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
Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017 This bill states that: (1) the President may not prohibit or otherwise restrict travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel, including banking transactions; and (2) any law, regulation, or policy in effect on the date of enactment of this bill that prohibits or otherwise restricts such travel or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effect. Nothing in this bill may be construed to limit the President's authority to restrict such travel or any transaction incident to such travel if the President determines that such restriction is necessary to protect: (1) U.S. national security, or (2) the health or safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents resulting from traveling to or from Cuba. Prior to restricting travel to Cuba, the President shall submit a written justification to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Fuel Economy Harmonization Act This bill revises requirements for calculating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) credits earned by a passenger automobile manufacturer for exceeding minimal required CAFE standards in a particular model year. Beginning in model year 2016 through model year 2021, a manufacturer may apply any credits earned after model year 2009 to subsequent model years. The bill revises fuel economy credit transferring program requirements allowing a manufacturer of a fleet that exceeds CAFE standards to transfer the earned credits and to apply them within that fleet to a compliance category of automobiles that fails to achieve prescribed CAFE standards. The maximum increases in any compliance category attributable to transferred credits are: 1.0 mile per gallon, for model years 2010-2013; 1.5 miles per gallon, for model years 2014-2016; 2.0 miles per gallon, for model years 2017 and 2018; 4.0 miles per gallon, for model years 2019-2021; 6.0 miles per gallon, for model year 2022 and subsequent model years. The bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to modify its calculation of average fuel economy for model years 2012 through 2025 at the request of a manufacturer for its passenger and nonpassenger automobiles.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Pipeline Safety Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to amend a federal regulation relating to onshore oil pipeline operator response plans to oil discharges to require (under current law authorizes) the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to consult with the Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Coast Guard if a federal on scene coordinator has concerns regarding such operator's ability to respond to a worst case discharge of oil into or on the navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Child Protection and Family Support Act of 2017 This bill amends Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the removal and foster care placement of a child to meet the requirements for foster care maintenance payments if the child has been placed with a parent residing in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility for substance abuse. The bill revises requirements for grants to regional partnerships delivering services and producing activities designed to implement IV-E prevention services, improve the well-being of, and improve permanency outcomes for, children and families affected by heroin, opioids and other substance abuse. This grant program is reauthorized for FY2018-FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil, gas, or methane hydrate exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the procedures a state must have in effect for the orderly and timely interstate placement of children to include an electronic interstate case-processing system. Indian tribes are exempted from such requirement. Funding is authorized for development of an electronic interstate case-processing system to expedite the interstate placement of children in foster care, guardianship, or adoptive homes. Discretionary funding shall be continued through FY2018 to promote safe and stable families. The Department of Health and Human Services shall reserve $5 million of the amount made available for such grants for FY2018, which reserved amount shall remain available through FY2022.
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 · 25 May 2017
Health Care for Small Business Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for the employee health insurance expenses of small employers, to: (1) repeal the two-year limit on the credit period to permit certain small employers to be eligible for the credit in any year, (2) replace the formula for the phaseout of the credit based on the number of employees and average annual wages with a new phaseout formula based only on average annual wages, (3) permit certain employers that have no more than 50 employees (25 under current law) to be eligible for the credit, (4) modify the limit on the average annual wages of an eligible small employer, and (5) provide for a cost-of-living adjustment after 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 7-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old. The bill sets forth a schedule of annual increases in the federal minimum wage for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Labor shall no longer issue special certificates for the payment of subminimum wages to such individuals after the final wage increase under this bill for such individuals takes effect. Labor shall provide, upon request, technical assistance and information to employers to: (1) help them transition their practices to comply with wage increases and other requirements under this bill for individuals with disabilities, and (2) ensure continuing employment opportunities for such individuals. The bill eliminates the separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees. After a specified period, these employees shall be paid the same minimum wage as regular employees. Labor must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on its website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Liability Insurance in Event of Spill Act or the LINES Act This bill amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to