United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should: (1) develop a national strategy to encourage development of the Internet of Things for connected technologies to empower consumers, foster future economic growth, and improve the nation's collective social well-being; (2) recognize the role of businesses in the future development of the Internet of Things; (3) engage in inclusive dialogue with industry and work cooperatively; and (4) determine if using the Internet of Things can improve the government's efficiency and effectiveness and cut waste, fraud, and abuse. Calls on U.S. innovators to commit to improving the quality of life for future generations by developing safe, new technologies aimed at tackling the most challenging societal issues facing the world.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Refugee Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. The bill revises the definition of "refugee" and the criteria for granting asylum. The bill makes certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum discretionary. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, and (2) establish specified conditions of detention. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom may conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority. The bill: (1) authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who worked for the U.S. government overseas; (2) exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum; and (3) sets forth protections for minors, refugees, aliens interdicted at sea, and stateless persons. The President is authorized to designate refugee groups. The bill authorizes refugee applicants to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. The spouse or child of a refugee or asylee may bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. If the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year, the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required physical presence in the United States. The bill revises: (1) the definition of "terrorist activity" for purposes of alien inadmissibility, including for aliens who were under 18 years of age when they committed certain actions under duress; and (2) the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is amended to extend the eligibility for supplemental security income assistance to certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and trafficking victims. DHS shall grant employment authorization to qualifying T visa aliens (victims of trafficking in persons) and U visa aliens (children who have been granted special immigrant status as victims of criminal activity). The number of U visas is increased.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
WiFi Capable Mobile Devices Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue rules to ensure that providers of mobile broadband Internet access service supported through the Lifeline Assistance Program offer mobile devices that are capable of: (1) receiving WiFi or other wireless broadband signals using unlicensed spectrum, and (2) sharing a mobile service connection (commonly referred to as "tethering") with other compatible hardware or devices. (The Lifeline program provides discounts on telephone service to qualifying low-income consumers.) The FCC must also provide incentives to such providers to work with schools and libraries to conduct outreach to those eligible for Lifeline assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow payment under Medicare for certain services furnished to hospice patients by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). With respect to a patient who elects to receive hospice care under Medicare, current law generally limits payment for services that are either duplicative of such care or related to the treatment of the individual's terminal illness. However, current law exempts from this limitation: (1) physicians' services furnished by the individual's attending physician, if not an employee of the hospice program; and (2) services provided or arranged by the hospice program. The bill expands this exemption with regard to rural health clinic and FQHC services. Specifically, the Medicare payment limitation shall not apply to such services that: (1) would otherwise be physicians' services if furnished by an individual unaffiliated with a rural health clinic or FQHC; and (2) are either arranged by the hospice program or furnished by the individual's attending physician, if not an employee of the hospice program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Birth Control Privacy Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit wellness programs from sharing with an employer information related to an individual's use of contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Recognizes: the significance of the 25th anniversary of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program; the value of having current science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers directly engaged in the policymaking process; the sacrifices made by teachers who interrupt their careers to serve as Einstein Fellows; and the contributions of Einstein Fellows. Expresses support for the continuation of the program. Encourages federal agencies and congressional offices to host Einstein Fellows and to leverage the expertise of former Einstein Fellows.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Recognizes the 75th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System. Encourages the public to participate in ceremonies and activities that recognize the importance of this program, working family-owned forests, and the clean water, wildlife habitat, and wood supply they provide. Supports conservation and management of the nation's trees and forests through landowner participation in the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Forest Stewardship Program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission, which shall: plan, develop, and carry out activities to honor John F. Kennedy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth; and provide advice and assistance to federal, state, and local governmental agencies and civic groups to carry out activities to honor Kennedy on such occasion. The commission shall submit to the President and Congress annual reports on its revenue and expenditures, such interim reports as appropriate, and a final report by August 31, 2017. The commission shall terminate by September 30, 2017. The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior may perform an audit of the commission.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
