United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2020
CFO Vision Act of 2020 This bill establishes or modifies provisions to provide for standardized government-wide financial management requirements. Each agency Chief Financial Officer must oversee and provide leadership in the areas of budget formulation and execution, planning and performance, risk management, internal controls, financial systems, and accounting. The bill requires the government-wide financial management plan to include actions for improving financial management systems, strengthening the federal financial management workforce, and linking performance and cost information to budget decision-making. The bill requires (1) the development of financial management performance-based metrics, and (2) an assessment of performance by such metrics to be included in the government-wide and agency-level financial management plans and status reports.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020
2020 ESOP Fairness Act This bill allows certain over-the-counter securities to be treated as publicly traded employer securities for purposes of the diversification requirements for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2020
Homecare for Seniors Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from health savings accounts (HSAs) to be used for qualified home care. Qualified home care includes a contract to provide three or more of the following services in the residence of the service recipient assistance with eating, assistance with toileting, assistance with transferring, assistance with bathing, assistance with dressing, assistance with continence, and medication adherence. The Department of Health and Human Services must carry out a campaign to increase public awareness of the in-home service expenses that are eligible for tax-free distribution from HSAs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2020
This resolution supports (1) observing National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 5, 2020, to recognize (1) the female athletes who represent schools, universities, and the United States in their athletic pursuits; and (2) the vital role that the people of the United States have in empowering girls and women in sports. The resolution supports (1) marking the observation of such day with legislative efforts to ensure equal pay for female athletes and to protect young athletes from sexual abuse; and (2) efforts to promote equality in sports, including equal pay and equal access to athletic opportunities for girls and women, and to support the U.S. commitment to expanding athletic participation for all girls and future generations of women athletes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020
Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution This concurrent resolution requires the congressional budget committees to conduct an annual joint hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General regarding (1) the Government Accountability Office's audit of the financial statement of the executive branch, and (2) the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2020
This resolution commemorates the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp and honors victims of the Holocaust. The resolution also calls on the United States to continue to work to end genocide and recommits to combatting all forms of anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020
Cybersecurity State Coordinator Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to appoint a Cybersecurity State Coordinator in each state, whose duties shall include (1) advising on developing and maintaining secure and resilient infrastructure, (2) serving as the principal federal cybersecurity risk advisor, and (3) facilitating the sharing of cyberthreat information between federal and nonfederal entities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020
Improving Mental Health Care for Veterans Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to complete the development of a clinical practice guideline or guidelines for the treatment of serious mental illness. Under the bill, such guidelines must address the treatment of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and persistent mood disorder (including bipolar disorder I and II). The VA must establish the Serious Mental Illness Work Group with the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop such clinical practice guideline or guidelines. Finally, the VA must complete an assessment of the 2016 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Major Depressive Disorders to determine if an update is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020
Chronic Disease Management Act of 2020 This bill modifies requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs) to permit the high deductible health plans required for an HSA to provide care for chronic conditions with no deductible. The bill covers any service or item used to treat a chronic condition if (1) such service or item is low-cost, (2) there is medical evidence of the effectiveness of such service or item, and (3) there is a strong likelihood that the use of such service or item will prevent the exacerbation of the chronic condition or the development of a secondary condition that requires significantly higher cost treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020
Border Patrol Pay Security Act of 20 20 This bill changes how border patrol agents receive overtime pay when working up to 100 hours in a two-week period. For hours worked above 80, an agent is compensated at a rate of at least 150% of the agent's regular hourly rate.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020
Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas Act This bill directs the Health Resources and Services Administration to award up to 100 grants for federally qualified health centers or rural health clinics to provide accredited continuing medical education to their primary care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2020
Helping Expand and Launch Transitional Health for Women Veterans Act or the HEALTH Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue through at least FY2020 and report on the Women's Health Transition Training pilot program. Among other elements, the report should include the number of female participants by military department, the number of courses held under the program, and the locations where the courses were held.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2020
