United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Board Enhancement Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish: (1) a Small Business Advisory Board to advise and consult with the CFPB in the exercise of its functions under the federal consumer financial laws regarding financial products or services provided for use by consumers primarily for personal, family, or household purposes and to provide information on emerging practices of small businesses that provide such products or services; and (2) a Credit Union Advisory Council and a Community Bank Advisory Council to advise and consult with the CFPB on consumer financial products or services that impact credit unions and community banks, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017
VA Prescription Data Accountability Act 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to disclose information about an individual who is dispensed medication prescribed by a VA employee or by a non-VA provider authorized to prescribe such medication by the VA (currently, about a veteran or the dependent of a veteran) to a state controlled substance monitoring program to the extent necessary to prevent misuse and diversion of prescription medicines.
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 · 29 June 2017
Keeping Capital Local for Underserved Communities Act of 2017 This bill specifies that certain reciprocal deposits shall not be considered to be brokered deposits. (Brokered deposits are subject to additional regulatory requirements, including those related to liquidity.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Financial Stability Oversight Council Insurance Member Continuity Act This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to modify the term of the independent member with insurance expertise of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to allow the current member to continue to serve in the event of a delay in the naming of a successor by the end of the member's six-year term. In such a case, the independent member may continue to serve until 18 months after the end of the term or until a successor is confirmed, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Department of Defense Software Management Improvement Act of 2017 This bill modifies Department of Defense (DOD) software devleopment standards to permit the use of open source software. Open source software is software with a source code that any individual can inspect, modify, and enhance. A software contractor must release source code and related technical data for such software in a public repository approved by DOD. DOD shall apply open source licenses to existing custom-developed computer software and release related source code and technical data into the repository.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Volunteer Pilot Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 to protect a volunteer pilot from civil liability for harm caused while operating an aircraft on behalf of a nonprofit organization that arranges flights for public benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas Act or the SHIPS Act This bill declares that it shall be the policy of the United States to have available, as soon as practicable, at least 355 battle force ships, comprised of the optimal mix of platforms, with funding subject to the annual authorization and appropriation of funds.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
This bill repeals the requirement that the Department of Defense appoint or assign voting assistance officers as part of its voting assistance programs for members of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
TRICARE Expedited Evaluation and Treatment for Prenatal Surgery Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Defense to implement processes and procedures to ensure that a covered TRICARE program beneficiary whose pregnancy is complicated with a fetal anomaly or suspected of being so complicated receives, at the beneficiary's discretion, expedited evaluation and treatment from a perinatal or pediatric specialist capable of providing surgical management and intervention in utero.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Department of Defense Talent Management Improvement Act of 2017 This bill suspends for FY2018-FY2022 the fiscal year limit on the number of: (1) commissioned officers serving on active duty in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Navy; or (2) officers on active duty Reserve or full-time National Guard duty.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit a report to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services that identifies the authorities DOD recommends be provided to the Commander and the acquisition executive of the U.S. Special Operations Command to develop, acquire, and sustain special operations-peculiar technology, equipment, and services that are equivalent to the authorities of the Secretaries and acquisition executives of the military departments for the development, acquisition, and sustainment of technology, equipment, and services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2017
Promotion Board Opt-Out Opportunity Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to permit an active duty officer or a reserve active-status list officer to request exclusion from consideration by a selection board for promotion to the next higher grade. A military department may approve such a request only if: (1) the basis for the request is to allow an officer to complete a broadening assignment, advanced education, another assignment of significant value to DOD, or a career progression requirement delayed by the assignment or education; (2) the military department concerned determines that such exclusion is in its best interest; and (3) the officer has not previously failed to be selected for promotion to the grade for which such exclusion is requested.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2017
Caregiver Program Information Improvement Act of 2017 This bill requires pre-separation counseling for members of the Armed Forces to include a description of Department of Veterans Affairs family caregiver assistance and support services, including information about covered veterans, eligible caregivers, and program assistance and support. Each military department shall take actions: (1) to determine whether each member of the Armed Forces who is undergoing pre-separation counseling and may require caregiver services has identified a caregiver; and (2) at the member's election, to permit such caregiver to participate in pre-separation counseling sessions in order to be informed of assistance and support services available to caregivers and the manner in which the member's transition to civilian life may affect the caregiver.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Improving Access to Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