Disapproves of activities by certain corporations and trade associations, foundations, and organizations funded by those corporations deliberately to: (1) mislead the public and undermine peer-reviewed scientific research about the dangers of their products, and (2) cast doubt on science in order to protect their financial interests. Urges fossil fuel companies and allied organizations to cooperate with active or future investigations into: their climate change-related activities, what they knew about climate change and when they knew of it, what they knew about the harmful effects of fossil fuels on the climate, and any activities to mislead the public about climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Disability Integration Act of 2016 This bill prohibits states or local governments that provide institutional placements for individuals with disabilities who need long-term assistance with daily living activities or health-related tasks, and prohibits insurance providers that fund such long-term services, from denying community-based services that would enable such individuals, as an alternative to institutionalization, to live in the community and lead an independent life. States, local governments, or insurance providers may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by: (1) imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, waiting lists, or payment structures; (2) failing to provide a specific community-based service; or (3) requiring an individual to receive a service in a congregate or disability-specific setting. Community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. States, local governments, and public insurance providers must assess: (1) transportation barriers that prevent individuals from receiving services in integrated settings, and (2) the availability of integrated employment opportunities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must issue regulations requiring states, local governments, or insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services as an alternative to institutional placement. State and local governments, in conjunction with housing agencies, must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Such regulations must also require states and local governments to begin implementing a transition plan to achieve the requirements of this Act within 12 years after its enactment. For 10 years after issuance of the regulations, HHS must determine annually whether each state is complying with the transition plan. If a state is complying, HHS must increase by five percentage points the federal medical assistance percentage for a state requesting an increase for expenditures on home and community-based services furnished under the state Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, or a waiver of such plan, that are identified as: (1) improvements to ensure accessibility or self-directed receipt of such services, (2) funding shifts from institutional settings to integrated community-based services, or (3) environmental modifications for housing targeted toward the lowest income individuals. The bill provides for DOJ enforcement and allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Pre-College Engineering Education Act This bill establishes a grant program to encourage, through public-private partnerships, the development and implementation by states and local educational agencies of sustainable engineering education programs in elementary and secondary schools. The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall administer the program. Grantees may use funds to: research, review, and analyze the effectiveness of existing research-based instructional materials; select or develop new research-based instructional materials; teach students the overall analytical approached used in engineering; prepare students who may pursue engineering studies in college or enter careers related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; increase participation of underrepresented student groups in the engineering pipeline; and provide professional development for teachers to teach pre-college engineering. The NSF shall study and report on program activities and results.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Honors the life, work, and legacy of Elie Wiesel. Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the members of Wiesel's family. Reaffirms Wiesel's efforts to preserve the memory of those who perished and prevent the recurrence of another Holocaust, to combat hate and intolerance, and to never forget and also learn from the lessons of history.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016
Timber Innovation Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a performance-driven research and development program to advance tall wood building construction in the United States. "Tall wood building" means a building designed to be over 85 feet high and constructed with large panelized wood construction (mass timber), including cross-laminated timber, nail laminated timber, glue laminated timber, laminated strand lumber, and laminated veneer lumber. USDA shall for FY2017-FY2021 carry out an annual competition for a tall wood building design in accordance with the requirements for prize competitions carried out under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. In carrying out a wood innovation grant program, USDA may make a wood innovation grant to one or more specified eligible entities in order to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies in the development of innovative wood products for tall wood building construction. USDA shall give priority to grant proposals which include the use or retrofitting (or both) of existing sawmill facilities in counties where the average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national average by more than 1% in the previous year. USDA shall carry out a program of education and technical assistance for mass timber applications. USDA shall collaborate and partner with one or more nonfederal entities, including governments of other countries, to: enhance tall wood building commercialization of the United States, develop technical assistance related to tall wood building commercialization, and carry out the program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016
Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program to provide compensation to communities in which a nuclear waste storage facility is located. DOE must provide payments equal to $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the nuclear waste facility. Each local government within the jurisdictional boundaries of a nuclear waste facility must submit an annual application to DOE for compensation. DOE may make only one payment per fiscal year to eligible local governments.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
