Taxation

Student Loan Fairness Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016

Student Loan Fairness Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan that allows borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) to limit their monthly payments on such loans to one-twelfth of 10% of the amount by which their adjusted gross incomes and that of their spouses (if applicable) exceed 150% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, it establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and DL forgiveness to borrowers who, after the date that is 10 years before this bill's enactment, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan. It credits the months during which an individual is in deferment due to an economic hardship as months for which payment was made for purposes of the 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program. The bill caps the amount of loan forgiveness that the program will provide to individuals who become new borrowers after this bill's enactment. It caps the interest rate on new DLs at 3.4%. It amends the public service employee loan forgiveness program to forgive the DLs of participants who have made 60 (currently, 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans. The bill includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the public service employee loan forgiveness program. Certain borrowers may consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans, provided the private loans were made on or before this bill's enactment. The bill limits such borrowers to those who: (1) were students eligible for unsubsidized Stafford loans or PLUS loans under the FFEL or DL programs for their enrollment at an institution of higher education, or would have been had they been enrolled on at least a half-time basis; (2) borrowed at least one private education loan for such enrollment; and (3) have an average adjusted gross income that does not exceed their total education debt. It caps the interest rate on those Direct Consolidation Loans at 3.4%. Borrowers must apply for such loans within one year of this bill's enactment. It amends the Truth in Lending Act to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue regulations that require private education lenders to sell private education loans to the Department of Education (ED) for consolidation as Direct Consolidation Loans. It sets forth the data to be used in determining the price paid for such loans. ED must pay the interest that accrues on unsubsidized FFELs and DLs that are deferred due to a student borrower's lack of full-time employment. ED must pay the interest that accrues on Federal Consolidation Loans that are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment, provided the application for such a loan is received on or after this bill's enactment. ED must pay the interest that accrues on FFELs and DLs that are subject to income-based repayment provisions and are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment. The bill limits these interest-free deferment periods to those occurring on or after this bill's enactment and covering no more than three years of full-time unemployment. It excludes from a borrower's gross income for income tax purposes the principal and interest on FFELs and DLs that is forgiven pursuant to income-based repayment plans.

Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016

Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides FY2017 appropriations to the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and several independent agencies. Department of the Treasury Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides appropriations to the Department of the Treasury, including the Internal Revenue Service. Executive Office of the President Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides appropriations to the Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President. Judiciary Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides appropriations to the judiciary, including the U.S. Supreme Court, other federal courts, administrative offices, and the U.S. Sentencing Commission. District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2017 Provides appropriations to the District of Columbia, including Federal Funds and District of Columbia Funds. Provides appropriations to independent agencies, including: the Administrative Conference of the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Election Assistance Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Election Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Federal Trade Commission, the General Services Administration, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Special Counsel, the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Selective Service System, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Tax Court. Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act or the SOAR Reauthorization Act Reauthorizes and amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, which authorizes education funding for the District of Columbia, including the Opportunity Scholarship Program, public schools, and public charter schools. SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016 Establishes the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation and the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee within the Securities and Exchange Commission. Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act of 2016 Amends the Bankruptcy Code to establish a new bankruptcy process for certain financial institutions.

FIRE Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2016 or the FIRE Act This bill requires the President and the congressional leadership to appoint members of a National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform within 180 days of the inauguration of a President. The commission must identify policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium-term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long-term. In carrying out these duties, the commission must propose recommendations to: (1) balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the debt, within 10 years, in order to stabilize the debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio at an acceptable level; and (2) meaningfully improve the long-term fiscal outlook, including changes to address the growth of entitlement spending and the gap between projected revenues and expenditures. Within one year of the appointment of its members, the commission must vote on a report including the required recommendations. The commission may only issue a final report to be submitted to Congress if at least 12 of its 18 members approve the report. Each commission terminates 30 days after submitting a report to Congress. After consulting with Congress and specified agencies, the President must submit to Congress a joint resolution containing the legislative text necessary to implement the recommendations contained in a report submitted to Congress. The resolution must be accompanied by a special message that includes specified details regarding recommendations of the commission that are excluded from or included in the resolution. Congress must consider the joint resolution using expedited legislative procedures specified in the bill.

Small Business Health Care Relief Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016

Small Business Health Care Relief Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and other laws to exempt qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) from certain requirements that apply to group health plans. A qualified small employer HRA is offered by employers that have fewer than 50 full-time employees and do not offer group health plans to any of their employees. A qualified small employer HRA must: be provided on the same terms to all eligible employees of the employer; be funded solely by the employer without salary reduction contributions; provide, after an employee provides proof of coverage, for the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses of the employee and family members; and limit annual payments and reimbursements to specified dollar amounts. HRAs that meet these requirements are not considered group health plans and are exempt from various requirements that apply to group health plans, including coverage and cost-sharing requirements. (Under current law, employers that sponsor group health plans that do not meet specified requirements are subject to an excise tax.) Coverage and payments under a qualified HRA are excluded from gross income, unless the employee does not have minimum essential coverage for the month in which the medical care was provided. Employers offering a qualified HRA must notify employees in advance regarding permitted benefits and report benefit information on W-2 forms and to health exchanges. The bill sets forth requirements for determining whether an employee covered under an HRA is also eligible for premium subsidies under PPACA.

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017

United States · United States Senate · 14 June 2016

Aeronautics Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016

Aeronautics Innovation Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that development of high-risk, precompetitive aerospace technology for use in commercial and military aircraft is a fundamental National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) role. NASA shall establish the following programs to demonstrate innovative advances in aeronautics and aviation: a low-boom supersonic aircraft program, three subsonic flight programs, and an unmannned aircraft (drone) operations program. NASA shall establish a pilot program to allow it to experiment with the crowdsourcing of early stage experimental aerospace vehicle design work to increase the speed, range, safety, and affordability of supersonic or hypersonic aircraft. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that hypersonic technologies and weapons will play an increasingly important role in our national security. The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, as amended, is further amended to revise the responsibilities of the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Technology Office on Hypersonics in carrying out the DOD program on hypersonics to include developing a well-defined path for hypersonic technologies to transition to operational capabilities for the warfighter. The bill revises requirements for the Joint Technology Office roadmap for DOD hypersonics programs. DOD shall appoint an individual recognized in the field of hypersonics to serve as Director of the Joint Technology Office. The Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the National Science and Technology Council, shall ensure that federal hypersonics research, development, testing, and evaluation activities are coordinated pursuant to a disciplined investment plan. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, and the appropriate Department of the Army science and technology entities may make grants to research institutions for research and development of hypersonics technology and related education and training. NASA shall establish a 21st Century Aeronautics Capabilities Initiative to ensure that it possesses the infrastructure capabilities necessary to conduct proposed flight research demonstration projects.

Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016

Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and administer a dental insurance plan for veterans enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment under federal veterans' benefits provisions and for veterans' survivors and dependents who are eligible for medical care under such provisions. The VA shall contract with a dental insurer to administer the plan. Benefits shall include diagnostic services, preventative services, endodontics and other restorative services, surgical services, and emergency services. Enrollment shall be voluntary. The VA shall: (1) prescribe the minimum enrollment period, and (2) prescribe and annually adjust the premiums necessary to cover costs associated with carrying out the plan. Each individual covered by the plan shall pay the entire premium and the full cost of any copayments. The VA shall permit voluntary disenrollment within 30 days after initial enrollment and under other specified circumstances the VA shall prescribe to the extent that such disenrollment does not jeopardize the fiscal integrity of the plan. This bill's provisions terminate on December 31, 2021.

Providing for further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5293) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016

Sets forth the rule for consideration of H.R. 5293 (Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017) in the House of Representatives.

Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016

Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from requiring a tax-exempt organization to include in annual returns the name, address, or other identifying information of any contributor. The bill includes exceptions for: (1) required disclosures regarding prohibited tax shelter transactions; and (2) contributions by the organization's officers, directors, or five highest compensated employees (including compensation paid by related organizations).

BEAM Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2016

Boosting Equity for the American Middle Class Act of 2016 or the BEAM Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit equal to 50% of the excess home mortgage principal payments made by a taxpayer during the year. The credit is limited to $500 per year and to taxpayers who have not received the credit for any of the 10 preceding years. The bill reduces the amount of the credit for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes above specified levels. An "excess home mortgage principal payment" is the excess of: (1) the amount of principal paid by the taxpayer with respect to a mortgage during the year, over (2) the amount of principal the taxpayer would have paid by making each required payment on a timely basis under the terms of the mortgage (and no other payments). The mortgage must: (1) be for a primary residence, (2) for a term between 15 and 30 years, and (3) require payments that are each the same amount and made in equal intervals during the term of the mortgage (or if any payment is required at a different interval, the amount of the payment is adjusted in the same proportion as the change in interval). Married individuals must file a joint tax return to claim the credit. Persons engaged in a trade or business (e.g., lenders, mortgage companies, or banks) who are required to report mortgage interest payments from individuals of $600 or more must also report the amount of excess home mortgage principal payments received during the year.