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 · 13 June 2017
Charities Helping Americans Regularly Throughout the Year Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify several tax provisions affecting charitable contributions and tax-exempt organizations. The Internal Revenue Service may determine the standard mileage rate for deducting the cost of using a passenger automobile for charitable purposes (currently set by statute at 14 cents per mile), and the rate may not be less than the rate for medical purposes (17 cents per mile for 2017). The bill modifies the substantiation requirements for charitable contributions to eliminate an exemption for contributions that are reported on a return filed by a tax-exempt organization. Tax-exempt organizations must file their returns in electronic form. The bill excludes from the gross income of an individual who is at least 70-1/2 years of age up to $100,000 in distributions from an individual retirement plan to a donor-advised fund (DAF). The bill also modifies disclosure requirements for DAFs. (A DAF is a fund or account that is separately identified by reference to contributions of a donor or donors. The account is owned and controlled by a sponsoring charitable organization, while the donor retains advisory privileges with respect to the distribution and investment of funds in the account.) The bill reduces from 2% to 1% the excise tax on the investment income of private foundations and eliminates a provision that reduces the rate to 1% if a foundation meets certain distribution requirements. The bill exempts certain philanthropic business holdings from the tax on excess business holdings of private foundations if a foundation meets requirements for exclusive ownership, donating all profits to charity, and independent operation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2017
Patient Choice and Quality Care Act of 2017 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to create and test a new Medicare model for advanced illness and care management that would enable certain Medicare beneficiaries with serious, chronic progressive, or advanced illnesses, to voluntarily engage in a planning process to obtain specialized care consistent with their health care goals. At least one participant in this model must be a hospice program. The model requires an interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurses, and social workers to work together to provide beneficiaries and their caregivers with information and services on disease trajectory, treatment options, and available care. Information on advance care planning must be included in the Medicare & You Handbook. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must: (1) award grants to certain public or private entities to increase awareness of advance care planning and advanced illness care, (2) establish the Advance Care Planning Advisory Council to advise HHS on issues relating to advanced and terminal illnesses, and (3) issue an annual report analyzing the circumstances of deceased Medicare beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2017
Commemorates the victims killed in the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016. Honors the survivors of the attack and pledges continued support for their recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Increasing Transferability of Entitlement to Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill provides that in a case in which a post-9/11 educational assistance entitlement is transferred to a dependent and the service member transferor subsequently dies, the dependent may transfer some or all of such entitlement to another dependent to whom entitlement was already transferred by the service member.
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 · 6 June 2017
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 This bill amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to provide that the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism shall have the rank of ambassador and be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Special Envoy shall: (1) be a person of recognized distinction in the field of combating anti-Semitism or religious freedom; (2) serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the U.S. government relating to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement in foreign countries; and (3) report directly to the Secretary of State.
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
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 201 7 This bill amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the amount of benefits excludible, and (2) make the tax exclusion permanent.
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 · 22 May 2017
Veterans To Enhance Studies Through Accessibility Act of 2017 or the Veterans TEST Accessibility Act This bill permits veterans to get reimbursed under the Post-9/11 educational assistance program for an approved licensing, certification, or national test at a pro-rated amount based on such test's actual cost. (Current law requires that veterans be charged a whole month of entitlement to pay for any such test.) The bill provides that a national test that evaluates prior learning and knowledge and provides an opportunity for course credit at an institution of higher learning shall be eligible for such reimbursement.
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 · 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 · 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
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
Lifesaving Gear for Police Act This bill invalidates any regulation, rule, guidance, recommendation, or policy issued after May 15, 2015, that limits the sale or donation of excess federal property to state and local law enforcement agencies unless enacted by Congress. Additionally, it prohibits the use of federal funds to implement such regulation, rule, guidance, recommendation, or policy. Property that was recalled or seized on or after May 15, 2015, must be returned, replaced, or reissued to the state or local law enforcement agency.
