Education

Samuel H. Clovis, Jr., of Iowa, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics, vice Catherine E. Woteki.

United States · United States Senate · 25 July 2017

New Collar Jobs Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

New Collar Jobs Act of 2017 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish an employee cybersecurity education tax credit, not to exceed $5,000 a year per employee, for an employer who incurs costs for an employee who earns a certificate or degree at the undergraduate or graduate level or an industry-recognized certification listed in the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education's Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. The Federal Acquisition Regulation is amended to provide a business that utilizes the employee cybersecurity education tax credit and submits a bid for a competitive federal contract valued at more than $5 million a 5% increase in the business's bid score. The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to cancel eligible Federal Direct Loans for borrowers who have: (1) made 36 consecutive monthly payments, and (2) held a cybersecurity job in an economically distressed area during at least 12 months of payments. The program will cancel up to $25,000 in loans. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 is amended to include teaching cybersecurity as an acceptable employment option to satisfy post-award obligations for recipients of a CyberCorps Scholarship-for-Service award.

529 OPTIONS Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

529 Opening Paths To Invest in Our Nation's Students Act or the 529 OPTIONS Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for certain expenses associated with registered apprenticeship programs. The bill expands the definition of "qualified higher education expenses" for which tax-free distributions are allowed to include: (1) books, supplies, and equipment required for the enrollment or attendance of a designated beneficiary in an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Department of Labor; (2) child care at a licensed day care center, and transportation, in connection with such enrollment or attendance; and (3) costs associated with obtaining an industry certification or other credential in connection with an apprenticeship program.

Drinking Water System Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Drinking Water System Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to address the infrastructure of public water systems and compliance by the systems with drinking water regulations. Community water systems must include in their consumer confidence reports information about: (1) corrosion control efforts, (2) any exceedances of the lead action level for which corrective action has been required, and (3) violations that occurred. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must revise regulations for consumer confidence reports as outlined by the bill. The EPA must develop a strategic plan for improving the accuracy and availability of compliance monitoring data. Within five years and every five years thereafter, the EPA must review, and if appropriate, update educational materials concerning best practices for asset management strategies that may be used by public water systems. The bill: (1) reauthorizes through FY2022 the public water system supervision grant program and the source water petition program, and (2) reauthorizes through FY2022 and revises the drinking water state revolving fund. The EPA must review and report to the public on existing and potential methods, means, equipment, and technologies for the treatment and distribution of drinking water. The EPA must also establish a grant program for the replacement of drinking water fountains that contain lead in schools and day care facilities. This bill amends the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to ensure that states and community water systems are notified of a release of a contaminant into their source waters.

Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Extension Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education Extension Act of 2017 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and expand funding through FY2020 for graduate medical education programs at teaching centers (which train medical residents in primary care specialties). The bill allows funds to be used for maintaining, expanding, and establishing graduate medical residency programs.

Student Loan Relief Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Student Loan Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cap the interest rate for new Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans that are disbursement on or after July 1, 2018. Specifically, the bill caps the rates for: (1) undergraduate students at 4%, (2) graduate students at 5%, and (3) parents of undergraduates at 6%. In addition, the bill eliminates loan origination fees charged to students to process their loans. Finally, the bill establishes a program that allows eligible students with existing loans under the Federal Direct Loan program (a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan) to refinance their loans down to the lower rates offered to new federal borrowers in the 2017-2018 school year. The program must also allow students with loans under the Federal Family Education Loans program to refinance them as federal direct loans.

GRIDD Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Guiding Responsible and Improved Disability Decisions Act of 2017 or the GRIDD Act of 2017 This bill requires the Social Security Administration to prescribe rules and regulations that update the medical-vocational guidelines used in disability determinations. Such rules and regulations shall include full consideration of: (1) new employment opportunities made possible by advances in treatment, rehabilitation, and technology; and (2) the effect of prevalent languages on education.

School Lunch Affordability Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

School Lunch Affordability Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act by repealing its paid lunch equity requirements (which generally require schools to charge students for paid meals at a price that is, on average, equal to the difference between free meal reimbursement and paid meal reimbursement).

Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2017 This bill establishes, within the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Child Poverty. The primary goal of the working group shall be to develop a national plan for reducing to zero, within specified timeframes, the number of children living in poverty and extreme poverty in the United States. The national plan devised by the working group shall also include recommendations for: (1) understanding the root causes of child poverty, (2) improving access to anti-poverty programs, (3) eliminating disparate rates of child poverty based on specified demographic factors, (4) improving access to quality jobs, (5) connecting low-income children and families to education and job training, and (6) shifting the measures and policies of federal anti-poverty programs toward the goal of helping individuals and families achieve long-term economic stability. The bill also specifies additional duties, membership, and reporting requirements for the working group.

Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2017 This bill establishes, within the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Child Poverty. The primary goal of the working group shall be to develop a national plan for reducing to zero, within specified timeframes, the number of children living in poverty and extreme poverty in the United States. The national plan devised by the working group shall also include recommendations for: (1) understanding the root causes of child poverty, (2) improving access to anti-poverty programs, (3) eliminating disparate rates of child poverty based on specified demographic factors, (4) improving access to quality jobs, (5) connecting low-income children and families to education and job training, and (6) shifting the measures and policies of federal anti-poverty programs toward the goal of helping individuals and families achieve long-term economic stability. The bill also specifies additional duties, membership, and reporting requirements for the working group.

DEPSCoR Reauthorization Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

DEPSCoR Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 to rename the Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research as the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. It modifies program objectives and activities to increase the number of researchers capable of performing science and engineering research responsive to Department of Defense (DOD) needs and to provide assistance to science and engineering researchers at institutions of higher education through collaboration between DOD and such researchers.

Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2017

Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand lender disclosure requirements. A lender must provide a quarterly statement to a Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Loan borrower during a period when loan payments are not required. Such statement must include the current loan balance, original principal loan amount, interest rate, total interest paid, aggregate payments, the lender's or servicer's contact information, accumulated interest amount, and information about making payments while a student to offset interest accrual. It must also explain the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes and suggest a payment amount based on interest charged. Additionally, the legislation modifies loan counseling requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. Currently, an IHE must provide one-time entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill requires an IHE to provide pre-loan counseling to a student borrower of a federal student loan at or prior to the first disbursement of each new loan. It revises and expands required elements of pre-loan counseling to include a borrower's estimated debt-to-income ratio at graduation, a statement to borrow the minimum necessary amount, a warning that high debt-to-income ratio makes repayment more difficult, options to reduce borrowing, and an explanation of the importance of on-time graduation. Prior to certifying a Federal Direct Loan disbursement to a student, an IHE must ensure that such student manually enters the exact dollar amount of the loan.

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides FY2018 appropriations to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and related agencies. Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides appropriations to the Department of Labor for: the Employment and Training Administration, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the Wage and Hour Division, the Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, and Departmental Management. Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for: the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration for Community Living, and the Office of the Secretary. Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides appropriations to the Department of Education for: Education for the Disadvantaged; Impact Aid; School Improvement Programs; Indian Education; Innovation and Improvement; Safe Schools and Citizenship Education; English Language Acquisition; Special Education; Rehabilitation Services; Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities; Career, Technical, and Adult Education; Student Financial Assistance; Student Aid Administration; Higher Education; Howard University; the College Housing and Academic Facilities Loan Program; the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program Account; the Institute of Education Sciences; and Departmental Management. Provides appropriations to Related Agencies, including: the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the National Council on Disability, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Mediation Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Railroad Retirement Board, and the Social Security Administration. Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. Conscience Protection Act of 2017 Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion.

Expressing support for the designation of July 29, 2017, as "National Dance Day" and recognizing dance as a form of valuable exercise and artistic expression.

United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017

Expresses support for the designation of National Dance Day to celebrate and encourage the national commitment to dance and dance education. Recognizes that dance is making an important contribution to health by encouraging physical fitness and reducing obesity. Commends Nigel Lythgoe for his leadership in promoting dance and National Dance Day. Thanks the Dizzy Feet Foundation for their continuing efforts in spreading awareness of National Dance Day.

To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the restoration of entitlement to educational assistance and other relief for veterans affected by school closure or disapproval, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017

This bill provides that if a veteran or reservist is forced to discontinue a certain course or program as a result of a school closure or disapproval of a necessary course and did not receive credit or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill, with an exception, applies to education courses and programs discontinued after January 1, 2015. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on a presidential executive order or due to an emergency. The VA shall, within five business days after receiving notice of a closure or intended closure, notify each affected individual of such closure and its effect on the individual's entitlement to educational assistance. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure or disapproval of a course of study, but only until the earlier of: (1) the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure or disapproval occurred; and (2) 120 days after the closure or disapproval.

Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017

Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act This bill includes under the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program (public-private contributions for educational assistance in addition to post-9/11 educational assistance): (1) the child or spouse of an individual who, on or after September 11, 2001, dies in the line of duty while serving on active duty (Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry scholarship recipients); and (2) an individual who, on or after such date, serves at least 90 days but less than 6 months on active duty and who, after completion of such service, either continues on active duty for an aggregate of less than 6 months or is discharged or released before completion of such amount of active duty service.

Recognizing that international education and exchange programs further national security and foreign policy priorities, enhance economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations.

United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2017

Recognizes that international education and exchange programs enhance national security, significantly further U.S. foreign policy goals and economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations. Encourages such programs to ensure that the United States maintains a broad international knowledge base. Supports such programs as a means to strengthen foreign language skills and foster a better understanding of the world by U.S. citizens. Commends American and international education and exchange participants, volunteers, educators, program alumni, host families, high schools, institutions of higher education, and host communities for their involvement in such programs. Celebrates the integral role such programs play for the United States and its people.

Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2017

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides FY2018 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Provides appropriations to Interior for: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. Provides appropriations to Interior for Departmental Offices, including: the Office of the Secretary, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. Provides appropriations to Interior for Department-Wide Programs, including: Wildland Fire Management, the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Fund, the Working Capital Fund, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, and Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT). Provides appropriations to the EPA. Provides appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service. Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for: the Indian Health Service, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Provides appropriations to other related agencies, including: the Executive Office of the President for the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Environmental Quality; the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Gallery of Art; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Commission of Fine Arts; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Capital Planning Commission; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission; the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission; and the World War I Centennial Commission. Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

ACE Kids Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act or the ACE Kids Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to establish a state Medicaid option to provide for medical assistance with respect to coordinated care provided through a health home (i.e., a designated provider or team of health-care professionals) for children with medically complex conditions. A state shall make payments for such health-home services regardless of whether they are provided through a fee-for-service or managed-care system. For an initial period of eight fiscal-year quarters, the federal matching rate applicable to such payments shall be increased by 20 percentage points, not to exceed 90%. A state that exercises this option shall specify its methodology for determining payment and evaluating quality of care, in accordance with requirements established by the bill. In addition, the state must meet specified requirements regarding hospital referrals, out-of-state providers, education and outreach, data collection, and reporting. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must issue guidance on best practices for using out-of-state providers to provide care to children with medically complex conditions. The Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report to Congress and to the Department of Health and Human Services on specified matters related to children with medically complex conditions.

STEM to STEAM Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

STEM to STEAM Act of 2017 This bill amends the STEM Education Act of 2015 to include: (1) among the purposes for which the National Science Foundation shall award competitive, merit-reviewed grants the support of the integration of art and design in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educational programs; and (2) among activities supported by such grants the design and testing of programming that integrates art and design in STEM education in order to promote creativity and innovation.

HEARD Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Hunting, Education, and Recreational Development Act or the HEARD Act This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to dispose of federal lands under their respective jurisdictions by offering them for sale or exchange to units of local government in accordance with this bill. The bill prescribes requirements for disposition of the gross proceeds of the sales of lands under this bill, including that: 15% be paid to the state where the sale takes place to be used to supplement the education of students in kindergarten through grade 12, to supplement public support of institutions of public higher education, and to supplement state agricultural and natural resource agencies; and 10% of such proceeds be deposited in a special account to be created in the Treasury which may be used for the acquisition of recreational beneficial lands and interests (providing an opportunity for hunting, recreational fishing, recreational shooting, recreational off-highway vehicles, or other recreational purposes, or to achieve better management of public lands through consolidation of federal ownership).

Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies. The bill provides statutory authority for the veterans success of campus program which provides veterans with on-campus educational and vocational counseling. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall: (1) make a new determination regarding each denied veteran's claim for disability compensation in connection with full-body exposure to mustard gas or Lewisite at specified locations during World War II, and (2) presume such exposure unless there is affirmative evidence otherwise.

