Notch Fairness Act of 1996 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the computation of minimum old age insurance benefits for individuals who reached age 65 in or after 1979 and to whom applies the 15-year transition period for the changes in benefit computation rules enacted in the Social Security Amendments of 1977.
Sets forth a schedule of additional benefit increases for such beneficiaries (and related beneficiaries), with percentages declining from 55 percent to five percent and keyed to the year an individual became eligible for such benefits between 1979 and 1988.
Requires actual dependency of a stepchild in order to receive a child's insurance benefit under OASDI.  Repeals the benefit eligibility of a stepchild living with the stepparent but not dependent on the stepparent for at least half of his or her support.
Terminates a child's insurance benefit based upon the work income of a stepparent six months after the month in which the Commissioner of Social Security receives formal notification of the divorce of such stepparent from the natural parent of the child.
Prohibits payment of OASDI disability benefits if alcoholism or drug addiction would be a contributing factor material to the Commissioner's determination that such individual is disabled. Requires the payment of disability benefits to a representative payee if the Commissioner determines that a disabled individual also has an alcoholism or drug addition condition that prevents the individual from managing such benefits.  Directs the Commissioner to refer an individual with such a condition to the appropriate State agency administering the plan for substance abuse treatment services under the Public Health Service Act.  Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to make the same requirements with respect to SSI beneficiaries.
Appropriates funds for FY 1997 and 1998 for supplemental funding of State and tribal alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs under the Public Health Service Act.  Requires State or tribal governments receiving such funds to consider as a priority in their expenditure those activities relating to the treatment of the abuse of alcohol and other drugs.


Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy Act of 1993 - Declares that, in order to end nuclear proliferation and reduce current nuclear arsenals and supplies of weapons-usable nuclear materials, it shall be U.S. policy to pursue the following objectives:  (1) encourage the Ukraine to ratify the START I treaty and Ukraine and Kazakhstan to vote to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as non-nuclear weapon states; (2) encourage Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan to remove all nuclear weapons from their territory, accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards over nuclear facilities, and implement effective controls on nuclear exports; (3) reach an agreement with the Russian Federation to deactivate weapons to be withdrawn under START I and II, place all fissile material from weapons under bilateral or international controls, and arrange for inspections and data exchanges; (4) prepare for the ratification of START II by seeking the exchange of information; (5) conclude a multilateral comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty by early 1995; (6) ratify START II in the United States and encourage the Russian Federation to do the same; (7) conclude multilateral agreements to reduce nuclear arsenals; (8) reach agreement with the Russian Federation to halt the production of fissile material for weapons purposes and other worldwide agreements respecting such materials and the placement of all nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards; (9) strengthen IAEA safeguards and nuclear export controls; (10) reduce incentives for countries to pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons by seeking to reduce regional tensions; (11) support the extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the 1995 conference; (12) adopt a U.S. policy of "no first use" of nuclear weapons, reach agreement with other nuclear weapon states to adopt such a policy, and assist any country which is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty should weapons be initiated against such country; (13) conclude an agreement with the Russian Federation to dismantle all tactical nuclear weapons; and (14) sign the appropriate protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.


Nuclear Security Act of 2003 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to instruct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to: (1) establish a nuclear security force composed of NRC employees to provide for the security of all sensitive nuclear facilities against design basis threat; and (2) develop and implement a security plan containing specified elements for each sensitive nuclear facility to ensure the security of all sensitive nuclear facilities against such threat.

Authorizes a holder of a license for a sensitive nuclear facility to petition the Commission for additional requirements in the security plan for such facility.

Requires the NRC to establish a hiring and training program for the nuclear security force.

Establishes the Nuclear Security Fund for use by the Commission to administer the security programs for sensitive nuclear facilities.


Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act or the NAS Healthy Babies Act (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which results from a newborn's exposure to addictive opiate drugs while in the mother's womb. Specifically, the GAO shall report on:  the prevalence of NAS,  NAS treatment services for which coverage is available under state Medicaid programs,  the settings and associated reimbursement methodologies for NAS treatment,  the prevalence of utilization of various care settings under state Medicaid programs for NAS treatment,  any federal barriers to treating infants with NAS under state Medicaid programs, and best practices for treating infants with NAS. The GAO shall also report on its recommendations for improvements that will ensure access to NAS treatment under state Medicaid programs. (Sec. 3) The bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to exclude abuse-deterrent formulations of prescription drugs from the requirement that manufacturers of single-source or innovator drugs pay additional rebates to state Medicaid programs. (Sec. 4) Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use predictive modeling and other analytic technologies to identify improper Medicaid claims. The bill prohibits a state agency from using or disclosing such technologies except for purposes of administering a state Medicaid program or Children's Health Insurance Program. A state agency shall have in effect adequate data security and control policies to ensure that access to such information is restricted to authorized persons for authorized uses. (Sec. 5) The bill places $5 million in the Medicaid Improvement Fund to be available beginning in FY2021.


