United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Targeted Rewards for the Global Eradication of Human Trafficking or the TARGET Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State's rewards program is a powerful tool in combating sophisticated international crime and that the State Department and federal law enforcement should work in concert to offer rewards that target human traffickers who threaten U.S. national security and humanitarian interests by preying on the most vulnerable people. The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 is amended to include severe forms of human trafficking in the definition of "transnational organized crime" for purposes of such program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2017
Small Business Assistance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt returning workers from the nonimmigrant H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural services) annual numerical limitations through FY2017. Such amendment shall take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Reaffirms support for the Good Friday Agreement as the essential framework for the continued advancement of partnership, reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, in Northern Ireland. Encourages the Irish and British governments, as well as the Northern Ireland political parties, to continue to uphold and respect the provisions of that agreement throughout the forthcoming Brexit negotiations and to ensure that future European Union-United Kingdom and Ireland-United Kingdom negotiations give priority to protecting the gains of the peace process in Northern Ireland.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2017
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 This bill makes it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies DOJ of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. The bill makes it unlawful for a person not licensed under this bill to transfer possession of a firearm at a gun show to another person not licensed unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has, among other conditions, recorded the transfer with DOJ. Additionally, the licensed dealer must notify the prospective transferor and transferee of the firearm that the national instant criminal background check system has provided the dealer with a unique identification number indicating that the receipt of the firearm would not violate certain federal or state firearm laws. The bill grants DOJ authority to enter, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, any place where a gun show is held or where a gun show operator is required to maintain records to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2017 or the NO HATE Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue grants to states and local governments to assist in implementing the National Incident-Based Reporting System, including training employees in identifying hate crimes. A state or local government receiving such funding must provide DOJ, through the Uniform Crime Reporting system, information pertaining to hate crimes committed in that jurisdiction. A state or local government failing to provide the required data must repay the grants. The bill directs DOJ to issue grants to states to create hate crime reporting hotlines. The bill creates a cause of action for: (1) a victim of a crime motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin; and (2) a victim of a crime motivated by actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, occurring in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States or affecting interstate commerce. Under both civil actions, the victims must demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that the crime was based on one of the classifications listed. A criminal prosecution need not be brought before a civil action can be filed. A court imposing a penalty for a violation of the federal hate crime statute may order the defendant to participate in education classes or community service related to the community harmed by the defendant's offense as part of his or her supervised release.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2017
Mary Jo Lawyer Spano Mesothelioma Patient Registry Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to develop a patient registry to collect data on mesothelioma. The agency must use the registry to: enhance and expand infrastructure and activities for tracking the epidemiology of mesothelioma patients; collect, consolidate, and report on health information on mesothelioma patients; describe the incidence and prevalence of mesothelioma in the United States; facilitate research on mesothelioma; examine factors that may be associated with mesothelioma; outline key demographic factors associated with mesothelioma; and make information available to the public to facilitate and enhance research on, and the prevention and treatment of, mesothelioma.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Superfund Reinvestment Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to authorize the use of amounts in the Hazardous Substance Superfund for environmental cleanup costs under CERCLA. Receipts and disbursements of the Hazardous Substance Superfund must: (1) not be counted for purposes of the President's budget, the congressional budget, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; (2) be exempt from general budget limitations imposed by statute on expenditures and net lending; and (3) be available only for the purposes specified in CERCLA. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reinstate through 2026, and adjust for inflation annually after 2018, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate and the corporate environmental income tax threshold amount; (2) extend the borrowing authority of the Superfund through 2024; and (3) modify the definition of "crude oil" for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include a bitumen or bituminous mixture (e.g., tar sands), oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture, and oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (e.g., shale oil).
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2017
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the dollar limitation on the exclusion, and (2) make the tax exclusion permanent. (Under current law, the exclusion expired in 2010.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2017
Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal judicial code to prohibit the exclusion of citizens from service as a grand or petit juror in U.S. district courts or the Court of International Trade on account of sexual orientation or gender identity (thereby expanding the current prohibition against exclusion on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status).