Student Opportunity Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Student Opportunity Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to establish a program to refinance the outstanding principal, interest, and late charges on Federal Direct Loans (DLs) and Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) in order to give a borrower a fixed interest rate equal to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus .5 percentage point.

Nutrition Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Nutrition Education Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.

Supporting the role of the United States in promoting children's access to quality education in the poorest countries through the Global Partnership for Education.

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Affirms U.S. leadership and commitment to improving access to quality education for the poorest and most marginalized children and youth worldwide. Supports the mission and goals of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to mobilize global and national efforts to contribute to the achievement of equitable, quality education and learning. Recognizes that U.S. investments in bilateral basic education are complemented by GPE's education systems approach and convening authority. Encourages continued commitment and investments by the U.S. government, international donors, private foundations, and private sector donors through the GPE to the global effort to promote children and youth attending school.

Dream Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Dream Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel removal and grant lawful permanent resident status on a conditional basis to an alien who is inadmissible or deportable or is in temporary protected status who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States for four years preceding this bill's enactment; (2) was younger than 18 years of age on the initial date of U.S. entry; (3) is not inadmissible on criminal, security, terrorism, or other grounds; (4) has not participated in persecution; (5) has not been convicted of specified federal or state offenses; and (6) has fulfilled specified educational requirements. DHS shall cancel the removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence on a conditional basis, an alien who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status unless the alien has engaged in conduct that would make the alien ineligible for DACA. DHS may not: (1) grant conditional permanent resident status without the submission of biometric and background data, and completion of background and medical checks; and (2) disclose or use information provided in applications filed under this bill or in DACA requests for immigration enforcement purposes. The bill prescribes the conditions under which DHS: (1) may terminate a person's conditional permanent resident status, and (2) shall adjust a person's conditional status to permanent resident status. The bill: (1) sets forth documentation requirements for establishing DACA eligibility, and (2) repeals the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence.

Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act of 2017 This bill amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make it one of the purposes of the Act to extend financial and technical assistance to the states for the promotion of hunting and recreational shooting. The bill also prescribes a formula for the allocation of funds apportioned to a state that may be used for any activity or project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational shooters. Amounts apportioned to the states from any taxes on pistols, revolvers, bows, and arrows may be used for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment. The funds apportioned to a state for wildlife restoration management may be used for related public relations. If a state has not used all of the tax revenues apportioned to it for firearm and bow hunter education and safety program grants, it may use its remaining apportioned funds for the enhancement of hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment. Up to $5 million of the revenues covered into the wildlife restoration fund in the Treasury from any tax imposed for a fiscal year on the sale of certain bows, arrows, and archery equipment shall be available to the Department of the Interior exclusively for making hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

Highway Safety Education Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Highway Safety Education Improvement Act of 2017 This bill expands the definition of "highway safety improvement project" to include education, as part of an approved state strategic highway safety plan, subject to a specified funding limitation. The bill also modifies the highway safety improvement program high-risk rural road safety rule to require a state to obligate additional funds for projects on high-risk rural roads if the fatality rate on such roads does not decrease (currently, if it increases) during a two-year period. If the fatality rate does not decrease and exceeds the national fatality rate on rural roads, then, as under existing law, the state must obligate 200% of the amount it received for high-risk rural roads in FY2009.

In-Home CARE Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

In-Home Caregiver Assessment Resources and Education Act or the In-Home CARE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Administration for Community Living to award grants to carry out home visiting programs for unpaid caregivers. The Department of Health and Human Services must coordinate with the National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others on this grant program. Grantees must provide: caregiver education and training regarding medication management, food preparation, falls prevention, and other subjects; services or referrals for services related to home care, such as transportation, home modification, or respite care; and an assessment and referral for physical and mental health services for the caregiver or person receiving care from the caregiver.

Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2017 This bill establishes the Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Program for the appointment of individuals who are graduates of accredited law schools to serve as congressional clerks in the Senate or House of Representatives. The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on House Administration must each select at least six individuals for a one-year term to serve for a clerkship with an office in their respective chambers. The committees shall ensure that congressional clerks selected under this bill are apportioned equally between majority and minority party offices.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides FY2018 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. Provides appropriations to USDA for Agricultural Programs, including: the Office of the Secretary; Executive Operations; the Office of the Chief Information Officer; the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; the Office of Civil Rights; Agriculture Buildings and Facilities; Hazardous Materials Management; the Office of Inspector General; the Office of the General Counsel; the Office of Ethics; the Economic Research Service; the National Agricultural Statistics Service; the Agricultural Research Service; the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the Agricultural Marketing Service; the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Provides appropriations to USDA for Farm Production and Conservation, including: the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund, and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. Provides appropriations to USDA for Rural Development Programs, including: Rural Development Salaries and Expenses, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Utilities Service. Provides appropriations to USDA for the Food and Nutrition Service, including: Child Nutrition Programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program); the Commodity Assistance Program; and Nutrition Programs Administration. Provides appropriations to USDA for the Foreign Agricultural Service, including Food for Peace Title II Grants and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants. Provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration and the Farm Credit Administration. Rescinds specified unobligated balances from prior appropriations. Sets forth permissible, restricted, and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

BUILDS Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2017

Building U.S. Infrastructure by Leveraging Demands for Skills or the BUILDS Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to award implementation or renewal grants, for up to three years and on a competitive basis, to eligible industry or sector partnerships to achieve certain strategic objectives with respect to targeted infrastructure industries (e.g., transportation, construction, energy, information technology, or utilities industries). Such strategic objectives must include: recruiting key stakeholders in the targeted infrastructure industries; identifying the training needs of multiple businesses in such industries; facilitating actions that lead to economies of scale by aggregating multiple businesses' training and education needs; helping grant recipients who provide career and technical education and training in aligning curricula, entrance requirements, and programs to the targeted infrastructure's needs and required credentials; providing information on grant activities to state agencies to enable them to inform unemployment compensation recipients of employment and training opportunities; and helping partner businesses to attract potential workers from a diverse jobseeker base.

Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017

Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act This bill urges the consideration of the educational needs of vulnerable women and girls in designing, implementing, and evaluating U.S. foreign assistance policies and programs. The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may advance programs that: provide safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children; build the capacity of institutions in countries hosting displaced people to prevent displaced children from facing educational discrimination; and help increase the access of displaced children, especially girls, to educational, economic, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The State Department and USAID may: coordinate with multilateral organizations to work with foreign governments to collect relevant data, disaggregated by age and gender, on the ability of displaced people to access education and participate in economic activity; and work with domestic and foreign private sector and civil society organizations to promote safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children.

Code Like a Girl Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017

Code Like a Girl Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, or nonprofit organizations to accelerate research efforts to increase understanding of the factors that contribute to the willingness or unwillingness of girls under the age of 11 to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) activities. The NSF shall also award competitive grants to such institutions and organizations to enter into partnerships with local educational agencies to develop and evaluate interventions in pre-K and elementary school classrooms that seek to increase participation by such girls in computer science activities. The NSF must: (1) ensure that the materials developed under a program that are demonstrated as being effective in achieving grant goals are made available free of charge to the public on an Internet website, (2) convene an annual meeting of participating partnerships to foster greater national collaboration, and (3) furnish such partnerships with technical assistance in meeting grant program requirements.

On-the-Job Training Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2017

On-the-Job Training Act of 2017 This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to authorize the Department of Labor to: (1) make discretionary grants to states, local governments and boards, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, business trade associations, and local educational agencies for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training programs; and (2) use up to 10% of funds authorized under this bill to make grants to such entities for developing on-the-job training programs, including providing capacity building activities for local staff.

Responsible Path to Full Obamacare Repeal Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2017

Responsible Path to Full Obamacare Repeal Act This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective at the beginning of FY2019. Provisions of law amended by those Acts are restored.

Grow Our Own Directive: Physician Assistant Employment and Education Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017

Grow Our Own Directive: Physician Assistant Employment and Education Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out the Grow Our Own Directive or G.O.O.D. pilot program to provide educational assistance to certain former members of the Armed Forces for education and training as VA physician assistants. An individual is eligible to participate in the program if the individual: has medical or military health experience gained while serving in the Armed Forces; has received a certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master's degree, or postbaccalaureate training in a science relating to health care; has participated in the delivery of health care services or related medical services; and does not have a degree of doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of dentistry. The VA shall: provide educational assistance to program participants for the costs of obtaining a master's degree in physician assistant studies or a similar master's degree, ensure that mentors are available for program participants at each VA facility at which a participant is employed, and seek to partner with specified government programs and with appropriate educational institutions that offer degrees in physician assistant studies. The VA shall: establish specified standards to improve the education and hiring of VA physician assistants, and implement a national plan for the retention and recruitment of VA physician assistants that includes the adoption of competitive pay standards. VA physician assistant pay grades are established.