Office of Government Ethics Authorization Act of 1996 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to:  (1) authorize the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Director to accept gifts for OGE use; and (2) extend the authorization of appropriations for the OGE.
Amends Federal law to repeal the requirement that Federal buildings display the Code of Ethics for Government Service.
Modifies postemployment restrictions on certain senior (including very senior) personnel.
Modifies the level of pay applicable with respect to certain senior personnel of the executive branch and independent agencies.


Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to preclude federal preemption of a cause of action brought under state law by a participant or beneficiary under a group health plan to recover damages resulting from personal injury or for wrongful death against the plan, the plan sponsor, any health insurance issuer offering health insurance coverage in connection with the plan, or any managed care entity in connection with the plan if such cause of action arises by reason of a medically reviewable decision denying a benefits claim. Allows such a cause of action under state law against any employer or other plan sponsor maintaining the plan (or against an employee of such an employer or sponsor acting within the scope of employment) to the extent that there was direct participation by the employer or other plan sponsor (or employee) in such decision.

Declares that this waiver of federal preemption does not apply (that is, ERISA does supersede state law) with respect to: (1) any cause of action against an employer or other plan sponsor maintaining the plan (or against an employee of such an employer or sponsor acting within the scope of employment), except where the employer or plan sponsor (or employee) participated directly in the decision to deny the claim; or (2) a right of recovery, indemnity, or contribution by a person against an employer or other plan sponsor (or such an employee) for damages assessed against the person pursuant to a cause of action under state law allowed by this Act.


Oklahoma City Victims Compensation Act - Establishes a program to provide compensation to any individual (or relatives of a deceased individual) who was physically injured or killed as a result of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995.Directs the Attorney General, acting through the Special Master appointed under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, to administer the program, requiring determinations of claims within 120 days and payment within 20 days of determination. States that such determinations are final and not subject to judicial review.Limits claims to one per injured person or decedent and excludes claimants from pursuing civil action for damages, as specified.Grants the United States the right of subrogation with respect to any claim paid by the United States under this Act.


Opportunities for Success Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to institutions of higher education for use in providing their students with financial support to engage in internships reasonably associated with their studies. Requires support recipients to be full-time or half-time students who are eligible for Federal Pell Grants. Sets the student support level for unpaid internships at: (1) the higher of the federal or state minimum wage for each hour of the internship, if the internship occurs while the student is enrolled in classes; and (2) the student's reasonable cost of living expenses, if the internship occurs while the student is not enrolled in classes. Sets the support level for paid internships by reducing the amount the student would receive for an unpaid internship by the amount the paid internship provides to the student. Caps the total support a student may receive for full-time and part-time internships. Makes that support nontaxable and excludes it from the calculation of a student's need or eligibility for financial assistance under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.


Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act of 2017  This bill amends the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP).   USDA must modernize the international trade tracking and data collection systems of the NOP, which must include ensuring that trade and transaction certificates are fully traceable without unduly hindering trade. The bill authorizes mandatory funding to be used for this purpose and for maintaining previous database and technology upgrades.  The bill modifies requirements for recordkeeping, investigations, and enforcement with respect to the organic certification process to:    allow parties to an active investigation to share confidential business information with government officers or employees and certifying agents involved in the investigation,  require federal agencies that administer cross-border documentation systems to provide USDA with access to the data from the systems,   allow the NOP to grant an accredited certifying agent the authority to require additional documentation or verification before granting certification, and  require USDA to issue regulations limiting the type of operations that are excluded from certification.  With respect to the accreditation process for certifying agents, the bill: (1) authorizes USDA to oversee and approve certifying agents operating in a foreign country, and (2) requires certifying agents that intend to operate in a foreign country to be annually authorized.


Outer Continental Shelf Royalty Reform and Enhancement Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to place limitations based on market price on the royalty relief granted under any lease for the production of oil or natural gas entered into on or after enactment of this Act.

Declares that Congress reaffirms the authority of the Secretary to vary, based on the price of production from a lease, the suspension of royalties under any lease subject to specified requirements of the Outer Continental Shelf Deep Water Royalty Relief Act.