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Statue of Liberty Values Act 2.0 of 2017 or the SOLVE Act 2.0 of 2017 This bill states that: (1) beginning on March 6, 2017, Executive Order 13780, entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," is null and void, shall have no force and effect, and may not be implemented or enforced; and (2) no federal funds may be used to implement or enforce any of the policy changes set forth in such order. Among the order's major provisions are restrictions on the entry of nationals from sixcountries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and additional limitations on refugee admissions to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act or the PACT Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise and expand provisions with respect to animal crushing. It retains existing criminal offenses that prohibit knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video using interstate commerce. The bill also adds a new provision to criminalize an intentional act of animal crushing. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. It provides additional exceptions for conduct, or a video of conduct, including conduct that is: (1) medical or scientific research, (2) necessary to protect the life or property of a person, (3) performed as part of euthanizing an animal, or (4) unintentional.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Expresses sympathy and condolences to the families of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, as well as to Alok Madasani, Ian Grillot, and all victims of hate crime throughout the United States. (Kuchibhotla, Madasani, and Grillot were shot in Olathe, Kansas, on February 22, 2017. Kuchibhotla was killed; Madasani and Grillot were injured.) Urges the Department of Justice to carry out a full hate crime investigation into these attacks and ensure that adequate funding and resources are available to carry out other hate crimes investigations, including additional funding for Civil Rights Division prosecutors and Community Relations Service professionals. Calls on the President to end his inflammatory rhetoric and policies.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2017
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment declaring that: (1) the rights protected by the Constitution are intended to be the rights of natural persons; (2) the words "people," "person," or "citizen" as used in the Constitution do not include corporations, limited liability companies, or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state; and (3) such corporate entities are subject to such regulation as the people, through their elected state and federal representatives, deem reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the states. Nothing in the amendment shall be construed to limit the rights of freedom of speech, the press, exercise of religion, association, and all such other unalienable rights of the people.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Securing American Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a Non-Profit Security Grant Program in the Department of Homeland Security, under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall make grants to tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations determined to be at risk of a terrorist attack, through the state in which such organizations are located, for target hardening and other security enhancements. A nonprofit organization shall not be ineligible for such a grant solely because it is not located within a jurisdiction receiving funding under the Urban Area Security Initiative. Recipients may use grants for: the acquisition or installation of certain security equipment, including on their real property, specifically to prevent or protect against the risk of a terrorist attack; and fees for training relating to the protection of critical infrastructure key resources, including for physical security and cybersecurity, target hardening, terrorism awareness, and employee awareness.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Recognizes that Robert Levinson is the longest held U.S. civilian in U.S. history. Notes that repeated pledges by Iranian officials to provide their government's assistance have not led to any meaningful progress in locating or returning him. Urges the government of Iran to take meaningful steps towards fulfilling its promises to assist in locating and returning Levinson, including immediately providing all information from all entities of such government regarding his disappearance. Urges the President and U.S. allies to continue to press the Iranian government to locate and return Levinson, notwithstanding disagreements with Iran on a broad array of issues, including Iran's ballistic missile program, sponsorship of international terrorism, and human rights abuses. Notes that further delay in locating and returning Levinson remains a significant obstacle to improving U.S.-Iran relations. Expresses sympathy to Levinson's family and expresses hope that their ordeal can be brought to an end in the near future.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Condemns the government of Iran for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners and for denying the evidence of crimes against humanity. Urges: (1) the Administration and U.S. allies to condemn the massacre and pressure the Iranian government to provide detailed information to the victims' families about their loved ones and their final resting places; and (2) the United Nations (U.N.) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran and the U.N. Human Rights Council to create a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the massacre, gather evidence, identify the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Agency for International Development should: (1) increase emergency funding in March 2017 to respond to the famine in South Sudan by providing food and other essential resources and to collaborate with international relief organizations to reach vulnerable populations, and (2) provide emergency food assistance under the Food for Peace Act. Calls upon the government of South Sudan to: (1) declare and observe a cessation of hostilities to allow food and essential supplies to reach affected civilians; and (2) allow immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to southern Unity, where the famine is underway. Condemns all threats and violence against civilian populations and aid workers. Supports efforts of the U.S. government, working with partners in the international community, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected areas and encourages greater diplomatic pressure on the parties to return to the negotiation table to stop the violence and allow full humanitarian access.