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![Official portrait of Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000464_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
3,396 records where Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Same Day Registration Act This bill requires states with a voter registration requirement to make same-day voter registration available at the polling place on any day voting is permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Military Widow's Tax Elimination Act of 2019 This bill modifies the Department of Defense's Survivor Benefit Plan and how it operates in relation to other benefits. The plan currently provides a monthly annuity (based on a percentage of a service member's retirement pay) to an eligible beneficiary upon the death of the service member. Currently, if a surviving spouse is also entitled to dependency and indemnity compensation, the annuity paid under the plan will be reduced. The bill repeals certain provisions that require the offset of the plan annuity from amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation. Under current law, upon the request of the surviving spouse, the military branch concerned is authorized to pay an annuity to the service member's dependent children instead of to the surviving spouse. The bill restores the annuity to an eligible spouse who previously elected to transfer payment to a dependent child.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Improving Rural Access to Power Act of 2019 This bill authorizes Federal Home Loan Banks to purchase certain securities from cooperatives that (1) have certain investment experience involving the Rural Utilities Service, and (2) have received financing from the Federal Financing Bank.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish a working group to (1) identify obstacles to safe, humane, and market-efficient transport of livestock, insects, and agricultural commodities; and (2) develop guidelines and recommended regulatory or legislative actions to improve the safe, humane, and efficient transport of livestock, insects, and agricultural commodities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts Act of 2019 or the BRAVE Act of 2019 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for (1) burial and funeral expenses of veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall also increase such amounts each fiscal year to account for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
This bill allows direct payment, under the Medicare program, to physician assistants for certain services furnished to enrollees.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2019
This joint resolution calls on the United States and Congress to immediately address climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 This bill eliminates the five-month waiting period for disability benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord). Under current law, individuals must wait five months after becoming disabled before their disability insurance benefit payments may begin.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of one Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician; one Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Christine Darden, for her service to the United States as an aeronautical engineer; two Congressional Gold Medals in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, in recognition of their service to the United States during the Space Race; and one gold medal in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) between the 1930s and the 1970s.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2019 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2019
Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2019 This bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act or the DRIVE-Safe Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. (Preclearance is the process of receiving federal preapproval before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.) In addition, the bill expands voting access on tribal lands.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment services for congenital anomalies and birth defects, such as reconstructive services and prosthetics. Coverage must include services that functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part that is medically necessary for normal bodily functions or appearance, as determined by the treating physician.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Parental Bereavement Act of 2019 or the Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act This bill entitles an eligible employee to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of the death of a son or daughter. Such an employee may substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay. The bill applies the same leave entitlement to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2019
Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act of 2019 This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1980, as radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2019
Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act This bill funds through FY2090 the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Additionally, the bill modifies the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): to allow claims to be filed until October 2089, to require VCF policies and procedures to be reassessed at least once every five years (currently, at least once annually), to require claimants to be paid for the amount by which a claim was reduced on the basis of insufficient funding, to remove the cap on noneconomic damages in certain circumstances, and to adjust the annual limit on economic loss compensation for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2019 This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (robocall) fraud targeting seniors. The office must (1) disseminate to seniors and their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC's national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, where complaints become immediately available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state attorneys general, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies; (2) provide, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC's enforcement action; and (3) maintain a website as a resource for information on fraud targeting seniors. The FTC must establish procedures through the office to (1) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who believe they have fallen victim to such fraud in the Consumer Sentinel Network and to make such complaints immediately available to federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities; and (2) provide individuals with information on such fraud, including the most common schemes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
B-47 Ridge Designation Act This bill designates the mountain ridge that runs south and west of Emigrant Peak in the Absaroka Range in Montana, which is where an Air Force B-47 strategic bomber crashed while on a training mission in 1962, as the "B-47 Ridge." The bill permits the installing of a plaque on the ridge in memory of such crash.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Deborah Sampson Act This bill implements or expands various programs and services related to health care, readjustment assistance, legal and supportive services, newborn care, and benefits for women veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Department of Veterans Affairs Tribal Advisory Committee Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs to advise the VA on matters relating to Native American tribes, tribal organizations, and Native American veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Fairness For Breastfeeding Mothers Act of 2019 This bill requires that certain public buildings that are open to the public and contain a public restroom provide a lactation room, other than a bathroom, that is hygienic and is available for use by members of the public to express milk. The lactation room must be shielded from public view, be free from intrusion, and contain a chair, a working surface, and (if the building is supplied with electricity) an electrical outlet.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2019 This bill modifies the qualifying service requirement of the teacher loan forgiveness program for certain military spouses who have student federal loans. Under current law, an otherwise qualified full-time teacher must complete five consecutive years of service to be eligible for the teacher loan forgiveness program. This bill permits a teacher who completes five full-time years of nonconsecutive service to be eligible for loan forgiveness if the teacher's spouse was relocated by the military.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
