United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2019
This resolution designates September 2019 as National Child Awareness Month to (1) promote awareness of youth-serving charities and organizations throughout the United States, (2) recognize the efforts made by those charities and organizations as critical contributions to the future of the United States, and (3) recognize the importance of meeting the needs of at-risk children and youth.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2019
This resolution (1) congratulates the United States Women's National Soccer Team for winning the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, and (2) stands in solidarity with the women of that team as they fight for equal pay.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019 This bill establishes safeguards to protect amateur athletes from abuse, including sexual abuse, by coaches and employees in U.S. Olympic and Paralympic sports. The bill establishes (1) legislative mechanisms by which Congress can dissolve the Board of Directors of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and decertify national governing bodies; and (2) a duty of care that USOPC owes to amateur athletes, including protecting athletes by requiring it to ensure that any allegation of child abuse of an amateur athlete who is a minor is immediately reported to law enforcement. The bill revises duties of the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the pursuit of abuse claims by the U.S. Center for Safe Sport, confidentiality, and retaliation against an employee or member for disclosing information or seeking assistance in mediation. The USOPC and the national governing bodies shall not interfere in or attempt to influence the outcome of an investigation. The center shall report to Congress within 72 hours of an attempt to interfere in, or influence the outcome of, an investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro National League, a professional baseball league that was formed in response to African-American players being banned from baseball's major leagues. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its mission to promote tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. All surcharges from sales of these coins shall be paid to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for educational and outreach programs and exhibits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Broadband Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2019 This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to make financing available for the construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure through a broadband infrastructure finance and innovation program. Specifically, the bill provides a means for communities and public-private partnerships to apply for low-interest secured loans, lines of credit, or loan guarantees to finance broadband infrastructure investments.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Data Broker List Act of 2019 This bill establishes certain requirements for data brokers that obtain personal information about consumers for the sale to other businesses. Specifically, data brokers are prohibited from acquiring such brokered personal information through fraud or for specified illegal purposes, such as fraud, identity theft, or discrimination. Data brokers also must implement safeguards to prevent security breaches that result in the improper disclosure of brokered personal information. Additionally, data brokers must register with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on an annual basis and the FTC must make this registry publicly available. Violations of these requirements are enforceable by the FTC as an unfair or deceptive business practice.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act of 2019 or the AFTER Act of 2019 This bill requires agencies or instrumentalities operating federal research facilities to promulgate regulations that facilitate and encourage the adoption of animals that are suitable for retirement.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2019
Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2019 This bill establishes that any law, regulation, or policy that prohibits or restricts travel to or from Cuba, or transactions incident to such travel, shall have no effect. The President may not restrict or prohibit such travel or transactions unless doing so is necessary to protect (1) U.S. national security, or (2) the health and safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019
Improving Justice Programs through Science Act of 2019 This bill reestablishes the Science Advisory Board within the Department of Justice (DOJ). Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the board. Previously, the board was created in 2010 by DOJ and terminated in 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
Fair Elections Now Act of 2019 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. The bill also revises provisions related to broadcasts of Senate campaign advertisements and imposes a tax on certain U.S. government contracts.
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 · 24 July 2019
Allergy Testing Access Act of 2019 This bill requires equal coverage of two types of allergy tests under Medicaid and Medicare. Specifically, in vitro specific IgE tests (blood tests) and percutaneous tests (skin tests) must be treated equally with respect to (1) medical necessity or other coverage requirements, (2) frequency limits, and (3) allergen unit limits.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2019
This resolution recognizes and applauds the United Nations for proclaiming 2019 as the "International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements." The resolution also commends the global community of chemists for their efforts to (1) advance the field of chemistry, (2) recognize the International Year of the Periodic Table, and (3) participate in events marking such year as an important scientific milestone and global celebration.
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
Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants to state and local educational agencies to promote media literacy and digital citizenship. Media literacy includes the ability to access relevant information, analyze media content, evaluate the accuracy of information, and make educated decisions about products and services, education, health, and wellness based on information obtained from media and digital sources. Digital citizenship includes the ability to safely, responsibly, and ethically use communication technologies and to participate in the political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of life related to technology and the digital world. A state educational agency must use grant funds to carry out one or more specified activities, specifically (1) creating and supporting a media literacy advisory council, (2) assisting local educational agencies in the development of instruction in media literacy, (3) assisting local agencies in developing means of evaluating student learning in media literacy, and (4) assisting local agencies in developing or providing professional development for teachers that relates to media literacy.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2019
National Defense Cybersecurity Consortia Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish one or more consortia, comprising certain universities, to advise and assist on matters relating to cybersecurity. DOD must establish procedures for organizations within DOD to access such expertise.
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
Charging Helps Agencies Realize General Efficiencies Act or the CHARGE Act This bill requires the General Services Administration to issue (1) guidance to clarify that federal agencies may use a charge card to pay to charge federal electric motor vehicles at commercial charging stations, and (2) a charge card for such payments to each agency for each of the agency's electric motor vehicles.