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2017 This bill expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Services to caregivers of veterans under such program are expanded to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. The bill terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2022, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2022, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2022. The bill authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. The VA is authorized to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Flexible work schedules or telework are authorized for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. The Public Health Service Act is amended to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. An interagency working group is established in the executive branch to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. The VA shall provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Requests the President, and directs the Attorney General, to transmit to the House of Representatives within 14 days after adoption of this resolution copies of any document or other communication in their possession that refers or relates to: any meeting or communication between Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and any representative of the Russian government; the Attorney General's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10, 2017, his written response to Senator Patrick Leahy's letter of January 17, 2017, his letter of March 6, 2017, to such committee, his preparation for confirmation hearings before such committee with respect to contact between President Trump's campaign and any Russian government representative, and his recusal from any investigation related to the 2016 presidential election and the implementation of that recusal; the application of provisions regarding grounds for appointing a Special Counsel to any case involving the 2016 presidential election or any related matter; and any meeting between any employee of President Trump's campaign or transition team and any Russian government representative, including any meeting that involved Donald J. Trump, Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, Carter Page, J.D. Gordon, Richard Burt, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, or Michael Cohen.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Directs the Department of the Treasury to provide to the House of Representatives the full tax returns of President Donald J. Trump for tax years 2006-2015, financial documentation, and any information in its possession that specifies President Trump's: debts held by foreign governments and foreign companies; investments in foreign countries and foreign enterprises; and use of any tax shelters, corporate structures, tax avoidance maneuvers, abatements, or other loopholes to reduce or eliminate tax liability.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2017
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make trafficking in firearms a crime. Specifically, it prohibits: purchasing or transferring a firearm with the intent to deliver it to a prohibited person; providing false or misleading material information in connection with a firearm purchase or transfer; and directing, promoting, or facilitating such prohibited conduct. The prohibition does not apply to a firearm lawfully acquired to give as a gift or lawfully received as a gift. A person who commits a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 20 years (or 25 years if such person also acted as an organizer). A person who conspires to commit a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 10 years. The U.S. Sentencing Commission must review and, if appropriate, amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements that apply to persons convicted of trafficking in firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 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 · 9 March 2017
Gun Violence Research Act This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 to eliminate the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services using federal funds to advocate or promote gun control.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act This bill amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The bill imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. The bill makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this bill, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Persons found to be in violation of such prohibition shall pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Fair and Clear Campaign Transparency Act This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to require online public inspection files that must be uploaded to the Internet by television broadcast stations, AM or FM radio broadcast stations, cable operators, direct broadcast satellite service providers, or satellite digital audio radio service providers to be made available to the public in a machine-readable format that supports automated searching, bulk downloading, aggregation, manipulation, and sorting. Public inspection files include political files that contain records of requests to purchase broadcast time by or on behalf of candidates for public office or to communicate a message relating to a political matter of national importance.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2017
Keeping Our Campaigns Honest Act of 2017 This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to revise its sponsorship identification rules to require the disclosure announcements required for broadcast matter or origination cablecasting matter that is political or that involves the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance to include the names of significant donors to the person whose identity is required to be disclosed in such an announcement.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit people from knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption. In addition, the bill prohibits people from knowingly transporting, possessing, buying, selling, or donating: (1) a dog or cat to be slaughtered for human consumption, or (2) dog or cat parts for human consumption. The bill subjects a violator to imprisonment for up to a year, a fine, or both. The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Cancer Drug Coverage Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require group and individual health plans that cover anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable cost sharing for patient-administered anticancer medications. This requirement applies to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with this requirement, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2017
Prescriber Support Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for systems that help prescribers: (1) treat and manage patient pain; and (2) prevent, identify, and respond to patient substance misuse and substance abuse disorders. In awarding grants, HHS must give priority to states with the greatest need.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2017
Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as part of DHS's Blue Campaign, to issue DHS-wide guidance to, and develop training programs for, appropriate DHS personnel regarding: types of information that should be collected and recorded in information technology systems utilized by DHS to help identify individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking, systematic and routine information sharing regarding such individuals among DHS components, techniques to identify suspected victims of trafficking along the U.S. border, techniques specifically for Transportation Security Administration personnel to identify suspected trafficking victims at airport security and to serve as a liaison and resource to aviation workers and the traveling public, and utilizing resources to educate partners and stakeholders and increase public awareness of human trafficking. DHS shall: (1) ensure the integration of information technology systems utilized within DHS to record and track information regarding individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking, and (2) report to Congress on the status and effectiveness of the Blue Campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: the Russian Federation has engaged in a widespread hacking and misinformation campaign in order to influence politics and elections in democracies throughout Europe; Russian officials have expressed their desire to divide the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance, weaken democratic institutions, and support extremist, pro-Moscow candidates throughout Europe; Russia should immediately cease all hacking and cyber-attacks aimed at European governments, political parties, government officials, election entities, and public information systems; and it is U.S. government policy to sanction entities and individuals within Russia or associated with the Russian government engaged in hacking, cyber-attacks, and propaganda campaigns with the intention of interfering in democratic elections.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2017
