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401 records in US in 2017
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment Act or the ADVANCE Act This bill applies commercial driver's license standards for former members of the Armed Forces or reserves to current members of the Armed Forces or reserves.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2017
Make It In America Manufacturing Communities Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to establish a Manufacturing Community Support Program to improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by: (1) designating consortiums as manufacturing communities, and (2) authorizing federal agencies electing to participate in the program to provide such communities preferential consideration in awarding financial and technical assistance. A consortium, to be eligible for such designation and assistance, must: represent a region that is large enough to contain critical elements of the key technologies or supply chain prioritized by the consortium and small enough to enable close collaboration among the consortium's members; include at least one institution of higher education, a private sector entity, and a government entity; and have a lead applicant that is a district organization, an Indian tribe, a state or political subdivision of a state, an institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization or association with an application supported by a state, a political subdivision of a state, or a native community. Commerce shall make such designations for a two-year period, and may renew a designation for additional two-year periods, based on specified criteria. Recipients may use such financial or technical assistance to support investments in ecosystems that will improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing, including infrastructure, access to capital, promotion of exports and foreign direct investment, equipment upgrades, workforce training and recruitment, energy or process efficiency, business incubators, site preparation, advanced research, supply chain development, and small business assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Saving All Flyers from Ejection and Securing Everyone's Access to Travel Act or the SAFE SEAT Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue or revise regulations to ensure that: a passenger, after boarding an aircraft for a flight, is not subjected to the use of force or involuntary removal unless directly necessary for safety or security; air carriers resolve all overbooking issues prior to beginning boarding for a flight; and air carriers, before an individual is involuntarily denied boarding, make a compensation offer to any individual willing to voluntarily forgo boarding that is at least the maximum compensation amount required under federal regulations for passengers denied boarding voluntarily.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Community Protection and Preparedness Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), annually, to impose a $1,500 fee for each DOT-111 specification railroad tank car used to transport Class 3 flammable liquids during the previous fiscal year that did not meet DOT-117, DOT-117P, or DOT-117R specifications at the time it was used. Such fee shall be paid by each person who causes such liquids to be transported by such car in commerce and not by the railroad carrier that transports such liquids. Collected fees shall be deposited into a Rail Account established within the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and shall be available only for: the payment of removal and remediation costs and other costs, expenses, claims, and damages related to an accident or incident involving the transportation of Class 3 flammable liquids by rail; and DOT grants to states and Indian tribes to develop emergency plans and to train regional hazardous material emergency response teams and public employees responding to such an accident or incident. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shall issue a final rule relating to the notice of proposed rulemaking issued on July 29, 2016, "Hazardous Materials: Oil Spill Response Plans and Information Sharing for High-Hazard Flammable Trains." Necessary amounts are authorized for the Federal Railroad Administration to hire at least two additional track safety specialists per region. DOT shall: assess the adequacy of railroad track inspections, training provided to railroad track inspectors and related personnel, railroad compliance with federal track safety regulations, and federal oversight of railroad track safety; and evaluate the leading causes of track defects, particularly along train routes traversed by passengers and hazardous materials.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2017
Commuter Access Reform Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat any qualified alternative commuter transportation service as a qualified transportation fringe benefit that is excluded from an employee's gross income when it is provided by an employer. A "qualified alternative commuter transportation service" is transportation in a commuter vehicle provided by a transportation network company if the service: (1) is designed to provide prearranged rides to passengers who consent to share the ride in whole or in part; and (2) is between the employee's residence, place of employment, or a mass transit facility, including any portion of the distance. A "transportation network company" is an entity that uses a digital network to connect riders to drivers affiliated with the entity to transport the rider using a vehicle owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the driver to a point chosen by the rider. The benefit is subject to a limit on the aggregate amount of transportation fringe benefits for parking and a qualified alternative commuter transportation service that may be excluded from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Secure Equity in Airline Transportation Act of 2017 or the SEAT Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue a final rule to revise a federal regulation relating to oversold flights to prohibit an air carrier from denying air transportation to a passenger on an oversold aircraft that the passenger has boarded based on the status of the passenger with respect to the carrier's priority rules and criteria for determining which passengers holding a confirmed reserved seat shall be denied boarding in the event that an insufficient number of volunteers come forward.