United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Veterans Access to Care Act of 2017 This bill authorizes and appropriates funds for: (1) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care, and (2) the veterans choice program. The VA shall conduct a program to increase by up to 1,500 the number of graduate medical education residency positions at covered facilities. The bill expands: (1) eligibility for the VA family caregiver program to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who were seriously injured or became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001; and (2) services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care, financial planning, and legal services. The support program for caregivers of covered veterans is terminated on October 1, 2022, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2022, shall be continued. The VA may carry out specified major medical facility leases in Alabama, Colorado, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The VA may record as a U.S. government obligation amounts owed for hospital care or medical services furnished at non-VA facilities when a health care provider's payment claim is approved, rather than when the VA authorizes such care or services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Designates July 14, 2017, as Collector Car Appreciation Day. Recognizes that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Expand and Strengthen Defense Network of Partners Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish one or more multi-institution task order arrangements to facilitate expedited access to university technical expertise in support of DOD missions in specified areas, including cybersecurity, shipbuilding, undersea warfare, drones, and energy. Such arrangements may not be used to fund research programs that can be executed through other DOD basic research activities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2023 the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and revises requirements for appointment to the board of directors of the foundation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to fund an endowment for increased operations and educational programming.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Keeping Capital Local for Underserved Communities Act of 2017 This bill specifies that certain reciprocal deposits shall not be considered to be brokered deposits. (Brokered deposits are subject to additional regulatory requirements, including those related to liquidity.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Reinstatement Act of 2017 This bill declares that, if a veteran is forced to discontinue a course as a result of a a permanent school closure and did not receive credit, could not transfer credit, or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period of time, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill applies to courses and programs of education discontinued in FY2015 or a following fiscal year. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on an executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure, but only until the earlier of: (1) the date of the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure occurred; and (2) the date that is four months after the school closure.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill extends through FY2022 the Department of Labor's: (1) homeless veterans reintegration programs, and (2) homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children reintegration grant program. Currently, the homeless veterans reintegration programs provide job training, counseling, and placement services to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force. The bill expands eligibility for the programs to include: (1) veterans participating in the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing Program, (2) Native American veterans receiving assistance under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996, (3) veterans who are transitioning from being incarcerated, and (4) veterans participating in the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Financial Stability Oversight Council Insurance Member Continuity Act This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to modify the term of the independent member with insurance expertise of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to allow the current member to continue to serve in the event of a delay in the naming of a successor by the end of the member's six-year term. In such a case, the independent member may continue to serve until 18 months after the end of the term or until a successor is confirmed, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Marketplace Certainty Act This bill expands eligibility for additional cost-sharing reductions that apply to certain enrollees of qualified health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Serving our Rural Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay for the training and employment of Veterans Health Administration medical residents and interns at a covered facility, which includes: (1) a VA facility; (2) a facility operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service; (3) a federally-qualified health center; or (4) a community health center. (Currently, such payments are authorized only for VA facilities.) The VA shall carry out an eight-year pilot program to establish or affiliate with graduate medical education residency training programs at not more than four facilities. The VA shall reimburse each participating facility for the costs of: curriculum development; recruitment, training, supervision, and retention of residents and faculty; accreditation of education programs; faculty salaries attributable to program activities; and other expenses relating to providing medical education under the program. A program participant: (1) shall agree to one year of obligated service at a covered or a VA facility for each year of partipation in the program, (2) who fails to satisfy the obligated service period shall be liable to the United States for a prorated portion of the amount paid for program participation, and (3) during the period of obligated service, shall be eligible for participation in the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program and the VA Education Debt Reduction Program. A covered facility for pilot program purposes means a facility: (1) operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service that has an existing reimbursement agreement with the VA; and (2) located in a rural or remote area.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
