United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to pay, to a provider that furnishes a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, an adjusted Medicare payment consistent with the Medicare payment methodology for kidney-acquisition costs outlined in regulation. Under the applicable regulation, kidney-acquisition costs are treated apart from the prospective payment rate for inpatient operating costs, and payment is adjusted to compensate the hospital for certain reasonable expenses. "Hematopoietic stem cell transplant" means the infusion of allogeneic hematopoietic cells (including bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and cord-blood units, but excluding embryonic stem cells) that are: (1) not more than minimally manipulated; and (2) intended to reestablish hematopoietic function in an individual whose blood marrow or immune system is damaged, defective, or adversely affective by a congenital disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2017
Security and Financial Empowerment Act of 2017 This bill sets forth various provisions to promote the safety and security of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, Among other things, the bill does the following: requires employers to provide up to 30 days of safe leave in a 12-month period; and prohibits states from imposing additional restrictions on eligibility for unemployment compensation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Fair Employment Protection Act of 2017 This bill sets forth employer liability standards to be applied in employee harassment claims under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Revised Statutes, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, employment discrimination laws relating to certain executive branch employees, and the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. The bill declares that employers under such Acts are liable for the acts of any individual whose harassment of an employee created or continued an unlawful hostile work environment if, at the time of the harassment: (1) such individual was authorized by that employer to undertake or recommend tangible employment actions affecting the employee or to direct the employee's daily work activities, or (2) the negligence of the employer led to the creation or continuation of that hostile work environment (thus modifies the liability standards provided by the Supreme Court in Vance v. Ball State University , which limited the category of supervisors for whom an employer may be held vicariously liable to those individuals who have authority to take tangible employment actions).
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Protect Victims of Crime Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase from 10,000 to 40,000 the number of U visas that may be issued in a fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Dialysis Patient Access to Integrated-care, Empowerment, Nephrologists, Treatment, and Services Demonstration Act of 2017 or the Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act of 2017 This bill establishes a demonstration program for the provision of integrated care to Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the voluntary program, eligible participating providers may form organizations to offer ESRD integrated care models and serve as medical homes for program-eligible beneficiaries. Such a model: (1) shall cover medical and hospital services, other than hospice care, under Medicare; (2) must include benefits for transition into transplantation, palliative care, or hospice; and (3) may cover prescription drug benefits. An organization must offer at least one open network model but may also offer one or more preferred network models. An organization shall return savings achieved under the models to program-eligible beneficiaries. A beneficiary shall have the opportunity to: (1) opt out of the program, (2) make an assignment change into an open network model offered by a different organization, or (3) elect a preferred network model. The bill establishes requirements regarding: (1) benefits for program-eligible beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, (2) program quality and reporting, (2) ESRD integrated care strategy, (3) program operation and scope, (4) beneficiary notification, and (5) payment. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission must, before 2025, submit to Congress an interim report on the program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
Disabled Veterans Life Insurance Act of 2017 This bill amends the service-disabled veterans life insurance program, including by extending the filling and enrollment eligibility date from 2 years to 10 years after the Department of Veterans Affairs determines that a disability is service-connected.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017
No Unconstitutional Strike against North Korea Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a conflict on the Korean peninsula would have catastrophic consequences; (2) actions and statements that increase tensions between the United States and North Korea should be avoided; and (3) the President should engage in talks with North Korea to reduce tensions and improve communication, initiate negotiations to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea's nuclear pursuits, and move toward denuclearization and a permanent peace in the Korean peninsula. Funds available to the Department of Defense or to any other federal department or agency may not be used to launch a military strike against North Korea or otherwise introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities in North Korea before the earlier of: (1) the date on which Congress declares war on North Korea, or (2) the date of an authorization that meets the requirements of the War Powers Resolution and that is enacted after the enactment of this bill. Such prohibition shall not apply to military force used to: (1) repel a sudden attack on the United States, its territories or possessions, its Armed Forces, or its allies; or (2) rescue or remove U. S. personnel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Uniting and Strengthening America by Reforming and Improving the Government's High-Tech Surveillance Act or the USA RIGHTS Act This bill amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to: require a warrant to collect communications of or about a U.S. person or a person inside the United States; require a warrant when a significant purpose of targeting foreigners is to collect communications of persons in the United States; prohibit the use of communications to or from, or information about, U.S. persons or persons in the United States in any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding or investigation, with the exception of national security-related crimes; allow individuals who have a reasonable basis to believe their communications will be acquired and who have taken reasonable steps to avoid surveillance to challenge the constitutionality of surveillance in court; and require that all forms of technical assistance demanded by the government of electronic communications service providers be approved by a FISA court. The bill expands the mandate of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to include review of all foreign intelligence activities and whistle-blower complaints. The bill extends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to September 30, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2017