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
This bill revises a provision that limits the authority of an agency to appoint, through expedited hiring authority, post-secondary students to an agency position at the GS-11 level.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2019
Good Jobs for 21st Century Energy Act This bill establishes Department of Labor requirements and tax incentives for certified entities who construct certain clean energy, manufacturing, or energy efficiency projects. Specifically, the bill initiates prevailing wage jobs in the clean energy economy, builds clean U.S. energy infrastructure and technology, and provides incentives for workforce training and development.
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 · 17 July 2019
JROTC Cyber Training Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to implement a program to prepare Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps students for careers in computer science and cybersecurity. The program may include such elements as internships and cooperative research opportunities, funding for training of instructors, activities to improve the quality of training in these fields, and informal education.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2019
Anti-Spoofing Penalties Modernization Act of 2019 This bill doubles the penalties for providing inaccurate caller identification information and extends the statute of limitations for penalizing persons who commit such violations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019 This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), every fiscal year, to hire, train, and assign 240 new agricultural specialists until the total number of specialists equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model. The CBP may also hire, train, and assign support staff to assist the specialists and specified levels of agricultural canine teams. In calculating the number of specialists needed at each port of entry through the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model, the Office of Field Operations of the CBP must (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other activities conducted at each such port of entry; and (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Affordable Insulin Approvals Now Act This bill requires the continued review and approval, as appropriate, of certain pending applications for generic insulin beyond the March 23, 2020, cutoff date previously established by the Food and Drug Administration. Beginning March 23, 2020, these approved generic insulin drugs also are deemed licensed biological products.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2019
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require employers to make initial and modified disclosures to employees of the terms of their employment, provide such employees with regular paystubs, and make a final payment to an employee for uncompensated work hours within 14 days of the employee's termination. Employers must also allow employees access to wage records. An employer must compensate an employee at the rate specified in an employment contract, 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 FLSA overtime or minimum wage violations, 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 Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor must provide grants to specified organizations, including nonprofits and educational institutions, to enhance the enforcement of wage and hour laws. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on successful grant programs.
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
Stop Drug Companies from Overcharging Seniors in Medicare Part B Act of 2019 This bill requires manufacturers of covered drugs under Medicare medical services to issue rebates to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Rebates are calculated based on the number of units sold and the amount by which the manufacturer price exceeds inflation. The bill's requirements do not apply to drugs that cost less than $100 annually per user in 2020 (and as adjusted for inflation annually thereafter) or to drugs on a specified drug shortage list. The bill also eliminates cost-sharing for such drugs for beneficiaries whose out-of-pocket costs meet or exceed a specified threshold.
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 · 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 · 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 · 8 July 2019
Build America, Buy America Act This bill requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States. Each federal agency must submit to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress a report that identifies each federal financial assistance program for infrastructure administered by the agency and (1) identify domestic content procurement preferences applicable to the assistance, (2) assess the applicability of such requirements, (3) provide details on any applicable domestic content procurement preference requirement, and (4) include a description of the type of infrastructure projects that receive funding under the program. Each agency shall ensure that none of the funds made available for such a program may be used for a project unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States, subject to waivers where inconsistent with the public interest, where not produced in sufficient quantities or satisfactory quality, or where such inclusion will increase the cost of the project by more than 25%.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Protect Health Care for Retired Public Safety Officers Act of 2019 This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under the State Homeland Security Grant Program, to require each state to include in its grant application a certification for the protection of health care benefits for retired public safety officers. A public safety officer is a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or an emergency medical services provider whose conditions of employment are determined by a collective bargaining agreement. Such certification must provide that the state will not (1) unilaterally modify or eliminate health care benefits for a public safety officer retiree, or (2) allocate grant funds to a local government or Indian tribe that has not certified to the state that such benefits will not be unilaterally modified or eliminated.
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
National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the mission of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2021. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to support the mission of such organization, including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2019
Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Act of 2019 This bill directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide cybersecurity education and resources to small businesses and small business development centers. Specifically, the bill establishes a Cybersecurity Clearinghouse platform, jointly managed by the SBA and DHS, which shall contain public-facing cybersecurity resources in a single location for ease of reference by small businesses. The bill also requires DHS to develop educational cybersecurity materials and training programs for small business development centers to use when counseling small businesses. Such materials must address cybersecurity (1) policies and procedures, and (2) defensive and response strategies.
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 · 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
Restore Honor to Service Members Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to review the discharge characterization of a service member who was discharged on the basis of sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask Don't Tell or a similar policy) if the service member requests such a review. If the service member's discharge is characterized as other than honorable, and if there were no aggravating circumstances that would have independently caused the discharge to be characterized as other than honorable, then DOD must change its characterization of the discharge to honorable.
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 · 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 · 20 June 2019
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states that (1) require law enforcement officers to be trained on fair and impartial policing (e.g., diversity and anti-bias training), and (2) require an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate and prosecute an alleged offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury.
![Official portrait of Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000595_200.jpg)