Modernizing Government Travel Act This bill requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to: (1) prescribe regulations to provide for the reimbursement of federal employees traveling on official business for the use of a transportation network company or innovative mobility technology, and (2) report on government savings resulting from such use. The Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall prescribe such regulations with respect to judicial branch employees. An "innovative mobility technology company" is an entity that utilizes innovative mobility technologies to provide alternatives to driving alone, including car-share, bike-share, carpool or vanpool, multimodal fare payment system, and app-based mobility providers. A "transportation network company": (1) is an entity that uses a digital network to connect riders to drivers affiliated with such entity in order for the driver to transport the rider using the driver's personal vehicle to a point chosen by the rider; and (2) does not include a shared expense carpool, a vanpool arrangement, or any other arrangement or service in which the driver receives a fee that does not exceed the driver's cost associated with providing the ride.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
Requires both chambers of Congress to assemble annually in the Hall of the House of Representatives to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General on the Government Accountability Office's audited financial statement of the accounts and associated activities of the executive branch, together with an analysis of the financial position and condition of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Plymouth 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2016 This bill establishes the Plymouth 400th Commemoration Commission to: assist in the planning, development, and implementation of programs and activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Mayflower and the founding of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts; facilitate such activities throughout the United States; encourage civic, military, historical, educational, religious, economic, and other organizations to organize and participate in commemoration activities to expand the understanding and appreciation of the significance of the founding and early history of Plymouth Colony; coordinate and facilitate for the public scholarly research and publications regarding, and interpretation of, the cultures present in 17th Century Plymouth Colony, including the English colonists and the indigenous Wampanoag tribes; and ensure that the 400th anniversary of Plymouth provides a lasting legacy and long-term public benefit by assisting in the development of appropriate programs and facilities. The commission shall: (1) prepare a strategic plan and an annual performance plan; and (2) submit a final report by December 31, 2021, that includes a summary of its activities, a final accounting of its funds, and its findings or recommendations. The commission shall terminate on December 31, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the landing and settlement of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, and the role of the indigenous Wampanoag tribes in the realization of the settlement. These coins may be issued only during a two-year period beginning January 1, 2020. Sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury as follows: 50% to Plymouth 400, Inc., to support the its work to develop, implement, and provide oversight for the commemorations surrounding the events of 2020-2021 and to be distributed, at the organization's discretion, to local historical preservation and cultural organizations to support their work in educating the public about the settlement of 1620 and their continued existence for the benefit of future generations; 15% to Plimoth Plantation to support its effort to maintain the replica of the 1627 Plantation, the Mayflower II, and the replica of the Wampanoag Village; 15% to a Wampanoag tribal organization to continue programs to educate people about the life of the Wampanoag people prior to the Plymouth settlement and their interactions with the settlers; 10% to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants to support the continued restoration of the main facility in Plymouth, to provide funding for its research library at that site, and for educational purposes; and 10% to the Pilgrim Society to continue its work in displaying the story of the settlement and settlement artifacts.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2016
Price Relief, Innovation, and Competition for Essential Drugs Act or the PRICED Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow biosimilars to be marketed seven years after the reference brand name biological product is licensed. Currently, brand name biological products are provided a 12-year marketing exclusivity period. This shortened marketing exclusivity period applies only to biological products licensed by the Food and Drug Administration after enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow energy tax credits through 2020 for investments in: (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. The bill also permits new clean renewable energy bonds to be used for such properties. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that: (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane; and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
This bill: (1) provides that calculation of the basic annuity benefits for an air traffic controller with at least five years of service actively engaged in the separation and control of air traffic shall include service as a first or second level supervisor of such a controller, (2) makes such change effective retroactive to December 12, 2003, and (3) provides for a lump sum payment to each affected annuitant equal to the additional total benefit amount such annuitant would have received had such change been in effect on such date.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2016