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017 This bill amends the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 to require the federal cyber scholarship-for-service program that the National Science Foundation (NSF) coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security to include scholarship recipients who are students pursuing an associate's degree in a cybersecurity field without the intent of transferring to a bachelor's degree program and who either have a bachelor's degree already or are veterans of the Armed Forces. The post-award employment obligations of scholarship recipients pursuing a doctoral or master's degree may include work at an institution of higher education or for a local educational agency teaching cybersecurity skills. Scholarship eligibility factors are revised to include: (1) an individual's skills and abilities under the National Institute of Standards and Technology's national cybersecurity awareness and education program, and (2) students pursuing a degree on a less than full-time but not less than half-time basis. The NSF must work with the Office of Personnel Management to consolidate information about cyber scholarships programs and job opportunities into a single online resource center. The NSF may carry out a program to improve cybersecurity education at the K-12 level. The NSF may: (1) grant exceptions from the post-award employment obligations to students who agree to work in a critical infrastructure mission at a federal government corporation or a state, local, or tribal government-affiliated component of a critical infrastructure sector; or (2) develop a pilot program to enhance critical infrastructure protection training for students pursuing careers in cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2017
Cruise Passenger Protection Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine whether any of the enumerated rights in the international cruise line passenger bill of rights (adopted by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association) is enforceable under federal law. The bill shall apply to passenger vessels that: (1) carry at least 250 passengers, (2) have sleeping facilities for each passenger, (3) are on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States, (4) are not engaged in coastwise trade, and (5) are not federal- or state-owned. The bill revises passenger vessel security and safety requirements concerning: (1) log book entries and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, thefts, and other crimes; and (2) placement, access to records, and notice of video surveillance equipment to monitor crime. The DOT, in coordination with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Department of Justice, and heads of other relevant federal agencies, shall study the feasibility of having an individual on board each passenger vessel to provide victim support and related safety and security services. The Maritime Administration shall certify organizations that offer the curriculum for training and certification of passenger vessel security personnel, crew members, and law enforcement officials on the appropriate methods for prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of crimes in international waters. The bill revises vessel design, equipment, construction, and retrofitting requirements. A peep hole or other means of visual identification shall be in the entry door of a passenger stateroom or crew cabin to provide an unobstructed view of the area outside the stateroom or crew cabin. Vessel owners shall ensure that a vessel is staffed at all times with appropriate medical staff to treat passengers on board. The Department of Homeland Security may withhold or revoke the clearance of, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating may deny entry into the United States to, any vessel owner that: (1) commits an act or omission for which a penalty is imposed under this Act, or (2) fails to pay the penalty. The bill makes additional compensation recoverable for nonpecuniary damages (but not punitive damages) for deaths resulting from a passenger cruise ship accident occurring on the high seas beyond 12 nautical miles from the U.S. shore.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Asia-Pacific Defense Commission Act This bill declares that it is U.S policy to continue to maintain a strong military posture in the Asia-Pacific region in order to reassure U.S. allies, deter aggression, and respond swiftly to crises. The Department of Defense (DOD) shall shall seek opportunities to enhance military training and exercises with U.S. allies in such region. The bill authorizes the President to establish the Asia-Pacific Defense Commission to strengthen cooperation between the United States and its allies in such region to combat joint threats. The commission may undertake activities to: strengthen counterterrorism operations and building capacity to track, investigate, and prosecute individuals engaged in terrorist activities; improve regional maritime security and capabilities to interdict illegal arms shipments; bolster regional cybersecurity initiatives and protect critical infrastructure; strengthen military preparedness; facilitate defense-related transfers, subject to the requirements of the Arms Export Control Act; facilitate efforts to enhance training, preparedness, and operations by allies to address North Korean maritime weapons transfers; and coordinate intelligence collected by the intelligence services of the countries participating in the commission, identify the most immediate threats to inform the security services of such countries, and create guidelines for the coordination of multilateral direct action against shared threats. Calls for the U.S. Navy to regularize freedom of navigation operations, in accordance with international law, in the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, in the South China Sea, and in regular ports of call at strategic ports in the Asia-Pacific region.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
TSA Misconduct Accountability Act of 2017 This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to: revise its employee code of conduct policy to include a process for disciplining an employee who has received a certain number of disciplinary or adverse actions for violations of such policy within a certain timeframe, as well as guidance on how employees should report misconduct; identify methods for addressing employee misconduct, including revising the agency-wide baseline table of offenses and penalties used for both non-disciplinary and disciplinary actions regarding misconduct; submit to the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) such policy and table; identify a senior TSA official responsible for overseeing such policy and table; instruct TSA managers on how to appropriately administer discipline for employee misconduct; and identify and address causes of misconduct. TSA shall implement human capital initiatives to address employee misconduct by: (1) modifying the performance plans of Federal Security Directors to include the extent to which such directors ensure that disciplinary actions administered at the airport for which they are responsible are consistent with TSA policy, (2) notifying applicants of disqualifying offenses to ensure that appropriately qualified candidates apply and are hired, and (3) delivering training and on-the-job resources for supervisors to address misconduct issues in accordance with TSA policy. DHS's Chief Human Capital Officer shall monitor, through FY2020, the implementation of the TSA employee code of conduct.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Best to Use Safety Belts Act of 2017 or the BUS Act of 2017 This bill prohibits a person from manufacturing for sale, selling, introducing into interstate commerce, or importing into the United States a school bus that is not equipped with lap and shoulder belts for each passenger. A violation of this requirement shall be treated as a violation of a federal motor vehicle safety standard. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall establish a program to provide school buses with seat belts and other safety features, under which DOT may make a competitive grant to a state educational agency and a local educational agency to: (1) retrofit a school bus with seat belts, or (2) make another safety upgrade to a school bus that demonstrably decreases the risk of injury or death to students in the event of an impact or rollover.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Cruise Passenger Protection Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine whether any of the enumerated rights in the international cruise line passenger bill of rights (adopted by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association) is enforceable under federal law. The bill shall apply to passenger vessels that: (1) carry at least 250 passengers, (2) have sleeping facilities for each passenger, (3) are on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States, (4) are not engaged in coastwise trade, and (5) are not federal- or state-owned. The bill revises passenger vessel security and safety requirements concerning: (1) log book entries and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, thefts, and other crimes; and (2) placement, access to records, and notice of video surveillance equipment to monitor crime. The DOT, in coordination with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Department of Justice, and heads of other relevant federal agencies, shall study the feasibility of having an individual on board each passenger vessel to provide victim support and related safety and security services. The Maritime Administration (currently authorizes) shall certify organizations in the United States and abroad that offer the curriculum for training and certification of passenger vessel security personnel, crew members, and law enforcement officials on the appropriate methods for prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of crimes in international waters. The bill revises vessel design, equipment, construction, and retrofitting requirements. A peep hole or other means of visual identification shall be in the entry door of a passenger stateroom or crew cabin to provide an unobstructed view of the area outside the stateroom or crew cabin. Vessel owners shall ensure that a vessel is staffed at all times with appropriate medical staff to treat passengers on board. The Department of Homeland Security may withhold or revoke the clearance of, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating may deny entry into the United States to, any vessel owner that: (1) commits an act or omission for which a penalty is imposed under this Act, or (2) fails to pay the penalty. The bill makes additional compensation recoverable for nonpecuniary damages (but not punitive damages) for deaths resulting from a passenger cruise ship accident occurring on the high seas beyond 12 nautical miles from the U.S. shore.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Flags of Convenience Don't Fly Here Act This bill bars the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit or an exemption from certain air carrier certificate requirements to a person to provide foreign air transportation under the United States-European Union Air Transport Agreement of April, 2007, in a proceeding in which the applicability of Article 17 bis of such Agreement has been raised by an interested person, unless DOT: finds that issuing the permit or exemption would be consistent with the intent set forth in Article 17 bis of the agreement, that opportunities created by the agreement do not undermine labor standards or the labor-related rights and principles contained in the laws of the respective parties to the agreement; and imposes conditions on the permit or exemption necessary to ensure that the person complies with the intent of Article 17 bis . In carrying out such air carrier certificate requirements, DOT shall consider preventing entry of flag of convenience carriers into U.S. markets as being in the public interest and consistent with public convenience and necessity for safety in air transportation and air commerce. In formulating U.S. international air transportation policy, the Department of State and DOT shall develop a negotiating policy emphasizing the greatest degree of competition for a well-functioning air transportation system that eliminates specified discriminatory and unfair competitive practices faced by U.S. airlines in foreign air transportation, to include erosion of labor standards associated with flag of convenience carriers. A "flag of convenience carrier" is defined as a foreign air carrier that is established in a country other than the home country of its majority owner or owners in order to avoid the home country's regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2017
Transparency Improvements and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe Act of 2017 or the TICKETS Act This bill prohibits an air carrier from denying the boarding of a flight by a passenger who has been cleared to board, without the passenger's consent, unless such passenger presents a safety, security, or health risk. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall revise federal regulations relating to oversold flights: to eliminate specified dollar amount limits on compensation provided to a passenger denied boarding involuntarily, and to determine whether limits on the number of seats oversold for a flight are necessary and, if so, to consider whether to impose such limits based on a percentage of seats available on the aircraft. The DOT shall prescribe regulations to require an air carrier to: check in its employee or that of another air carrier seeking accommodation on a flight at least 60 minutes before its scheduled departure, and specify on a passenger's itinerary and publicly post its policies with respect to oversold flights and requiring passengers to give up their seats to air carrier employees.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Traveler Redress Improvement Act of 2017 This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure the availability of the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) redress process to adjudicate inquiries for individuals who: are U.S. citizens or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, have filed an inquiry with DHS TRIP after receiving enhanced screening at an airport security checkpoint more than three times in a 60-day period, and believe they have been wrongly identified as being a threat to aviation security. TSA shall review and update the Privacy Impact Assessment for the Secure Flight programs for accuracy and make such assessment available to the public on TSA's website. TSA shall also review its intelligence-based screening rules, notify specified federal agencies of any rule changes, and ensure such rules are incorporated in the risk analysis conducted during the Federal Air Marshal mission scheduling process. The Government Accountability Office shall: study the effectiveness of such rules in identifying and mitigating potential threats to aviation security; and examine coordination between the TSA, DHS, and other relevant partners relating to changing, updating, implementing, or suspending such rules as necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Bumping on Overbooked Airplanes Requires Dealing Fairly Act or the BOARD Fairly Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to modify a federal regulation relating to oversold flights to ensure that an air carrier: may not refuse to transport a passenger holding a confirmed reserved seat on a flight to provide a seat for another passenger, regardless of whether such passenger is an air carrier employee; negotiates and solicits a volunteer to relinquish his or her space before boarding the aircraft; and if necessary, continues to increase the amount of compensation offered until a volunteer willingly accepts the offer in exchange for relinquishing a confirmed reserved seat.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