Instructs the Secretary to offer to enter into written agreements to amend the payment responsibilities under each lease that: (1) authorizes the production of oil or natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf; (2) provides for relief from the payment of royalties; and (3) does not provide for suspension of royalty relief based on an increase in the price of oil or natural gas, respectively, above specified thresholds.

Authorizes the Secretary to increase royalty rates on leases for oil or natural gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit certain percentages of Outer Continental Shelf revenues for: (1) disbursement to Gulf producing states; (2) financial assistance to states for land and water conservation as well as outdoor recreation purposes; and (3) deficit reduction.

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to guarantee the repayment of 100% of the outstanding principal of a bond issued by the state of Louisiana for coastal wetland restoration projects and related storm protection infrastructure.


Overtime Reform and Review Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) with respect to exemptions from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements for executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees to increase over a five-year period the salary threshold for such exemptions, beginning on December 1, 2016, with a subsequent increase on December 1, 2018, and each December 1 through 2021. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct, and submit to Congress, a study of the implementation of the 2016 initial salary threshold. The rule submitted by the Department of Labor entitled "Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees" shall cease to have any force or effect.  This bill amends the FLSA, with respect to requirements for updating the salary threshold, to direct Labor, for any change to the salary threshold, to: (1) propose a specific and enumerated rate of compensation required for an employee to be exempt from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements, and (2) issue a rule through notice and comment rulemaking.


Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard Deadline Harmonization Act of 2015 This bill delays the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2015 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone issued under the Clean Air Act.   Each state must designate all of its areas as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable with respect to the 2015 ozone standards by October 26, 2024. The EPA must promulgate final designations for those areas by October 26, 2025. States must submit a state implementation plan for the 2015 ozone standards by October 26, 2026. The 2015 ozone standards do not apply to the review and disposition of an application for a preconstruction permit for the construction or modification of a major emitting facility or major stationary source if: (1) the application is completed before final designations under the Clean Air Act, or (2) the applicable permitting authority publishes a public notice of a preliminary determination or draft permit for the application before a certain date. The bill changes the interval by which the EPA must review its NAAQS for criteria pollutants from a 5-year review cycle to a 10-year review cycle. The EPA must not complete any review of ozone criteria or its ozone NAAQS before October 26, 2025, or propose any revisions to them.


Partial Hospitalization Services Integrity Act of 1997 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to:  (1) deny coverage of partial hospitalization services in home and skilled nursing home settings; (2) provide for new qualifications for community mental health centers as the Secretary of Health and Human Services may specify to ensure the health and safety of individuals being furnished mental health services and the effective or efficient furnishing of such services; and (3) authorize the Secretary to establish by regulation a prospective payment system for partial hospitalization services provided by a community mental health center or hospital to its outpatients.
Directs the Secretary to:  (1) provide for periodic re-certification to ensure that the provision of such services complies with appropriate criteria under the Public Health Service Act; and (2) implement a demonstration project under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) under which community mental health centers may offer expanded partial hospitalization services which are not currently covered as such under Medicare for purposes of providing for a full continuum of ambulatory behavioral health care services.


Patient Access to Disposable Medical Technology Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover substitute disposable medical technology, subject it to a special payment rule, and exempt it from competitive acquisition.


Peer Support Communities of Recovery Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to nonprofits that focus on substance use disorder to establish regional technical assistance centers to provide assistance regarding implementation of peer-delivered addiction recovery support services, establishment of recovery community organizations and centers, and overdose reversal medication.


Peopling of America Theme Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare and submit to Congress a national historic landmark theme study on the peopling of America to identify regions, areas, trails, districts, communities, sites, buildings, structures, objects, organizations, societies, and cultures that: (1) best illustrate and commemorate key events or decisions affecting the peopling of America; and (2) can provide a basis for the preservation and interpretation of the peopling of America that has shaped U.S. culture and society.Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with educational institutions, professional associations, or other knowledgeable entities to prepare the study and promote cooperative arrangements and programs relating to the peopling of America.Authorizes appropriations.


Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to prohibit the Export-Import Bank of the United States from guaranteeing, insuring, or extending credit to an entity (except a small business) with respect to the export of any good or service to China unless the Board of Directors of the Bank determines that such entity is adhering to certain environmental and fair employment principles under a corporate code of conduct.
Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Bank and the Clearinghouse on Corporate Responsibility that is being developed by the Department of Commerce should work together to ensure that businesses are made aware of, and have access to, resources and organizations that can assist them in developing and monitoring global codes of corporate conduct.


Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017  This bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the definition of stalking to include conduct that causes a person to experience a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to his or her pet.  Additionally, an interstate violation of a protection order includes interstate travel with the intent to violate a protection order against a pet that is included within the scope of the protection order. The bill specifies the applicable criminal penalty—a prison term of up to five years, a fine, or both—for a person who commits an interstate violation of a protection order against a pet.  With respect to a defendant who commits a domestic violence offense or an interstate violation of a protection order, mandatory restitution in the "full amount of victim's losses" includes costs incurred for veterinary services related to the pet. The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants for shelter and housing assistance and support services for domestic violence victims with pets. Finally, it expresses the sense of Congress that states should include, in domestic violence protection orders, protections against violence or threats against a person's pet.


Phone Scam Prevention Act of 2014 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require voice communications service providers to offer subscribers the option to designate a list of approved telephone numbers for which calls originating from those numbers are permitted to connect directly with the subscriber's telephone and other customer premises equipment.  Requires providers to ensure that any call for termination that is not from a number on the subscriber's list is processed according to the subscriber's preferences, including by limiting or disabling the ability of an incoming call to connect with the subscriber's equipment.  Exempts government and public interest calls from being subject to a subscriber's preferences.  Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop authentication standards for providers to validate caller information so that subscribers may obtain secure assurances of a call's origin, including the calling party's number and identification.  Extends the prohibition on the provision of inaccurate caller identification information to persons outside the United States if the recipient is within the United States. Expands the definition "caller identification information" to include text messages. Revises caller identification requirements to make standards applicable to voice communications using resources from the North American Numbering Plan (currently, the requirements apply to telecommunications or IP-enabled voice services).


Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe minimum standards to require the owner or operator of a pipeline facility to notify all owners and residents of property located within 2,000 feet of a transmission line of:  the property's proximity to the line, and the line's specific location if it is on private residential property.  DOT shall ensure that industry standards and procedures adopted as part of the federal pipeline safety regulatory program are easily available to the public free of charge.  In identifying high-consequence areas, DOT shall consider specified features of a pipe, including its age, whether it can be inspected using the most modern instrumented internal inspection devices, whether it crosses open waters of the Great Lakes, and the type of commodity it transports.  The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research shall:  identify measures to respond to spills or leaks of oil in the Great Lakes; and assess their effectiveness in preventing significant or substantial harm to the public health or welfare.  DOT shall:  conduct a comprehensive water crossing survey of all intrastate and interstate hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that cross U.S. waterways in the Great Lakes Basin; and  enter into a joint agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences to identify gaps in data and information in the Basin pipeline network, and make recommendations to prevent future leaks, ruptures, and failures that could result in damage to Basin waterways and natural resources.  The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended to:  prohibit vessel transportation of crude oil and crude oil derived from oil sands on the Great Lakes; and  include in the meaning of "worst-case discharge," in the case of an offshore or onshore facility, the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions (as in current law) in which waters that may receive a discharge are covered by ice.


Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2015 or the Police CAMERA Act Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras for use by law enforcement officers, and for expenses related to the implementation of a body-worn camera program, in order to deter excessive force, improve accountability and transparency of use of force by law enforcement officers, assist in responding to complaints against officers, and improve evidence collection.  Requires a grantee to: (1) develop, with community input, policies for the safe and effective use of body-worn cameras, for the secure storage, handling, and destruction of data collected, for protecting the privacy rights of any individual who may be recorded, and for the release of any data collected in accordance with the open records laws of the state; and (2) conduct periodic evaluations of the security of the storage and handling of the body-worn camera data.  Requires a grantee to adopt data collection and retention protocols that:   require an officer wearing a camera to provide an explanation if an activity that is required to be recorded is not recorded and to obtain a crime victim's or witness's consent to be recorded before interviewing him or her; minimize the collection of data unrelated to a legitimate law enforcement purpose;  require the system used to store collected data to log all viewing, modification, or deletion of such data and to prevent its unauthorized access or disclosure; prohibit any law enforcement officer from accessing the stored data without an authorized purpose;  require the law enforcement agency to collect and report data on incidences of use of force, the number of complaints filed against officers, the disposition of such complaints, and the number of times camera footage is used for evidence collection in investigations of crimes; and allow an individual to file a complaint with a law enforcement agency relating to the improper use of such cameras.  Allows data collected by a grantee to be used only in internal and external investigations of misconduct by a law enforcement agency or officer, if there is reasonable suspicion that a recording contains evidence of a crime, or for limited training purposes. Prohibits a grantee from transferring any collected data to another law enforcement or intelligence agency, with specified exceptions for investigations of crimes and civil rights violations.  Directs the Assistant Attorney General to study and report to Congress on the efficacy of body-worn cameras.