Do No Harm Act This bill makes the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) inapplicable to federal laws (or implementations of laws) that: protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Executive Order 11246 (concerning equal employment opportunity), the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) rules entitled "Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity"; require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. Under current law, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. The bill makes RFRA inapplicable to: (1) terms requiring goods, services, functions, or activities to be performed or provided to beneficiaries of government contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or awards; or (2) denials of a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. To assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Safe Treatments and Opportunities to Prevent Pain Act or the STOP Pain Act This bill authorizes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to intensify and coordinate NIH research into the understanding of pain, therapies for chronic pain, and alternatives to opioids (drugs with effects similar to opium) for pain treatments. The prioritization and direction of federally funded pain research must consider recommendations made by the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or the PADME Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act of 2016 This bill appropriates funding for the activities in the bill. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to enter into cooperative agreements with states to expand opioid treatment capacity, make services more affordable to those who cannot afford them, and help individuals seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and certain pain medications.) Funding must be allocated to states based on the severity of the opioid epidemic in the state and the strength of the state's strategy to respond. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology must expand efforts to support prescription drug monitoring programs and health information technology interoperability. The Bureau of Prisons must support drug treatment programs. The bill amends the Second Chance Act to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help justice-involved individuals successfully reintegrate into the community. The bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to permit DOJ to support the development of residential and aftercare services for substance-involved inmates. DOJ must establish new heroin enforcement groups within the Drug Enforcement Administration to target, disrupt, and dismantle heroin trafficking organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 May 2016
Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the renewable fuel program, which requires transportation fuel to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must cap the total volume of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply at 9.7% of projected gasoline demand as determined by the Energy Information Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Assisting America's Dislocated Miners Act of 2016 This bill establishes within the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration a Dislocated Miners Assistance Program. The program shall contract with comprehensive career centers to: identify miners who have been dislocated from their employment in mining jobs across the United States; assess the skills, training, and education such miners need to find and hold new jobs; identify job training programs that would provide such training and education; and provide grants to eligible job training providers to recruit and train such miners and assist them in finding new employment. A comprehensive career center or job training provider eligible to receive a grant under this bill shall be a nonprofit organization with demonstrated success in coordinating or providing necessary training and education to enable dislocated miners to acquire marketable skills to find and hold jobs in areas where they live.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Recognizes the special ties between Ireland and the United States and the importance of nurturing the unique relationship between the the two countries. Welcomes the program of commemorations in the United States marking the 100th anniversary of Ireland's 1916 Rising, including the events taking place in Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Corporate EXpatriates and Inverters Tax Fairness Act or the Corporate EXIT Fairness Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to set forth rules governing corporate inversions (i.e., the practice of relocating a domestic corporation's legal domicile to a lower-tax nation while retaining its business activities in the higher-tax country of origin) and corporate expatriations. Specifically, the bill requires payment of tax on the deferred overseas profits of U.S. multinational corporations or partnerships before they reincorporate or organize in a foreign country. Additionally, any stock of a controlled foreign corporation in connection with a corporate expatriation would be treated as sold for its fair market value as of the date of expatriation and be subject to U.S. taxation. The bill expands the definitions of "corporate inversion" and "corporate expatriation" and revises rules relating to the taxation of inverted corporations. A foreign corporation that acquires the assets of a U.S. corporation or partnership after April 29, 2016, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) the expanded affiliated group which includes the foreign corporation does not have substantial business activities in the foreign country in which the corporation is created or organized, when compared to the total business activities of such expanded affiliated group; and (2) more than 50% of the foreign corporation is held by former shareholders or partners of the domestic corporation or partnership, or the management or control of the expanded affiliated group occurs primarily within the United States, and such expanded affiliated group has significant domestic business activities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
This bill bars the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit, or an exemption from certain economic regulations, to furnish foreign air transportation under the United States-European Union-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement of June 21, 2011, unless DOT: finds that issuing the permit or exemption would be consistent with the intent of the parties, set forth in article 17 bis of the agreement, that opportunities created by the agreement do not undermine labor standards or the labor-related rights and principles contained in the parties' respective laws; and imposes conditions on the permit or exemption necessary to ensure that the foreign air transportation furnished complies with the intent of article 17 bis .