Buses United for Safety, Regulatory Reform, and Enhanced Growth for the 21st Century Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT): (1) within 14 days after a person submits an application for motor carrier operating authority to transport passengers, to either approve such application or provide the applicant the reason for withholding such approval; and (2) to approve an application within five days after receiving information that satisfies the reason approval was withheld. DOT: shall issue written guidance to new entrant motorcoach carriers on complying with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, and may not increase new entrant application registration fees above $350. The bill prescribes requirements for, and limitations on the use of, DOT motorcoach carrier safety fitness determinations. The bill amends the FAST Act to prohibit crash data developed under the FMCSA Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program for a motorcoach carrier (including any private school bus operator) determined not at fault from being made available to the public until the DOT Inspector General makes certain certifications, but allows such carrier access to data that relates directly to them. DOT shall exempt commercial motorcoach drivers, motorcoach carriers, and private school bus carriers from certain proposed FMCSA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requirements relating to: obstructive sleep apnea, financial responsibility, and installation of speed limiting devices. DOT shall rescind a specified proposed FMCSA rule regarding the lease and interchange of motorcoach vehicles. The bill prescribes requirements for the review and approval of motorcoach carrier corrective action plans. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall conduct a study assessing the effects of FMCSA and NHTSA regulations affecting motor carriers of passengers that were finalized in the preceding ten years. DOT shall carry out a pilot program to compare the effectiveness of prescheduled inspections with random destination inspections on such carriers. The bill prohibits DOT from promulgating any new regulatory mandates for motorcoaches or school buses that are not based solely on sound data and science that will directly reduce crashes. DOT shall require a recipient of public transportation funds to report any instance in which a private sector motor carrier of passengers or a private sector school bus passenger carrier providing charter or scheduled service is displaced by a public transportation provider receiving financial assistance through such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2017
This bill amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to extend through FY2017 and periodically thereafter the requirement that the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation report annually to Congress on the number of new small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including those owned by veterans, that participated in the programs and activities of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The list of the top 25 and bottom 25 large and medium hub airports giving disadvantaged small business concerns opportunities to participate in FAA programs and activities, which each such report must contain, shall be drawn only from large and medium hub airports participating in the airport disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) program. The Department of Transportation shall develop a training program for FAA employees providing guidance and training to entities that certify a small business as a small business concern owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Applications for authority to impose a passenger facility charge at a covered airport shall include a detailed description of the airport's good faith efforts to contract with DBEs and small businesses (including those owned by veterans). Beginning in FY2017, the FAA shall require a covered airport to report annually on the number of new DBEs that were awarded a contract or concession during the previous fiscal year. The FAA shall update annually DBE-Connect (or any successor online reporting system) to include information on the number of new DBEs awarded a contract or concession at a covered airport during the previous fiscal year. The FAA shall: ensure that each covered airport tracks the number of complaints alleging failure of payment to DBE firms performing contract work at that airport, take actions to assess and improve airport compliance with prompt payment regulations, and make such assessment available on an appropriate FAA website.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2017
NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to consider small businesses when it facilitates and supports the development of voluntary, consensus-based, industry-led guidelines and procedures to cost-effectively reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure. NIST must consult with other federal agencies to disseminate, and publish on its website, standard and method resources that small business may use voluntarily to help identify, assess, manage, and reduce their cybersecurity risks. The resources must be: (1) technology-neutral, (2) based on international standards to the extent possible, (3) able to vary with the nature and size of the implementing small business and the sensitivity of the data collected or stored on the information systems, (4) capable of promoting awareness of third-party stakeholder relationships to assist small businesses in mitigating common cybersecurity risks, and (5) consistent with the national cybersecurity awareness and education program under the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Other federal agencies may elect to publish the resources on their own websites.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2017