Veterans TRICARE Choice Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2016

Veterans TRICARE Choice Act This bill allows, as of January 1, 2017, an individual who is eligible to be a covered beneficiary entitled to health care benefits under the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) and who is not serving on active duty in the uniformed services to: (1) elect to be ineligible to enroll in TRICARE, (2) make tax deductible contributions to a health savings account during the period such individual elects to be ineligible for TRICARE coverage, and (3) enroll in the TRICARE program at a later date during a special enrollment period. DOD shall submit to the Internal Revenue Service information on each TRICARE-eligible individual who makes such election for purposes of determining such individual's eligibility for a health savings account. DOD shall provide to each TRICARE-eligible individual who seeks to make such election information regarding: (1) health savings accounts, and (2) changing an election.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5053) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring that the identity of contributors to 501(c) organizations be included in annual returns; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5293) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2016

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5053) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from requiring that the identity of contributors to 501(c) organizations be included in annual returns; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5293) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017.

Small Business Health Care Relief Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016

Small Business Health Care Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and other laws to exempt qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) from certain requirements that apply to group health plans. A qualified small employer HRA is offered by employers that have fewer than 50 full-time employees and do not offer group health plans to any of their employees. A qualified small employer HRA must: be provided on the same terms to all eligible employees of the employer; be funded solely by the employer without salary reduction contributions; provide, after an employee provides proof of coverage, for the payment or reimbursement of medical expenses of the employee and family members; and limit annual payments and reimbursements to specified dollar amounts. HRAs that meet these requirements are not considered group health plans and are exempt from various requirements that apply to group health plans, including coverage and cost-sharing requirements. (Under current law, employers that sponsor group health plans that do not meet specified requirements are subject to an excise tax.) Coverage and payments under a qualified HRA are excluded from gross income, unless the employee does not have minimum essential coverage for the month in which the medical care was provided. Employers offering a qualified HRA must notify employees in advance regarding permitted benefits and report benefit information on W-2 forms and to health exchanges. The bill sets forth requirements for determining whether an employee covered under an HRA is also eligible for premium subsidies under PPACA.

Native American Health Savings Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify that receiving hospital care or medical services under a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or a tribal organization does not disqualify an individual from being eligible for a health savings account.

To expand the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program to include members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty and the families of such members.

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016

This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to include members of the Armed Forces and their family members among individuals who are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

Health Care Security Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the rules for health savings accounts (HSAs) with respect to catch-up contributions for married couples, medical expenses incurred before an HSA is established, and contribution limits. If both spouses of a married couple have family coverage under a high deductible health plan, each spouse may make catch-up contributions to the same HSA. (Catch-up contributions are additional contributions which individuals who are at least 55 years of age may make to an HSA.) If an HSA is established within 60 days of the beginning of coverage under a high deductible health plan, any distribution from the HSA used to pay a qualified medical expense incurred during that 60-day period after the health coverage began is excludible from gross income. (Under current law, the medical expense must be incurred on or after the date that the HSA is established.) The bill increases the maximum contribution limits for HSAs to equal the maximum for the sum of the annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses that may be required to be paid for covered benefits under a high deductible health plan.

American Savings Account Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016

American Savings Account Act of 2016 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to establish a new retirement option for all employees and self-employed individuals to be known as the American Savings Account Fund. This fund operates in a manner similar to the Thrift Savings Fund, which is available to federal employees. The bill establishes an American Savings Account Board of Directors to establish policies for fund investment and management. The board shall select or establish a list of investment funds and options similar to those in the Thrift Savings Fund, among which participants may choose. The board shall establish an American Savings Account Fund Advisory Council to advise the board on matters relating to investment policies. The American Savings Account Fund is tax-exempt and contributions to, or distributions from, it are excludible from gross income.

Military Residency Choice Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

Military Residency Choice Act This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to permit the spouse of a servicemember to elect to use the same residence as the servicemember for purposes of taxation and voting, regardless of the date on which the marriage of the spouse and the servicemember occurred.

Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make certain amounts in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund available, without appropriation, for expenditures to pay: 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs of specified portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway as well as those assigned to commercial navigation of all U.S. harbors and inland harbors; rebates of certain tolls or charges on the Seaway; and all expenses of administration relating to harbor maintenance tax incurred by the Department of the Treasury, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Commerce. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 is amended to: require allocation to certain donor ports and energy transfer ports of at least 20% of amounts made available each fiscal year from the Trust Fund, and authorize the Department of the Army to make the allocations equally between these kinds of ports. A "donor port" is a port, subject to the harbor maintenance fee, located in a state in which more than 2 million cargo containers were unloaded from or loaded on to vessels in FY2012, whose total amount of collected harbor maintenance taxes comes to less than $15 million annually, and which received less than 25% of the total amount of harbor maintenance taxes collected at that port in the previous five fiscal years. An "energy transfer port" is one, also subject to the harbor maintenance fee, through which more than 40 million tons of cargo were transported in FY2012, and at which energy commodities constituted more than 25% of all commercial activity by tonnage in that fiscal year.

Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act This bill requires the President to include in the annual budget proposal the total level of means-tested welfare spending by the federal, state, and local governments for the most recent fiscal year for which such data is available, and estimated levels for the current and 10 ensuing fiscal years. For each of FY2018-FY2028 each state that receives means-tested welfare spending by the federal government shall report annually to the Congressional Budget Office on the total amount of such spending by the state for the fiscal year. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to define means-tested welfare spending as spending for any federal program designed specifically to give assistance or benefits exclusively to low-income Americans, including certain targeted community and economic development programs, unless they: are based on earned eligibility, are not need-based, are designed exclusively or primarily for veterans of military service, or offer universal or near universal eligibility to the working population and their dependents. The bill specifies federal cash assistance, medical, food, housing, energy, education training, child care, services, and community development programs deemed means-tested welfare spending, as well as federal programs that are not so deemed, including Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, unemployment insurance, Social Security retirement and survivor benefits, and military service veterans programs. The refundable portion of certain tax credits shall also be means-tested welfare spending, as well as the refundable portion of the premium and out-of-pocket health care subsidies to be paid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 is amended to specify, as an additional purpose for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), promoting prosperous self-sufficiency, which means the ability of households to maintain an income above the poverty-level without services and benefits from the federal government. The bill revises work eligibility requirements under SNAP As a condition of receiving SNAP funds, a state agency shall operate a work activation program for adults with dependent children. Part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to create the work preparation program for TANF families. The bill eliminates separate participation rate requirements for two-parent families. A family with a child under age 6 shall be deemed to meet work participation requirements if any parent is engaged in work for at least 20 hours per week. No federal funds shall be made available to carry out any means-tested housing program, but states may receive grants to fund their own housing programs. The bill prohibits funding for abortions and for health benefits that cover abortion, including certain tax credits, except where the pregnancy results from rape or incest or in certain other health cases.

Puerto Rico Humanitarian Relief and Reconstruction Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

