United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Consumer Health Options and Insurance Competition Enhancement Act or the CHOICE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer, throughout the United States, a public health insurance option that provides value, choice, competition, and the stability of affordable, high-quality coverage. Plans under the public health insurance option must be qualified health plans and must include plans with bronze, silver, and gold tier benefits. (Qualified health plans are sold on health insurance exchanges, are the only plans eligible for premium subsidies, and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.) HHS must establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option. States may establish advisory councils to provide recommendations to HHS on the operations and policies of the public health insurance option. HHS must collect data to establish rates for premiums and health care provider reimbursement and for other purposes. Premium rates for public health insurance option plans must: (1) fully finance administrative costs and provided health benefits, and (2) include a contingency margin. HHS must negotiate rates for health care providers and prescription drugs under the public health insurance option. If HHS is unable to reach a negotiated agreement on rates, HHS must use Medicare rates. States may not tax federal receipts or disbursements attributable to the operation of the public health insurance option. HHS must establish conditions for participation by health care providers in the public health insurance option. A provider participating in Medicare or Medicaid is a participant in the public health insurance option unless the provider opts out.
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2017
Recognizes the cultural and historical significance of the Lunar New Year. Expresses, in observance of this Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rooster, the deepest respect of the House of Representatives for Asian Americans and all individuals throughout the world who celebrate this significant occasion. Wishes Asian Americans and all individuals who observe this holiday a happy and prosperous new year.
United States · United States Congress · 23 January 2017
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1025 Nevin Avenue in Richmond, California, as the "Harold D. McCraw, Sr. Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
Safeguard our Elections and Combat Unlawful Interference in Our Democracy Act or the SECURE Our Democracy Act This bill directs the Department of State to submit within 120 days a list of each foreign person that: (1) was at any time since January 1, 2015, involved in actions to unlawfully access, disrupt, misappropriate, influence, or alter information related to U.S. political parties, federal election candidates, or the administration of federal elections; or (2) worked or acted as an agent or instrumentality of, or on behalf of, or that was otherwise associated with, such foreign person. The unclassified portion of such list shall be made available to the public and published in the Federal Register. A listed alien shall be ineligible to receive a U.S. entry visa, and any current visa shall be revoked. Such prohibitions shall also apply to an alien who is an official of, an agent or instrumentality of, or working or acting on behalf of, a listed foreign entity or government if such alien knowingly authorized, conspired to commit, was responsible for, engaged in, or otherwise assisted or facilitated such prohibited actions. The President, through the Department of the Treasury, shall: (1) freeze and prohibit a listed foreign person's transactions in property and property interests that are in the United States or controlled a U.S. person, and (2) require each financial institution that is a U.S. person and has within its possession or control such property or property interests to certify that it has frozen all such assets.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2017
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2017 This bill establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. The bank's board of directors shall be responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. The board is authorized to: (1) make loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds. The bank shall establish a risk management committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for financial assistance; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure; (5) provide financial recommendations to the board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for such bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such bonds. The board shall approve criteria established by the bank's executive committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. The bill sets forth criteria to be considered by the board for each type of infrastructure project. The executive committee shall conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance. Financial assistance for an infrastructure project: (1) shall be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations, and (2) shall not exceed 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs. Bank bonds shall be exempt from state or local government taxation. Assisted projects must comply with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes. The board shall establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. The bill establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount equal to the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such bonds is to be appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
This bill amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. No less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount or $10 million, whichever is greater, shall be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
No Religious Registry Act of 2017 This bill prohibits U.S. government officers or employees from collecting information or utilizing a registry or database to classify or surveil on the basis of religious affiliation: (1) U.S. nationals, (2) aliens lawfully present in the United States, or (3) aliens who apply for a visa or seek admission to the United States or on whose behalf a petition under the immigration laws is submitted. The bill also prohibits studies related to the collection of such information or the establishment or utilization of such a registry or database. Nothing in such prohibition may be construed to prohibit the collection of information that is provided voluntarily, and from which personally identifiable information is removed, to be used strictly for statistical purposes that do not violate this bill. Federal entities are prohibited from: (1) awarding a contract to an entity to collect information or establish a registry that would violate this bill, or (2) purchasing information on religious affiliation from a nonfederal entity for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2017
Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicare coverage to include eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2017
Supports the designation of Darwin Day. Recognizes Charles Darwin as a worthy symbol on which to celebrate the achievements of reason, science, and the advancement of human knowledge.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2017
Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities to exclude from gross income subsidies provided (directly or indirectly): (1) by a public utility to a customer, or by a state or local government to a resident of such state or locality, for the purchase or installation of any water conservation or efficiency measure; and (2) by a storm water management provider to a customer, or by a state or local government to a resident of such state or locality, for the purchase or installation of any storm water management measure.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of State to provide assistance to entities taking specified criminal and judicial actions against individuals who are suspected of committing genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes in Iraq since January 2014 or in Syria since March 2011. The State Department shall encourage foreign governments to identify and prosecute individuals who are suspected of committing such crimes, including members of foreign terrorist organizations operating in Iraq or Syria. The Department of Justice shall review existing criminal statutes concerning genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes to determine: the extent to which U.S. courts have jurisdiction over such crimes where the perpetrators or victims are U.S. nationals, residents, or persons present in a U.S. territory; current statutes that would apply to such conduct and whether additional statutory authorities are necessary; and the extent to which the absence of criminal statutes defining the crimes or granting jurisdiction impede their prosecution in U.S. courts. The State Department shall identify: threats of persecution, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against members of Iraqi or Syrian religious or ethnic groups that are minorities in Iraq or in Syria with respect to whom the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has committed such crimes in Iraq or Syria since January 2014, or who are members of other persecuted religious or ethnic groups; humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs of these individuals; and assistance provided by the United States, the U.N., and other entities, including faith-based entities. Aliens who are, or were, a national and a resident of Iraq or Syria, and who share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution on account of membership in a religious or ethnic minority in that country: (1) are deemed to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States; and (2) shall be eligible for priority-2 processing under the refugee resettlement priority system. The Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 is amended to extend: (1) refugee set-asides for nationals of the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania; and (2) the period of eligibility for status adjustment from a parolee who was denied refugee status to a lawfully admitted permanent resident for certain aliens from the former Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. The Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 is amended to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. The bill establishes a transition period during which a percentage of employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas are reserved as follows: for FY2017, 15% of such visas are allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011; for FY2018, 10% of such visas are allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012; and for FY2019, 10% of such visas are allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2015. During the transition period, not more than 25% of the total number of the reserved EB-2 and EB-3 visas shall be allotted to natives of a single country. For FY2015-FY2017, not more than 85% of the unreserved EB-2 and EB-3 visas shall be allotted to natives of a single country. Amendments made by this bill shall apply beginning in FY2017.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Honoring our Heroes Act This bill permits, where there is no living immediate next of kin of a deceased member of the Armed Forces, a covered relative to request the one-time free replacement of certain military decorations of such deceased member. "Covered relative" means a relative of a deceased recipient of a military decoration who is: (1) not the immediate next of kin; and (2) related within the fourth degree of consanguinity to the deceased recipient, or a more distant relative if determined appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Collaborative Academic Research Efforts for Tourette Syndrome Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand, intensify, and coordinate NIH research on Tourette syndrome. The NIH must: (1) develop a system to collect data on Tourette syndrome, including epidemiological information and data on the availability of medical and social services for individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families; (2) support Collaborative Research Centers for Tourette Syndrome to conduct basic and clinical research; (3) award grants for research on Tourette syndrome symptoms and treatment options for particular patient subpopulations; (4) designate funding to carry out Tourette syndrome programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Restoring Access to Medication Act of 201 7 This bill repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 10 January 2017
Credit Union Residential Loan Parity Act This bill amends the Federal Credit Union Act to allow a credit union to extend a member business loan with respect to a one- to four-family dwelling, regardless of whether the dwelling is the member's primary residence. Under current law, a member business loan may be extended with respect to such a dwelling only if it is the member's primary residence.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2017
Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017 This bill requires the President and Vice President to submit to Congress and the Office of Government Ethics a disclosure of financial interests. Among the contents of such disclosure, the President and Vice President shall: (1) include a detailed description of each financial interest of the President and Vice President, the spouse of the President and Vice President, or a minor child of the President and Vice President; and (2) include the tax returns filed by or on behalf of the President and Vice President for the three most recent taxable years. The President, the Vice President, the spouse of the President or Vice President, and any minor child of the President or Vice President must divest any financial interest posing a potential conflict of interest by transferring such interest to a qualified blind trust. Within a reasonable period of time after such financial interest is transferred to a qualified blind trust, the trustee of such trust shall: (1) sell the financial interest; and (2) use the proceeds from the sale of the financial interest to purchase conflict-free holdings. The Office of Government Ethics shall submit to Congress, the President, and the Vice President an annual report regarding the financial interests of such officials, their spouses, and any of their minor children. The Attorney General, the attorney general of any state, or any person aggrieved by a violation of divestiture requirements posing a potential conflict of interest may seek declaratory or injunctive relief if: (1) the Office of Government Ethics is unable to issue a report indicating whether the President or Vice President is in substantial compliance with such divestiture requirements; or (2) there is probable cause to believe the President or the Vice President has not complied with such requirements. The bill amends the federal criminal code to require the recusal of presidential appointees from decisions affecting the financial holdings of a President or the spouse of a President. Prohibitions pertaining to contracts entered into by Members of Congress are extended to contracts by the President or Vice President. The bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the disclosure of tax returns by the incumbent President and presidential nominees of a major political party for the three most recent taxable years. The bill declares the sense of Congress that a violation of the divestiture requirements of this bill or the Ethics in Government in Government Act of 1978 by the President or the Vice President would constitute a high crime or misdemeanor.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission on Foreign Interference in the 2016 Election to examine any attempts or activities by the Russian government or other governments, persons or entities associated with such governments, or persons or entities within Russia to use electronic means to influence, interfere with, or sow distrust in elections for public office held in the United States in 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 This bill includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the President and certain candidates for President to disclose federal income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years in reports filed with either the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) or the Federal Election Commission (FEC), in the case of a candidate. The OGE or the FEC must make the disclosed tax returns publicly available after making appropriate redactions. If the income tax returns are not disclosed as required by this bill, the OGE or the FEC must request the returns from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the IRS, upon receiving a written request from the FEC or the OGE, to provide any income tax return that is required to be disclosed under this bill. The bill also establishes civil and criminal penalties for failing to file or falsifying income tax returns that are required to be disclosed pursuant to this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 5 January 2017
Declares that a viable and sustainable two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Calls for the United States to continue to: support a durable and sustainable two-state solution; oppose, and if necessary, veto future United Nations Security Council resolutions that seek to impose solutions to final status issues or that are one-sided and anti-Israel; and work with Israelis and Palestinians to create the conditions for successful final-status peace negotiations.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2017 This bill redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the state of Georgia as the "Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park." The bill replaces the current boundary map with a map of a proposed boundary revision dated June 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2017
Calls upon President-elect Donald J. Trump to: (1) follow the precedent established by prior Presidents and convert his assets to conflict-free holdings, adopt blind trusts, or take other equivalent measures to ensure compliance with the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution; and (2) not use the powers or opportunities of his position as President-elect or President of the United States for any purpose related to the Trump Organization. Declares that in the absence of such actions or specific authorization by Congress, Congress regards dealings that Donald Trump, as President, may have through his companies with foreign governments or entities owned or controlled by foreign governments to be potential violations of such clause.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund through FY2022. This bill amends the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 to authorize Department of the Interior to award a multi-year grant to carry out a project that is an effective, long-term conservation strategy for great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, or gibbons) and their habitats. Interior is required to convene a panel of experts to identify the greatest needs and priorities for the conservation of great apes within a year and every five years thereafter. Current law authorizes Interior to convene a panel to consider the greatest conservation needs every two years. The panel is required to consider relevant great ape conservation plans or strategies. This bill amends the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004 to make a wildlife management authority of a U.S. territory eligible for financial assistance for marine turtle conservation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safe Freight Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Railroad Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Route 66 Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the Route 66 Centennial Commission to honor Route 66 on the occasion of its centennial anniversary. The Department of Transportation shall prepare a plan on the preservation needs of Route 66.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2017 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. The bill prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts for human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Expanding Care for Veterans Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan to expand the scope of VA's research and education on, and delivery and integration of, complementary and alternative medicine services. The VA shall carry out, through its Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, a three-year program to: (1) assess the feasibility and advisability of integrating the delivery of selected complementary and alternative medicine services with other VA health care services for veterans, and (2) identify and resolve barriers to providing such services and integrating them with other VA health services. Such program shall be conducted at not fewer than 15 VA medical centers by integrating the provision of complementary and alternative medicine services with other VA health care services provided to veterans who have a mental health condition, experience chronic pain, or have a chronic condition. Veterans' participation shall be voluntary. The VA shall contract with a qualified independent entity for comprehensive studies of the barriers encountered by veterans in receiving, and by administrators and clinicians in providing, complementary and alternative medicine services through the VA. Such studies shall be conducted through surveys of veterans and VA administrators and clinicians. The VA shall carry out a three-year program awarding grants to public or private nonprofit entities to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members who are eligible for readjustment counseling from the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2017
Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training Act or the ENLIST Act This bill authorizes the enlistment in the Armed Forces of aliens unlawfully present in the United States on December 31, 2012, who: (1) have been continuously present in the United States since such date; (2) were younger than 15 years of age when they initially entered the United States; and (3) are otherwise eligible for original enlistment in a regular component of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. The Department of Homeland Security shall adjust the status of an alien enlisted under such authority to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act applicable to aliens who entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972. The bill rescinds such lawful permanent resident status if the alien is separated from the Armed Forces under other than honorable conditions before serving the term of enlistment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 This bill authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Defense; the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); the National Security Agency (NSA); the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy, and Justice; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill authorizes FY2017 appropriations for: (1) the Intelligence Community Management Account, and (2) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. The ODNI must: (1) submit a five-year investment strategy for outreach and recruiting efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that includes cybersecurity and computer literacy; (2) implement a multisector workforce initiative to enable the intelligence community to build and maintain an appropriate ratio of employees and core contractors; (3) issue guidance regarding the intelligence community's engagements with the entertainment industry; and (4) implement a uniform policy to ensure the independence of inspectors general of the intelligence community, the ODNI, the CIA, the NSA, the DIA, the NGA, and the NRO. For FY2017 and FY2018, personnel of the intelligence community must be managed solely on the basis of: (1) the workload required to carry out intelligence community functions, and (2) the funds made available for each such fiscal year. Management of intelligence personnel during this period shall not be subject to any constraint or limitation in terms of man years, end strength, positions, or maximum number of employees. DHS's national cybersecurity and communications integration center must carry out a program to provide assistance to certain critical infrastructure entities to reduce the risk of regional or national catastrophic harm caused by a cyber attack. The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive is redesignated as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center with a director to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The bill revises or sets forth requirements for: the ODNI to participate in fund-raising events for nonprofit organizations that support intelligence community employees and their families, CIA employee death and retirement benefits, publication of the logos of terrorist organizations, space-based environmental monitoring missions and acquisition programs to meet national security requirements for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery, an evaluation of aerial imagery technologies that can be used to share intelligence with other countries as a replacement for the current regime of observation flights, a declassification review of intelligence reports regarding past terrorist activities of detainees transferred or released from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a concept for a combined interagency space operations center and an updated strategy for national security satellite systems. The bill establishes an executive branch interagency committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments. The State Department must coordinate with the FBI and the ODNI to establish a mandatory advance notification regime governing all travel by accredited diplomatic and consular personnel of the Russian Federation in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 November 2016
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 This bill authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Defense; the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); the National Security Agency (NSA); the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy, and Justice; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA); and the Department of Homeland Security. The bill also authorizes FY2017 appropriations for: (1) the Intelligence Community Management Account, (2) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund, and (3) the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The ODNI must submit a five-year investment strategy for outreach and recruiting efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that includes cybersecurity and computer literacy. Higher minimum pay rates may be established for positions that require STEM expertise. The bill establishes an executive branch interagency committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments. It places travel restrictions on personnel and consulars of the Russian Federation in the United States. The ODNI must implement a uniform policy to ensure the independence of inspectors general of the intelligence community, the ODNI, the CIA, the NSA, the DIA, the NGA, and the NRO. Inspectors general must report directly to Congress when an employee's urgent concern involving classified information or false statements appears credible. The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive is redesignated as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, with a director to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The bill also revises or sets forth requirements for: the ODNI to participate in fundraising events for nonprofit organizations that support intelligence community employees and their families; CIA employee death and retirement benefits; publication of the logos of terrorist organizations; space-based environmental monitoring missions and acquisition programs to meet national security requirements for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery; an evaluation of aerial imagery technologies that can be used to share intelligence with other countries as a replacement for the current regime of observation flights; a declassification review of intelligence reports regarding past terrorist activities of detainees transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and a concept for a combined interagency space operations center and an updated strategy for national security satellite systems.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2016