Fairness for Pilots Act This bill amends the Pilot's Bill of Rights to revise the authorization for appeal to a federal court by a substantially affected individual from a decision of the National Transportation Safety Board to uphold an adverse Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order or final decision. The bill specifies the suspension or revocation of an airman certificate as the punitive civil action which may be appealed. A U.S. district court shall review de novo an FAA denial, suspension, or revocation of an airman certificate. The bill prescribes requirements for FAA reexamination of airmen certificates where there are reasonable grounds to question an airman's lack of competence or believe a certificate was obtained through fraud. The FAA may not take enforcement action against an individual for violation of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding airspace system information until the FAA certifies its compliance with certain NOTAM Improvement Program requirements. The FAA, upon receiving a request for a covered flight record of air traffic data not in its possession, shall request the record from a FAA contract tower or other FAA contractor possessing it. The FAA shall revise certain regulations for FAA administrative disposition of a case under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 or the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to authorize the FAA legal counsel to close covered enforcement actions with a warning notice, letter of correction, or other administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2017
This bill approves, with specified exceptions, the agreement and appendices signed by the United States and the Republic of Palau on September 3, 2010, in connection with the Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau. If Palau withdraws more than $9 million from the trust fund set up by the Compact in FY2018, certain amounts will be withheld from Palau until it reimburses the fund for the total amounts withdrawn that exceeded $9 million in FY2018. Certain funds may be released to replenish that trust fund, however, if the United States and Palau have arranged to advance funds during FY2018 from the trust fund for specified allowable purposes. The bill authorizes appropriations to: (1) subsidize postal services to Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia for FY2018-FY2024; and (2) carry out specified federal responsibilities under the Compact. The bill also repeals specified offset requirements. FY2018 funding is provided to reduce government arrears of Palau. FY2018-FY2023 additional economic assistance, and FY2018 funding for infrastructure projects, are provided. Specified passport requirements are revised.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2017
Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2017 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an order to require: (1) the installation of secondary barriers, other than the cockpit door, to prevent access to the flight deck of each covered aircraft; (2) such barriers on the aircraft with a cockpit door to remain locked while the aircraft is in flight and the cockpit door separating the flight deck and the passenger area is open; and (3) such barriers on the aircraft without a cockpit door to remain locked as determined by the pilot in command. "Covered aircraft" is defined as a commercial aircraft: (1) equipped with more than 75 passenger seats, and (2) with a maximum gross takeoff weight of more than 75,000 pounds.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Behavioral Health Infrastructure Improvement Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to temporarily increase the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for behavioral health infrastructure and systems improvements under a state medical assistance program. For a period of five years, a state's FMAP for such improvements shall equal 90%. (Generally, a state's FMAP under Medicaid may range from 50% to 83%.) The bill also establishes a grant program for states to establish or support a behavioral health assistance office or ombudsman to coordinate behavioral health and other assistance for Medicaid beneficiaries. The office or ombudsman shall: (1) track, quantify, and report on problems and inquiries encountered by Medicaid beneficiaries with respect to access to behavioral health services; (2) educate Medicaid beneficiaries on their rights and responsibilities to such access; and (3) assist Medicaid beneficiaries in the enforcement of those rights and in accessing services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Ukraine Cybersecurity Cooperation Act of 2017 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of State should take the following actions, commensurate with U.S. interests, to help Ukraine improve its cybersecurity: (1) provide Ukraine necessary support to increase most advanced security protection on government computers, particularly systems that defend Ukraine's critical infrastructure; (2) provide Ukraine support to reduce reliance on Russian technology; and (3) help Ukraine to build capacity, expand cyber security information sharing, and cooperate in international response efforts. The State Department shall: (1) report to Congress on the status of U.S.-Ukraine cybersecurity cooperation, and (2) pursue regional cooperation to address shared cyber challenges.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Military Asset Protection Act This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD), in order to mitigate the threat of an unmanned aircraft system or unmanned aircraft to the safety or security of a covered facility or asset or to classified information, to take actions or authorize the Armed Forces or DOD contractors to take actions to: (1) disrupt, seize control of, or confiscate the system or aircraft; (2) use reasonable force to disable or destroy the system or aircraft; or (3) disrupt, alter, or intercept any communications to or from the system or aircraft. DOD may provide exceptions to such provisions. The bill provides that: (1) DOD shall develop such actions with Department of Transportation assistance, consistent with the protection of sensitive defense information; and (2) any such system or aircraft shall be subject to U.S. seizure and forfeiture. "Covered facility, asset, or classified information" means any facility, asset, or classified information that is: (1) so identified by DOD; (2) located in the United States or its territories and possessions; and (3) relating to DOD's missions of nuclear deterrence, missile defense, national space security, or homeland defense or other DOD missions involving vital security or infrastructure assets or information.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Transportation Security Administration Ombudsman Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security an Office of the Ombudsman to assist TSA employees who have complaints about TSA, including publicizing a toll-free telephone number to report such complaints. The Ombudsman must ensure that each TSA region has a regional ombudsman.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Safe Innovative Guide signs for the Nation Act or the SIGN Act This bill directs the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule that approves the use of Clearview font on positive contrast legends on guide signs. The rule shall: be reflected in the FHWA's Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, and allow a jurisdiction to use the Clearview font or any other DOT-approved font.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Label and Transport Tissues Safely Act of 2017 or the LATTS Act of 2017 This bill prohibits the sale of human tissue for research or education unless the seller has a non-transplant tissue bank license, each package of tissue is labeled with specified information, and each package is wrapped in the prescribed manner. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall establish a process for the approval, suspension, and revocation of non-transplant tissue bank licenses. False labeling of packages of human tissue is prohibited. HHS or any accrediting body authorized by HHS is allowed to enter and inspect any facility that is subject to a non-transplant tissue bank license. HHS shall recall any human tissue specimen that is an imminent or substantial hazard to public health. The bill makes it unlawful to knowingly sell or otherwise transfer any human tissue specimen if the transfer affects interstate commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