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act or the DIGIT Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to convene a working group of federal stakeholders to provide recommendations and a report to Congress regarding the Internet of Things (IoT) for the growing number of connected and interconnected devices. The bill establishes a steering committee to be composed of stakeholders outside the federal government to advise the working group. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that IoT policies should maximize the potential and development of the IoT to benefit all stakeholders, including businesses, governments, and consumers. The working group must: (1) identify federal laws and regulations, grant practices, budgetary or jurisdictional challenges, and other sector-specific policies that inhibit IoT development; (2) consider policies or programs that encourage and improve coordination among federal agencies with IoT jurisdiction; (3) implement recommendations from the steering committee; and (4) examine how federal agencies can benefit from, use, and prepare for the IoT. The working group must consult with nongovernmental stakeholders. The steering committee must advise the working group about spectrum needs, individual privacy, security, and any international proceedings or negotiations affecting the IoT. Within 18 months after enactment of this bill, the working group must report its findings and recommendations, its reasons for inaction on steering committee recommendations, and an accounting of any progress by federal agencies to implement recommendations. The Federal Communications Commission must seek public comment on the IoT's spectrum needs and submit a summary of those comments to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2016
Improving Small Business Cyber Security Act of 2016 This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a Small Business Development Center Cyber Strategy after the Government Accountability Office issues a report that reviews federal cybersecurity resources aimed at assisting small businesses. The strategy must include: plans for incorporating small business development centers (SBDCs) into existing cyber programs to assist small businesses; counsel and assistance to improve small businesses' cyber security infrastructure, threat awareness, and training programs for employees, including agreements with Information Sharing and Analysis Centers to gain awareness of actionable threat information that may be beneficial to small businesses; and an analysis of how SBDCs can leverage federal programs and develop partnerships to improve cyber support services to small businesses. The Small Business Act is amended to authorize the SBA to make SBDC grants in furtherance of such strategy. SBDCs shall have access to cyber security specialists to counsel their small business clients. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Small Business Act are amended to authorize DHS and other federal agencies coordinating with DHS to assist SBDCs, through the dissemination of cyber security risk information and other homeland security information, to help small businesses in developing such cyber security infrastructure, threat awareness, and employee training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides appropriations to HHS for: the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.) The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for: the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Clean Air and Vehicle Technology Accountability Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to establish criminal penalties for any person who: prior to the sale, or knowingly after sale, removes or renders inoperative an air pollution control device installed on or in a motor vehicle or engine; or manufactures, sells, or installs, parts or components that bypass, defeat, or render inoperative air pollution control devices installed on or in a motor vehicle or engine if the person knows or should know that the part or component is being offered for sale or installed for that use.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
2016 Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act This bill makes supplemental appropriations for FY2016 for the Army Corps of Engineers for construction for flood control and storm damage reduction projects in areas affected by flooding in Houston, Texas, that have received a major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Appropriated funds shall remain available through FY2026 and shall be designated as being for disaster relief under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2016 This bill amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensee to submit to the NRC a post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) regarding the shutdown of a nuclear facility. In the state where the nuclear facility is located, the NRC is required to: (1) solicit public comments on a proposed PSDAR; (2) conduct at least two public hearings; and (3) invite the state to file a statement of support, nonsupport, or conditional support for the proposed PSDAR with specific recommendations that could lead to support. The bill prescribes the criteria for determining whether a proposed PSDAR is permissible if a host state files a statement of conditional support. The NRC must determine the adequacy or inadequacy of a proposed PSDAR and issue a decision document accordingly. The NRC must not approve a proposed PSDAR unless the proposed PSDAR requires compliance with applicable state law relating to air, water, soil quality, or radiological standards if the state law is more restrictive than its federal counterpart. The NRC must notify: (1) each licensee of the opportunity to develop a revised PSDAR for any facility for which a PSDAR has been submitted but for which decontamination and dismantling activities have either not been commenced, or have been commenced for less than one year; and (2) each state within 50 miles of such facility that they have the opportunity to consult with the licensee who submitted the PSDAR.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2016
