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401 records in US in 2017
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Improving Access to Higher Education Act of 2017 This bill addresses accessibility issues of students with disabilities in higher education.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2017
Department of Education Accountability Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education to report on the implementation status of outstanding recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office during the past 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish an Advance Directive Certification Program. Under the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall grant accreditation to advance directive vendors that meet specified accreditation criteria. CMS shall establish procedures for an eligible beneficiary to register the adoption of a certified advance directive under the program. Beneficiary registration in the program shall be optional, but each eligible beneficiary who adopts and registers a certified advance directive shall receive a one-time incentive payment. CMS shall provide for related education and outreach.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish an Advance Directive Certification Program. Under the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall grant accreditation to advance directive vendors that meet specified accreditation criteria. CMS shall establish procedures for an eligible beneficiary to register the adoption of a certified advance directive under the program. Beneficiary registration in the program shall be optional, but each eligible beneficiary who adopts and registers a certified advance directive shall receive a one-time incentive payment. CMS shall provide for related education and outreach.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Veterans Access to Care Act of 2017 This bill authorizes and appropriates funds for: (1) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care, and (2) the veterans choice program. The VA shall conduct a program to increase by up to 1,500 the number of graduate medical education residency positions at covered facilities. The bill expands: (1) eligibility for the VA family caregiver program to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who were seriously injured or became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001; and (2) services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care, financial planning, and legal services. The support program for caregivers of covered veterans is terminated on October 1, 2022, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2022, shall be continued. The VA may carry out specified major medical facility leases in Alabama, Colorado, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The VA may record as a U.S. government obligation amounts owed for hospital care or medical services furnished at non-VA facilities when a health care provider's payment claim is approved, rather than when the VA authorizes such care or services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2017
Defending Educational Opportunities for West Virginia Students Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education to: (1) notify TRIO program applicants of any minor budgeting error in their applications, (2) permit the applicants to resubmit corrected applications no later than 30 days after being notified of the error, and (3) review and score the corrected applications.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2017
CHampioning Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in TECHnology Act or the CHANCE in TECH Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to enter into competitive contracts with industry intermediaries to promote the development of and access to apprenticeships in the technology sector. The Department of Education may issue CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st Century Schools to secondary schools or junior or community colleges that demonstrate high achievement in providing students necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 10 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.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2017
CHampioning Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in TECHnology Act or the CHANCE in TECH Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to enter into competitive contracts with industry intermediaries to promote the development of and access to apprenticeships in the technology sector. The Department of Education may issue CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st Century Schools to secondary schools or junior or community colleges that demonstrate high achievement in providing students necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Merchant Marine Academy Improvement Act of 2017 This bill addresses sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, including to make the academy subject to title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. (Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Investing in Student Achievement Act of 2017 or the ISA Act of 2017 This bill provides for income-share agreements whereby a student agrees to pay a percentage of future income, for a specified period of time, in exchange for funds to pay for educational expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of funds a county elects to receive under such Act to include: reimbursing the county for law enforcement patrols and evacuations that are performed on federal land; search and rescue preparedness training; and capital equipment, equipment maintenance, and other purchases related to carrying out search and rescue and other emergency services. A participating county may reallocate funds for a different use than authorized only after the 45-day public comment period has ended, at the beginning of which the county shall publish a description of how it proposes to use the funds. The bill extends the authority for the initiation of county projects until the end of FY2019 and allows county funds to remain available until expended.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
International & National Service Promotion to Ignite Renewed Engagement Act or the INSPIRE Act This bill addresses public service and volunteerism, including by extending community service programs such as a the Peace Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to appoint qualified graduates and post-secondary students to competitive service positions without regard to certain federal civil service employment and retention provisions. The VA shall allow for excepted service appointments of qualifying students and recent graduates leading to career or career conditional employment. The VA may appoint: (1) highly qualified candidates without regard to competitive service provisions if the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) determines that the VA has a severe shortage of highly qualified candidates, and (2) former highly qualified federal employees to high-demand VA positions without regard to such provisions. The VA shall: (1) develop a resume-based application method for senior executive appointments comparable to the OPM resume-based application method; (2) establish a single database that lists each vacant position that is critical to the VA's mission, difficult to fill, or both; (3) measure and collect specified information on hiring effectiveness; (4) develop a standardized VA exit survey; (5) publish information on VA nurse staffing levels; (6) develop a tool for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) human resources employees to assess their knowledge relating to how certain VA health care providers are treated differently than other VA employees; (7) include mental health professionals and marriage and family therapists in the VA education and training program; and (8) provide VHA human resources professionals with employee recruitment and retention training. The VA and the Surgeon General shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the assignment of at least 500 commissioned officers of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service to the VA. The bill revises provisions regarding: (1) pay for medical center and veterans integrated service network directors, (2) the hiring preference service requirement, and (3) VA reductions in force.