Promoting Apprenticeships through Regional Training Networks for Employers' Required Skills Act of 2017 or the PARTNERS Act This bill establishes a grant program to promote registered apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs for small and medium-sized businesses within in-demand industry sectors, through the establishment and support of industry or sector partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the crew of the USS Indianapolis, in recognition of their perseverance, bravery, and service. Following the award of the gold medal, it shall be given to the Indiana War Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be displayed and made available for research. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Indiana War Memorial Museum should make the gold medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with the USS Indianapolis.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017
This bill provides that the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for an entity receiving homeless veterans shelter grants for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent while receiving services from such entity shall be the sum of the daily cost of care for the veteran plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of the veteran's daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Restoring Enforcement Standards to Track Opioids Responsively and Effectively Act of 2017 or the RESTORE Act of 2017 This bill repeals the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016. Provisions of the Controlled Substances Act amended by the Act are restored.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017
Protect Access to Birth Control Act This bill nullifies interim final rules issued by the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services that allow employers with religious or moral objections to be exempt from the requirement in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to cover contraceptive services without cost-sharing.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017
Central Coast Heritage Protection Act This bill designates specified lands in the Bakersfield Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and in the Lost Padres National Forest in California as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. It also designates certain land in Los Padres National Forest as the Machesna Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the Machesna Mountain Wilderness Area. Specified segments of the Indian, Mono, Matilija, Sespe, and Piru Creeks and Sisquoc River in California are designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Certain land in the Los Padres National Forest in California is designated as the Fox Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the San Rafael Wilderness. This bill designates specified land: (1) in Los Padres National Forest as the Condor Ridge Scenic Area; and (2) in Los Padres National Forest and in the BLM Bakersfield Field Office as the Black Mountain Scenic Area. The Department of Agriculture shall: (1) study connecting the northern and southern parts of the Los Padres National Forest using a trail corridor across parts of the Northern and Southern Santa Lucia Mountains of the Southern California Coastal Range; (2) designate the Condor National Recreation Trail, extending from Lake Piru to the Botchers Gap Campground in the Monterey County corridor in California; and (3) conduct a study to improve nonmotorized recreation trail opportunities (including mountain bicycling) on land not designated as wilderness within the Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Mt. Pinos ranger districts. The Forest Service shall study the feasibility of opening a new trail, for vehicles measuring 50 inches or less, connecting Forest Service Highway 95 to the existing off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ballinger Canyon off-highway vehicle area. Indian tribes shall be assured access to the wilderness areas, scenic areas, and potential wilderness areas designated by this bill for traditional cultural and religious purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Keep Americans Safe Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly transfer, possess, import, or bring into the United States a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). It permits the continued possession of a grandfathered LCAFD. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to an LCAFD: manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; transfer or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification that clearly shows the device was manufactured after this bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2017 This bill prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. The bill prescribes civil penalties for knowing violations of such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017
Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans; and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans, and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Restore Veterans' Compensation Act of 2017 This bill eliminates the recoupment of separation pay, special separation benefits, and voluntary separation incentive payments from members of the U.S. Armed Forces who subsequently receive Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. Disability compensation amounts may not be reduced because of the receipt of separation, severance, or readjustment pay. Recoupment of separation payments from members receiving retired or retainer pay is limited to the net amount of separation payments. Monthly deductions are limited to 25% of retired or retainer pay and may not begin until 90 days after the Department of Defense (DOD) notifies the individual of such deductions. DOD may waive such recoupment for financial hardship reasons.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Determining if Regulatory Actions are in the Interest of the Nation or the Swamp Act of 2017 or the DRAIN the Swamp Act of 2017 This bill requires each agency to submit to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), for each major rule that the agency proposes or finalizes, an assessment and quantification of any regulatory conflict of interest (i.e., providing a substantial pecuniary benefit to the President and certain advisors) pertaining to that major rule. Before a major rule may take effect, the agency must submit to the GAO and publish in the Federal Register the assessment and quantification. This bill does not apply to rules if an agency finds that notice and public procedure for the rule are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Community-Based Independence for Seniors Act of 2017 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a Community-Based Institutional Special Needs Plan demonstration program through which up to five eligible Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations shall provide home and community-based care to eligible Medicare beneficiaries. For purposes of the demonstration program, an eligible Medicare beneficiary is ineligible for Medicaid and unable to perform two or more activities of daily living. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall establish payment rates for eligible MA plans under the demonstration program. Such payment rates are capped but shall be in addition to payments otherwise made to MA organizations with respect to such plans. The CMS shall also: (1) help to educate eligible Medicare beneficiaries on the availability of the program, and (2) provide for program evaluation by an independent third party.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to establish a five-year strategy to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation and ensure healthy and productive lives for women and children. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shall: (1) identify target countries with the greatest need and the highest burden of preventable child and maternal deaths, and (2) designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator for Child and Maternal Survival.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017