Poll Tape Transparency Act of 2008 - Amends the Help America Vote Act with respect to the requirements for each voting system used in a federal election.

Requires the appropriate election official, upon the closing of the polls at each polling place, and under the observation of the certified tabulation observers admitted to the polling place, to: (1) announce the vote orally; (2) post a copy of the poll tape reflecting the totals from each voting machine in the polling place upon which votes were cast; (3) prepare and post a statement of the total number of individuals who appeared at the polling place to cast ballots; and (4) display by noon the following day, at a prominent public location, a copy of each poll tape and statement.

Requires display of such information also on the official public websites of the applicable local election official and chief state election official.

Specifies similar treatment of ballots cast at early voting sites, absentee ballots, and the daily count of provisional ballots.


Ports-to-Forts Act of 2012 - Directs the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to make grants to states or port authorities to cover the direct or indirect costs for repair or construction of: (1) commercial strategic seaports; or (2) bridges, roads, rail systems, and other infrastructure near such seaports.


Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners Act of 2008 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program of part B of title II with the Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners program.

Authorizes the Secretary to provide funds, through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, to consortia of institutions of higher education, states or local educational agencies, and entities able to assist in the technology-related reform of teacher preparation programs, covering up to three-fourths of the costs of projects to: (1) develop long-term partnerships among consortium members that are focused on effective teaching with modern digital tools and content that connect pre-service teacher preparation with high-need schools; or (2) transform the way departments, schools, and colleges of education teach classroom technology integration to teacher candidates.


Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to furnish each Medicare beneficiary under title XVIII of the Social Security Act with a drug benefit card enabling the beneficiary to purchase covered outpatient prescription drugs listed on the Federal Supply Schedule from participating pharmacies at reduced prices.


Preserving Crime Victims' Restitution Act of 2006 - Amends the federal criminal code to establish guidelines for cases in which a defendant in a criminal prosecution dies prior to the final adjudication of guilt. Sets forth rules for restitution to victims, appeals, motions, petitions, and civil forfeiture in such cases.

Provides, as a general rule, that the death of a defendant who has been convicted of a federal criminal offense shall not be the basis for abating or otherwise invalidating a plea of guilty or nolo contendere accepted, a verdict returned, a sentence announced, or a judgment entered prior to the death of such defendant, or for dismissing or otherwise invalidating the indictment, information, or complaint, except as provided by this Act.


Preventing Iran's Access to United States Dollars Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the President from issuing a license that permits a person to:   conduct an offshore U.S. dollar clearing system for transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person, or  provide U.S. dollars for any offshore U.S. dollar clearing system conducted by a foreign government or a foreign financial institution for transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person.  The Department of the Treasury shall report to Congress:  a list of financial institutions operating or participating in an offshore U.S. dollar clearing system that conducts transactions involving the government of Iran or an Iranian person, and  an assessment of Treasury efforts to prevent such transactions.   The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests of any listed institution if the property and interests: (1) are in the United States, (2) come within the United States, or (3) are or come within the possession or control of a U.S. person. The President may impose additional sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 is amended to subject to sanctions: (1) u-turn transactions (fund transfers from a foreign bank that pass through a U.S. financial institution and are then transferred to a second foreign bank), and (2) book transfers (fund transfers for the benefit of an Iranian financial institution made between accounts of the same financial institution).


Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to set forth parameters within which: (1) Federal home loan banks may make advances to a nonmember mortgagee for community lending purposes; and (2) each Federal home loan bank shall establish a Community Lending Fund to facilitate community lending by its members and nonmember mortgagees.


Preventing Tragedies Between Police and Communities Act of 2016 This bill requires a state or local government that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to train law enforcement officers on de-escalation techniques. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may reduce by up to 20% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to comply. DOJ must collect data on the efforts of state and local governments to enhance de-escalation training for law enforcement officers.  Additionally, a state or local government that receives JAG program funding must enact a law, policy, or procedure that establishes an affirmative duty on a law enforcement officer to use de-escalation techniques. DOJ must reduce by 15% the JAG allocation of a state or local government that fails to enact such law, policy, or procedure.  DOJ must issue guidance on compliance with these requirements.


Price Stability Act of 2008 - Declares it is US policy that the principal economic responsibilities of the Government are to establish both long-term economic growth and increases in living standards, maintain free markets, low taxes, respect for private property, and the stable, long-term purchasing power of US currency.

Declares that the promotion of price stability should be the primary long-term goal of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Amends the Federal Reserve Act to revise the mandate of the Board and the Federal Open Market Committee to require them to: (1) establish a numerical definition of the term "price stability"; and (2) maintain a monetary policy that promotes long-term price stability.