First Responder Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned Act of 2019 or the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act This bill allows disabled federal first responders (e.g., law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, and firefighters) to continue receiving federal retirement benefits in the same manner as though they had not been disabled. Under current law, federal first responders are subject to a mandatory retirement age of 57. To facilitate this earlier retirement, federal first responders are required to pay a greater percentage of their salary towards retirement. Additionally, their annuity amount is calculated at a higher rate than other federal employees. This bill allows a federal first responder to remain in the accelerated retirement system if they are placed in another civil service position outside of that system after returning to work from a work-related injury or illness. Further, if such an employee is separated from service before they are entitled to receive an annuity, they may receive a refund of their accelerated contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Social Security Fairness Act This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government job. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receives government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill includes certain lymphedema compression treatment items as covered durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Military Reserve Jobs Act of 2019 This bill establishes tiered hiring preferences for members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces. The bill grants (1) a 2-point preference to current members of a reserve component who have completed at least 6 years of service in a reserve component and were credited with at least 50 retirement points in each year of service, and (2) a 3-point preference to current members of a reserve component who have completed a least 10 years of service and were credited with at least 50 retirement points in each year of service. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on federal employment opportunities for members of a reserve component and the impact of this bill on the hiring of reservists and veterans by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 201 9 This bill modifies several tax provisions that refer to married couples to make the provisions equally applicable to legally married same-sex couples.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
Living Donor Protection Act of 2019 This bill prohibits discrimination based on an individual's status as a living organ donor in the offering, issuance, cancellation, coverage, price, or any other condition of a life-insurance policy, disability-insurance policy, or long-term-care insurance policy. The bill also specifically includes recovery from organ-donation surgery as a serious health condition that entitles covered private-sector and federal civil-service employees to medical leave. The Department of Health and Human Services must update public-service announcements, websites, and other media regarding live organ donation to educate the public on the benefits of live organ donation and on access to insurance for living organ donors.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
America's Public Land Act of 2019 This bill reaffirms that it is U.S. policy to retain public land in federal ownership unless its disposal has been authorized by an Act of Congress; to retain management authority over public land, except where a nonfederal individual or entity is authorized to exercise management authority pursuant to an Act of Congress or another applicable law; and that retention of public land and the management authority over it is in the public interest. Neither the Department of the Interior nor of Agriculture shall approve or permit the conveyance of public land or the granting of management authority over such land to nonfederal individuals or entities except as authorized by an Act of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2019
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked (C-THRU) Act of 2019 This bill establishes a series of requirements relating to drug rebates and discounts under Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA). Specifically, for each pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) that contracts with a prescription drug plan (PDP) under Medicare or MA, or with a qualified health benefits plan offered through a health insurance exchange, HHS must publish on its website (1) the amount and type of rebates and discounts negotiated by the PBM and the extent to which these rebates and discounts are passed on to the plan sponsor, and (2) the difference between the amount paid by the plan sponsor to the PBM and the amount paid by the PBM to pharmacies. As a condition of participation as a contractor under Medicare or MA, a PBM must pass on to a PDP sponsor a minimum percentage, as established by HHS, of the amount of rebates and discounts negotiated by the PBM that are attributable to patient utilization under the plan. The bill also modifies requirements regarding Medicare enrollees' access to negotiated drug prices. Current law requires a PDP sponsor to provide enrollees in Medicare or MA with access to negotiated drug prices that account for rebates and discounts. The bill requires that, with respect to a covered drug, a negotiated price (or, if necessary, an approximate negotiated price) be provided at the point of sale.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping Drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2019 This bill requires manufacturers of drugs with specified percentage increases in their wholesale costs to submit to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) written justification for certain increases in drug prices. The CMS shall publish each submission, together with an easily understandable summary, on its website. Certain proprietary information may be excluded from publication, as specified by the bill. A manufacturer that does not comply with the bill's requirements shall be subject to civil monetary penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Native American Suicide Prevention Act of 2019 This bill requires a state or state-designated entity that receives support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for development and implementation of a statewide youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategy to agree to collaborate with each of the state's federally recognized Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and Native Hawaiian health care systems regarding the strategy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2019
Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 This bill nullifies the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services guidance titled "State Relief and Empowerment Waivers," published on October 24, 2018. The guidance pertains to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers), which allow states to forego certain requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in order to implement experimental plans for health care coverage, as long as the resulting coverage meets certain statutory criteria. The guidance, which supersedes earlier guidance from 2015, alters agency interpretation of how states may satisfy the statutory criteria for waiver approval. For example, the guidance (1) redefines acceptable coverage under such waivers to include short-term, limited-duration insurance and association health plans; (2) allows the comprehensiveness and affordability of coverage under such waivers to be assessed based on projected availability, rather than enrollment; and (3) allows the level of coverage to be assessed based on the effects over the entire course of the waiver, rather than per year.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2019