This bill allows concessions, including restaurants, food services, and convenience stores, at state-owned rest areas along highways on the Interstate System. A state may use revenues received from such concessions to support any federal-aid highway program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Veterans Priority Access to Reliable Care Act of 2017 or the Veterans PARC Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use a passenger carrier to transport an individual employed at a VA medical facility between a parking facility and the medical facility.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow municipalities to develop a plan that integrates wastewater and stormwater management. A permit for a municipal discharge under the national pollutant discharge elimination system that incorporates an integrated plan may integrate all requirements under the Act addressed in the plan. Those permits may include a schedule of compliance that allows actions for meeting water quality-based effluent limitations to be implemented over more than one permit term if the compliance schedules are authorized by state water quality standards. Those actions may include implementing green infrastructure as part of a water quality-based effluent limitation. (Green infrastructure includes measures that mimic natural processes to store, reuse, or reduce stormwater.) The bill establishes an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide: (1) technical assistance to municipalities seeking to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and (2) information to the EPA to ensure that agency policies are implemented by all EPA offices. The EPA must ensure that specified EPA offices promote the integration of green infrastructure into permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance. The bill establishes requirements for revising the EPA's 1997 guidance about combined sewer overflows, including by setting forth criteria for determining the ability of households to pay utility bills. (Combined sewer systems collect rainwater, sewage, and industrial wastewater into one pipe. During storms, the combined wastewater sometimes exceeds the capacity of the treatment plant. When this occurs, combined sewer overflows discharge directly into water bodies.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Offshore Production and Energizing National Security Alaska Act of 2017 or the OPENS Alaska Act of 2017 This bill nullifies the memorandum issued by the President on December 20, 2016, entitled "Withdrawal of Certain Portions of the United States Arctic Outer Continental Shelf from Mineral Leasing." The bill also nullifies any other presidential action to prohibit mineral leasing in certain portions of the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish a Nearshore Beaufort Sea Planning Area in the Outer Continental Shelf within three nautical miles of the seaward boundary of Alaska and conduct one oil and gas lease sale under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) in such planning area and the Cook Inlet Planning Area in each of FY2018-FY2020. Oil and gas leases under the OCSLA shall have an initial 20-year lease period if they are located in the portion of the Beaufort Planning Area or the Chukchi Planning Area beyond 3 nautical miles of the seaward boundary of Alaska. The OCSLA is amended to establish a scheme for revenue allocation between the Treasury and the state of Alaska. Interior shall include in any leasing program at least three lease sales in each of the Beaufort Planning Area and the Chukchi Planning Area, as well as annual lease sales in the Nearshore Beaufort Sea Planning Area and the Cook Inlet Planning Area. Interior shall establish a grant program for activities to improve the resilience of Indian tribes to the effects of climate change, build Native American communities, and aid the modernization of infrastructure. The bill also establishes the Tribal Resilience Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Made in America Water Infrastructure Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by requiring all of the iron and steel products used in projects funded by the drinking water state revolving fund program to be produced in the United States, unless: (1) it would be inconsistent with the public interest, (2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality, or (3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25%.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2017
Designates April 20, 2017, as National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day for promoting the greater use of cleaner, more efficient transportation that uses new sources of energy. Urges the people of the United States to: (1) increase use of cleaner and energy efficient alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles; (2) promote public sector adoption of those vehicles; and (3) encourage the adoption of federal policies to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil through the advancement and adoption of alternative, advanced, and emerging vehicle and fuel technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Election Infrastructure and Security Promotion Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to: (1) designate voting systems used in the United States as critical infrastructure; (2) include threats of compromise, disruption, or destruction of voting systems in national planning scenarios; and (3) conduct a campaign to proactively educate local election officials about the designation of voting systems as critical infrastructure and election officials at all levels of government of voting system threats. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shall develop standards for ensuring the operational security of the voting systems used in elections for federal office. This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a state, in operating the voting system, to comply with applicable standards developed by NIST for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. The testing and certification of voting systems hardware and software shall test whether voting systems are in compliance with applicable NIST standards for ensuring the operational security of voting systems. NIST shall develop standards for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. States shall comply with applicable NIST standards, in operating the voting system, for ensuring that the process by which ballots are counted in elections for federal office is transparent and permits voters to verify that votes in such elections are counted correctly. The National Science Foundation shall establish an election technology innovation research and development program.