Requires the Board to consult with, and report to, Congress semi-annually about Board and Committee objectives and plans to achieve and maintain price stability.

Repeals the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978.


Private Property Rights Act of 1997 - States that the policy of the Federal Government is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public in a manner that, to the extent practicable, avoids takings of private property.
(Sec. 5) Directs each Federal agency to complete a private property taking impact analysis before taking any agency action (including the promulgation of a regulation) which is likely to result in a taking of private property.
Exempts from such requirement certain:  (1) actions in which the power of eminent domain is formally exercised; (2) any action taken with respect to property held in trust by the United States or in connection with treaty negotiations; (3) law enforcement actions; (4) communications between a Federal agency and a State or local land-use planning agency about a proposed State or local activity regulating private property; (5) military activities or military or foreign affairs functions; and (6) emergencies involving immediate threats to health or safety.
Requires that the policies, regulations, and public laws of the United States be interpreted and administered in accordance with the policies under this Act.
Specifies the content of such an analysis and requires a copy to be transmitted to the owner of the affected property, as well as made available to the public.
Requires each agency to provide the analysis required under this Act as part of any submission otherwise required to be made to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) relating to an agency action.
(Sec. 6) Requires the agency, before taking any final agency action, to fully consider alternatives described in this Act, and to the maximum extent practicable, alter the action to avoid or minimize the taking of private property.
(Sec. 7) Allows the owner of private property, if an agency action results in the taking of such property, to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action against the agency that has caused the taking to occur. Provides for a civil action against the agency to be brought:  (1) in either the U.S. District Court in which the property at issue is located or in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (currently), regardless of the amount in controversy; and (2) if the property is located in more than one judicial district, in any district in which any part of the property is located.
(Sec. 8) Directs the Attorney General to provide legal guidance in a timely manner, in response to a request by an agency, to assist it in complying with this Act.
Requires annual reports by each agency to the OMB Director and Attorney General identifying each agency action that has resulted in the preparation of a taking impact analysis, the filing of a taking claim, and any award of compensation pursuant to the Just Compensation Clause of the fifth amendment to the Constitution.
(Sec. 9) Creates a rebuttable presumption that unmodified analyses five years or older are outdated for purposes of any agency action or administrative or judicial proceeding.


Professional's Access To Health Workforce Integration Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Bureau of Health Workforce within the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, or the Office of Minority Health (HHS), to award grants to eligible entities to:  provide services to assist unemployed and underemployed skilled immigrants residing in the United States, who have legal, permanent work authorization and who are internationally educated health professionals, in entering into and advancing in the American health workforce with employment matching their health professional skills, education, and expertise;  provide training opportunities to reduce barriers to entry and advancement in the health workforce for skilled, internationally educated immigrants;   educate employers regarding the abilities and capacities of internationally educated health professionals;   assist in the evaluation of foreign credentials; and   facilitate access to contextualized and accelerated courses on English as a second language.  Includes as an eligible entity a clinical, public health, or health services organization, a community-based or nonprofit entity, an academic institution, a faith-based organization, a state, county, or local government, or an Area Health Education Center that submits an application that meets HHS requirements. Defines "health professional" as an individual trained for employment or intended employment in specified fields, including public health, health management, dentistry, health administration, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, social work, psychiatry, and other mental and behavioral health, allied health, and community health or wellness work.


Prohibits any government from imposing a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person residing in or confined to an institution, as defined in the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless the government demonstrates that imposition of the burden on that person: (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to amend or repeal the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (including provisions of law amended by that Act).


Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009 - Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product or agricultural commodity authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1; and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should issue temporary entry visas to Cuban nationals whose itinerary documents an intent to conduct activities, including phytosanitary inspections, relating to the purchase of U.S. agricultural commodities or products.

Amends the Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba.

Prohibits the President from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel.

States that: (1) any regulation restricting or prohibiting such travel shall have no effect; and (2) such prohibition shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer.


Prostate Testing Full Information Act - Requires any physician who has received any Federal payment or assistance under any program under the Public Health Service Act or the Social Security Act, if the physician examines a patient's prostate gland, to provide information on appropriate diagnostic procedures, including the prostate antigen test, if:  (1) the patient is over 50, manifests clinical symptoms, or is at increased risk of prostate cancer; or (2) the provision of the information is, in the opinion of the physician, medically necessary.
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to impose the same requirement as above and to declare that such information may not be prohibited under the terms of:  (1) any agreement between the physician and any group health plan, insurance issuer providing group health coverage, or related party; or (2) any written statement from the plan, issuer, or related party.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that such information may not be prohibited under those terms by an issuer in the individual market.
Authorizes appropriations to carry out provisions relating to National Cancer Institute prostate cancer research.
Requires the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, with regard to prostate cancer, to:  (1) conduct and support research on the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health services and procedures; and (2) in carrying out provisions relating to the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care, provide for the development, review, and updating of clinically relevant guidelines, quality standards, performance measures, and medical review criteria.