cap the liability of parties that are responsible for oil discharges from a Great Lakes pipeline (any pipeline that crosses the navigable waters of the Great Lakes system) to the total of all removal costs plus $75 million. A responsible party with respect to a Great Lakes pipeline must establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility (e.g., evidence of insurance or a bond) in a certain amount. Under current law, the Department of Transportation (DOT) may issue an emergency order to impose restrictions, prohibitions, and safety measures on owners and operators of gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facilities without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing if they are necessary to abate an imminent hazard. This bill eliminates DOT's emergency order authority with respect to gas pipeline facilities. The bill expands DOT's emergency order authority with respect to hazardous liquid pipeline facilities, including by allowing DOT to impose restrictions, prohibitions, and safety measures if it: (1) discovers reliable evidence that the pipeline is violating conditions required for its operation that were previously agreed upon between the responsible party and a state, tribal, or local government; or (2) determines, after consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard, that inadequate resources are available to respond to and clean up an oil spill during seasonal conditions or conditions expected or caused by an extreme weather event, or the responsible party cannot demonstrate that it has sufficient financial resources to satisfy the liability limits in the event of an oil spill incident.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
Vehicle Innovation Act of 2017 This bill authorizes appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application of vehicles and related technologies for FY2018-FY2022. The bill requires DOE to: conduct a program of research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application activities (R&D activities) on materials, technologies, and processes with the potential to substantially reduce or eliminate petroleum use and the emissions of U.S. passenger and commercial vehicles; ensure that it continues to support R&D activities and maintains competency in mid- to long-term transformational vehicle technologies with potential to achieve reductions in emissions; carry out a research, development, and demonstration program on the secondary uses of electric vehicle batteries and develop guidelines for projects that demonstrate the secondary uses and innovative recycling of such batteries; carry out a program of R&D activities on advanced vehicle manufacturing technologies and practices; carry out a program of cooperative research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities on advanced technologies for medium- to heavy-duty commercial, vocational, recreational, and transit vehicles; conduct a competitive grant program to demonstrate the integration of multiple advanced technologies on Class 8 (heavy-duty) truck and trailer platforms; develop standard testing procedures and technologies for evaluating the performance of advanced heavy vehicle technologies under a range of representative duty cycles and operating conditions and evaluate heavy vehicle performance using work performance-based metrics other than those based on miles per gallon and appropriate metrics based on the work performed by nonroad systems; and undertake a pilot program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial applications of technologies to improve total machine or system efficiency for nonroad mobile equipment and seek opportunities to transfer relevant research findings and technologies between the nonroad and on-highway equipment and vehicle sectors. DOE may construct heavy-duty truck and bus testing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2017
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to publish a copy of the most recent pipeline response plan for each onshore oil pipeline on a public website maintained by DOT.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Advancing America's Missile Defense Act of 2017 This bill directs the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to use Department of Defense (DOD) policies to accelerate the development, testing, and fielding of the redesigned kill vehicle, the multi-object kill vehicle, the C3 booster, a space-based sensor layer, an airborne laser on unmanned aerial vehicles, and an additional missile defense site, including the completion of any outstanding environmental impact statements for an additional missile defense site on the east coast or in the midwest regions of the United States. DOD shall, subject to National Missile Defense funding, increase the number of U.S. ground-based interceptors by 28. The MDA shall report to Congress on: (1) infrastructure requirements to increase the number of ground-based interceptors at Missile Field 1 and Missile Field 2 at Fort Greely to 20 ground-based interceptors each, (2) increasing the capacity of the ground-based mid-course defense element of the ballistic missile defense system, (3) the status of the integrated layers of missile defense radars, and (4) a revised missile defense testing campaign plan that accelerates the development and deployment of new missile defense technologies. DOD, by December 31, 2021, shall: (1) execute any requisite construction to ensure that such missile fields or alternative fields at Fort Greely are capable of supporting and sustaining additional ground-based interceptors, (2) deploy 14 additional ground-based interceptors to field 1 or an alternative field at as soon as technically feasible, and (3) identify a ground-based interceptor stockpile storage site for a minimum of 14 ground-based interceptors. The MDA shall develop, test, and deploy a highly reliable space-based missile defense sensor architecture for the ground-based midcourse defense system that provides specified functions and capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Recognizes the 100th anniversary of the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and honors the valor, commitment, and sacrifice that officers of the NOAA Corps have displayed throughout its history.