Animal Welfare Accountability and Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to maintain and publicly disclose records relating to the administration of the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act, including specified details regarding inspections, enforcement actions, regulations, registrations, and licenses under the two laws. Within 90 days of the enactment of this bill, USDA must make the records available to the public in an online searchable database in a machine-readable format on its website. The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer who has been convicted or assessed civil penalties for violating certain provisions of the Animal Welfare Act or the Horse Protection Act to use the alternative depreciation system that increases the number of years over which property is depreciated. The taxpayer must use the system for any property placed in service during the five-year period beginning with the year in which the period for seeking judicial review of a civil penalty has lapsed or in which there has been a final judgment entered with respect to the violation, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Scientific Integrity Act This bill requires, subject to Freedom of Information Act disclosure restrictions and privacy requirements, federal agencies that fund or conduct scientific research to: (1) promote and maximize the communication and open exchange of scientific data and findings to other agencies, policymakers, and the public; and (2) prevent the suppression or distortion of such data and findings. The bill amends the America COMPETES Act to require federal agencies that fund or conduct scientific research to develop and enforce a scientific integrity policy and submit it to Congress and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). A scientific integrity policy must, at a minimum, ensure that scientific conclusions are not made based on political considerations. It must be made available to the public on agency websites and be disseminated to each new agency employee and contractor. Agencies must also develop and require training on the policy for its employees and contractors. The OSTP shall enter into an agrement with the National Academy of Public Administration to study the appropriateness of scientific integrity policies.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and conduct an exercise related to the terrorist and foreign fighter threat in order to enhance domestic preparedness for and the collective response to terrorism, promote the dissemination of homeland security information, and test the U.S. security posture. Such exercise shall include: (1) a scenario involving persons traveling from the United States to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization abroad and terrorist infiltration into the United States, including by U.S. citizens and foreign nationals; and (2) coordination with relevant federal agencies, foreign governments, and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector stakeholders. DHS shall submit an after-action report, including any identified or potential vulnerabilities in U.S. defenses and requested legislative changes. The bill amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to require the national exercise program (a program to test and evaluate the national preparedness goal, National Incident Management System, National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies) to be designed to include exercises addressing emerging terrorist threats, such as such a scenario.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Transparency in Technological Acquisitions Act of 2017 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to submit annually (currently, biennially): an update to its strategic five-year technology investment plan, and a report on the extent to which security-related technology acquired since the last issuance or update of the plan is consistent with the planned technology programs and projects identified for that security-related technology. The TSA shall also include information about acquisitions completed during the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year during which such report is submitted. The TSA shall: report to Congress on any TSA equipment that is operating after the end of its life-cycle or the end of its useful life projection under the plan, and notify airports and airlines of any changes to the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror Act of 2017 or the ALERT Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide training at state and major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of administering community awareness briefings and related activities in furtherance of its efforts to counter radicalization, identify and report suspicious activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted travel of individuals from the United States to support a foreign terrorist organization abroad. (A "fusion center" serves as a focal point within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners.) The bill directs DHS to assess its efforts to support countering radicalization at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels. Such assessment shall include: a cataloging of DHS efforts to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering radicalization; a review of cooperative agreements between DHS and such governments relating to countering radicalization; and an evaluation of DHS plans and any potential opportunities to better support such governments that are in furtherance of DHS's countering radicalization objectives and consistent with all relevant constitutional, legal, and privacy protections. DHS shall notify Congress of the number of employees of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments with security clearances sponsored by DHS, including a detailed list of the agencies that employ such employees, the levels of clearance held, and whether such employees are assigned as representatives to state and major urban area fusion centers.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