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Promoting Women in STEM Act This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to require state leadership activities under the Act to include supporting programs that increase the participation of women in career and technical education programs leading to occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to provide grants to local educational agencies to encourage the ongoing development of programs and curricula for girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and prepare those students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: Congress should have the power to implement and enforce limits on when money can be spent on campaign activities; registered candidates for congressional elections should not be allowed to expend campaign funds on advertising more than 60 days before a primary or general election; congressional candidates, both incumbents and challengers, should not be allowed to solicit or collect contributions during the hours in which Congress is in session; and states should create a single congressional primary to increase voter education and participation.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Condemns the recent attack on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, that resulted in the death of Lt. Richard Collins III and other hate-motivated incidents. Acknowledges the efforts undertaken by university officials in responding to racism, extremism, and hate and creating safer campuses. Recognizes the persistent and growing threat posed by hate speech, efforts by extremist organizations to specifically target young people, and the normalization of these practices. Expresses that the House of Representatives remains committed to offering solutions that promote open, tolerant, and safe learning environments that fully respect diversity on college campuses.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of funds a county elects to receive under such Act to include: reimbursing the county for law enforcement patrols and evacuations that are performed on federal land; search and rescue preparedness training; and capital equipment, equipment maintenance, and other purchases related to carrying out search and rescue and other emergency services. A participating county may reallocate funds for a different use than authorized only after the 45-day public comment period has ended, at the beginning of which the county shall publish a description of how it proposes to use the funds. The bill extends the authority for the initiation of county projects until the end of FY2019 and allows county funds to remain available until expended.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Merchant Marine Academy Improvement Act of 2017 This bill addresses sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, including to make the academy subject to title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. (Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
21st Century Strengthening Hands On Programs that Cultivate Learning Approaches for Successful Students Act or the SHOP CLASS Act This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to require state leadership activities funded under such Act to include: (1) professional development programs to ensure that public school teachers of career and technical education develop a higher level of academic and industry knowledge and skills in maker education (a hands-on-learning approach that encourages students to imagine, create, innovate, tinker, and collaborate through the process of manufacturing, testing, and demonstrating their ideas); and (2) support for maker education and makerspaces (a community space that provides access to tools, technology, and knowledge for learners and entrepreneurs, that result in the prototyping or creation of physical goods, and that supports the development of educational opportunities for personal growth, workforce training, and early stage business ventures). The bill requires local educational agencies' use of funds under such Act to include support for career and technical education programs designed to train teachers in the effective use and application of maker education and makerspaces.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
ANCSA Unrecognized Community Landless Natives Authorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to permit the Alaska Native residents of each of the Alaska Native villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, to organize as Alaska Native urban corporations and to receive certain settlement land. These urban corporations may establish a settlement trust to promote the health, education, and welfare of the trust beneficiaries, and preserve the Alaska Native heritage and culture of their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Reinstatement Act of 2017 This bill declares that, if a veteran is forced to discontinue a course as a result of a a permanent school closure and did not receive credit, could not transfer credit, or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period of time, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill applies to courses and programs of education discontinued in FY2015 or a following fiscal year. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on an executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure, but only until the earlier of: (1) the date of the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure occurred; and (2) the date that is four months after the school closure.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2017