Puerto Rico Humanitarian Relief and Reconstruction Act This bill establishes a Puerto Rico Reconstruction Finance Corporation to accept applications from the government of Puerto Rico or its municipalities to restructure their bond debts through a process under which: (1) the corporation will purchase the bonds from bond holders at the price the holder paid for the bond, and (2) the par value of each bond is reduced to the last price paid for the bond. Impairment of pension benefits is not permitted. The board of the corporation must consist of six members appointed by the President from lists submitted by Puerto Rico's legislature and governor and one member selected in the sole discretion of the President, each of whom must reside in, and have expertise in the economy, history, and government of, Puerto Rico. The corporation may: (1) make expenditures to address Puerto Rico's humanitarian crisis and restore economic growth; (2) authorize lending activities; and (3) negotiate with Puerto Rico or its municipalities that have defaulted on bonds over budgets, revenues, and appropriations. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System has the authority to provide emergency financing to Puerto Rico to facilitate an orderly restructuring of its debt, (2) the Puerto Rico government should set aside any debt held by Puerto Rico that is found by the Commission for the Comprehensive Audit of Puerto Rico's Public Debt to have been acquired in violation of the Puerto Rico constitution, and (3) Puerto Rico should suggest that debt holders seek redress from investment banks that helped market and sell any unconstitutional instruments. The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to treat Puerto Rico as a state under chapter 9 (Adjustment of Debts of a Municipality) to permit Puerto Rico to authorize its public corporations to be debtors. The bill amends the Social Security Act to: (1) eliminate certain funding caps under title XI (General Provisions, Peer Review, Administrative Simplification) and the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage limitation under title XIX (Medicaid) for Puerto Rico; (2) apply the 100% Federal Poverty Level limitation to Puerto Rico under title XIX; (3) extend application of the Medicare payment rate floor to certain primary care services in Puerto Rico under the Medicaid program; (4) repeal the exclusion of residents of Puerto Rico from deemed enrollment under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) and, thus, automatically enroll them; and (5) make permanent certain title XVIII part B incentive payments for primary care services in Puerto Rico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must update the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to include Puerto Rico, including Vieques. The Department of Health and Human Services must award a grant to an institution of higher education in Puerto Rico to study the environmental and biological health of Vieques residents. The bill establishes grant programs and revises standards for renewable energy and energy efficient commercial buildings and homes in Puerto Rico. It provides additional funding to the Department of Transportation (DOT) through FY2026 for the Puerto Rico Highway Program. Through FY2021 for Puerto Rico, the bill provides additional funding for: DOT infrastructure investments under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program, passenger and freight rail projects, the Airport Improvement Program, and ferry boats and terminals; Environmental Protection Agency capitalization grants for Puerto Rico water pollution control revolving funds and drinking water treatment revolving loan funds; Rural Utilities Service programs; Department of Agriculture rural energy programs; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood reduction projects; broadband and telecommunications programs; and housing and community development. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to make citizens of Puerto Rico eligible for the federal earned income tax credit and allow them to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit on the same basis as U.S. taxpayers. Before 2019, the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico must provide for a binding vote or series of votes on whether Puerto Rico should: be admitted as a U.S. state, become a sovereign nation, or continue the status quo as a U.S. commonwealth territory and reform its government. If a majority votes for admission as a U.S. state, the President must issue a proclamation to begin a transition process that will culminate in such admission within four years after the vote is certified.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow certain regulated companies to elect out of the public utility property energy investment tax credit limitation in the case of solar energy property.

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit certain regulated companies to elect out of the limitation on the tax credit for investments in energy property with respect to public utility property that uses solar energy and is placed in service after December 31, 2015.

HELPS Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016

Helping Employers Lessen Payments for Students Act of 2016 or the HELPS Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income of an employee up to $10,000 per year in education loan payments made by an employer on behalf of the employee.

Coastal Coordination Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016

Coastal Coordination Act of 2016 This bill amends the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide funding to coastal communities for research that will be designed to improve regional coordination and emphasize coastal resilience in coastal communities. In addition, NOAA is required to evaluate the National Estuarine Research Reserve System periodically to determine if any of the protected areas in the estuarine reserves should be expanded. NOAA must submit to Congress a report summarizing any actions it takes in accordance with this bill for five consecutive fiscal years. The bill also authorizes NOAA to provide funding to eligible entities to develop strategies for the protection and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5325) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5325) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017.

Offshore WIND Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016

Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development Act or the Offshore WIND Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax credit for investment in energy property to include a qualified offshore wind property until January 1, 2026. Under the bill, a qualified offshore wind property is an offshore facility that uses wind to produce electricity, excluding certain small wind energy property which uses a small wind turbine to generate electricity.

Layoff Prevention Extension Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2016

Layoff Prevention Extension Act of 2016 This bill amends the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 with respect to state short-time compensation programs that allow employers to reduce the workweek of their employees in lieu of layoffs. The bill: (1) extends federal financing of the programs for an additional two years; and (2) extends through December 31, 2016, the deadline for a state to submit to the Department of Labor its application for a short-time compensation program grant.

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce the annual cap for family-sponsored immigrants and increase the annual cap for certain employment-sponsored immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (The current paper-based I-9 system is eliminated.) An employer shall verify that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining an individual's identity and work authorization documents. An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill requires reverification of certain workers who have not been verified under E-verify. An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. The bill provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud. DHS shall establish: (1) a program under which parents or legal guardians may suspend or limit the use of the social security account number or other identifying information of a minor for the purposes of the employment eligibility verification system, and (2) an Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot program to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to: (1) deny an earned income tax credit and a child care credit to an alien receiving work authorization pursuant to a deferred removal action; and (2) require an individual to include his or her social security number on his or her tax return in order to receive a child tax credit. The Department of State shall suspend all U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, except for assistance under the international narcotic control law enforcement program. The annual H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural workers) cap is increased. A specified Department of Labor rule regarding temporary employment certification for nonimmigrant seasonal agricultural workers and enforcement of employer contractual obligations applicable to such workers shall cease to have effect and an earlier Labor rule relating to such matters shall resume effect. No visa may be issued under this bill unless DHS certifies to Congress that the issuance of such visa would not result in a U.S. security threat.

Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Technical Correction Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Technical Correction Act of 2016 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make technical corrections regarding quadrennial homeland security reviews. The bill includes among the entities with whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is required to consult in conducting each review appropriate advisory committees established pursuant to such Act or otherwise, including the Homeland Security Advisory Council, the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, and the Aviation Security Advisory Committee. DHS's outline and prioritization of the full range of critical homeland security mission areas of the nation for each review must be based on a risk assessment of the nation's homeland security interests. Each review shall include a description of resources required (currently, a budget plan) for the homeland security program and to execute the missions called for in the homeland security strategy. DHS must submit the report on each review within 60 days after the date of submittal of the President's budget for the fiscal year after the fiscal year in which such a review is required (currently by December 31 of the year in which the review is conducted). The bill repeals requirements that DHS review and assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms of DHS for executing the process of turning the requirements developed in each review into an acquisition strategy and expenditure plan. But DHS must provide information on the degree to which the findings and recommendations developed in each review were integrated into DHS's acquisition strategy and expenditure plans. DHS must retain and, upon request, provide specified documentation regarding each review, including: (1) records regarding the consultation carried out, and (2) information regarding the risk assessment of the nation's homeland security interests. This bill shall apply to each quadrennial homeland security review required to be submitted after December 31, 2017.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4775) to facilitate efficient State implementation of ground-level ozone standards, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 89) expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy; and providing for the consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 112) expressing the sense of Congress opposing the President's proposed $10 tax on every barrel of oil.

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4775) to facilitate efficient State implementation of ground-level ozone standards, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 89) expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy; and providing for the consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 112) expressing the sense of Congress opposing the President's proposed $10 tax on every barrel of oil.

Graduate Student Savings Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

Graduate Student Savings Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow funds paid to an individual to aid in the pursuit of graduate or postdoctoral study or research to be saved in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The bill permits the funds to be considered compensation for purposes of current law provisions that limit annual deductible IRA contributions to the lesser of: (1) the deductible amount permitted under current law, or (2) the compensation includible in the individual's gross income for the year.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities in Puerto Rico.

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities in Puerto Rico. (Under current law, the deduction expires on January 1, 2017.)