Veteran Education Empowerment Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017

Veteran Education Empowerment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs for the establishment, maintenance, improvement, and operation of veteran student centers. A veteran student center is a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2017

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 Provides FY2018 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. Provides appropriations to USDA for Agricultural Programs, including: the Office of the Secretary; Executive Operations; the Office of the Chief Information Officer; the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; the Office of Civil Rights; Hazardous Materials Management; the Office of Inspector General; the Office of the General Counsel; the Office of Ethics; the Economic Research Service; the National Agricultural Statistics Service; the Agricultural Research Service; the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the Agricultural Marketing Service; the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Provides appropriations to USDA for Farm Production and Conservation Programs, including: the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund, and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. Provides appropriations to USDA for Rural Development Programs, including: Rural Development Salaries and Expenses, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, the Rural Utilities Service, and the Rural Economic Infrastructure Account. Provides appropriations to USDA for the Food and Nutrition Service, including: Child Nutrition Programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program); the Commodity Assistance Program; and Nutrition Programs Administration. Provides appropriations to USDA for the Foreign Agricultural Service, including Food for Peace Title II Grants and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants. Provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Farm Credit Administration. Rescinds specified unobligated balances from prior appropriations. Sets forth permissible, restricted, and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

Second Chance for Students Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017

Second Chance for Students Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify federal student aid eligibility for a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession. Under current law, a drug offense conviction involving the sale or possession of a controlled substance triggers a suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a specified period of time. This bill allows a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession, without the intent to distribute, to resume or retain federal student aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program.

Teachers and Parents at the Table Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2017

Teachers and Parents at the Table Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish: (1) a Teacher Advisory Committee to monitor the effects of the ESEA in classrooms, and (2) a Parents and Families Advisory Committee to monitor the effects of the ESEA on children and families and to review and analyze the implementation of various family engagement activities.

Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 This bill revises education and related benefits provided to veterans, service members, dependents, and survivors. The bill amends the Post-9/11 veterans' educational assistance program to: remove certain time restrictions on program use; increase assistance for reservists, guardsmen, dependents, and surviving spouses and dependents; provide full eligibility for Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients and certain reservists and guardsmen; provide an extra academic years' worth of benefits for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) degree candidates; establish a five-year pilot program for high technology courses; restore eligibility for service members whose school closes in the middle of a semester; authorize funding to improve claims processing; permit assistance to be used at certain institutions that are not institutions of higher education; and pro-rate the housing stipend for reservists called to active duty. The bill authorizes the Edith Nurse Rogers STEM Scholarship to help veterans complete STEM degrees. The Yellow Ribbon program is extended to Fry Scholarship recipients (surviving dependents of service members who died on active duty) and certain Purple Heart recipients. (The Yellow Ribbon program helps veterans pay for higher education tuition and fee costs not covered by the Post-9/11 program.) The bill: (1) extends the Advisory Committee on Education, (2) increases survivors' and dependents' educational assistance, and (3) extends funding for state educational program approving agencies.

Supporting Future Educators Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Supporting Future Educators Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish the Strengthen-Our-Schools Grant Program, which shall award competitive, renewable five-year grants to local education agencies to fund: teaching residency programs, including distance-learning facilities or infrastructure, mentor teacher incentives, resident salaries, and resident tuition; additional credit requirements for a teacher to become licensed in a second subject area or earn an additional qualification that meets a specific need of the school; additional credit requirements needed to qualify teachers to teach dual or concurrent enrollment programs; and housing supplements or special housing programs to support prospective teachers in high-need districts. Not less than 10% of available grant funds shall be directed to programs that address teacher shortages in rural school districts. ED must create a national database of qualified mentor teachers who can provide student-teacher supervision to participants in teacher preparation programs.