Countering Russian Missiles Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit annual reports on: the status of the Russian Federation's new SSC-8 ground-launched cruise missile, its capabilities, and the threat it poses to the European and Asian allies of the United States and U.S. assets in the region; whether the United States faces significant military disadvantages with the introduction of the SSC-8 to the European continent; gaps in the current U.S. missile defense infrastructure in Europe; gaps in capability that a new U.S. intermediate range missile, that is not compliant with the Treaty between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty), would address in Europe and Asia; and the time line for fielding, and the cost for deployment of, an INF range missile. The Department of State must submit an annual report that includes a plan: (1) describing how the United States will coordinate with its European allies to enhance missile detection and defense; and (2) recommending additional foreign military sales, financing, or international military education and training for such allies for strengthening missile defense capabilities. The bill requires specified consultation by the President and Congress regarding Russian Federation compliance with the treaty. The bill prohibits any funds from being made available or expended for any action that effects U.S. withdrawal from the treaty unless the President certifies that withdrawal is in U.S. vital national security interests.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 28 June 2017
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 This bill amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with respect to energy efficiency for sectors such as buildings, transportation, schools, and manufacturing. Energy infrastructure concerns are addressed, including cybersecurity threats, pipeline permitting, and requirements for enhanced electric grid storage and security as well as bulk-power system reliability. The bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and specified other Acts regarding: (1) hydroelectric power, (2) geothermal energy, (3) marine hydrokinetic renewable energy, (4) thermal energy, (5) oil and gas, (6) helium, (7) specified critical minerals, (8) fossil energy, (9) nuclear energy, (10) 21st century energy workforce development, and (11) recycled carbon fiber and non-recycled mixed plastics. The bill revises the Department of Energy's loan program for innovative technologies. Additionally, the bill addresses energy and water sustainability; energy innovation, management, markets, and affordability; and repeals the mandates for various specified studies, reports, plans, and programs. The bill establishes and revises requirements for specified conservation programs and sets forth polices regarding land conveyances, national park system management, and hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal land. The bill also addresses matters regarding water infrastructure projects, natural hazards systems and programs, and Indian tribal energy development.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 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.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2017
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. The VA shall give grant priority to institutions that have entered into a partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. An "eligible institution" is an educational institution that is either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or that demonstrates an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if it receives a grant. The bill requires the VA to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic research.
United States · United States Senate · 27 June 2017
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
This bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to reauthorize for FY2018-FY2024 the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Fund Grant Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Reclassification to Ensure Smarter and Equal Treatment Act of 2017 or the RESET Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to reduce the potential sentence for possession of a controlled substance by a person with one or more prior convictions. The bill repeals the provision providing for up to three years' imprisonment for the possession of a date rape drug and revises the penalties for possession of such drugs after a prior drug-related conviction. The maximum term of imprisonment for the sale or use of the mails to transport, or for importation or exportation of, drug paraphernalia is reduced to one year. The bill eliminates increased penalties for cocaine offenses where the cocaine involved is cocaine base. In determining the weight of a controlled substance or mixture of controlled substances that is in a compound with a food product, the weight of the food product shall not be included. Amendments made by this bill are applicable to both defendants who committed the offense and/or were convicted before the bill's enactment. The U.S. Sentencing Commission shall review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to any person convicted of an offense affected by this bill. There is established within the Department of Justice the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, for expenditures to: improve outcomes for public school pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 through 12 by reducing truancy and supporting students who are at risk of dropping out or are victims of crime; provide services to crime victims; support mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and diversion programs for people in the criminal justice system; and pay down the national debt.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Technical Education and Career Help (TEACH) Act This bill amends title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants under the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program to be used for secondary school career and technical education teacher preparation programs. The grant program provides funds to partnerships of high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools or early education programs, and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to train current and prospective teachers and school leaders. The bill requires the career and technical education teacher preparation programs to: be available to mid-career professionals or recent graduates of an IHE who have expertise in a program area in which there is a career and technical education teacher shortage; allow individuals to obtain initial licensure and the basic skills required for entry into the education profession, with the option of earning a bachelor's or master's degree; and allow teachers who do not have subject matter expertise in a career and technical education field that is in demand in the local or regional economy to receive the technical skills training they need to teach those skills in a classroom setting. It directs the Department of Education to establish performance measures for the career and technical education teacher preparation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
FAFSA Translation Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education to: (1) translate the forms developed under the Free Application for Federal Student Aid into not fewer than 11 foreign languages, and (2) make the translated forms available to applicants in paper and electronic formats.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of civic education and civic involvement programs in schools. Encourages schools to test high school seniors about basic civic knowledge and to promote civic participation, democratic engagement, and social service.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Education and the Workforce; (2) Homeland Security; (3) the Judiciary; (4) Natural Resources; (5) Oversight and Government Reform; (6) Science, Space, and Technology; and (7) Small Business.