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Highlights: This bill provides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and several related agencies. The bill includes both discretionary and mandatory funding. The HUD budget is primarily discretionary spending, and most of the DOT budget is mandatory spending, in the form of contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund. The bill increases overall discretionary spending for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies above FY2016 levels and includes increases for both DOT and HUD. The bill prohibits or restricts the use of funds for: enforcement of certain regulations regarding rest periods for commercial drivers, modifying regulations regarding safety fitness determinations for motor carriers, high speed rail in California, the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, and Amtrak food and beverage services. The bill also includes provisions that: specify that federal laws and regulations regarding the hours of service for commercial drivers preempt state and local laws and regulations on the subject, and limit the penalty wages that must be paid to seamen when pay is withheld for certain voyages. Full Summary: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2017 TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Provides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of Transportation (DOT). Provides appropriations for the Office of the Secretary, including: Salaries and Expenses; Research and Technology; National Infrastructure Investments (also known as TIGER grants); the National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau; Financial Management Capital; Cyber Security Initiatives; the Office of Civil Rights; Transportation Planning, Research, and Development; the Working Capital Fund; the Minority Business Resource Center Program; Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and Outreach; and Payments to Air Carriers. (Sec. 101) Prohibits DOT from approving assessments or reimbursable agreements pertaining to funds appropriated to the modal administrations in this bill except for activities underway on the date of enactment, unless the reprogramming process has been completed. (Sec. 102) Permits DOT to use the Working Capital Fund to provide transit benefits to federal employees. (Sec. 103) Requires DOT to: (1) post on its website the schedule and agenda for all meetings of the Credit Council, and (2) require the council to record the decisions and actions of each meeting. Provides appropriations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for: Operations; Facilities and Equipment; Research, Engineering, and Development; and Grants-In-Aid For Airports. Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for: new applicants for the second career training program, new unauthorized aviation user fees, or aeronautical charting and cartography activities through the Working Capital Fund. Permits funds received from specified public, private, and foreign sources for expenses incurred to be credited to the appropriation. (Sec. 110) Limits technical staff-years under the federally funded research and development center contract between the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development. (Sec. 111) Prohibits the FAA from requiring airport sponsors to provide the agency without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities and expenses, or space in sponsor-owned buildings for air traffic control, air navigation, or weather reporting, subject to specified exceptions. (Sec. 112) Permits the FAA to reimburse amounts made available from certain fees to carry out the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which ensures that small communities have a minimum level of air service. (Sec. 113) Permits amounts collected by the FAA for providing technical assistance to foreign aviation authorities to be credited to the Operations account. (Sec. 114) Prohibits the FAA from paying Sunday premium pay except if an individual worked on a Sunday. (Sec. 115) Prohibits the FAA from using funds provided by this bill to purchase a store gift card or gift certificate using a government-issued credit card. (Sec. 116) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for retention bonuses for FAA employees without prior approval of the Assistant Secretary for Administration of DOT. (Sec. 117) Requires the FAA, upon the request of an owner or operator, to block the display of the owner's or operator's aircraft registration number in the Aircraft Situational Display to Industry program. (Sec. 118) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to pay the salaries and expenses of more than nine political and presidential FAA appointees. (Sec. 119) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to increase fees for navigation products until the FAA provides Congress with a justification for all fees for aeronautical navigation products. (Sec. 119A) Requires the FAA to notify Congress prior to closing a regional operations center or reducing the services it provides. (Sec. 119B) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to change weight restrictions or prior permission rules at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Provides funding from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for Administrative Expenses and Federal-Aid Highways. Rescinds specified balances of unused contract authority from the HTF. (Most of DOT's budget is mandatory budget authority rather than discretionary budget authority. The mandatory budget authority is primarily in the form of contract authority derived from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Contract authority is the authority to obligate funds in advance of an appropriation Act. Spending from the HTF is determined both by authorization bills and appropriations bills. Authorization bills provide contract authority for highway programs, and appropriations bills include obligation limitations that determine how much of the contract authority may be used in a given year.) (Sec. 120) Specifies allocations and requirements for distributing obligation authority from the HTF among federal-aid highway programs. (Sec. 121) Credits funds received by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the sale of data products to the Federal-Aid Highways account to reimburse the bureau for expenses. (Sec. 122) Requires DOT to: (1) provide an informal public notice and comment opportunity prior to waiving the Buy America requirement for federal-aid highway projects, and (2) report to Congress annually on waivers. (Sec. 123) Requires DOT to notify Congress prior to providing credit assistance under the Transportation Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, which provides credit to finance surface transportation projects of national and regional significance. Provides funding from the HTF to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for: (1) Motor Carrier Safety Operations and Programs, and (2) Motor Carrier Safety Grants. (Sec. 130) Directs the FMCSA to require certain Mexican motor carriers to meet specified safety requirements when applying to operate beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border. (Sec. 131) Requires the FMCSA to provide written notice of violations of certain safety procedures and regulations that could require an expedited safety audit or compliance review or a written response demonstrating corrective action. (Sec. 132) Prohibits funds from being used to enforce certain hours-of-service rules for commercial drivers, including the requirements for: (1) two off-duty periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., (2) or the prohibition on using more than one restart during a consecutive 168-hour period. Requires the 34-hour restart rule in effect on December 26, 2011, to be restored. (Prior to 2013, commercial drivers were required to take at least 34 hours off duty after working for 60 hours in a seven-day period [or 70 hours in an eight-day period], which is known as the "34-hour restart requirement." FMCSA regulations that took effect in 2013 require the 34-hour off-duty period to cover two consecutive 1 a.m.-5 a.m. periods, and limit the drivers to one 34-hour "restart" in a 168-hour period.) (Sec. 133) Prohibits funds for Motor Carrier Safety Operations and Programs from being used for a wireless roadside inspection program until after DOT makes specified certifications to Congress. (Sec. 134) Specifies that federal laws and regulations related to hours of service for commercial drivers preempt state and local laws and regulations. Makes the preemption retroactive to the date of enactment of the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (Sec. 135) Prohibits funds from being used to amend, revise or otherwise modify regulations for safety fitness determinations for motor carriers until the DOT Inspector General makes specified certifications. Provides appropriations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for Operations and Research. Provides funding from the HTF to NHTSA for Operations and Research and Highway Traffic Safety Grants. (Sec. 140) Provides additional funding to NHTSA for travel and related expenses associated with state management reviews and core competency development training for highway safety staff. (Sec. 141) Exempts from the current fiscal year's obligation limitation for NHTSA programs any obligation authority that was made available in previous public laws. (Sec. 142) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to conduct or support the National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drug Use by Drivers or any similar survey of alcohol and drug use by drivers. (Sec. 143) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to mandate global positioning system tracking without fully considering privacy concerns. Provides appropriations to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for: Safety and Operations, Railroad Research and Development, the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program, Federal-State Partnership for State Of Good Repair Grants, Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grants, Northeast Corridor Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), and National Network Grants to Amtrak. (Sec. 150) Limits overtime for Amtrak employees. Permits Amtrak to waive the limit for specific employees due to safety or operational efficiency reasons. Requires Amtrak to report to Congress on waivers granted and overtime payments incurred. Provides appropriations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for: Administrative Expenses, Technical Assistance and Training, Capital Investment Grants, and Grants to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Provides funding from the HTF to the FTA for Transit Formula Grants. (Sec. 160) Exempts previously made transit obligations from limitations on obligations. (Sec. 161) Permits FTA Fixed Guideway Capital Investment funds for projects specified in this bill or the accompanying report that are not obligated by September 30, 2021, to be used for other projects eligible to use the funds for the same purpose. (Sec. 162) Permits prior appropriations that remain available for expenditure to be transferred to the most recent appropriation heading. (Sec. 163) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to enter into a full funding grant agreement for a project with a New Starts share greater than 50%. (Sec. 164) Prohibits the use of funds for a new light or heavy rail project for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas if the project is constructed at a specified location in Houston, Texas unless the voters approve a ballot proposition specifying the location and the project meets specified criteria. Provides appropriations to the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation for Operations and Maintenance. Provides appropriations for the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for: the Maritime Security Program, Operations and Training, Ship Disposal, and The Maritime Guaranteed Loan (Title XI) Program Account. (Sec. 170) Permits MARAD to furnish utilities and services and make repairs in connection with any lease, contract, or occupancy involving government property under the control of MARAD. Requires rental payments received pursuant to this provision to be credited to the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. (Sec. 171) Prohibits DOT or MARAD from using funds provided by this bill for fee-for-service contracts for vessel disposal, scrapping, or recycling, unless there is no qualified domestic ship recycler that will pay any sum to purchase and scrap or recycle a vessel owned, operated or managed by MARAD or that is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Provides appropriations to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for: Operational Expenses, Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline Safety, and Emergency Preparedness Grants. Provides appropriations to the Office of Inspector General. (Sec. 180) Permits DOT to use funds for maintenance and operation of aircraft, hire of passenger motor vehicles and aircraft, insurance for motor vehicles operating in foreign countries, and uniforms. (Sec. 181) Permits DOT to use funds provided by this bill for the employment of temporary or intermittent experts and consultants if the rates do not exceed the rate for an Executive Level IV. (Sec. 182) Prohibits: (1) funds provided by this bill from being used for more than 110 DOT presidential or political appointees, and (2) any of the appointees from being assigned on temporary detail outside of DOT. (Sec. 183) Prohibits recipients of funds provided by this bill from releasing certain personal information and photographs from a driver's license or motor vehicle record without the consent of the affected individual. Prohibits DOT from withholding funds if a state is not in compliance with this provision. (Sec. 184) Permits funds received by specified DOT agencies from states or other private or public sources for training expenses to be credited to specified agency accounts. (Sec. 185) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for certain loans, loan guarantees, lines of credit, or grants unless DOT notifies Congress prior to announcing competitively selected projects. Requires DOT to provide concurrent notification to Congress regarding any ''quick release'' of funds from the FHWA's Emergency Relief Program. (The program provides funding for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands which have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause.) (Sec. 186) Permits rebates, refunds, incentive payments, minor fees and other funds received by DOT from travel management centers, charge card programs, the subleasing of building space, and miscellaneous sources to be credited to DOT appropriations and allocated to elements of DOT using fair and equitable criteria. (Sec. 187) Permits DOT to use amounts recovered from improper payments to a third party contractor for expenses incurred in the recovery. (Sec. 188) Requires reprogramming action notifications to be transmitted to and approved or denied solely by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. (Sec. 189) Permits funds provided by this bill for modal administrations to be obligated to the Office of the Secretary for assessments or reimbursable agreements only if the funds provide a direct benefit to the applicable modal administration. (Sec. 190) Permits DOT to set uniform standards for developing and supporting agency transit passes and transit benefits. (Sec. 191) Prohibits the use of funds for any geographic, economic, or other hiring preference not otherwise authorized by law, unless certain requirements are met related to availability of local labor, displacement of existing employees, and delays in transportation plans. (Sec. 192) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for high speed rail in California or for the FRA to administer a grant agreement with the California High Speed Rail Authority that contains a tapered matching requirement. (A tapered match allows a project's federal share to vary from year to year as long as the final contribution of federal funds does not exceed the project's maximum authorized share.) (Sec. 193) Limits the penalty wages that must be paid when a vessel owner, operator, or an employer withholds pay for seamen on: (1) foreign and intercoastal voyages, and (2) coastwise voyages. (Sec. 194) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used in contravention of provisions of current law that permit Amtrak to provide food and beverage services on its trains only if revenues from the services each year at least equal the cost of providing the services. (Sec. 195) Makes a technical correction to statutory provisions regarding the treatment of a Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Organization as an urbanized area in California and Nevada. Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2017 TITLE II--DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Provides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Provides appropriations for Management and Administration, including for Executive Offices and Administrative Support Offices. Provides appropriations for Program Office Salaries and Expenses, including: Public and Indian Housing, Community Planning and Development, Housing, Policy Development and Research, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. Permits HUD to transfer specified funds provided by this title for salaries and expenses to the Working Capital Fund to fund centralized activities. Provides appropriations for Public and Indian Housing Programs, including: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, the Housing Certificate Fund, the Public Housing Capital Fund, the Public Housing Operating Fund, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, Native American Housing Block Grants, and the Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund Program Account. Provides appropriations for Community Planning and Development, including: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, the Community Development Fund, the Community Development Loan Guarantees Program Account, the Home Investment Partnerships Program, the Self-Help and Assisted Home Ownership Opportunity Program, and Homeless Assistance Grants. Provides appropriations for Housing Programs, including: Project-Based Rental Assistance, Housing for the Elderly, Housing for Persons with Disabilities, Housing Counseling Assistance, Rental Housing Assistance, and Payment to the Manufactured Housing Fees Trust Fund. Provides appropriations and establishes limits on loan commitments for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which includes: the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Program Account, and the General and Special Risk Program Account. Provides appropriation and establishes limits on loan commitments for the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). Provides appropriations to HUD for: Policy Development and Research, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, the Information Technology Fund, and the Office of Inspector General. (Sec. 201) Requires 50% of the funds that are recaptured from the refinancing of state projects under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1988 to be rescinded or, in the case of cash, remitted to the Treasury. Permits HUD to use up to 15% of the funds that are recaptured and not rescinded or remitted to the Treasury to provide project owners with incentives to refinance projects at lower interest rates. (Sec. 202) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to investigate or prosecute under the Fair Housing Act any lawful activities, including the filing or maintaining of a nonfrivolous legal action to achieve or prevent action by a government entity or a court. (Sec. 203) Requires HUD to make certain adjustments to the formula for distributing Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) funds for certain jurisdictions in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina. (Sec. 204) Requires any grant, cooperative agreement, or other assistance made pursuant to this title to be made on a competitive basis and in accordance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989. (Sec. 205) Permits specified funds to be used, without regard to limitations on administrative expenses, for: (1) legal services; and (2) payment for services and facilities of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Ginnie Mae, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), the Federal Financing Bank, Federal Reserve banks, Federal Home Loan banks, and any bank insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Act. (Sec. 206) Prohibits HUD appropriations from being used for any program, project, or activity in excess of amounts included in the budget estimates submitted to Congress, unless otherwise provided by this bill or through reprogramming. (Sec. 207) Permits HUD corporations and agencies subject to the Government Corporation Control Act to utilize funds and make contracts and commitments, without regard to fiscal year limitations and subject to specified restrictions, to implement the FY2017 budget. (Sec. 208) Requires HUD to provide quarterly reports to Congress regarding uncommitted, unobligated, recaptured, and excess funds for each program and activity. (Sec. 209) Requires the President's budget request and HUD's congressional budget justifications to use the same account structure included in this bill. (Sec. 210) Provides that a public housing agency (PHA) or other entity that administers federal housing assistance for the Housing Authority of the county of Los Angeles, California; and the states of Alaska, Iowa, and Mississippi is not required to include public housing residents or recipients of section 8 rental assistance (under the United States Housing Act of 1937) on the governing board. Requires each PHA or entity that does not include these individuals on its board to establish an advisory board of at least six residents of public housing or recipients of section 8 assistance to provide advice on issues related to public housing and section 8. (Sec. 211) Exempts Ginnie Mae from certain requirements of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990. (Sec. 212) Permits HUD to authorize the transfer of project-based assistance, debt, and use restrictions associated with a multifamily housing project from obsolete or economically nonviable housing to housing that better meets the needs of the assisted tenants, subject to specified requirements. (Sec. 213) Sets forth eligibility requirements for section 8 housing assistance vouchers. (Sec. 214) Requires Native American Housing Block Grant funds to be distributed to the same Native Alaskans that received funds in FY2005. (Sec. 215) Permits HUD to insure home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs or reverse mortgages) for elderly homeowners through FY2017, notwithstanding limitations on insurance authority included in the National Housing Act. (Sec. 216) Sets forth requirements for HUD to maintain section 8 assistance on multifamily housing that is held or owned by HUD. (Sec. 217) Permits Community Development Loan Guarantee funds to be used to guarantee notes or other obligations issued by any state on behalf of its non-entitlement communities. (Sec. 218) Permits certain PHAs that own and operate 400 or fewer public housing units to be exempt from asset management requirements imposed by HUD in connection with the operating fund rule. (Sec. 219) Prohibits HUD from using public housing funds to impose any requirement or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits the use of capital funds for central office costs, up to the limits established in the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998. (Sec. 220) Prohibits the designation of a HUD official or employee as an allotment holder unless the Chief Financial Officer has determined that the employee has: (1) implemented an adequate system of funds control, and (2) received training in funds control procedures and directives. (Sec. 221) Requires HUD to publish on the Internet all competitively awarded Notices of Funding Availability for FY2017. (Sec. 222) Sets forth limitations and reporting requirements for the payment of attorney fees in program-related litigation. (Sec. 223) Sets forth requirements for transferring and reprogramming funds within specified HUD Administrative Support Office and Program Office Salaries and Expenses accounts. (Sec. 224) Permits the Disaster Housing Assistance Programs administered by HUD to be considered HUD programs for the purpose of income verification and matching. (Sec. 225) Requires HUD to take specified actions against owners who are receiving rental subsidies and do not maintain safe properties. (Sec. 226) Limits compensation for PHA officials and employees. (Sec. 227) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for the HUD doctoral dissertation research grant program. (Sec. 228) Requires HUD to notify Congress prior to announcing the recipients of grant awards. (Sec. 229) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to require or enforce the Physical Needs Assessment (PNA). (Sec. 230) Prohibits the FHA, Ginnie Mae, or HUD from using funds provided by this bill to finance mortgages for properties that have been subject to eminent domain. (Sec. 231) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this bill to terminate the status of a unit of general local government as a metropolitan city with respect to community development grants under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. (Sec. 232) Permits Office of Policy Development and Research funds for research, evaluation, and statistical purposes that are unexpended at the completion of a contract, grant or cooperative agreement to be used for additional research, subject to reprogramming requirements. (Sec. 233) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to pay a bonus to an employee who is subject to administrative discipline, including suspension from work. (Sec. 234) Permits HUD to consolidate funds used to manage disaster recovery grants. (Sec. 235) Permits HUD to use funds provided by this bill for Homeless Assistance Grants to award one-year grants to transition from one Continuum of Care program component to another. (The program awards project sponsors or unified funding agencies competitive grants focused on addressing the long-term housing and services needs of homeless individuals and families.) (Sec. 236) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to enforce Executive Order 13690 (Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input) and the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard until HUD submits to Congress: (1) a list of HUD programs impacted, (2) an analysis of the costs and benefits, and (3) a detailed nationwide floodplain map. (Sec. 237) Rescinds specified unobligated balances from HUD accounts, including: (1) Management and Administration, and (2) Program Office Salaries and Expenses. TITLE III--RELATED AGENCIES Provides FY2017 appropriations to: the Access Board, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, the Surface Transportation Board, and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT Sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. (Sec. 401) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to compensate or pay the expenses of non-federal parties intervening in regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings funded in this bill. (Sec. 402) Prohibits transfers of funds to other appropriations or obligations beyond the current fiscal year, unless expressly permitted in this bill. (Sec. 403) Limits expenditures for consulting services to contracts where the expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public inspection, unless otherwise provided by law. (Sec. 404) Prohibits the use of funds provided by this bill for employee training not specifically related to the performance of official duties. (Sec. 405) Specifies procedures, restrictions, and reporting requirements for the reprogramming of funds provided by this bill. (Sec. 406) Permits up to 50% of unobligated balances remaining at the end of FY2017 from appropriations for salaries and expenses to remain available through FY2018, subject to congressional approval and reprogramming guidelines. (Sec. 407) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used for any project that seeks to use eminent domain unless eminent domain is employed only for a public use. (Sec. 408) Prohibits the transfer of funds provided by this bill to a department, agency, or instrumentality of the U.S. government unless the transfer is pursuant to an appropriations Act. (Sec. 409) Prohibits the use of funds provided by this bill to permanently replace an employee intent on returning to his or her previous occupation after completing military service. (Sec. 410) Requires expenditures of funds provided by this bill to comply with the Buy American Act. (Sec. 411) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being made available to any person or entity that has been convicted of violating the Buy American Act. (Sec. 412) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to purchase first class or premium airline travel in violation of specified federal travel regulations. (Sec. 413) Prohibits the use of funds provided by this bill to approve a new foreign air carrier permit or exemption application if the approval would contravene U.S. law or specified provisions of the U.S.-E.U.-Iceland-Norway Air Transport Agreement. (Sec. 414) Restricts the number of employees that agencies funded in this bill may send to international conferences. (Sec. 415) Prohibits funds provided by this bill from being used to purchase new light-duty vehicles, except in accordance with Presidential Memorandum- Federal Fleet Performance, which establishes requirements for purchasing alternative fueled vehicles. (Sec. 416) Limits Surface Transportation Board fees for the filing of rate or practice complaints. (Sec. 417) Rescinds unobligated balances of funds provided to specified accounts by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016. (Sec. 418) Establishes a spending reduction account for the amount by which spending proposed in this bill exceeds the subcommittee's allocation under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Specifies that the amount is $0. (Under the Rules of the House of Representatives, any savings included in the spending reduction account are not available for further appropriation during consideration of the bill.)