No Religious Registry Act This bill prohibits U.S. government officials from collecting information or utilizing a registry or database to classify on the basis of religious affiliation: (1) U.S. nationals or aliens lawfully present in the United States, or (2) aliens who apply for a visa or seek admission to the United States or on whose behalf a petition under the immigration laws is submitted. The bill also prohibits studies related to the collection of such information or the establishment or utilization of such a registry or database. Nothing in this bill may be construed to prohibit the collection of information that is provided voluntarily, including information relating to the decennial census.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
National Guard Bonus Repayment and Financial Relief Act This bill requires the Army to review all bonuses, incentive pays, or similar benefits received by members of the Army National Guard between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010, to determine if such benefits were issued erroneously and to either: (1) waive repayment of such an erroneous payment if the member concerned fully satisfies any period of service otherwise agreed to or imposed upon the member in connection with receipt of the payment; or (2) repay any such erroneous payment and any interest that was repaid by a member before this bill's enactment if the member fully satisfies any such period of service. The Army may require an Army National Guard member to repay any such erroneous payment upon determining that: (1) the member knowingly received the benefit through fraud or misrepresentation in which the member participated, or (2) repayment is otherwise consistent with provisions governing repayment of unearned pay. For any such member granted relief under this bill, the Army shall: (1) notify all consumer credit reporting agencies that any debt subject to the relief was never valid, and (2) provide assistance to the member facing financial hardship as a result of recoupment actions taken in connection with receipt of the payment. A consumer reporting agency notified of the invalidity of such a debt may not, after the date of notice, make any consumer report containing information relating to the debt.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
Presidential Accountability Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime for the President or Vice President to personally and substantially participate in official matters that affect their financial interests, unless the financial interests are held in a blind trust or the President or Vice President discloses the financial interests and receives an exemption. It imposes criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both—on a President or Vice President who commits the offense. It also authorizes civil penalties and injunctions. Additionally, a violation constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor (i.e., grounds for impeachment) under Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. Finally, the bill prohibits the President or Vice President from entering into contracts with the U.S. government.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016
Openness in Political Expenditures Now Act or OPEN Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require a corporation that submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders to include in each such report specified information on disbursements it has made for certain political activity (including independent expenditures and electioneering communications) during the period covered by the report. The amount of disbursements reported, however, is limited to the amount that equals or exceeds the applicable threshold for the covered political activity. "Applicable threshold" for a disbursement is defined as: (1) $250 for an independent expenditure, (2) $10,000 for an electioneering communication or another kind of communication meeting specified criteria, and (3) the amount of the applicable limitation on contributions in effect for payment of dues or other amounts to a trade association or to a tax-exempt social welfare organization. A Corporation reporting such expenditures shall: (1) file a statement about them with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and (2) post on its website (if any) a hyperlink from its homepage to this statement on the EAC website. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax exemption for a social welfare organization if: (1) its expenditures for the taxable year for covered political activity exceed the lesser of 10% of its total expenditures or $10 million, or (2) its governing instrument does not effectively prohibit its expenditures for a covered political activity from exceeding these thresholds.
United States · United States Congress · 15 November 2016
This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system at 5901 East 7th Street, Long Beach, California, as the "Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center."
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016
Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans; and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans, and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 560 East Pleasant Valley Road, Port Hueneme, California, as the "U.S. Naval Construction Battalion 'Seabees' Fallen Heroes Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016
Declares that the House of Representatives supports the Arctic Council's work and remains committed to ensuring that the United States fulfills its responsibilities as an Arctic nation and asserts leadership on issues affecting the Arctic.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2016
Declares that the House of Representatives has heard with profound sorrow of the death of the Honorable Mark Takai, a Representative from Hawaii. Declares that when the House adjourns on September 14, 2016, it adjourn as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 830 Kuhn Drive in Chula Vista, California, as the "Jonathan 'J.D.' De Guzman Post Office Building."
![Official portrait of Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/677d870dfdb6cf36bbb649b3_200.jpg)