United States · United States Congress · 27 June 2017
Serving our Rural Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay for the training and employment of Veterans Health Administration medical residents and interns at a covered facility, which includes: (1) a VA facility; (2) a facility operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service; (3) a federally-qualified health center; or (4) a community health center. (Currently, such payments are authorized only for VA facilities.) The VA shall carry out an eight-year pilot program to establish or affiliate with graduate medical education residency training programs at not more than four facilities. The VA shall reimburse each participating facility for the costs of: curriculum development; recruitment, training, supervision, and retention of residents and faculty; accreditation of education programs; faculty salaries attributable to program activities; and other expenses relating to providing medical education under the program. A program participant: (1) shall agree to one year of obligated service at a covered or a VA facility for each year of partipation in the program, (2) who fails to satisfy the obligated service period shall be liable to the United States for a prorated portion of the amount paid for program participation, and (3) during the period of obligated service, shall be eligible for participation in the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program and the VA Education Debt Reduction Program. A covered facility for pilot program purposes means a facility: (1) operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service that has an existing reimbursement agreement with the VA; and (2) located in a rural or remote area.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2017
This bill approves the Compact Review Agreement and appendices signed by the United States and the Republic of Palau on September 3, 2010, in connection with the Compact of Free Association with Palau, with the funding schedule therein to be modified by the parties to the agreement as necessary. Amounts provided to Palau by the United States in FY2011-FY2017 shall be considered as funding to implement the agreement. The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 is amended to extend through FY2024 eligibility for appropriations and grants for specified education assistance and for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the maximum tax deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on such deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Flexibility to Innovate for College Affordability Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish the Higher Education Regulatory Reform Task Force to review, report on, and make recommendations to reduce, federal regulatory requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs). ED must publish the Higher Education Regulatory Reform Report; the President must submit a legislative proposal to implement its recommendations; and Congress must consider legislation to enact such recommendations under expedited procedures. Additionally, this bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand ED's waiver authority under the Experimental Sites Initiative. Specifically, it authorizes ED to waive title IV statutory and regulatory requirements to allow participating IHEs to award federal student aid: (1) above the annual maximum amount to students whose academic workload exceeds a full-time academic workload; and (2) to students enrolled in remedial or competency-based programs, students or potential students who incur costs (e.g., test fees) for prior learning assessments, and high school students enrolled in a postsecondary education program. A participating IHE must demonstrate that a waiver reduces the total cost of attendance for such students.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Educating Student Loan Borrowers Act of 2017 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand disclosure requirements related to student loan repayment options applicable to an institution of higher education that participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2017
Justin Smith Morrill Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Justin Smith Morrill, a United States Senator from Vermont, for his lasting contributions to higher education opportunity for all Americans.