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
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
Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017 This bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President shall instruct the Department of State to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force to strengthen State Department efforts and assist other agency efforts at atrocity prevention and response. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to provide for the training of Foreign Service Officers in conflict and atrocity crimes prevention. The Director of National Intelligence is encouraged to include in his or her annual testimony to Congress on threats to U.S. national security: (1) a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes; and (2) specific countries and regions at immediate risk of atrocity crimes, including most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators, and at-risk target groups. The bill establishes the Complex Crises Fund to enable the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes. Fund amounts may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Condemns: (1) killings of peaceful protesters and excessive use of force by Ethiopian security forces; (2) the detention of journalists, students, activists, and political leaders who exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression through peaceful protests; and (3) abuse of the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation to stifle political and civil dissent and journalistic freedoms. Urges protesters in Ethiopia to refrain from violence and from encouraging or accepting violence in demonstrations. Calls on the government of Ethiopia to take specified steps, including to fully lift the state of emergency, end the practice of excessive force by security forces, grant the United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Human Rights and U.N. Special Rapporteurs full access to conduct a comprehensive independent examination of the state of human rights in Ethiopia, and repeal proclamations that can be used to harass individuals or organizations engaging in peaceful political dissent or that prohibit funding for civil society organizations working for respect for constitutional rights, the rule of law, and protection of human rights. Calls on: (1) the Department of State to share with Congress the results of a review of security assistance and improve oversight of U.S. assistance to Ethiopia; (2) the U.S. Agency for International Development to lead efforts to develop a strategy to support improved democracy and governance in Ethiopia; and (3) the President to apply appropriate sanctions on foreign persons or entities responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against any nationals in Ethiopia. Supports the peaceful efforts of the Ethiopian people to exercise their constitutional rights.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that allows eligible students with loans under the Federal Direct Loan program (a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan) to refinance their loans down to the lower rates offered to new federal borrowers in the 2016-2017 school year under certain circumstances. In addition, the bill allows student borrowers to refinance their private loans into the Federal Direct Loan program. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax).
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Supports the designation of the Department of Defense Laboratory Day in celebration of the work of the national network of laboratories and engineering centers of the U.S. Armed Forces. Recognizes: (1) that a key to maintaining Armed Forces superiority, innovation, and competitiveness in a global economy is to continue to support federally sponsored research and development; and (2) such network's scientists, technicians, and support staff. Acknowledges that the knowledge base, technologies, and techniques generated in such network serve as a foundation for additional efforts relating to the Armed Forces in the defense industrial base. Commits to finding ways to increase investment in such network. Encourages such network, federal agencies, and Congress to hold an outreach event on May 18, 2017.
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
Firefighters Retention Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the use of Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants to change the status of part-time or paid-on-call firefighters to full-time firefighters.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program under which HHS may make grants to states (including federally recognized Indian tribes and organizations) for the purpose of: (1) reviewing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths (maternal deaths); (2) establishing and sustaining a maternal mortality review committee to review relevant information; (3) ensuring that the state department of health develops a plan for ongoing health care provider education in order to improve the quality of maternal care, disseminate findings, and implement recommendations; (4) disseminating a case abstraction form to aid information collection for HHS review and preserve its uniformity; and (5) providing for the public disclosure of information included in state reports. The bill defines "pregnancy-associated death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the cause of death. It defines "pregnancy-related death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the pregnancy's duration, from any cause related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy or its management, excluding any accidental or incidental cause. States shall develop procedures for mandatory reporting to their departments of health by health facilities and professionals concerning maternal deaths and for voluntary reporting of such deaths by family members. States shall investigate each case and prepare a case summary for each case, to be reviewed by the committee and included in applicable reports. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct HHS to take specified steps to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Consumer Financial Choice and Capital Markets Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to allow a money market fund, under specified conditions, to elect to operate using a different method of valuation than is otherwise required. A money market fund that elects to do so shall not be subject to specified requirements related to the imposition of liquidity fees. Certain federal assistance may not be provided directly to any money market fund. This limitation on federal assistance must be disclosed in a money market's advertising and sales literature.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Rural Wireless Access Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish a consistent methodology for its collection of coverage data about the available speed tiers and performance characteristics of commercial mobile and data service for the Universal Service program or any similar programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act This bill prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for job applicants or employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Specifically, the bill declares that it is an unlawful employment practice to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations of such job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. The bill sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must provide examples of reasonable accommodations that shall be provided to affected job applicants or employees unless the employer can demonstrate that doing so would impose an undue hardship. The bill prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2017
Keep Our Pension Promises Act This bill repeals the elimination of the pension anti-cutback provisions under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The anti-cutback provisions prohibit reductions in pension benefits to participants in multiemployer pension plans. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), with respect to partitions of eligible multiemployer plans, to modify the procedures and allow plan sponsors to petition the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for a partition of additional financially-troubled pension plans. The PBGC must establish a legacy fund to cover the administrative and benefit costs resulting from a partition. The Department of the Treasury must transfer amounts to the fund that are equal to the increase in revenues as a result of specified provisions of this bill that amend the Internal Revenue Code. The provisions amend the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a limit of $1 million on the exemption of the gain from the exchange of real property in a like kind exchange, (2) prohibit the use of like kind exchanges for collectibles, and (3) limit contributions and require increased minimum distributions for individuals with certain retirement plans with balances that exceed $5 million (adjusted for inflation after 2017). The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to assign first claim priority to pension obligations under ERISA.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2017
Childhood Outcomes Need New Efficient Community Teams or the CONNECT Act This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make joint, competitive grants to state child-welfare and juvenile-justice agencies for the purpose of facilitating or enhancing collaboration between them in order to address the needs of youth who come into contact with both systems. HHS may offer training and technical assistance to the agencies regarding the development of programs and protocols.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2017
Federal Adjustment in Reporting Student Credit Act of 2017 or the FAIR Student Credit Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow a person to request the removal of a previously reported default regarding a qualified education loan from a consumer report if: (1) the lender chooses to offer a loan-rehabilitation program that requires a number of consecutive on-time monthly payments equal to the number of payments specified in a default reduction program under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and (2) the consumer of the loan successfully and voluntarily meets the requirements of that loan-rehabilitation program. A consumer may obtain such rehabilitation benefits only once per loan. The Government Accountability Office shall report on any hurdles borrowers experience with the private loan-rehabilitation program.