This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to revise the quorum requirement for the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to require the lesser of three members or the number of members holding office on the board (currently, at least three members) for there to be a quorum.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2017 This bill establishes the United States Commission on Hate Crimes to investigate and report on: whether hate crimes have increased; factors that contributed to an increase in hate crimes, if one is determined to exist; policies or actions by law enforcement agencies to reduce hate crimes; and the impact of underreporting on hate crimes statistics and prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017
Encourages the observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week. Acknowledges the importance of national wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities and contribution to local economies. Reaffirms support for wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2017 This bill establishes new requirements and restrictions with respect to the sale, purchase, shipment, and transport of ammunition. Among other things, the bill does the following: requires an ammunition dealer to be licensed, requires ammunition sales to be conducted in person, and requires a licensed ammunition importer, manufacturer, or dealer to report on bulk sales of ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Preserving Liu Xiaobo Legacy of Freedom & Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Liu Xiaobo and collectively to all those who have peacefully advocated for democracy and human rights in China in recognition of their achievements and contributions to freedom, human rights, and peace in China and globally. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the medal available for display, particularly at locations: (1) associated with the research of the Tiananmen Protests of 1989 and their violent suppression, and (2) dedicated to preserving the history of the Chinese pro-democracy movement.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
American Prairie Conservation Act This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to modify provisions, known as sodsaver provisions, that reduce benefits under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop insurance and noninsured crop disaster assistance programs for farmers who plant crops on native sod. The bill also amends the Agriculture Act of 2014 to extend the requirement for USDA to submit annual reports to Congress regarding cropland acreage.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun. The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017
Local Food And Regional Market Supply Act or the Local FARMS Act This bill consolidates, modifies, and authorizes several Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to expand regional or local food markets and implement food safety practices. The bill authorizes and provides mandatory funding for a new Agricultural Market Development Program that is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and consolidates: the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program, Value-Added Producer Grants, regional food chain coordination, and public-private partnerships to plan and develop regional food systems. The bill modifies the Food Safety Outreach Program to move the program to the AMS, provide mandatory funding, and expand the project priorities. The bill also: establishes a national food safety cost-share program; reauthorizes the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program; authorizes rural development grants and loans to be used for meat, dairy, and poultry processing infrastructure; allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification; authorizes grants for produce prescription programs for low-income individuals and households; and reauthorizes the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and expands eligibility to include low-income veterans. The bill modifies the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program to: (1) require the majority of funds to be reserved for national or regional programs involving multiple states, and (2) expand the purposes of the program to include food waste reduction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish detention standards for each facility at which aliens in DHS custody are detained. Such standards shall provide for at least the level of detainee protections described in the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. A detained individual who is injured as a result of a violation of such standards may file a claim in U.S. district court. The bill: (1) provides for facility oversight and transparency, (2) phases out the use of private detention facilities and jails for such aliens, and (3) revises procedures for detaining aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
This bill reauthorizes through FY2019 the Special Diabetes Program. The program is administered by the National Institutes of Health and focuses on research regarding the prevention and cure of type I diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 October 2017
This bill reauthorizes through FY2019 the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. The program is administered by the Indian Health Service and provides funds to Indian health programs for diabetes prevention and treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017
Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). USDA must modernize the international trade tracking and data collection systems of the NOP, which must include ensuring that trade and transaction certificates are fully traceable without unduly hindering trade. The bill authorizes mandatory funding to be used for this purpose and for maintaining previous database and technology upgrades. The bill modifies requirements for recordkeeping, investigations, and enforcement with respect to the organic certification process to: allow parties to an active investigation to share confidential business information with government officers or employees and certifying agents involved in the investigation, require federal agencies that administer cross-border documentation systems to provide USDA with access to the data from the systems, allow the NOP to grant an accredited certifying agent the authority to require additional documentation or verification before granting certification, and require USDA to issue regulations limiting the type of operations that are excluded from certification. With respect to the accreditation process for certifying agents, the bill: (1) authorizes USDA to oversee and approve certifying agents operating in a foreign country, and (2) requires certifying agents that intend to operate in a foreign country to be annually authorized.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in Yemen, except those engaged in operations directed at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, within 30 days after adoption of this concurrent resolution, unless: (1) the President requests and Congress authorizes a later date, or (2) a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of the Armed Forces has been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2017