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
Veteran Small Business Export Promotion Act This bill amends the Small Business Act to prohibit the Small Business Administration (SBA) from assessing a guarantee fee in connection with a loan made to a veteran or spouse of a veteran beginning the first fiscal year after enactment of this bill under the SBA's Export Working Capital, International Trade, or Export Express programs. If the President's budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes a cost for such a program that is above zero, this prohibition shall not apply to loans made during such upcoming fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 May 2017
Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 This bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims appeals system. The bill permits a veteran to appeal within one year by: (1) requesting a review of the agency of original jurisdiction's (AOJ) decision by a higher-level adjudicator within AOJ using the same evidentiary record; (2) filing a supplemental claim with a regional office that includes the opportunity to submit additional evidence and have a hearing; or (3) appealing directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, with the opportunity to select an expedited review to submit new evidence but without a hearing, or to select a review with the option to submit new evidence and request a hearing. A veteran may: (1) maintain the original effective date of a claim if he or she submits new and relevant evidence within one year of the most recent decision, and (2) retain the services of attorneys and accredited agents who charge a fee when the AOJ provides notice of the original decision. The VA's statutory duty to assist a veteran terminates after the original decision. The bill: (1) requires the VA to issue decision notification letters, (2) permits certain veterans who initiated an appeal prior to the bill's effective date to opt-in to the new appeals system, (3) authorizes the VA to conduct a pilot program to test such system, and (4) requires the VA, prior to full implementation, to certify to Congress that it has sufficient resources and personnel to carry out the legacy and new appeals systems.
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
Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2017 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2017 This bill makes a series of changes to expand coverage of telehealth services under Medicare, including by exempting certain telehealth services (e.g., specified renal dialysis and stroke evaluation services) from originating site requirements.
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
Marketplace Fairness Act of 201 7 This bill authorizes each member state under the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (the multistate agreement for the administration and collection of sales and use taxes adopted on November 12, 2002) to require all sellers not qualifying for a small-seller exception (applicable to sellers with annual gross receipts in total U.S. remote sales not exceeding $1 million) to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to remote sales under provisions of the agreement, but only if such agreement includes minimum simplification requirements relating to the administration of the tax, audits, and streamlined filing. The bill defines "remote sale" as a sale of goods or services into a state in which the seller would not legally be required to pay, collect, or remit state or local sales and use taxes unless provided by this bill. The bill also prohibits states from beginning to exercise the authority granted by this bill for a specified period after enactment.
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 · 25 April 2017
Honors National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day on April 9, 2017. Commemorates the 75th anniversary of the fall of Bataan in the Philippines on April 9, 1942. Applauds the Japanese government's efforts toward a historic apology for the maltreatment of U.S. prisoners of war by Imperial Japan.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
This bill prohibits uniformed service agencies or the Department of Defense (DOD) from altering the amount of the locality-based travel and transportation per diem allowances or reimbursements to which certain uniformed service members or civilian DOD employees are entitled based on the duration of temporary duty assignments or official travel in a locality. The bill nullifies the DOD policy implemented on November 1, 2014, regarding reductions in per diem allowances based on the duration of temporary duty assignments or civilian travel. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 is amended to repeal the modifications to the flat rate per diem requirements for DOD military and civilian personnel on long-term temporary duty assignments.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
TSP Modernization Act of 2017 This bill modifies the rules relating to withdrawals from the Thrift Saving Plan (TSP) accounts of former federal employees and Members of Congress. Under current law, such employees and Members may make only one partial withdrawal upon reaching age 59-1/2 while employed or one withdrawal after retirement. The bill permits an unlimited number of such withdrawals. The bill also eliminates: (1) the withdrawal election deadline (i.e., by April 1 of the year after the year in which the plan participant turns 70-1/2 or is separated from service); and (2) the limitation on age-based in-service withdrawals.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
This bill entitles members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Purple Heart for service occurring on or after September 11, 2001, to educational assistance under the Department of Veterans Affairs' Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program. Such individuals are also eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require certain municipal obligations to be treated as level 2B liquid assets if they are investment grade, liquid, and readily marketable. Under current law, corporate debt securities and publicly traded common-equity shares, but not municipal obligations, may be treated as level 2B liquid assets (which are considered to be high-quality assets).
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2017 or the BUILD Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to: (1) revise and reauthorize brownfields revitalization funding through FY2020, and (2) reauthorize state response programs through FY2020. (Brownfields are certain commercial properties that are hindered from reuse or redevelopment due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.) Certain nonprofit organizations and community development entities are made eligible for brownfields revitalization funding. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must establish a program to provide multipurpose grants to carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, or remediation activities at brownfield sites. The brownfield site characterization and assessment grant program is revised by authorizing eligible governmental entities to receive grants for property that was acquired before January 11, 2002, even if the entities do not qualify as bona fide prospective purchasers. The bill increases the cap on the amount that may be given in grants and loans for each site to be remediated. The EPA must establish a program to provide grants to: (1) carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, feasibility analysis, design, or remediation activities to locate a clean energy project at brownfield sites; and (2) capitalize a revolving loan fund for those purposes.