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
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2017 This bill amends the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 to reauthorize for FY2019-FY2023 the national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program and the action strategy of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. The task force must include a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each required scientific assessment of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters must examine freshwater harmful algal blooms that originate in freshwater lakes or rivers and migrate to coastal waters. Federal officials may determine whether a hypoxia (a deficiency of oxygen) or harmful algal bloom event is an event of national significance and give funding to the affected state or local government for assessing and mitigating the event's environmental, economic, social, and public health effects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Supports designation of National Foster Care Month, and recognizes it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster care system.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Philippines Human Rights Accountability and Counternarcotics Act of 2017 This bill prohibits exporting defense articles or services, or issuing licenses for export of any item controlled by the United States for law enforcement, riot control, or related purposes, for use by the Philippine National Police or associated entities, with exceptions for the exportation of defense articles or the provision of training for maritime law enforcement, criminal justice programs, human rights training, or counter-terrorism programs for such police. The President may, with prior congressional notice, waive such restrictions in the U.S. national interest. The bill makes specified FY2017-FY2018 funds available to support human rights, democracy, and public health in the Philippines. The Department of State shall report to Congress: (1) annually for five years regarding foreign assistance cases related to the Philippine National Police or associated entities submitted for vetting for having committed human rights violations; (2) annually regarding Chinese and other sources of narcotics production in the Philippines; (3) regarding whether U.S. military assistance and arms transfers provided for such police are used to commit human rights violations or have been used in violation of other U.S. laws applicable to military or security assistance; and (4) regarding partner capacity building assistance to the Philippines to enhance maritime capabilities, respond to emerging threats, and maintain freedom of operations in international waters and airspace in the Asia-Pacific maritime domains.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Taiwan Travel Act This bill states that it should be U.S. policy to: (1) allow officials at all levels of the U.S. government to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, (2) allow high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, and (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan to conduct business in the United States. Officials at all levels of the U.S. government are authorized to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts. The Department of State shall report to Congress regarding travel by U.S. executive branch officials to Taiwan.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2017
Save Women's Preventive Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand preventive care and screening coverage for women under a group health plan. Under current law, a group health plan must provide preventive care and screening coverage for women as prescribed for in the comprehensive guidelines by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The bill repeals that condition, and instead, specifies the following preventive care and screenings must be covered under a group health plan: comprehensive lactation support services; screening for adolescents and women for interpersonal and domestic violence; screening for gestational diabetes mellitus; screening for cervical cancer; directed behavioral counseling for sexually transmitted infections; prevention education, risk assessment, and screening for HIV; contraceptive care; screening for breast cancer; and well-woman preventive care visits. The bill authorizes states to require group health plans to provide more generous coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
This bill extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 through FY2017, including provisions concerning secure payments to eligible states, territories, and counties containing federal land. The bill: (1) sets forth special rules for state and county payments for FY2016, and (2) requires all FY2016 payments to be made within 45 days of enactment of this bill. No funds made available to eligible counties under such Act may be used in lieu of, or to otherwise offset, a state funding source for a local school, facility, or educational purpose. The merchantable timber contracting pilot program is repealed. The bill extends through FY2019 the authority under such Act to initiate special projects on such federal lands and certain county activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Democratic Governance Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of State to work through nongovernmental organizations to provide public health commodities, basic food commodities, and related technical assistance to Venezuela. The State Department shall submit a multi-year strategy to Congress that: (1) describes how the United States will secure international support for the provision of humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, (2) identifies governments that will provide financial and technical assistance, and (3) identifies financial and technical assistance to be provided by multilateral institutions. The State Department shall work: (1) with the Organization of American States to ensure international observation that contributes to free and transparent electoral processes in Venezuela; and (2) to defend internationally recognized human rights for the people of Venezuela, support the efforts of independent media outlets to share information beyond the limited channels made available by the Venezuelan government, facilitate open access to the Internet, and to combat government corruption. The bill declares it to be U.S. policy to increase engagement with the governments in the Caribbean region and with the private sector and civil society in the United States and in the Caribbean. The State Department shall report to Congress regarding the involvement in corruption of senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the National Electoral Council, the judicial system, and government security forces. The bill amends the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 to: (1) direct the President to impose sanctions on any current or former official of the Venezuela government who is determined to have perpetrated significant acts of public corruption or actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions, and (2) extend the requirement to impose sanctions under such Act until December 31, 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 2 May 2017