Prosthetic and Custom Orthotic Parity Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits as well as benefits for prosthetic devices and components and orthotic devices to offer such prosthetic and orthotic coverage in the same manner as applicable to medical and surgical benefits. Prohibits separate financial requirements or more restrictive treatment limitations.

Limits required benefits for prosthetic devices and custom orthotic devices and related services to the most appropriate model that adequately meets the medical requirements of the patient. Requires benefits to include repairs and replacements as determined appropriate by the treating physician.

Prohibits any annual or lifetime dollar limitation on benefits for prosthetic devices and custom orthotic devices and related services unless such limitation applies in the aggregate to all benefits.


Protect Marriage from the Courts Act of 2015 Prohibits federal courts from having jurisdiction to adjudicate or enforce any claim pertaining to the validity, under the U.S. Constitution, of a state law or a state administrative or judicial decision that: (1) defines marriage as limited to the union of one man and one woman, or (2) refuses state recognition of, or allows the state to refuse recognition of, same-sex marriages performed and licensed in other states. Allows final judgments entered by federal courts before the enactment of this Act to remain binding on the parties to the case, but persons who are not a party to such a case are not obligated to comply with such decisions.


Provide for the Common Defense Act of 2013 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to nullify the presidential sequestration order issued for the revised security category (discretionary appropriations in budget function 050) for FY2014-FY2015 to enforce a specified budget goal. Establishes the discretionary spending limit for the revised security category for each such fiscal year. Amends part B (Supplemental Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to adjustments to the calculation of Medicare parts B and D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) premiums for high income beneficiaries for 2017 and subsequent years. Reduces the monthly amount of the Medicare parts B and D premium subsidies (with a corresponding increase in the monthly premium amount) for individuals whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds the threshold amount by specified applicable percentages for modified adjusted gross incomes in certain ranges starting at $85,000 (40%) and finally exceeding $214,000 (90%). Revises the temporary adjustment to income thresholds used to calculate premiums between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2019, to extend it through December 31 of the first year after 2019 after the year in which at least 25% of individuals enrolled in the Medicare parts B and D are subject to a reduction to the monthly amount of the applicable premium subsidy. Increases by $25 per year the part B deductible for new enrollees after January 1, 2017, and subsequent years. Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to establish caps beginning with FY2014 for: (1) combined crop insurance provider rates of return, and (2) reimbursements for crop insurance provider administrative and operating expenses. Reduces according to a specified formula the crop insurance premium for catastrophic risk protection coverage. Reduces the portion of premium paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (premium subsidies) for the following coverages: (1) additional insurance, (2) enterprise and whole farm units, (3) area revenue plans, and (4) area yield plans. Requires an additional .4% increase per year, beginning in calendar 2014, in the percentage of basic pay that federal employees or Members of Congress must contribute to their pension plans under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Reduces government contributions to CSRS and FERS by the amount of such increased employee contributions.  Eliminates annuity supplements for federal employees hired after 2013.  Revises the definition of “price index,” for purposes of cost-of-living adjustments to federal employee benefits, to mean the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (Chained CPI) instead of the Consumer Price Index. Amends SSA title II (Old Age, Surivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to require the use of the Chained CPI for calculation of Social Security cost-of-living adjustments.


Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize Federal Prison Industries (FPI) to sell excess or obsolescent property on the open market at the best available price, with the proceeds of such sales to be deposited to the Prison Industries Fund.
Requires FPI to determine the character of and necessity for its obligations and expenditures and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed, and paid, subject to laws applicable to Government corporations.  (Current law requires FPI to deposit all of its monies into the Fund.)
Requires commodities and services produced by FPI to be sold at current market prices and to conform to Federal and relevant private industry design, quality, and testing standards.
 Accords services of the workshops for the handicapped priority for Federal purchasing over those offered by FPI if both entities offer competitive services.  Requires Federal agencies to provide to FPI the maximum opportunity to participate as a subcontractor in labor-intensive, light manufacturing segments of awarded contracts.
Authorizes FPI to:    (1) produce or provide for sale on the open market processes, products, and services that would otherwise be produced by foreign labor at offshore locations; and (2) enter into agreements with private industry for such purposes.  Requires FPI to certify that such products, processes, or services:  (1) are labor-intensive and limited to levels that replace goods and services produced by offshore labor; and (2) do not significantly increase competition with any remaining domestic labor or industry.
Authorizes FPI to:  (1) produce and provide recycled materials for sale on the open market; and (2) produce or provide goods and services for sale or donation on the open market to private, nonprofit organizations to assist in disaster relief.
Exempts:  (1) items sold on the open market pursuant to this Act from the prohibition against shipment in commerce of prison-made goods; and (2) inmates who work on the production of products or services from the minimum wage requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
Authorizes FPI funds to be used to enter into contracts related to the purchase of goods for industrial operations without regard to laws governing procurement by Federal agencies.