Presidential Tax Transparency Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016

Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any candidate of a major party for the office of President to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a copy of the candidate's income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years for which such a return has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service as of the date of the nomination. In any case in which such a candidate has not filed with the FEC such income tax returns within 30 days after the nomination date, the FEC shall request the Department of the Treasury to furnish the returns. A tax return furnished to the FEC by a candidate or by Treasury shall be treated in the same manner as a report filed by the candidate and, except for the appropriate redaction of certain information, shall be made publicly available at the same time and in the same manner as other reports and statements. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the FEC to disclose to the public the applicable tax returns of any person who has been nominated as a candidate of a major party. Treasury shall furnish the FEC with copies of any requested returns.

Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017

United States · United States Congress · 6 June 2016

Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 TITLE I--INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES This bill authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Defense (DOD); the Defense Intelligence Agency; the National Security Agency (NSA); the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy, and Justice; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the Intelligence Community Management Account. Additional funds identified in a classified schedule for advanced research and development shall remain available until September 30, 2018. TITLE II--CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY SYSTEM This title authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. TITLE III--GENERAL INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY MATTERS The ODNI may participate in fundraising events for nonprofit organizations that support: (1) surviving family members of deceased intelligence community employees; or (2) welfare, education, or recreation of intelligence community employees, former employees, or family members. The ODNI must submit a five-year investment strategy for outreach and recruiting efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that includes cybersecurity and computer literacy. Each element of the intelligence community may establish higher minimum rates of pay for positions that require STEM expertise. The ODNI must report annually regarding the intelligence community's engagements with the entertainment industry for theater productions, motion pictures, radio or television broadcasts, podcasts, webcasts, music, dance, books, or other published material. No element of the intelligence community may engage in such activities unless it submits a prior notice to Congress. Inspectors general in the intelligence community must prohibit former employees of their offices from being involved in matters that affect the interests of their element of the intelligence community for at least: (1) two years after the individual leaves a senior level position, or (2) one year after the individual leaves a position that is not a senior level position. The ODNI may not require employees of an inspector general office for an element of the intelligence community to rotate to a position in their element for which such office conducts audits, investigations, or reviews. Inspector general employees are exempt from a rotation that may impact their office's independence. The ODNI must notify Congress of presidential directives or policy guidance that impacts the intelligence community. Elements of the intelligence community must submit to Congress each memorandum of understanding regarding intelligence activities between the intelligence community and other federal entities. The ODNI and DHS must establish a program to provide assistance from the intelligence community to certain critical infrastructure to reduce the risk of harm caused by cyber attack where a cybersecurity incident could reasonably result in catastrophic regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security. TITLE IV--MATTERS RELATING TO ELEMENTS OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive is redesignated as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, with a director to be appointed by the President. The CIA may: (1) pay death benefits substantially similar to those authorized for Foreign Service members, and (2) adjust eligibility requirements for such benefits. The CIA inspector general may designate officers or employees as law enforcement officers for purposes of pay and retirement benefits if they are appointed to a position that investigates suspected criminal offenses. An individual may not serve simultaneously as the NSA Director and the commander of a unified combatant command. The FBI must submit a strategic workforce report to demonstrate progress in expanding initiatives to integrate information technology expertise in the investigative process. TITLE V--MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES The President must establish a committee to counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence over peoples and governments. . Accredited diplomatic personnel of the Russian Federation in the United States may not be permitted to travel more than 50 miles from their diplomatic post in the United States in a calendar quarter unless the FBI certifies that all Russian Federation diplomatic personnel complied during the preceding calendar quarter with U.S. notification requirements for such travel. The ODNI must conduct a study to determine the feasibility of creating an intelligence sharing arrangement and database to provide foreign countries that were parties to the Treaty on Open Skies on February 22, 2016 (except for the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus), with aerial imagery of the territories of other parties to the treaty that is comparable, delivered more frequently, and in equal or higher resolution than imagery available through the database established under the treaty. The ODNI must report on: (1) the extent to which Russian flights under the Open Skies Treaty contribute to the Russian Federation's warfighting doctrine; (2) the Russian Federation's capability to exceed the imagery limits set forth in the treaty; and (3) the implications and reactions of state parties if the United States withdraws from the treaty and the information sharing architecture is replaced with another intelligence sharing arrangement. The ODNI and the CIA must submit reports regarding the relationships between the U.S. intelligence community and the intelligence entities of foreign countries, international organizations, nonstate actors, or substate actors. TITLE VI--PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OVERSIGHT BOARD The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 is amended to require the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) to inform the ODNI, elements of the intelligence community, and the House and Senate intelligence committees about its activities. The scope of the PCLOB's review of executive branch actions, and its policy advice, is restricted to the privacy and civil liberties of U.S. persons, instead of privacy and civil liberties generally. TITLE VII--MATTERS RELATING TO UNITED STATES NAVAL STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA The ODNI must: (1) complete a declassification review of information on the past terrorist activities of each individual transferred or released from U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and (2) describe mitigation measures by countries to which such individuals have been transferred or released to monitor them and prevent them from carrying out terrorist activities. The bill prohibits the transfer or release to a foreign country of an individual detained at Guantanamo as of October 1, 2009, who is not a U.S. national or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who is in or under DOD custody or control or otherwise detained at Guantanamo until after the ODNI certifies that: (1) an intelligence driven threat monitoring system has been established to mitigate the risk of such individuals reengaging in terrorist activity or posing a threat to U.S. persons or national security, and (2) the intelligence community has the capability to monitor all such individuals. TITLE VIII--REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS DOD may establish a Cyber Center for Education and Innovation Home of the National Cryptologic Museum. The federal criminal code is amended to: (1) add electronic communication transactional records as a category of information that the FBI may request by certifying to a wire or electronic communication service provider that the records are relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, and (2) prohibit the FBI from requesting the contents of an electronic communication through such process. The NSA Director must serve as the National Manager for National Security Directive 42, signed by the President on July 5, 1990, regarding the national policy for the security of national security telecommunications and information systems. Agencies are prohibited from continuing to operate or control such systems until they register their configurations with the National Manager and the National Manager acknowledges such registration. The National Manager may inspect national security systems and issue binding operational directives. The definition of "national security system" is revised to remove the current exclusion of routine administrative and business applications that contribute to the direct fulfillment of military and intelligence missions. Elements of the intelligence community must certify to the ODNI that all prospective joint facilities in a vicinity have been considered before they purchase, lease, or construct a new facility that is 20,000 square feet or larger. The ODNI must collaborate with DOD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to update the strategy for an interagency review of policies for planning and acquiring national security satellite systems and architectures consistent with the National Space Policy issued on June 28, 2010. The ODNI must appoint a single official to harmonize the intelligence community's governance, operations, analysis, and collection activities related to space and counterspace. The NRO and the U.S. Strategic Command must submit a concept of operations for the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center. The ODNI must propose a plan to monitor advances in life sciences and biotechnology. The ODNI must submit plans to implement declassification proposals produced in the course of producing the fundamental classification guidance review for FY2017 required by Executive Order 13526. At least every five years, federal agencies must complete a fundamental classification guidance review to: (1) ensure that their guidance reflects current circumstances, and (2) identify classified information that no longer requires protection and may be declassified.