Designates June 2017 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27, 2017, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. Supports efforts of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense, as well as the medical community, to educate members of the Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress. Welcomes the efforts of the VA's National Center for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and local Vet Centers to assist veterans suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress. Encourages Armed Forces commanders to support appropriate treatment of Armed Forces personnel who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Federal Aviation Administration Veterans' Preference Protection Act This bill applies federal veterans' preference provisions for filling a position in the competitive service and remedies for violations of such provisions to the personnel management system of the Federal Aviation Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Agriculture Equipment and Machinery Depreciation Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the placed-in-service restriction on the depreciation of certain farming business machinery and equipment and to make permanent the five-year recovery period for such property.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to certain requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless as specified. This bill prescribes transparency requirements regarding any changes to specified matters. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Recognizes the increase in educational opportunities, including in sports, for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Encourages the Department of Education and Department of Justice to ensure that students have a safe learning environment by working to ensure schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex including sexual assault, harassment, domestic and dating violence, pregnancy, sex-stereotyping, and actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Recognizes that progress remains to ensure that no educational institution that receives federal funding discriminates against any persons because of their sex. Recognizes the progress in education opportunities for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments. Expresses the need to ensure students have a safe learning environment through schools' prevention efforts and responses to forms of discrimination and harassment based on one's sex.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to replace provisions that established the Public Lands Corps with provisions establishing the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) to: engage youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to conserve, rebuild, and enhance the natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets of the United States; increase public access to, and use of, public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources, while spurring economic development and outdoor recreation and addressing backlogged maintenance on public land; conserve, restore, and enhance such resources by carrying out high-quality, cost-effective projects; ensure that the activities and expertise of corpsmembers will be accessible to any public, nonprofit, or tribal entity responsible for the stewardship of land and water in coordination with the land or water owner; place youth and veterans in civilian national service positions to protect, restore, and enhance U.S. natural resources, infrastructure, and recreation assets in a cost-effective manner without undue duplication or overlap of federal agency activities or programs; and channel widespread interest among youth and veterans in serving in such positions to help conserve, restore, and enhance public and tribal land and water, infrastructure, and natural, cultural, and historical resources and to develop the next generation of outdoor stewards, entrepreneurs, recreationists, and sportsmen. The 21CSC shall be implemented jointly by the participating entities, which shall include the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, Labor, Energy, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. Such entities shall: (1) establish a process for an organization to become a 21CSC organization, and (2) support 21CSC projects. A 21CSC organization shall provide to each youth or veteran corpsmember a wage, stipend, living allowance, and/or an educational credit, as well as skills development, credentials, and education, for participation in a 21CSC project that involves: specified conservation and restoration projects; the support, development, and enhancement of outdoor recreation or urban green space; service that is primarily indoors with a clear benefit for natural, cultural, or historic resources or treasures; or a project on private land or water having a direct or recognized public or environmental benefit or the funding of which originated from a governmental entity. The bill sets forth provisions governing 21CSC conservation centers and program support, the provision of resource assistants, and Corpsmember eligibility for a noncompetitive hiring status and national service educational awards. A participating entity may offer to enter into a cooperative agreement with a tribal agency or a 21CSC organization to establish and administer the Indian Youth 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, which shall carry out 21CSC projects on tribal land or water.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to double the maximum prison term (from 5 years to 10 years) for persons convicted of selling, purchasing, using for profit, or transporting for sale or profit the human remains of Native Americans or cultural items obtained in violation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The bill prohibits the export of Native American cultural items that were obtained in violation of the Act, Native American archaeological resources that were obtained in violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, or Native American objects of antiquity that were obtained in violation of the criminal code. Violators may be subject to fines, imprisonment, or both. The Department of the Interior and the Department of State must each designate a liaison to facilitate and hold trainings and workshops on the voluntary return of human remains or cultural items. Interior must refer individuals and organizations to Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations to facilitate the voluntary return of human remains or cultural items. In addition, Interior must convene a tribal working group consisting of representatives of tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to provide advice on issues concerning the return of, and illegal trade in, human remains or cultural items.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Military Consumer Enforcement Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act to extend Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and protection to persons covered by provisions of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act concerning: future financial transactions, excluding insurance; default judgments, excluding child custody proceedings; interest rates on pre-service debts; evictions; purchase or lease installment contracts; mortgages and trusts; motor vehicle leases; telephone service contracts; waiver of rights pursuant to a written agreement, excluding bailments; and the rights and protections of reserves ordered to report for military service and persons ordered to report for induction.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the creation of certain health care legislation must be done in a transparent, bipartisan manner in full view of the people and not behind closed doors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the earned income tax credit, to: (1) increase the credit and reduce the phaseout percentage for taxpayers with no qualifying children, (2) reduce from 25 to 21 the qualifying age for individuals with no children, (3) revise eligibility rules relating to married individuals living apart and qualifying children claimed by another family member, and (4) repeal the denial of such credit for taxpayers with excess investment income. This bill modifies the child tax credit to: (1) increase the amount of the credit and the portion of the credit that is refundable for taxpayers with children under the age of six, and (2) require the dollar amounts of the credit to be adjusted for inflation after 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Restore Honor to Service Members Act This bill requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. The bill prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Each military department shall ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Specified military personnel records and discharge forms must be reissued in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Improving Access to Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2017