January 8th National Memorial Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the January 8th National Memorial in Tucson, Arizona, as an affiliated area of the National Park System in commemoration of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in Tucson on January 8, 2011. The January 8th Memorial Foundation shall transfer to Pima County the total amount of final funding pledges, in addition to the amounts that the foundation has raised and transferred to the county for the construction of the memorial. The memorial shall be constructed on land owned by Pima County. The bill makes the county responsible for managing the construction contract for the memorial using the funds provided by the foundation which were pledged, raised, and transferred. The foundation shall cease its operations on the later of when (1) final funding pledge amounts have been paid to Pima County, or (2) construction of the memorial has been completed. Pima County shall (1) be the memorial's management entity, and (2) be responsible for the construction and operation of the memorial. Interior shall develop a general management plan for the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Boundary Modification Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire specified private or state lands or interests by donation, exchange, or purchase from willing sellers in order to expand the boundaries of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Arizona. Two parcels of specified federal land, one administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and one by the Bureau of Land Management, are transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion in the monument. Specified NPS land is transferred to the BIA to be used for the San Carlos Irrigation Project. Interior may enter into an agreement with Arizona to provide for cooperative management of approximately 200 acres of specified state trust lands.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act This bill withdraws 1,006,545 acres of federal lands in Arizona, including any land or interest in land acquired by the United States after enactment of this bill, from entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws and mineral materials laws. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of uranium stockpiles in the United States that are available to meet future national security requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act This bill provides for the registration of insurance savings and loan holding companies. Certain Federal Reserve Board (FRB) regulations as applied to these companies must be tailored to the insurance business and applicable state insurance requirements. The bill generally excludes assets attributable to the business of insurance for the purpose of calculating whether these companies are subject to certain FRB assessments and fees.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019
Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act This bill extends the period during which the Department of the Interior may make grants or provide assistance for the Yuma Crossing Heritage Area in Arizona through FY2036.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2019
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) it is the civic duty of the people of the United States to help ensure that the 2020 Census is as accurate as possible; (2) the federal government, state and local governments, civil society, businesses, religious institutions, libraries, and other national and local organizations should work together as partners to inform the public that the 2020 Census is safe, easy, and important; (3) individuals who want to help administer the 2020 Census should apply for a job at 2020census.gov/jobs; and (4) U.S. residents should plan to respond to the 2020 Census to ensure that all people living in a household in the United States are included.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2019
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2019 This bill allows additional hospitals to qualify as critical access hospitals (CAHs) that receive special payment under Medicare. Currently, in order to qualify as a CAH under Medicare, a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (or 15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area. The bill allows a hospital to also qualify if the hospital is a small, rural hospital that (1) serves a health professional shortage area, or a high number of low-income individuals or Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries; (2) has experienced financial losses for two consecutive years; and (3) attests to having a strategic plan to address financial solvency.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2019
Temporary Judgeship Conversion Act of 2019 This bill converts certain temporary district court judgeships to permanent judgeships in specified judicial districts in Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
This bill requires the Department of Transportation to provide technical and financial assistance to metropolitan planning organizations and states for the completion of Tier II environmental impact statements for the development of Interstate 11 in Arizona.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019
Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act or the NOPAIN Act This bill temporarily establishes separate payments for certain non-opioid treatments under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services and the payment system for ambulatory surgical center services. The bill applies to pain management treatments that are able to replace or reduce opioid consumption, as shown through clinical trials or data.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide employment authorization for eligible asylum applicants. Currently, such individuals are not entitled to employment authorization but may be granted such by the Department of Justice. DHS shall grant employment authorization to an asylum seeker (1) who is not in detention, (2) whose application for asylum has not been deemed frivolous, and (3) whose identity has been checked against certain databases. Such employment authorization shall last for one year and be renewable for one-year terms during the period necessary to adjudicate the applicant's asylum claim. The bill also shortens the waiting period for receiving employment authorization to 30 days from the filing of the asylum application.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2019
Veterans Health Administration Caregiver Retention and Eligibility Determination Act of 2019 or the VHA CRED Act of 2019 This bill requires the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prescribe regulations, administrative guidance, and management controls applicable to the credentialing of certain appointed health care positions. Under the bill, VHA personnel who verify credentials for appointees, review qualifications for such persons, or hire such persons must undergo periodic training to review relevant law and policy regarding provider qualifications for VHA employment. The bill requires the VHA to enroll health care appointees in continuous query of their record within the National Practitioner Data Bank. The VHA must also develop and implement a mechanism for monitoring the continuous query and updating information within the VA's credentialing system. At least once a year, the VHA must audit its appointed health care employees who have an adverse action reported on the National Practitioner Data Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2019
Southwest Tourism Expansion Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to waive the requirement to issue arrival-departure cards to certain Mexican nationals. Specifically, the waiver shall apply to a Mexican national who is (1) eligible for nonimmigrant admission into the United States, (2) exempt from visa and passport requirements or certain existing (and generally more limited) arrival-departure card requirements, and (3) admitted at a port of entry in Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border for visiting Arizona for up to 30 days. The waiver program shall be in effect for five years. Before the program expires, DHS shall report to Congress on issues including (1) the estimated economic impact of the program, and (2) the number of Mexican nationals who overstayed their visa in Arizona during the first four years in which the program was in effect.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2019