President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush Coin Act This bill requires the issuance of $1 coins bearing the image of President George H.W. Bush for a one-year period beginning on January 1, 2019, and bullion coins bearing the image of Barbara Bush during that same period.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2019
Employer Participation in Repayment Act of 2019 This bill expands the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans by an employer to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2019
This bill extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 through FY2020, including provisions concerning secure payments to eligible states, territories, and counties containing federal land.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2019 or the Autism CARES Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and revises several programs and activities relating to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among other things, the bill reauthorizes provisions relating to (1) expanded ASD research at the National Institutes of Health; (2) ASD education, early detection, and intervention activities supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration; and (3) the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The bill also generally revises the scope of such programs and activities to encompass ASD individuals of all ages, rather than only youth.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Carbon Capture Modernization Act This bill modifies sequestration and other requirements for the qualifying advanced coal project tax credit.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Survivors' Access to Supportive Care Act or SASCA This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements to address the adequacy of access to sexual-assault examinations. Among other things, the bill establishes (1) a grant program for states to assess the availability of specified providers to perform sexual-assault examinations; (2) a multiagency pilot program to improve training for, and access to, such providers; (3) reporting requirements for hospitals regarding community access to such providers; and (4) a grant program for provider training in rural and tribal settings.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2019 This bill expands treatment for veterans with psychological trauma caused by sexual abuse or harassment that occurred during military service.
United States · United States Congress · 7 February 2019
Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act This bill establishes that a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be disqualified from receiving certain U.S. international development assistance solely because the organization provides medical services using non-U.S. government funds if the medical services are legal in both the United States and the country in which they are being provided. Such foreign organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to their use of non-U.S. funds for advocacy or lobbying activities, other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations. Current U.S. policy prohibits various foreign assistance from going to a foreign nongovernmental organization unless it agrees to not perform or actively promote abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2019
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2019 This bill modifies the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages to exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer and distilled spirits; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; increase the amount of the small wine producer tax credit and expand the categories of producers covered by such credit; allow an adjustment to the producer credit for hard cider; and modify the alcohol content limitations that apply to certain wines for tax purposes. The Department of the Treasury must amend applicable regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. The bill also increases funding for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2019
Water and Agriculture Tax Reform Act of 201 9 This bill permits tax-exempt mutual ditch or irrigation companies to earn income from dispositions of certain property and stock interests without affecting their tax-exempt status, but requires that such income be used to pay the costs of operations, maintenance, and capital improvements of such a company. The bill also establishes a rule regarding the organizational governance of mutual ditch or irrigation companies. Where state law provides that such a company may be organized in a manner that permits voting on a basis that is pro rata to share ownership on corporate governance matters, the tax-exempt status of the mutual ditch or irrigation company must be determined without taking into account whether its member shareholders have one vote on corporate governance matters per share held in the corporation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
Clean Water for Rural Communities Act This bill authorizes rural water supply projects in Montana and North Dakota. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to (1) plan and construct the Musselshell-Judith Rural Water System for certain communities in Montana, and (2) study the feasibility of constructing the Dry-Redwater Regional Water System for certain communities in Montana and North Dakota.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples Act of 2019 or the CREATES Act of 2019 This bill generally allows the developer of a drug or biological product, such as a generic or biosimilar version of a drug, to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved medication if the holder refuses to make available sufficient quantities of the approved medication for the developer's testing. The bill also establishes affirmative defenses to such a civil action. In addition, the bill authorizes drug manufacturers seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for a generic drug to use alternative methods to develop elements assure safe use of a drug.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2019
Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act of 2019 This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the response of law enforcement agencies to reports of missing or murdered Native Americans and to make recommendations on how to improve the utilized databases and notification systems.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2019
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act This bill instructs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available, without charge and for the lifetime of the passholder, to any veteran who has been found to have a compensable or noncompensable service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2019
Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2019 This bill addresses fertility treatments, counseling, and other health-related programs for veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide fertility treatments and counseling to covered veterans and active duty servicemembers or a spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate of such veteran or servicemember. A covered veteran or service member is a severely wounded, ill, or injured former or current member of the Armed Forces who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty. DOD must establish procedures related to gamete retrieval and storage. Fertility counseling and treatment are included within authorized VA medical services. The VA may pay the adoption expenses (for up to three adoptions) for a covered member who is enrolled in the VA health care system. The VA must facilitate specified reproduction and infertility research conducted collaboratively by DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services. The VA shall enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans contact center to respond to assistance requests and refer such veterans to federal or community resources. The bill permanently extends and expands a VA pilot program related to group reintegration and readjustment services for certain women veterans. The bill provides child care assistance to qualified veterans receiving (1) mental health care services or intensive health care services, and (2) readjustment counseling and related mental health services.