Condemns acts of terrorism against Israelis. Mourns all loss of innocent life on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Supports the Administration's efforts to ensure Israel's long-term security through military and intelligence cooperation. Encourages the United States to take further steps to enhance Israel's security, including: reconvening the Trilateral Commission on Incitement to address violence-inspiring rhetoric; maintaining U.S. assistance to train and help support the operational costs of Palestinian security forces cooperating with Israeli security forces to fight terrorism; and working with Israel on enhancing areas of cooperation that would facilitate greater freedom of movement, economic growth, access to water, and other elements of human security for Palestinians living in the West Bank. Encourages the United States to help create progress toward a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by: opposing Palestinian efforts to seek penalties and sanctions against Israel and Israelis before international tribunals such as the International Criminal Court, articulating opposition to settlement expansion, and articulating a non-binding vision of what a comprehensive final status agreement might entail.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2016 The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to reauthorize through FY2021 and revise specified wastewater infrastructure programs and water pollution control programs, including the clean water state revolving fund program and a grant program for protecting groundwater quality.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2016
Dairy Margin Insurance Location Calculation Act of 2016 or the Dairy MILC Act of 2016 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to calculate the average feed cost for the Dairy Margin Protection Program using data from each state rather than the national average. USDA must also take into consideration costs for energy, transportation, and labor. (The Dairy Margin Protection Program makes payments to participating farmers when actual dairy production margins fall below a farmer-selected insured margin. Average feed costs are part of the formula used to calculate actual dairy production margins.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2016
Information Technology Modernization Act This bill establishes in the Treasury an Information Technology Modernization Fund for technology related activities, to improve information technology, and to enhance cybersecurity across the federal government. The Fund shall be administered by the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA may: transfer amounts from the Fund to an agency to improve, retire, or replace existing information technology systems to enhance cybersecurity and improve efficiency and effectiveness; use amounts in the Fund for the development, operation, and procurement of information technology products, services, and acquisition vehicles for use by agencies to improve efficiency and cybersecurity; and use amounts in the Fund to provide services or work performed in support of such activities. An agency shall: (1) reimburse the Fund for any such transfer, and (2) pay a price to be fixed by the GSA for any such product or service the agency uses. The bill establishes an Information Technology Modernization Board, which shall: (1) evaluate proposals for modernization submitted by agencies; (2) make recommendations to the GSA to assist agencies in the further development and refinement of select proposals; and (3) monitor progress and performance in executing approved projects and, if necessary, recommend the suspension or termination of funding. The GSA shall support Board activities and provide technical support to, and oversight of, agencies that receive transfers from the Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Better Care, Lower Cost Act This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish an integrated chronic care delivery program through which qualified "Better Care Programs" (BCPs) shall: (1) promote accountability and better care management for chronically ill patient populations, (2) coordinate items and services under Medicare, and (3) encourage investment in infrastructure and redesigned care processes. A health plan (including a Medicare Advantage plan) or group of providers may participate as a BCP if certified to do so by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The program shall focus on containing long-term costs and improving the overall health of the Medicare population by implementing, through qualified BCPs, strategies that prevent, delay, or minimize the progression of illness or disability associated with chronic conditions. With respect to a BCP enrollee who is dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare shall be the primary payor. A Medigap policy (supplemental insurance that covers health care costs not covered by Medicare) may not provide for coverage of cost-sharing for Medicare services furnished to a BCP enrollee by a provider that is not a qualified BCP professional. HHS, acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall designate and provide core funding for at least three Chronic Care Innovation Centers. To be eligible for such designation and funding, an eligible entity must partner with other specified entities to develop new, evidence-based curricula that addresses the need for chronic care management.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Commends the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for its ongoing role in identifying and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. Calls on: (1) John Sopko, the Special Inspector General, to brief the House Armed Services Committee on matters relating to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan; and (2) the leadership of the House of Representatives to facilitate debate on continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan and the resulting waste, fraud, and abuse of tax dollars.
![Official portrait of Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/fd3cb364b8bf93c25834cff750637802_200.jpg)