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Better Drive Act This bill repeals provisions requiring the Department of Transportation to withhold a certain amount of a state's apportionment of federal-aid highway funds if the state fails to enact and enforce a law that requires the revocation or suspension of drivers' licenses of individuals convicted of drug offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Investing In America: Unlocking the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act This bill amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and the Internal Revenue Code to make certain amounts in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund equivalent to port use tax receipts available for its statutorily prescribed purposes without further appropriation, including for expenditures to pay 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs of specified portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and up to 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs assigned to commercial navigation of all U.S. harbors and inland harbors. Trust fund receipts and disbursements shall: not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of the federal budget, the congressional budget, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; be exempt from any general budget limitation imposed by statute on government expenditures and net lending (budget outlays); and be available only for the statutorily prescribed purposes of such fund.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2017
Strengthen And Fortify Existing Bridges Act of 2017 or the SAFE Bridges Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish a program to assist states to rehabilitate or replace bridges found to be structurally deficient. States shall use apportioned program funds for projects to rehabilitate and replace such bridges. The federal share of project costs is 100%. Prevailing rate of wage requirements for construction of federal-aid highways projects shall apply to such projects.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
This bill authorizes the construction and operation of a bridge (Riverside Bridge Project) on certain property conveyed to Christian County, Missouri, by the Riverside Inn, Inc. The county shall: carryout the project in a manner that ensures that no flood damage occurs, and be liable for any such flood damage that does occur. No federal disaster assistance may be provided with respect to the covered property or project.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2017
This bill authorizes the construction and operation of a bridge (Riverside Bridge Project) on certain property conveyed to Christian County, Missouri, by the Riverside Inn, Inc. The county shall: carryout the project in a manner that ensures that no flood damage occurs, and be liable for any such flood damage that does occur. No federal disaster assistance may be provided with respect to the covered property or project.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2017
This bill amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to designate U.S. Route 15 in Pennsylvania from its intersection with Interstate Route 180 to the New York border as part of a high priority corridor on the National Highway System. Pennsylvania shall erect signs identifying such corridor as Interstate Route 99. The Department of Transportation is authorized to make grants to Pennsylvania for projects to: erect signs identifying the segment designated by this bill as part of the Interstate System (IS), and make improvements as necessary for such segment to conform with applicable IS standards. The bill permits vehicles that could operate legally on such segment before its designation as part of the IS to continue to operate on such segment without regard to IS vehicle weight limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2017 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The maximum civil penalty for each violation shall be $100,000, or the fair market value of the shark fins involved, whichever is greater.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act This bill directs the Department of Justice to issue a final order that removes marijuana in any form from all schedules of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Marijuana is exempted from the CSA except as provided in this bill. The definition of "felony drug offense" does not include conduct related to marijuana. Marijuana is not included in the provisions setting forth penalties applicable to prohibited conduct under the CSA. It shall be unlawful to ship or transport marijuana from any place outside a jurisdiction of the United States into such a jurisdiction in which its possession, use, or sale is prohibited. The bill eliminates marijuana from regulation under various federal laws including the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, the National Forest System Drug Control Act of 1986, the federal Wiretap Act, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998. Further, it subjects marijuana to the provisions that apply to: (1) intoxicating liquors under the Original Packages Act, the Webb-Kenyon Act, and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000; and (2) distilled spirits under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. The Food and Drug Administration shall have the same authorities with respect to marijuana as it has for alcohol. Functions of the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration relating to marijuana enforcement shall be transferred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The ATF is renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is renamed the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2017
Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to transmit to the House of Representatives copies of any document, correspondence, or other communication of DHS that refers or relates to: DHS research, integration, and analysis activities relating to interference with the 2016 elections by or at the direction of the Russian government, as announced in a joint statement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on October 7 and December 29, 2016; dissemination by DHS of information regarding such interference, as announced in such statement; research into cyber compromises of email of U.S. persons and institutions by or at the direction of the Russian government to interfere with such elections; and integration, analysis, and dissemination of the Joint Analysis Report detailing the tools and infrastructure used by Russian intelligence services to compromise and exploit networks and infrastructure associated with such elections issued by DHS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on December 29, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Making Available Information Now to Strengthen Trust and Resilience and Enhance Enterprise Technology Cybersecurity Act of 2017 or the MAIN STREET Cybersecurity Act of 2017 This bill amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to consider small businesses when it facilitates and supports the development of voluntary, consensus-based, industry-led guidelines and procedures to cost-effectively reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure. NIST must disseminate, and publish on its website, standard and method resources that small business may use voluntarily to help reduce their cybersecurity risks. The resources must be: (1) technology-neutral, (2) based on international standards to the extent possible, (3) able to vary with the nature and size of the implementing small business and the sensitivity of the data collected or stored on the information systems, and (4) consistent with the national cybersecurity awareness and education program under the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Other federal agencies that NIST considers appropriate must also publish the resources on their own websites.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Surface and Maritime Transportation Security Act This bill requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to: (1) assess, and implement a risk-based security strategy to address, the vulnerabilities of and risks to surface transportation and maritime transportation systems; (2) develop a management oversight strategy that identifies the parties responsible for implementing the security strategy; and (3) submit a report that describes a risk-based budget and resource allocation plan for surface transportation sectors that reflects the security strategy. The TSA shall establish the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee to make recommendations pertaining to surface transportation security. In addition, the bill: directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand the TSA's explosives detection canine team program, requires the Government Accountability Office to study specified matters related to surface transportation, expands the permissible uses of railroad security improvement grants, requires the TSA to issue a decision on the use of a passenger vetting system by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), requires the TSA to establish a program to promote surface transportation security through the training of surface transportation operators and frontline employees, expands the transportation security card program to allow individuals subject to credentialing or a background check to apply for a transportation security card, and requires DHS to evaluate cargo-container scanning technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Passenger Fee Restructuring Exemptions Act of 2017 This bill revises aviation security service fee requirements. The bill makes an exception to the $5.60 per one-way trip fee for certain passengers for domestic flights that originate at a U.S. airport. The bill limits such fees to $2.50 per enplanement, with the total not to exceed $5.00 per one-way trip, for any passengers: (1) boarding to an eligible small community for which essential air service compensation is paid; or (2) on flights, including flight segments, between two or more points in Hawaii or two or more points in Alaska.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2017
Fairness for Pilots Act This bill amends the Pilot's Bill of Rights to revise the authorization for appeal to a federal court by a substantially affected individual from a decision of the National Transportation Safety Board to uphold an adverse Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order or final decision. The bill specifies the suspension or revocation of an airman certificate as the punitive civil action which may be appealed. A U.S. district court shall review de novo an FAA denial, suspension, or revocation of an airman certificate. The bill prescribes requirements for FAA reexamination of airmen certificates where there are reasonable grounds to question an airman's lack of competence or believe a certificate was obtained through fraud. The FAA may not take enforcement action against an individual for violation of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding airspace system information until the FAA certifies its compliance with certain NOTAM Improvement Program requirements. The FAA, upon receiving a request for a covered flight record of air traffic data not in its possession, shall request the record from a FAA contract tower or other FAA contractor possessing it. The FAA shall revise certain regulations for FAA administrative disposition of a case under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 or the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act to authorize the FAA legal counsel to close covered enforcement actions with a warning notice, letter of correction, or other administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017 This bill amends the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 to require at least 5% of scholarships that the National Science Foundation (NSF) coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security under the federal cyber scholarship-for-service program to be provided to students who are pursuing an associate's degree in a cybersecurity field without the intent of transferring to a bachelor's degree program and who either have a bachelor's degree already or are veterans of the Armed Forces. The post-award employment obligations of scholarship recipients pursuing a doctoral or master's degree may include work at an institution of higher education or for a local educational agency teaching cybersecurity skills. Scholarship eligibility factors are revised to include: (1) an individual's skills and abilities under the National Institute of Standards and Technology's national cybersecurity awareness and education program, and (2) students pursuing a degree on a less than full-time but not less than half-time basis. The NSF must work with the Office of Personnel Management to: (1) consolidate information about cyber scholarships programs and job opportunities into a single online resource center; and (2) work with state, local, and tribal agencies to advertise cybersecurity positions to recipients. The NSF may carry out a program to improve cybersecurity education at the K-12 level. The NSF may: (1) grant exceptions from the post-award employment obligations to students who agree to work in a critical infrastructure mission at a federal government corporation or a state, local, or tribal government-affiliated component of a critical infrastructure sector; or (2) develop a pilot program to enhance critical infrastructure protection training for students pursuing careers in cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2017
Interstate Compact This joint resolution grants congressional consent to amendments of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact relating to the appointment and removal of members and alternates of the Board of Directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority by compact signatories.