TSA Administrator Modernization Act of 2017 This bill codifies the transfer of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) decrease from 12 to 11 the maximum number of Assistant Secretary positions in DHS, and (2) include the Administrator of the TSA among the DHS officers to be appointed by the President. The Administrator shall be appointed as the head of the TSA for a five-year term as a Level IV position in the Executive Schedule.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Women's Health Protection Act of 2017 This bill prohibits any government from imposing on abortion services: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or medical procedures; a requirement that the same clinician who performs a patient's abortion also perform additional tests, services or procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs or provide services via telemedicine; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at those facilities; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a patient make medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity; a limitation on medical training for abortion procedures; a prohibition prior to fetal viability, including a prohibition on a particular abortion procedure; a prohibition after fetal viability when continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction on a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; or a restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion. A measure or action that is similar to a requirement or limitation listed above is prohibited if it singles out abortion services or makes abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2017 This bill requires a business that employs 50 or more call center employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more call center employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, to notify the Department of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Violators are subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day. Labor must make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. It may remove from the list an employer that has relocated the call center from a location outside the United States to a location inside the United States. Employers must remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. An employer is ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Federal or state executive agencies or military departments, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, must give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list. Businesses that initiate or receive a customer service communication must require each of their employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. The bill exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Upon request, businesses must transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) may exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer service communications from the requirements of this bill under exceptionally compelling circumstances. The bill sets forth authority for the FTC to enforce against violations.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Internal Revenue Service to disclose certain tax return information to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence or the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, upon receiving a written request from the chairman of the relevant committee. Any return or return information that can be associated with, or otherwise identify, a particular taxpayer may only be furnished to a congressional committee when it is sitting in closed executive session, unless the taxpayer consents in writing to the disclosure.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits funds from being made available to Honduras for the police or military (including for equipment and training), and directs the Department of the Treasury to instruct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against any loans for the police or military of Honduras, until the Department of States certifies that the government of Honduras has: prosecuted members of the military and police for human rights violations and ensured that such violations have ceased; established the rule of law and guaranteed a judicial system capable of bringing to justice members of the police and military who have committed human rights abuses; established that it protects the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, and civil society activists to operate without interference; withdrawn the military from domestic policing; and brought to trial and obtained verdicts against those who ordered and carried out the attack on Felix Molina and the killings of Berta Caceres, Joel Palacios Lino, Elvis Armando Garcia, and over 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2017
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Women's History Month. Recognizes and honors the women and organizations in the United States that have fought for and continue to promote the teaching of women's history.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to revise the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of: a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires the amounts to be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by: (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses. The bill exempts from SNAP work requirements able-bodied adults without dependents who are not offered a position in a SNAP Employment and Training Program.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for admission into the United States of the state of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The Commonwealth shall be admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other states. The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth shall consist of all Washington, DC territory as of enactment of this bill, with specified exclusions for federal buildings and monuments. The Commonwealth may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill applies current DC laws to the Commonwealth and continues pending judicial proceedings. The bill maintains: (1) DC as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. The bill provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution repealing the Twenty-Third Amendment to the Constitution (which provides for the appointment of electors for President and Vice President).
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Executive Order Transparency Act This bill requires the President to publish an executive order on the White House website at least 72 hours before signing such order.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2017
Personal Health Investment Today Act or the PHIT Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for a joint return or a head of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses per year. The bill defines "qualified sports and fitness expenses" as amounts paid exclusively for the sole purpose of participating in a physical activity, including: (1) fitness facility memberships, (2) physical exercise or activity programs, and (3) equipment for a physical exercise or activity program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2017
Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training Practices Act or the BEST Practices Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD), by no later than: (1) October 1, 2020, to complete the development, testing, and validation of human-based training methods for training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of combat trauma injuries, with the goal of replacing live animal-based training methods; and (2) October 1, 2022, to use only use human-based training methods for such purposes. No animals may be used in such training after the latter date. DOD shall submit an annual report to Congress regarding the development and implementation of the human-based training methods.
![Official portrait of Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000375_200.jpg)