Drinking Water Infrastructure for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2017 appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency to remain available through FY2022 for capitalization grants to the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. (The program assists public water systems in financing infrastructure projects needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and meet health objectives under the Safe Drinking Water Act.) The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. The emergency funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and is only available if the President subsequently designates the amounts as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The bill also exempts the funding from sequestration. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2017
Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2023 the Healthy Start for Infants program. (The purpose of this program is to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Patsy T. Mink Gender Equity in Education Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent discrimination, bias, harassment, or violence based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions or stereotypes in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address "compound discrimination" (defined as discrimination based on sex and other characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, or age). The office may award grants to educational entities and partnerships to: train students, teachers, faculty, and personnel; increase campus resources, facilities, and course offerings; support title IX coordinators in performing outreach, advocacy, and education; identify patterns or systemic problems in title IX compliance; strengthen prevention education and awareness programs; conduct campus climate and victimization surveys; identify gender inequities; and improve data collection and reporting of gender equity indicators from academic assessments, civil rights data, campus data, employment data, attendance and absenteeism data, or title IX coordinator-to-student ratios. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal offices and entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to: (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in curricula and educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face compound discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017
Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow labor agreements to require membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment regardless of state law (thus preempting state laws that prohibit such agreements).
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2017
Expresses support for the designation of National Kinship Care Month. Honors the commitment and dedication of kinship caregivers and advocates. Encourages Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the J-1 visa programs, specifically the Summer Work Travel, Au Pair, Camp Counselor, and Intern and Trainee programs, are vital to the U.S. economy and national interest; and (2) Congress should continue to monitor the administration of such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress and the states should consider a constitutional amendment to reform the Electoral College and establish a process for electing the President and Vice President by a national popular vote, and (2) Congress should encourage the states to continue to reform the Electoral College process through such steps as the formation of an interstate compact to award the majority of Electoral College votes to the national popular vote winner.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Condemns: (1) the violence and displacement inflicted on Burma's (Myanmar's) Rohingya civilians, and (2) the attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militant group. Calls for an immediate halt to all hostilities by Burmese authorities. Urges the government of Burma to: (1) allow access to the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, and (2) resume delivery of field work and humanitarian aid to help those displaced and injured and to monitor events in Rakhine State. Calls on the government of Burma to implement the August 2017 recommendations of its Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, including to end restrictions on Rohingya movement and to provide the Rohingya with citizenship. Encourages Aung San Suu Kyi to live up to her inspiring words upon receiving the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize with respect to ethnic reconciliation in Burma.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2017 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers (covered persons) to develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster. The plan must: identify situations that the covered person might experience that would trigger the need to implement the measures identified in the plan; outline tasks to be carried out in response to emergencies or disasters; establish a chain of command and identify the individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks; and address how response and recovery will be handled in terms of materials, resources, and training needed. Covered persons must review their plan at least annually, train personnel in their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the plan, and provide training when the plan changes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish and implement a strategic action plan and to establish a climate and health program to ensure the public health and health care systems in the United States and other nations are prepared for, and can respond to, the impacts of climate change on health. The bill directs HHS to revise the plan periodically to reflect new scientific developments and information. HHS must establish a permanent science advisory board to provide: (1) scientific and technical recommendations on the impacts of climate change on public health, and (2) advice for purposes of issuing the plan and conducting the program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides additional grant funding for child care and preschool programs. It also modifies various requirements for the programs, including policies regarding compensation and training for employees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2017
Disapproves of an act by the President to grant to himself or any family member a reprieve, pardon, or commutation of a sentence for an offense against the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and make publicly available a National Family Caregiving Strategy that identifies recommended actions for recognizing and supporting family caregivers in a manner that reflects their diverse needs. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise the department on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. The council shall terminate after five years.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs each regional director of a region of the National Park System (NPS) to establish a program to recycle and reduce the use of disposable plastic bottles within each NPS unit located in its region. Regional directors may eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic bottles within their NPS units after having considered several specified factors. Where an NPS unit is not offering water for sale in disposable plastic bottles, the superintendent of the unit may continue that practice, upon submission of an evaluation of those factors. Each regional director who establishes and implements such a program shall develop for each affected NPS unit a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2017
Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to extend through FY2022 and make appropriations for enhanced funding for the community health centers program.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/671024d7ec807bca66057fcb_200.jpg)