markets, promulgate regulations for disclosure of flood risks on sale property, offer a rate reduction if NFIP policyholders implement specified mitigation methods, use the replacement cost of a structure when calculating risk premium rate, and establish a risk sharing pilot program whereby “Write Your Own” companies (property and casualty companies that write and service standard flood insurance policies in their own name) insure properties up to at least $50,000 and NFIP issues policies in excess of that coverage limit. Agreed Value Flood Protection Program Act of 2017 FEMA must establish an Agreed Value Flood Protection Pilot Program that bases policy payouts on flood height reached in participating covered structures. “Write Your Own” companies are authorized to offer private flood insurance to specified properties under a two-year pilot program. This bill amends the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to reauthorize the National Flood Mapping Program through 2027.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2017
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Jim Bunning, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 5, 2017, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Bunning.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Services Company in recognition of their service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Recognizes the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem's reunification and extends the Senate's friendship and hopes for peace to Jerusalem's residents and Israel's people. Reaffirms support for Israel's commitment to religious freedom and administration of holy sites in Jerusalem. Supports strengthening the mutually beneficial American-Israeli relationship. Commends Egypt and Jordan, former combatant states of the Six Day War, for embracing a vision of peace and coexistence with Israel and continuing to uphold their respective peace agreements. Reaffirms: (1) that it is long-standing U.S. bipartisan policy that the permanent status of Jerusalem remains a matter to be decided between the parties through final status negotiations towards a two-state solution; and (2) the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 as U.S. law, and calls upon the President and all U.S. officials to abide by its provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to designate state-operated maritime training centers and community and technical colleges with a maritime training program that are located in the United States along the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Artic Ocean, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, or Great Lakes as centers of excellence for domestic maritime workforce training and education. DOT may provide to such centers: (1) technical assistance to assist them in expanding their capacity to train the U.S. maritime workforce, and (2) surplus federal equipment and assets.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
Designates the week of May 15-May 21, 2017, as National Police Week. Expresses support for law enforcement officers across the United States for their efforts to build safer and more secure communities. Recognizes: (1) the need to ensure that law enforcement officers have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to protect their health and safety; and (2) the members of the law enforcement community for their selfless acts of bravery. Honors and remembers law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Expresses condolences to the loved ones of each law enforcement officer who has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Medicaid Reform and Personal Responsibility Act of 2017 This bill requires state Medicaid programs to impose a work requirement upon enrollees who are able-bodied adults without dependents. Specifically, such enrollees must spend at least 20 hours per week working in a job, receiving on-the-job training, obtaining job skills, or doing community service. Such enrollees must also annually register with the state as employed or as unemployed and actively looking for employment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
J. Bennett Johnston Waterway Hydropower Extension Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), upon request, to extend by six years the time period during which construction must commence on the Red River Lock and Dam No. 3, 4, and 5 Hydroelectric Projects located on the Red River in Louisiana. The licensee is not required to pay an annual charge for administrative expenses until construction commences. FERC may reinstate the construction license if it is expired.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Supports: (1) the designation of the week of April 30-May 6, 2017, as National Small Business Week; and (2) increasing consumer awareness of the value and opportunity that small businesses bring to local communities. Celebrates: (1) the entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners in the United States, and (2) the invaluable contribution that small businesses make to the United States as the backbone of the economy. Recognizes the importance of creating a small business climate that allows for sustained entrepreneurial success.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
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 · 11 May 2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, to be headed by the Assistant Secretary for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The VA shall develop criteria to promote supervisory protection of whistle-blowers and provide supervisors with related training. The bill revises VA authority to remove certain employees or senior executives for reasons of misconduct or performance, including by permitting such individuals to be demoted or suspended. The VA: (1) shall reduce the federal annuity of a removed individual who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position, and (2) may reduce the federal annuity of a retired individual who was convicted of such a felony but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to an employee under specified circumstances. The VA may directly appoint medical center directors and Veterans Integrated Service Network directors. The bill revises time periods for adverse action reviews with respect to physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries. The VA shall: (1) assess the effect of the enactment of this bill on the hiring, promotion, retention, and productivity of individuals in senior executive positions; and (2) collect information on the outcomes and effectiveness of disciplinary actions carried out during the three-year period ending on the date of enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2017
Thin Blue Line Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to expand the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Chinese-American Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. The medal shall be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, which is urged to make the medal available for display at other locations associated with such veterans or with World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
National Flood Insurance Program Consultant Accountability Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to terminate certain contracts under the National Flood Insurance Program on the basis of detrimental conduct to the program by a "covered entity" (an attorney, law firm, consultant, or third-party company that provides certain services under the contract). Specifically, on such basis, FEMA may terminate a contract between a covered entity and a "Write Your Own" company (a property and casualty company that writes and services standard flood insurance policies in its own name). FEMA shall establish a process for a covered entity to appeal such a termination. Neither FEMA nor a Write Your Own company is required to make an early-termination payout to a covered entity with respect to a contract terminated under the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2017 or the PAWS Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it awards grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide service dogs to veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after completing other evidence-based treatment. An organization that receives a grant shall provide for each participating service dog and veteran: coverage by a commercially available veterinary health insurance policy, hardware clinically determined to be required by the dog to perform the tasks necessary to assist the veteran, payments for travel expenses to obtain the dog, and travel expenses required to obtain a replacement service dog. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must: (1) agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee such benefits, (2) be certified by Assistance Dogs International, (3) provide one-on-one training for each service dog and recipient for 30 hours or more during a period of 90 days or more, and (4) provide an in-house residential facility or other accommodations nearby in which service dog recipients stay for a minimum of 10 days while receiving at least 30 hours of training. The VA shall develop metrics to measure the improvement in psychosocial function and therapeutic compliance and changes independence on prescription narcotics and psychotropic medication of veterans participating in the program. The Government Accountability Office must provide to Congress a briefing on the methodology established for, and a report on, the pilot program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2017 or the CLEAR Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt from specified reporting and attestation requirements a community bank with assets of $1 billion or less. The bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to exempt from certain escrow requirements and residential mortgage loan standards a residential mortgage loan held by a depository institution with assets of $10 billion or less. The bill further amends that Act, as well as the Consumer Protection Act of 2010, to exempt certain creditors from specified disclosure requirements. In addition, the bill amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to exempt from the Volcker Rule a depository institution with assets of $10 billion or less. (The Volcker Rule prohibits banking agencies from engaging in proprietary trading or entering into certain relationships with hedge funds and private-equity funds.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Creating and Restoring Equal Access To Equivalent Samples Act of 2017 or the CREATES Act of 2017 This bill permits the developer of a drug or biological product to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved drug or biological product if the holder has declined to make available sufficient quantities of the approved drug or product for the developer's testing.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Outer Continental Shelf Energy Access Now Act or the OCEAN Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit the President's authority to prohibit oil and gas leasing on the outer Continental Shelf. The President may prohibit, through a rule making, oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf located in a national marine sanctuary. Any suspension of operations under a lease arising from a state of war or declaration of national emergency shall be for 90 days and may be renewed. The bill rescinds existing moratoriums on oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf other than marine sanctuaries and national monuments. The President may not declare or reserve any ocean waters or lands beneath ocean waters as a national monument.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2017 or the VETS Act of 2017 This bill allows a licensed health care professional of the Department of Veterans Affairs to practice his or her profession using telemedicine at any location in any state, regardless of where the professional or patient is located.
United States · United States Congress · 24 April 2017
Reforming Finance for Local Economies Act This bill exempts banks, credit unions, and savings associations with $10 billion or less in total consolidated assets from all regulations issued under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000393_200.jpg)