United States · United States Senate · 22 June 2017
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
United States Center for Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 This bill amends the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act to include among the purposes of the U.S. Olympic Committee to promote a safe environment in sports that is free from abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, of any amateur athlete. The bill designates the United States Center for Safe Sport, which shall: serve as the independent national safe sport organization for the United States; exercise jurisdiction over the committee, each national governing body, and each paralympic sports organization with regard to safeguarding amateur athletes against abuse in sports; maintain an office for education and outreach that shall develop training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures to prevent the abuse of amateur athletes; ensure that such policies and procedures require that all such bodies and organizations follow the center's policies and procedures; maintain an office for response and resolution that shall establish mechanisms that allow for the reporting, investigation, and adjudication of alleged sexual abuse in violation of the center's policies and procedures; and ensure that such mechanisms provide fair notice and an opportunity to be heard and protect the privacy and safety of complainants. The center may utilize a neutral arbitration body and develop policies and procedures to resolve allegations of sexual abuse within its jurisdiction. The center shall: (1) develop training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures for implementation by such body or organization to prevent abuse of any amateur athlete; (2) keep correct and complete records of account; and (3) report annually to Congress. The center, and each national governing body and paralympic sports organization, shall not be liable for damages in any civil action for defamation, libel, slander, or damage to reputation arising from the execution of its responsibilities or functions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 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 · 22 June 2017
Teachers Are Leaders Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for the establishment of professional development programs for teachers who remain in the classroom while also carrying out formalized leadership responsibilities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on a William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan made after this bill's enactment. (Currently, the balance of a borrower's Direct Loan is canceled if the borrower is not in default and has made 120 monthly payments on such loan while employed as a public service employee.) The bill: (1) requires borrowers availing themselves of such loan cancellation to submit an employment certification form that includes self-certification of employment and employer certification of employment dates, and (2) places the borrower's loan in deferment during the period in which the borrower is employed in an eligible public service job if the borrower submits such form to ED. If a portion of a loan is canceled for any year, the interest on such loan for such year must be canceled.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Safe Development, Research, and Opportunities Needed for Entrepreneurship Act of 2017 or the Safe DRONE Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry stakeholders, to develop an implementation plan to achieve full operational capability of unmanned aircraft systems traffic management and to ensure the safety and security of all aircraft.. DOT shall designate consortia of public, two-year institutions of higher education as Community and Technical College Centers of Excellence in Small Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Training. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 is amended to extend the pilot program for the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System through September 30, 2024. The bill permits the operation of unmanned aircraft (i.e., drones) without specific operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) if specified conditions apply, such as if the aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use. The FAA shall: (1) initiate a process to periodically update the operational parameters for drones, and (2) maintain on its website a list of community-based organizations under which small drones may be operated. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on developments and protections relating to cybersecurity and operational control concerns with respect to drones.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Recognizes the increase in educational opportunities, including in sports, for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Encourages the Department of Education and Department of Justice to ensure that students have a safe learning environment by working to ensure schools prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex including sexual assault, harassment, domestic and dating violence, pregnancy, sex-stereotyping, and actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. Recognizes that progress remains to ensure that no educational institution that receives federal funding discriminates against any persons because of their sex. Recognizes the progress in education opportunities for women and girls since the passage of title IX of the Education Amendments. Expresses the need to ensure students have a safe learning environment through schools' prevention efforts and responses to forms of discrimination and harassment based on one's sex.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2017
Welcomes: (1) the President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, on his first official visit to the United States; and (2) opportunities to strengthen security consultation, cooperation, and partnership on matters such as space, cyber, and missile defense. Reaffirms the importance of: (1) the U.S.-South Korea alliance, as enshrined in the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1953; and (2) the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea under Article III of that treaty. Reinforces U.S. commitments to provide extended deterrence to South Korea. Supports efforts to: (1) strengthen such alliance and defend it against provocations by North Korea, (2) protect U.S. Armed Forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula, and (3) peacefully achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons through a diplomatic process. Urges the United States and South Korea to work together: (1) with members of the United Nations Security Council and other member states, to enforce existing sanctions and consider the need to pass additional new measures under Article 41 of the United Nations Charter; and (2) to implement all aspects of the U.S.-Republic of Korea Free Trade Agreement. Encourages the U.S. and South Korean governments to continue to broaden and deepen the alliance by enhancing cooperation and building new partnerships in the security, economic, energy, scientific, health, education, and cultural spheres.