This resolution congratulates and expresses pride in Dr. Jessica U. Meir and Christina H. Koch for successfully completing the first all-female spacewalk in history. The resolution also supports the efforts of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to (1) fully integrate women into the astronaut corps, and (2) ensure that one of the next humans to walk on the Moon shall be a woman.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2019
Tax Payment Clarification Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that installment payment of taxes on deferred foreign income shall not prevent a credit or refund of overpayments of tax or an increase in estimated taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Improving and Reinstating the Monitoring, Prevention, Accountability, Certification, and Transparency Provisions of Opportunity Zones or the IMPACT Act This bill provides statutory authority for annual reporting requirements by qualified opportunity funds and taxpayers investing in such funds and sets forth the information required in the reports. The bill imposes penalties for failure to comply with such reporting requirements. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to make publicly available annual reports on qualified opportunity funds, including, among other things, the number of such funds and the aggregate amount of assets held in such funds. Treasury must also provide additional information in every fifth year on the impacts and outcomes of a designation of a census tract as a qualified opportunity zone using specified economic indicators. Treasury must also establish procedures to protect against disclosure of return information that can be associated with any particular taxpayer or competitive or proprietary information.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Know Your Social Security Act This bill requires the Social Security Administration to provide Social Security account statements by mail to each individual who is 25 or older and who is eligible for, but not currently receiving, Social Security retirement benefits. Individuals may choose to receive their account statements electronically.
United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019
Veteran Pension Protection Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) to implement methods and systems to address potential financial exploitation of individuals who receive VA pensions for non-service-connected disability, death, or service. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to develop a method for soliciting and collecting information on complaints received, referrals made, and actions taken by the VA pension management centers in cases of potential financial exploitation. The VA must also (1) develop a plan to regularly assess the collected information to identify trends of potential financial exploitation, (2) and outline actions it can take to improve education and training to address those trends. The bill requires the VBA to update guidance and training curriculum for claims processors regarding the evaluation of questionable medical expenses on pension applications, develop a method for identifying and tracking the number of individuals who have received pension overpayments, conduct an evaluation of the feasibility and advisability of requiring claims processors to take additional actions to verify direct deposit information, identify legislative or administrative actions that would ensure pension payments are provided to the correct recipients, ensure that specified pension documents include a notice that the VA does not charge a fee in connection with the filing of a pension application, and develop a plan for educating vulnerable individuals about potential financial exploitation relating to the receipt of the specified pensions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2019
Advancing Support for Working Families Act This bill allows individual taxpayers an election to advance up to $5,000 of the child tax credit in the year of birth or adoption of an applicable qualifying child (a child, other than an eligible foster child, who has a specified relationship to the taxpayer and meets certain age, residency, and support requirements). The bill sets forth a special rule for parents who do not qualify for the full refundable portion of the child tax credit. The advance amount for such parents is the lesser of $5,000, or 25% of their earned income amount for the taxable year. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on matters relating to taxpayers who make an election to advance the child tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2019
Restore the Partnership Act This bill establishes the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations of the United States. The commission shall, among other things, provide a forum for discussing ways to improve the administration and coordination of federal grant-in-aid, regulatory, tax, and other programs requiring intergovernmental cooperation, and identify the intergovernmental impacts of rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court on federal, state, tribal, and local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2019 This bill establishes a presumption, for purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care benefits and wartime disability compensation, that a veteran was exposed to certain toxins, chemicals, and hazards from burn pits if such veteran served on active duty in a covered location during a specified time frame. A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air. Specifically, the bill identifies the following covered locations and corresponding time periods Iraq, between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, as well as from March 19, 2003, until burn pits are no longer used in this location; Southwest Asia (including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates), from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; Afghanistan and Djibouti from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; and other locations and time periods set forth by the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry or determined by the VA. Under the bill, if an exposed veteran submits insufficient evidence to establish a service-connection for purposes of disability compensation, the VA shall provide a medical examination and request medical opinions regarding a causal link between the disability and a toxin, chemical, or hazard.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
K9s for Veterans Therapy Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to assess the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder through a method where veterans train service dogs for veterans with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
Better and Robust Screening Today Act or the BRST Act This bill revises revises coverage of primary and preventive health services for women under the TRICARE program to include the use of digital breast tomosynthesis in breast cancer screening.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019
This resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing. The resolution also honors the bravery and skill of Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard F. Gordon, the crew of Apollo 12; commends the efforts of all of the individuals of the United States who contributed to the achievement of the Moon landing; and supports continued U.S. leadership in the exploration and use of space through human spaceflight.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2019
Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to take the 55.3 acres of land of the Blackwater Trading Post in Pinal County, Arizona, which is bordered and owned by the Gila River Indian Community, into trust for the benefit of the community after it (1) conveys to Interior all of its interest in such land, and (2) submits a request for Interior to take such land into trust for it. The land that is taken into trust shall be treated as part of the community's reservation. The bill prohibits gaming on any of the land taken into trust.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Continuity for Operators with Necessary Training Required for ATC Contract Towers Act of 2019 or the CONTRACT Act of 2019 This bill exempts certain air traffic controllers from a required reduction in their retirement annuity payment on account of earnings from certain work performed while entitled to such annuity. Under current law, retired Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers receive an annuity payment during the period between the mandatory retirement age of 56 and the social security minimum age of 62. Such annuity payment is required to be reduced by a certain percentage of any excess earnings during this period. The bill exempts from such reduction in annuity payments an air traffic controller who participates in the Air Traffic Control Contract Program (a public-private partnership for air traffic control services) following mandatory retirement.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019
Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for hospitals that have addiction or pain medicine programs, with an aggregate increase of 1,000 positions over a five-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2019
Protecting Social Workers and Health Professionals from Workplace Violence Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations for providing safety measures to social workers, health workers, and human services professionals performing services placing such individuals in high-risk and potentially dangerous situations.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019
Sergeant Daniel Somers Veterans Network of Support Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a two-year pilot program on information sharing between the VA and designated persons regarding the assistance and benefits available to veterans. Under the program, volunteer participants who are in the Armed Forces and are transitioning to civilian life shall designate up to 10 persons to receive information on specified services and benefits from the VA.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through 2027 the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program within the Department of the Treasury. The Government Accountability Office must report on insurance coverage of cyberterrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019
Drought Relief through Innovative Projects Act of 2019 or the DRIP Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a competitive grant program to (1) remove nonnative plant species in riparian areas that contribute to drought conditions, (2) replace those nonnative plant species with native plant species, and (3) maintain and monitor riparian areas in which nonnative plant species have been removed and replaced.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2019
Fair Access for Individuals to Receive Leave Act or the FAIR Leave Act This bill repeals the limitation on the aggregate number of workweeks of leave husbands and wives employed by the same employer may be entitled to under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2019
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill modifies and reauthorizes through FY2025 programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Among other things, the bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019
21st Century Space Grant Modernization Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions relating to the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall carry out the program with the objective of providing hands-on research, training, and education programs with measurable outcomes in each state. NASA shall carry out the program through a space grant consortium in each state. The bill revises the purposes of the program to support space research programs that promote equally the state and regional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) interests of each space grant consortium. NASA shall award grants to the lead institution of each state's space grant consortium to carry out at least three of six specified research, training, and education programs. The bill repeals certain provisions relating to the program, including provisions establishing the space grant review panel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2019
National Purple Heart Honor Mission Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the mission of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. The bill limits the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2022. The bill prescribes surcharges for coin sales, which shall be paid to the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, Inc., to support the mission of such organization, including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Honor Mission facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2019
CBP Hiring and Retention Innovation Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take certain actions to improve hiring and retention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel. Specifically, DHS must (1) establish a council to develop initiatives for improving hiring and retention efforts; and (2) implement pilot programs, based on council initiatives and other relevant information, at least annually over the course of a five-year period. DHS must implement programs that focus on ports of entry or other duty stations, as well as U.S. Border Patrol duty locations, with severe workforce shortages, critical hiring needs, or retention challenges.
United States · United States Congress · 7 November 2019
This resolution designates November 4–8, 2019, as National Veterans Small Business Week, expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Veterans Small Business Week, celebrates the millions of people in the United States—especially veterans and their spouses—who benefit from Small Business Administration programs, and expresses appreciation for the continued service of the nation's veterans through small business ownership and entrepreneurship.
![Official portrait of Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [I-AZ]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001191_200.jpg)