Recognizes: U.S. Capitol Police Special Agents David Bailey, Crystal Griner, and Henry Cabrera for responding to and ultimately ending the threat to Members of Congress, their staff, and others during the shooting at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017; the Police Department, the Office of the Sheriff, and the Fire Department of Alexandria, Virginia, and the first responders who reported to the scene; victims Steve Scalise, Zachary Barth, and Matthew Mika, who survived the shooting; and the U.S. Capitol Police for their professionalism, vigilance, and self-sacrifice in protecting Members of Congress and congressional employees, visitors, and facilities. Recognizes that threats to Members of Congress also threaten the foundations of our representative democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017
International Insurance Capital Standards Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) to establish the Insurance Policy Advisory Committee on International Capital Standards and Other Insurance Issues. The bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury and the FRB from agreeing to an international capital insurance standard unless: (1) it meets specified notice and comment requirements, (2) it is consistent with current state-based capital requirements, and (3) it is consistent with any FRB capital requirements for an FRB-supervised company. Treasury and the FRB must: report annually on their efforts with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners regarding global insurance regulatory or supervisory forums, study an international insurance capital standard's impact on U.S. markets and consumers before agreeing to its adoption, and report on their efforts to increase transparency at meetings of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2017
Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Act This bill establishes and provides funds for an individual market stabilization reinsurance program to be administered in each state by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under the program, HHS shall make reinsurance payments to health insurance issuers with respect to high-cost individuals enrolled in certain qualified health plans offered by the issuers. HHS shall award grants to states or nonprofit community-based organizations to raise awareness of, and encourage enrollment in, qualified health plans.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2017
Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping Drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2017 This bill amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require 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 · 12 June 2017
Tribal HUD-VASH Act of 2017 This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to use at least 5% of the amounts made available for rental assistance under the low-income housing assistance program to carry out a rental assistance and supported housing program, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the benefit of Indian veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and residing in or near an Indian area. Rental assistance shall be: (1) made available to recipients eligible for housing assistance block grants under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996; and (2) awarded based on need, administrative capacity, and any other funding criteria established by HUD.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to appoint qualified graduates and post-secondary students to competitive service positions without regard to certain federal civil service employment and retention provisions. The VA shall allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment. The VA may appoint: (1) highly qualified candidates without regard to competitive service provisions if the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determines that the VA has a severe shortage of highly qualified candidates, and (2) former highly qualified federal employees to high-demand VA positions without regard to such provisions. The VA shall: (1) develop a resume-based application method for senior executive appointments comparable to the OPM resume-based application method; (2) establish a single database that lists each vacant position that is critical to the VA's mission, difficult to fill, or both; (3) measure and collect specified information on hiring effectiveness; (4) develop a standardized VA exit survey; (5) publish information on VA nurse staffing levels; (6) develop a tool for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) human resources employees to assess their knowledge relating to how certain VA health care providers are treated differently than other VA employees; (7) include mental health professionals and marriage and family therapists in the VA education and training program; and (8) provide VHA human resources professionals with employee recruitment and retention training. The VA and the Surgeon General shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the assignment of at least 500 commissioned officers of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service to the VA. The bill revises provisions regarding: (1) pay for medical center and veterans integrated service network directors, (2) the hiring preference service requirement, and (3) VA reductions in force.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Fair Housing Act (FHA) under the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing. (Currently, the FHA prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.) The bill defines: (1) "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality. The bill also extends prohibitions against housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, handicap, familial status, or national origin to include discrimination based on: (1) an individual's association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; and (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2017
This bill extends through FY2019 the Department of Defense program to provide members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families with training in suicide prevention, resilience, and community healing and response to suicide.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act This bill amends the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 to exempt a depository institution from certain records and disclosure requirements related to the itemization of loan data: (1) with respect to closed-end mortgage loans, if the depository institution originated fewer than 500 such loans in each of the two preceding years; and (2) with respect to open-end lines of credit, if the depository institution originated fewer than 500 such lines of credit in each of the two preceding years.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2017
Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy services to beneficiaries with pre-diabetes or risk factors for developing type-2 diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2017
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Jim Bunning, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on June 5, 2017, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Bunning.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
This bill redesignates Department of Veterans Affairs clinics in Montana at the following locations: 2687 Palmer Street in Missoula as the "David J. Thatcher Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic," 1775 Spring Creek Lane in Billings as the "Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic," and 1766 Majestic Lane in Billings as the "Benjamin Charles Steele Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic." Any local public display of the name of the Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic carried out by the United States or through the use of federal funds shall include both the English name, Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, and the Crow name, Dakaak Baako.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2017
Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017 This bill states that: (1) the President may not prohibit or otherwise restrict travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel, including banking transactions; and (2) any law, regulation, or policy in effect on the date of enactment of this bill that prohibits or otherwise restricts such travel or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effect. Nothing in this bill may be construed to limit the President's authority to restrict such travel or any transaction incident to such travel if the President determines that such restriction is necessary to protect: (1) U.S. national security, or (2) the health or safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents resulting from traveling to or from Cuba. Prior to restricting travel to Cuba, the President shall submit a written justification to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2017
Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), before establishing a Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) unit, to apply risk-based criteria that takes into consideration specified factors, including: whether the area in which the unit would be established is significantly impacted by threats posed by transnational criminal organizations; the extent to which the unit would advance DHS's homeland and border security strategic priorities and related objectives; and whether departmental Joint Task Force operations would be enhanced, improved, or otherwise assisted by the unit. A BEST unit with a port security nexus must be composed of at least one member of: (1) the Coast Guard Investigative Service, and (2) the geographically responsible Coast Guard Sector Intelligence Office. The bill requires DHS to submit an annual report on the BEST program for the next five years, and such report must include: a description of the effectiveness of BEST in disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations; an assessment of how BEST enhances information-sharing, including the dissemination of homeland security information, among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies; a description of how BEST advances DHS's homeland and border security strategic priorities and effectiveness of BEST in achieving related objectives; and an assessment of BEST's joint operational efforts with departmental Joint Task Force operations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2017
American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins in recognition and celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Legion. Surcharges received from the sale of these coins shall be paid to the American Legion for costs related to promoting the importance of: (1) caring for those who have served, and those who are still serving, in the Armed Forces; and (2) maintaining patriotic values, strong families, and assistance for at-risk children.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow states to provide medical assistance to adults for residential addiction treatment facility services under the Medicaid program if such services are offered as part of a full continuum of evidence-based treatment services. "Residential addiction treatment facility services" are medically necessary inpatient services provided in an accredited, size-limited facility for the purpose of treating a substance use disorder within a specified time period. The provision of medical assistance for such services to an individual shall not prohibit federal financial participation for medical assistance with respect to other services provided to the individual within the same time period. Subject to specified conditions, a woman who is eligible for medical assistance on the basis of being pregnant may remain eligible for residential addiction treatment facility services for specified time periods without regard to eligibility limits that would otherwise apply as a result of her pregnancy ending. In addition, the bill establishes a grant program for states to expand infrastructure and treatment capabilities of existing youth addiction treatment facilities that: (1) provide addiction treatment services to youths under Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and (2) are located in communities with high numbers of medically underserved populations of at-risk youths. At least 15% of grant funds awarded to a state must be used for making payments to rural facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Credit for Caring Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible caregiver a new tax credit for 30% of the cost of long-term care expenses that exceed $2,000, up to $3,000 in a taxable year. The bill defines "eligible caregiver" as an individual who has earned income for the taxable year in excess of $7,500 and pays or incurs expenses for providing care to a spouse or other dependent relative with long-term care needs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2017
Small Business Regulatory Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to revise the duties of the Office of the National Ombudsman (ONO) to include working with federal agencies that have regulatory authority over small businesses or that provide support to small businesses to develop best practices for helping small businesses comply with agency rules through training, webinars, and compliance guides. The ONO must collaborate with each federal agency to establish a procedure relating to how the agency will provide information to: (1) small businesses regarding the ONO; and (2) the ONO regarding the nature, scope, and resolution of requests to the agency from small businesses about proposed, final, or existing rules. The ONO must: conduct a robust outreach initiative to increase its visibility and promote awareness of its available services; and appoint additional individuals to provide education, training, and compliance assistance to small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Main Street Regulatory Fairness Act This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to increase, from $10 billion to $50 billion, the consolidated-assets threshold at which stress-testing requirements apply to certain financial companies. The bill also specifies that stress tests must be conducted periodically (rather than semiannually or annually, depending on the type of financial company, as required under current law).