Veterans Education Experience Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Veterans Education Experience Improvement Act of 2017 This bill revises the administration of certain veterans educational benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall establish training requirements for school certifying officials (SCOs) employed by educational institutions offering approved veterans education courses. An institution shall employ one SCO for every 500 unduplicated veteran's enrollment certifications made during a fiscal year. The VA may disapprove any course of education offered by an institution that does not meet such requirements. The bill increases: (1) the VA reporting fee paid to an institution for each individual using veterans educational benefits at such institution, and (2) resources available to SCOs and state approving agencies. The VA shall provide: (1) veterans with on-campus educational and vocational counseling services, and (2) institutions with educational assistance information regarding enrolled veterans. A course that begins within seven days of the beginning of an academic term shall be treated as beginning on such date for purposes of certifying a veteran's eligibility for educational benefits. The Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education is extended to December 31, 2022.

Economic Freedom Zones Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Economic Freedom Zones Act of 201 7 This bill prohibits the federal government from providing: (1) assistance (e.g., loans, loan guarantees, or purchases) to a municipality or zip code, other than the assistance provided for in this bill for an area designated as an Economic Freedom Zone; and (2) financial assistance to a bankrupt or insolvent municipality, except as provided by this bill. The bill sets forth requirements for designating municipalities, counties, cities, and zip codes as zones for a 10-year period, including bankruptcy eligibility, risk of insolvency, pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow reduced tax rates, tax credits, tax-exempt educational savings accounts, increased expensing of business property, and other tax incentives for individuals and businesses located in or investing in a zone. The zones are exempt from compliance with: (1) specified environmental regulations, (2) the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, (3) requirements applicable to a National Heritage Area, and (4) wage rate requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow a special allocation of grant funds for children from families who reside in a zone and have incomes below the federal poverty level. The Department of Homeland Security may issue special visas to aliens meeting certain capital, educational, and skill requirements who intend to enter the United States to invest in a zone.

Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Employment Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Employment Act of 2017 This bill provides that the annual determination of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) staff shortages shall include shortages for five clinical and five non-clinical occupations for each network. (Such determination currently includes the five occupations for which there are the largest Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]-wide shortages.) The bill establishes in the VA an executive management fellowship program to provide eligible employees of: (1) the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the VHA with private sector training and experience, and (2) a private-sector entity with VA training and experience. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to the plan conducted for VA career senior executive employees; establish a single database that lists each vacant VA position that is critical, difficult to fill, or both, and each vacant mental health position; prescribe regulations to allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates; provide VHA human resources with training on employee recruitment and retention; establish a promotional track system for employees who are technical experts to advance without being required to transition to management positions; develop a program to transition military medical people into VHA employment; develop a plan to hire qualified directors for each medical center without a permanent director; develop a standardized VA exit survey; and ensure that a recruiter for each Veterans Integrated Service Network visits, at least annually, each allopathic and osteopathic teaching institution with a graduate medical education program within the network to recruit individuals to be appointed to VHA positions. The VA may non-competitively appoint a qualified former career or career conditional employee to any VA position within the competitive service that is one grade higher than the position most recently occupied by the employee.

A resolution designating July 13, 2017, as "Summer Learning Day", a day to reflect on the importance of providing young people with safe, productive, and enriching activities every summer, ensuring the young people return to school in the fall with the skills vital to succeed in the year ahead.

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2017

Designates July 13, 2017, as Summer Learning Day.

Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017

Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to designate an official to: (1) coordinate human trafficking prevention efforts across DOT modal administrations and with other federal agencies, and (2) take into account the unique challenges of combating human trafficking within different transportation modes. The bill expands the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's outreach and education program and DOT's commercial driver's license financial assistance program to include activities for the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking.

Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017

Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2017 This bill extends the authority for the Veteran's Advisory Committee on Education until December 31, 2022.

On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017

On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers who employ an average of not more than 500 full-time employees during the taxable year an on-the-job training tax credit equal to the lesser of: 50% of the job training program expenditures for a full-time employee participating in a qualified training program, or $5,000. A "qualified training program" is a written plan of study and training that is either: (1) an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Department of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act; (2) a program licensed, registered, or certified by the workforce investment board or apprenticeship agency or council of a state or administered in compliance with state apprenticeship laws; (3) a program conducted by a vocational or technical education school, community college, industrial or trade training organization, or labor organization; (4) a program that conforms to apprentice training programs developed or administered by an employer trade group or committee; or (5) an industry-sponsored or -administered program that is clearly identified and commonly recognized. The bill terminates such credit after 2019.