Middle Class College Tuition Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2016

Middle Class College Tuition Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits with a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that: allows an increased income tax credit for the qualified tuition and related expenses of a student who is carrying at least one half of a normal course load, increases the income threshold for reductions in the credit amount based upon modified adjusted gross income, allows a lifetime dollar limitation on such credit of $25,000 for all taxable years, prohibits taxpayers who have fraudulently or recklessly claimed the credit from receiving the credit during a specified disallowance period, and makes 50% of the credit refundable. The bill also allows an exclusion from gross income of any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant.

Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2016

Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an employee up to $5000 per year of the amounts paid by an employer under a student loan payment assistance program. The student loan payment assistance program must be a separate written plan of an employer to provide employees with student loan payment assistance which meets specified requirements. The bill defines "student loan payment assistance" as the payment of principal or interest on any indebtedness incurred by an employee solely to pay qualified higher education expenses which are paid or incurred within a reasonable time before or after such indebtedness was incurred and are attributable to education furnished during a period in which such employee was a student eligible for federal financial assistance. "Student loan payment assistance" also includes the payment of principal or interest on debt used to refinance the debt described above.

College Preparation Tax Credit Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2016

College Preparation Tax Credit Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified college preparation expenses. An individual may use the credit for up to three years for qualified college preparation expenses that include: the fees required for taking any Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam, the SAT, the ACT, or any SAT subject test; expenses related to preparation for the exams; fees and expenses related to applications for admission to pursue a postsecondary course of study at an institution of higher education; and similar expenses and fees prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service in regulations.

To provide Federal funds for the Chicago State University.

United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016

This bill authorizes and appropriates additional funds for the Chicago State University, in Chicago, Illinois, to improve its academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability. Specifically, it authorizes and appropriates $10 million for FY2016 and $20 million for FY2017 and each subsequent fiscal year.

Bring Small Businesses Back Tax Reform Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016

Bring Small Businesses Back Tax Reform Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish new maximum individual tax rates for qualified business income that does not exceed $1 million (i.e., small business income). The maximum rates are: (1) 10% of such income not exceeding $150,000, and (2) 20% for income that exceeds $150,000 and is not more than $1 million. The rates apply to up to $1 million of qualified business income that is: (1) gross earnings derived by an individual from any active trade or business carried on by the individual, excluding deductions attributable to the trade or business; and (2) the taxpayer's distributive or pro rata share of pass-through income from entities such as a partnership or S corporation. Qualified business income does not include capital gains, interest, dividends, or royalties. For taxpayers that are not a corporation or a partnership with a corporation as a partner, the bill repeals the annual limitation on the election to deduct certain depreciable business assets. The bill also permits certain small businesses whose average gross receipts do not exceed $25 million (currently, $5 million) to use the cash accounting method without limitations and exempts such businesses from inventory rules.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE OPERATIONS AUTHORIZATION AND EMBASSY SECURITY ACT, FISCAL YEAR 2016

United States · United States House of Representatives · 26 May 2016

Veteran Prescription Continuity Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Veteran Prescription Continuity Act This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 to direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish an individual who is transitioning from Department of Defense (DOD)- to VA-furnished medical treatment any pharmaceutical agent not included in the joint uniform formulary if a DOD health care provider determines that the pharmaceutical agent is critical for the transition. The VA shall furnish an individual with such pharmaceutical agent: (1) beginning when the individual enrolls in the VA health care system, and (2) ending when a DOD health care provider determines that the individual does not require the pharmaceutical agent.

Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act This bill requires the President to include in the annual budget proposal the total level of means-tested welfare spending by the federal, state, and local governments for the most recent fiscal year for which such data is available, and estimated levels for the current and 10 ensuing fiscal years. For each of FY2018-FY2028 each state that receives means-tested welfare spending by the federal government shall report annually to the Congressional Budget Office on the total amount of such spending by the state for the fiscal year. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to define means-tested welfare spending as spending for any federal program designed specifically to give assistance or benefits exclusively to low-income Americans, including certain targeted community and economic development programs, unless they: are based on earned eligibility, are not need-based, are designed exclusively or primarily for veterans of military service, or offer universal or near universal eligibility to the working population and their dependents. The bill specifies federal cash assistance, medical, food, housing, energy, education training, child care, services, and community development programs deemed means-tested welfare spending, as well as federal programs that are not so deemed, including Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, unemployment insurance, Social Security retirement and survivor benefits, and military service veterans programs. The refundable portion of certain tax credits shall also be means-tested welfare spending, as well as the refundable portion of the premium and out-of-pocket health care subsidies to be paid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 is amended to specify, as an additional purpose for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), promoting prosperous self-sufficiency, which means the ability of households to maintain an income above the poverty-level without services and benefits from the federal government. The bill revises work eligibility requirements under SNAP As a condition of receiving SNAP funds, a state agency shall operate a work activation program for adults with dependent children. Part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to create the work preparation program for TANF families. The bill eliminates separate participation rate requirements for two-parent families. A family with a child under age 6 shall be deemed to meet work participation requirements if any parent is engaged in work for at least 20 hours per week. No federal funds shall be made available to carry out any means-tested housing program, but states may receive grants to fund their own housing programs. The bill prohibits funding for abortions and for health benefits that cover abortion, including certain tax credits, except where the pregnancy results from rape or incest or in certain other health cases.