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Department of Education Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of Education to consider all FY2017 grant submissions in the Upward Bound program without regard to whether formatting requirements were met. Effective seven days after enactment and every seven days thereafter, $500,000 of the unobligated balances from the Office of the Secretary of Education is rescinded until the Secretary of Education certifies compliance with this requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2017
Steve Gleason Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the elimination of a specified payment cap under the Medicare program with respect to speech generating devices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2017
Protect Our Gold Star Families' Education Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to move the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants under the Pell Grant program. ED must award the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants to each eligible veteran's dependent for assisting with the costs of attending colleges and universities. Students are eligible for an award if: (1) their parent or guardian died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and (2) they are less than 24 years of age and enrolled at an institution at the time of the parent or guardian's death. Pell Grant rules pertaining to the determination of financial need do not apply to the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Maternal Health Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program under which HHS may make grants to states (including federally recognized Indian tribes and organizations) for the purpose of: (1) reviewing pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths (maternal deaths); (2) establishing and sustaining a maternal mortality review committee to review relevant information; (3) ensuring that the state department of health develops a plan for ongoing health care provider education in order to improve the quality of maternal care, disseminate findings, and implement recommendations; (4) disseminating a case abstraction form to aid information collection for HHS review and preserve its uniformity; and (5) providing for the public disclosure of information included in state reports. The bill defines "pregnancy-associated death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the cause of death. It defines "pregnancy-related death" as the death of a woman while pregnant or during the one-year period following the date of the end of pregnancy, irrespective of the pregnancy's duration, from any cause related to, or aggravated by, the pregnancy or its management, excluding any accidental or incidental cause. States shall develop procedures for mandatory reporting to their departments of health by health facilities and professionals concerning maternal deaths and for voluntary reporting of such deaths by family members. States shall investigate each case and prepare a case summary for each case, to be reviewed by the committee and included in applicable reports. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct HHS to take specified steps to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Saving Federal Dollars Through Better Use of Government Purchase and Travel Cards Act of 2017 This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop a strategy to expand the use of data analytics in managing government purchase and travel charge card programs for the purpose of: identifying questionable transactions and developing enhanced tools and methods for agency use in identifying questionable transactions and recovering improper payments; identifying potential opportunities for agencies to further leverage administrative process streamlining and cost reduction from purchase and travel card use; developing a set of purchase and travel card metrics and benchmarks for high risk activities to assist agency purchase and travel card management and oversight activities; and developing a plan to create a library of analytics tools and data sources for use by agencies. The OMB must issue guidance on improving information sharing by government agencies, including by: requiring relevant officials to identify and communicate information about high-risk activities; requiring appropriate agency officials to review the reports issued by charge card-issuing banks on questionable transaction activity and suspicious timing or amounts of cash withdrawals or advances; providing for the appropriate sharing of information related to potential questionable transactions, fraud schemes, and high risk activities with the General Services Administration's (GSA's) Office of Charge Card Management and appropriate federal officials; and considering the recommendations made by Inspectors General or the best practices Inspectors General have identified. The GSA and the OMB must establish a purchase and travel charge card data management group to develop and share best practices. The GSA shall report on further potential savings opportunities for government agencies under the federal charge card programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, to be headed by the Assistant Secretary for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The VA shall develop criteria to promote supervisory protection of whistle-blowers and provide supervisors with related training. The bill revises VA authority to remove certain employees or senior executives for reasons of misconduct or performance, including by permitting such individuals to be demoted or suspended. The VA: (1) shall reduce the federal annuity of a removed individual who is convicted of a felony that influenced his or her performance while employed in such position, and (2) may reduce the federal annuity of a retired individual who was convicted of such a felony but who left the VA before final action was taken. The VA may recoup an award, a bonus, or relocation expenses paid to an employee under specified circumstances. The VA may directly appoint medical center directors and Veterans Integrated Service Network directors. The bill revises time periods for adverse action reviews with respect to physicians, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and expanded-function dental auxiliaries. The VA shall: (1) assess the effect of the enactment of this bill on the hiring, promotion, retention, and productivity of individuals in senior executive positions; and (2) collect information on the outcomes and effectiveness of disciplinary actions carried out during the three-year period ending on the date of enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2022 support for nursing workforce programs and grants. Eligibility for advanced nursing education grants is expanded to include education programs for clinical nurse leaders and all combined registered nurse and graduate degree programs. (Clinical nurse leaders are advanced generalist clinicians who apply research and coordinate care in order to improve outcomes for patients.) To be eligible for these grants, clinical nurse specialist programs must provide registered nurses with full-time clinical nurse specialist education that qualifies the nurses to provide a full range of care. Programs for loan repayment and scholarships for nurses, loans for nursing faculty, and geriatric care education are extended through FY2022. Grants for increasing nursing workforce diversity are also extended through FY2022. Nurse education, practice, and quality grants are extended through FY2022 and eligibility is expanded to include nurse-managed health clinics. Grants for nursing career ladder programs are expanded to: (1) promote career advancement for individuals to become registered nurses or advanced education nurses; and (2) support internships and residency programs to encourage mentoring and the development of specialties.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2017
Honoring Hometown Heroes Act This bill authorizes the governor of a state, territory, or possession of the United States or the Mayor of the District of Columbia to proclaim that the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (public safety officer) working in such jurisdiction who dies while serving in the line of duty.
![Official portrait of Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000464_200.jpg)