Equality Act This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. The bill defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. The bill expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. The bill prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The bill revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The bill prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Employers must recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. The bill provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. DOJ may intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin shall include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. The bill prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. The bill amends Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act or the COAST Anti-Drilling Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease or other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Atlantic, or the Straits of Florida planning areas.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Moving Americans Privacy Protection Act This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to revise requirements regarding the public disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the manifest of vessels or aircraft entering any U.S. port or place to direct the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure that any such information, including social security numbers, passport numbers, and residential addresses, are removed from any manifest signed and transmitted to the CBP before it is disclosed to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 201 7 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing or renewing a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
National Historic Vehicle Register Act of 2017 This bill directs the National Park Service (NPS) to establish and maintain a National Historic Vehicle Register which shall include: (1) a narrative describing each historic vehicle and its historical significance, (2) a photographic record of the vehicle, and (3) a line drawing or engineering drawing of the vehicle. Such register shall be archived in the Library of Congress. The NPS shall: (1) coordinate with the Historic Vehicle Association, American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, and other appropriate organizations in order to invite owners of historic vehicles to participate in the register; and (2) develop criteria for the inclusion of historic vehicles on the register. When developing such criteria, the NPS shall consider whether a vehicle is: (1) associated with an important event or a significant individual in automotive or U.S. history; (2) distinctive based on design, engineering, craftsmanship, or aesthetic value; or (3) of a particular type that was the first or last produced or among the most well-preserved or authentically restored examples of that type.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from revising the approved Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for FY2017-FY2022. (Interior approved the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's proposed final Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for FY2017-FY2022 on January 17, 2017.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Preserving Data in Government Act of 2017 This bill requires that any open government data that is made available to the public for at least 90 consecutive days must: (1) remain machine-readable, available in an open format, and part of the worldwide public domain or, if necessary, be published with an open license; and (2) not be altered in such a way as to decrease its machine-readable nature. It shall not be a violation of such requirement to alter: (1) the digital location or format of open government data for routine asset maintenance or long-term archiving if such alteration does not decrease the open public accessibility or the machine-readable nature of the data, or (2) the contents of such data to update it or correct an error. Any substantial alteration of the data's contents shall be recorded in a log that is made available to the public in an open format along with the data. An agency may remove such data from public availability if: the agency determines that the data is too costly to maintain or does not provide sufficient value to the public, the agency publishes specified notice at least six months in advance of such removal, and the data is available for download on the worldwide public domain for at least six months before such removal. This bill shall not apply to such data that is required to be removed from public availability or altered under another provision of law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017 This bill expands the TRICARE health care program to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Cost-sharing may not be imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Such pregnancy prevention care shall include: (1) all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (2) contraceptive care, (3) sterilization procedures, and (4) patient education and counseling. The Department of Defense shall establish a uniform standard curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces. Every military treatment facility, upon request, shall provide emergency contraception, information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, and notification of confidentiality rights to any woman who: (1) states, or is accompanied by another individual who states, that the woman is a victim of sexual assault; or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire at least 50 Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists, place each one at an eligible VA medical center, and ensure that each one serves as part of a justice team in a veterans treatment court or other veteran-focused court. An eligible VA medical center is one that: complies with all VA guidelines and regulations for placement of a specialist; works with a veteran with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system; maintains an affiliation with one or more veterans treatment courts or other veteran-focused courts; and either routinely provides specialists, or establishes a VA-approved plan to provide specialists, to serve as part of a justice team in such a court. The VA shall prioritize the placement of specialists at eligible VA medical centers that have an affiliation with such a court that: (1) was established after the date of this bill's enactment, or (2) was established before such date and is not fully staffed with specialists.
![Official portrait of Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000595_200.jpg)