Bolster Accountability to Drive Government Efficiency and Reform Washington Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Bolster Accountability to Drive Government Efficiency and Reform Washington Act of 2016 This bill establishes a Federal Real Property Reform Board to reduce the federal government's civilian real property inventory and operating costs by identifying federal land and buildings to dispose of, consolidate, redevelop, or operate more efficiently. A Federal Property Council must ensure implementation of property management strategies. The General Services Administration must establish a database of federal real property. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must submit to the Department Housing and Urban Development information about federal land or buildings that may be suitable for assistance to the homeless. Whistleblower protections are extended to employees of federal personal services contractors. Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act The OMB must publish a federal government program inventory that identifies authorizing statutes, performance assessments, finances, and beneficiaries for each federal government program for which there is more than $1 million in annual budget authority. Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act The bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to: (1) pay state or local governments for transcribing and transmitting death records to the SSA; and (2) provide cooperative arrangements with federal or state agencies for the use of SSA information regarding deceased individuals by agencies administering federally funded benefits, including carrying out tax administration or debt collection or investigating crimes. The bill amends the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 to require the OMB to issue guidance to improve death record data matching among federal, state, and local governments. The SSA must submit a plan to improve the accuracy and completeness of its death data. Fraud Reduction and Data Analytics Act of 2016 The OMB must establish: (1) guidelines for federal agencies to establish financial and administrative controls to detect fraud and prevent improper payments, and (2) a working group to submit a plan for a federal interagency library of data analytics to facilitate fraud prevention and recovery. Getting Results through Enhanced Accountability and Transparency Act of 2016 The Government Accountability Office's (GAO's) annual report on its routine investigations to identify duplicative programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives must aggregate separately GAO estimates of related costs for instances of actual and potential unnecessary duplication and other potential cost savings and revenue collection. Chief operating officers, agencies' systemic operations reviews, and performance plans must consider improvements to coordination within and among agencies. The OMB's: (1) federal government performance plan must address management challenges concerning unnecessary duplication; and (2) priority goals for the government must include mission support for financial, human capital, information technology, procurement, and real estate management. Performance improvement officers must advise agencies on performance evaluation and risk management. The Performance Improvement Council must work to: (1) resolve government-wide issues relating to coordination and unnecessary duplication; (2) facilitate exchanges of performance improvement practices with states, local governments, and other nonfederal stakeholders; and (3) coordinate with interagency mission support councils. Administrative Leave Act of 2016 Agencies are: (1) prohibited from placing an employee in administrative leave for more than five consecutive days, and (2) required to record administrative leave separately from other types of leave. In lieu of administrative leave, agencies may place an employee in investigative or notice leave if the employee is under investigation or the target of an adverse action and if the continued presence of the employee in the workplace may pose a threat or cause loss of, or damage to, government property. An agency must consider other options, including reassigning the employee, allowing the employee to telework or take available leave, or treating the employee as absent without leave. Agencies may grant leave to employees who cannot report to work due to an act of God, a terrorist attack, or another condition that prevents them from safely traveling to or performing work at an approved location. Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016 The Inspector General Act of 1978 is amended to establish procedures for: (1) the President to place inspectors general in a paid or unpaid nonduty status if their presence may pose a threat to others, result in damage to federal property, or jeopardize government interests; (2) inspectors general to subpoena the attendance and testimony of federal government contractors and grantees; (3) inspectors general to be exempt from procedures that require agreements between agencies for computerized comparisons of automated federal records systems; (4) the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) to mediate disputes involving multiple federal agencies; and (5) the CIGIE's Integrity Committee to consider allegations of wrongdoing against a Special Counsel or Deputy Special Counsel. The Attorney General or the Secretaries of Defense, the Treasury, Homeland Security, or Energy may prohibit inspectors general from accessing certain sensitive or national security information. Inspector General Mandates Reporting Act of 2016 The CIGIE must recommend modifications or repeals of inspectors general reporting requirements. GAO Mandates Revision Act of 2016 The bill eliminates or modifies various GAO reporting requirements. GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2016 The GAO may obtain federal agency records required to discharge its audit, evaluation, and investigative duties, including through bringing civil actions to require an agency to produce a record. Agency statements on actions taken or planned in response to GAO recommendations must be submitted to Congress and the GAO. Stop Wasteful Federal Bonuses Act of 2016 The bill prohibits a federal agency from awarding a bonus to any employee for five years after the end of a fiscal year in which the agency makes an adverse finding that the employee's conduct violated: (1) an agency policy for which the employee may be removed or suspended for at least 14 days, or (2) a law for which the employee may be imprisoned for more than one year. An agency must order an employee to repay a bonus awarded in any year in which such a finding is made. Eliminating Government-funded Oil-painting Act or the EGO Act The bill prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for an official portrait of a federal officer or employee, including the President, the Vice President, or a Member of Congress. Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2016 The bill allows former Presidents a lifetime annual annuity of $200,000 and an additional annual monetary allowance of $200,000, with annual cost-of-living increases, and reduces such allowance by the amount by which the former President's adjusted gross income in a taxable year exceeds $400,000. The annuity and allowance shall not be payable for any period during which a former President holds an appointive or elective federal position that pays more than a nominal rate. The annuity of a surviving spouse of a former President is increased to $100,000. Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies Act of 2016 or the MEGABYTE Act of 2016 The OMB must require the chief information officer of each executive agency to develop a comprehensive software licensing policy for software inventories, tracking, costs, management training, and life-cycle phases. Construction Consensus Procurement Improvement Act of 2016 Federal contracting officers soliciting civilian contract offers for the design and construction of public buildings, facilities, or works must use two-phase selection procedures when a project has a value of $750,000 or greater. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council must amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to prohibit, as part of the two-phase selection procedure for awarding contracts for construction and design services, the use of a reverse auction, which is defined as a real-time auction conducted through an electronic medium among at least two offerors who compete by submitting bids with the ability to submit revised lower bids before the auction closes. Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2016 The bill directs federal agencies to give priority to a request for a transfer submitted by an employee if the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) grants a stay of a personnel action at the request of: (1) the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) if it determines the personnel action was a result of a prohibited personnel practice; or (2) an employee in probationary status who seeks corrective action. Federal employees with authority over personnel actions are prohibited from accessing the medical records of another employee or applicant in retaliation for protected disclosures or exercise of whistleblower rights. The bill establishes a process for the suspension or removal of federal supervisors who commit certain prohibited personnel actions against whistleblowers. Supervisors must be trained to respond to complaints alleging a violation of whistleblower protections. Agencies must refer employee suicides to the OSC if the employee made certain whistleblower disclosuresand a personnel action was taken against the employee. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must submit a plan to prevent unauthorized access to the medical records of VA employees. Office of Special Counsel Reauthorization Act of 2016 The bill amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to reauthorize the OSC through FY2021. The bill extends to 45 days the period for the OSC to determine whether information it receives from an employee or applicant discloses: (1) a violation of a law, rule, or regulation; or (2) gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger to public health and safety. The OSC may petition the MSPB to order corrective action if an agency's investigation was in retaliation for certain employee disclosures or protected activities, even if no personnel action is taken. The MSPB may review appeals from a determination that an employee or applicant is ineligible for a sensitive position if the sensitive position does not require a security clearance or access to classified information. Whistleblower protections must be incorporated into: (1) supervisory employee job requirements, and (2) performance appraisals in the Senior Executive Service. The OSC must provide for inspectors general from other agencies to receive and investigate allegations of OSC wrongdoings.

Recovering Missing Children Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Recovering Missing Children Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit federal law enforcement officials to seek an ex parte order in federal court for the disclosure of tax returns or return information for criminal investigations pertaining to missing or exploited children. If the order is granted, the information may be disclosed to federal officers and employees who are personally and directly engaged in judicial or administrative proceedings, investigations, or federal grand jury proceedings to enforce a federal criminal statute pertaining to a missing or exploited child. A federal agency may disclose to state and local law enforcement agencies information obtained under the authority provided by this bill if: the state or local agency is part of a team with the federal agency in the investigation, and the information is disclosed only to officers and employees who are personally and directly engaged in the investigation. The state or local agency may only use the disclosed information in locating the missing child, in a grand jury proceeding, or in any preparation for, or investigation which may result in, a judicial or administrative proceeding.

Student Tax Relief Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Student Tax Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income the discharge of student loan debt after June 12, 2014, due to: (1) borrower defenses asserted pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965, or (2) an agreement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or any other federal agency in connection with the closure or other agency action relating to an educational institution.

FAIR Energy Policy Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Fossil Aid is Inefficient and Regressive Energy Policy Act or the FAIR Energy Policy Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to phase out certain tax provisions that apply to fossil fuels. The bill establishes a schedule for decreasing the benefits of the provisions for major integrated oil companies by specified percentages that reach 100% after December 31, 2019. The affected provisions include: the deduction for intangible drilling costs, the deduction for the percentage of depletion of oil and natural gas wells, the deduction for oil related qualified production activities income, the deduction for the amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures, the deduction for the percentage of depletion of oil shale, the deduction for exploration and development costs for oil shale, the capital gains treatment for royalties of coal, the deduction for tertiary injectants, the exception to the passive loss limitation for working interests in oil and natural gas properties, and the marginal wells tax credit.

Alzheimer's Breakthrough Sunshine Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Alzheimer's Breakthrough Sunshine Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income for seven years amounts received from the sale of certain drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The exclusion applies to the sale of a drug approved or licensed as a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer's disease and that has been designated as a breakthrough therapy under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The drug must be sold through an arm's length transaction by a holder of the approved application for the drug.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the tax-exempt financing of certain government-owned buildings.

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the tax-exempt financing of certain government-owned buildings by expanding the definition of "exempt facility bond" to include bonds used for qualified government buildings. A qualified government building is a government-owned building or facility that consists of one or more of the following: an elementary or secondary school; facilities of a state college or university used for educational purposes; a public library; a court; hospital, health care, laboratory, or research facilities; public safety facilities; or offices for government employees. The bill excludes buildings or facilities that include specified recreational equipment or are used for the primary purpose of providing retail food and beverage services, recreation, or entertainment. The bill establishes: (1) a $5 billion limit on the amount of tax-exempt financing which may be provided for government buildings, and (2) procedures for allocating and applying for the financing. The bill exempts the bonds for government buildings from the volume cap on private activity bonds.

Energy Storage Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016

Energy Storage for Grid Resilience and Modernization Act of 2016 or the Energy Storage Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow, through 2026, a 30% energy tax credit for investment in energy storage property capable of absorbing energy, storing the energy for a period of time, and dispatching the energy for specified purposes; (2) make energy storage property owned by a public power provider, a governmental body, or a cooperative electric company eligible for new clean renewable energy bond financing; and (3) allow, through 2026, a 30% nonbusiness energy property tax credit for residential energy storage equipment expenditures for a taxpayer's principal residence.