Provides for issuance of a certificate of naturalization for a child born outside of the United States when the following conditions are met: (1) at least one parent is a U.S. citizen who has been present in the United States for not less than five years, at least two of which were after having attained the age of 14, or who has a citizen parent meeting such requirements; (2) the child is under 18 years old; and (3) the child is residing outside the United States in the legal and physical custody of the citizen parent, is temporarily and lawfully present in the United States, and is maintaining such lawful status. Applies such provision to an adopted child meeting certain definitional requirements who is adopted by a U.S. citizen parent.
Title II: Protections for Certain Aliens Voting Based on Reasonable Belief of Citizenship
 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act respecting unlawful voting or false U.S. citizenship claims by permanent resident aliens under 16 years old having natural or adoptive U.S. citizen parents, to provide exceptions from certain provisions regarding deportability, moral character, inadmissability or related criminal penalties.


Provides for the use of Patrol members and employees (not to be considered Federal employees).


Providing Retaliation Options against Those Engaging in Cyberattacks Targeting the United States Act or PROTECT US Act This bill directs the President to submit to Congress a list of countries designated as state-sponsors of cyberattacks.  A country shall be so designated if the President determines that the United States or a U.S. person has been targeted in a cyber-enabled activity originating from or directed by a person located in a foreign country, and such activity is likely to result in or have contributed to a threat to U.S. national security or foreign policy, or harmed U.S. economic health or financial stability or a U.S. person, or has the purpose or effect of:   harming or compromising the provision of services by a computer or network of computers that support the United States or a U.S. person in a critical infrastructure sector;  compromising the provision of services by the United States or a U.S. person in a critical infrastructure sector;  disrupting the availability of a computer or network of computers owned or operated by the United States or a U.S. person; or causing a misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personally identifiable information, or financial information of the United States or a U.S. person.  The President may impose a trade-related penalty and take other actions, including assistance limitations, trade embargoes, and cyber counter attacks, with respect to a designated country.  A country may be removed from the list of state-sponsors of cyberattacks if: (1) the President determines that it no longer meets the requirements for the designation, or (2) Congress enacts a law providing for such removal.  A country that has been removed from the list by Congress may not be added back to the list by the President until at least one year after removal.


Public Housing Regulatory Relief Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize the waiver (with specified exceptions) of public housing requirements.
Permits a public housing agency (PHA) to retain savings realized through efficient management.
Authorizes the recapture of public housing modernization funds.
Authorizes PHAs to borrow against future modernization funds.
Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to study PHA labor and acquisition requirements.


Public Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of the Army to approve or disapprove a covered permit application for a public safety project within two years after the application is submitted. Requires an application upon which the Secretary fails to act within such time to be considered under an expedited process, unless the governor of the state in which the project is to be located issues a declaration of emergency with respect to the project. Defines "covered permit application" as an application for a permit to discharge dredge or fill material submitted by a state or municipality under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act).Directs the Secretary to establish such an expedited process, under which the Secretary shall: (1) prepare an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement, (2) weigh the public safety aspects of the project as greater than the environmental costs, and (3) complete consultation with other agencies within six months. Provides that the Secretary, in issuing a permit under the expedited process: (1) may not require mitigation costs in an amount that exceeds 20% of the project's total cost, and (2) may relocate from the project any of the members of a threatened or endangered species of plant or animal that the relevant federal agencies determine would be taken in the course of the project.   Authorizes the state or municipality that submitted a covered permit application for a project, if a governor issues a declaration of emergency with respect to the project, to request that: (1) the application be considered under the expedited process; or (2) the Council on Environmental Quality approve the project or create an alternative, which must be done within 90 days or the application shall be deemed approved and the environmental requirements shall be deemed satisfied.


Public Land Management Participation Act of 1997 - Amends the Antiquities Act to require the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to provide an opportunity for public involvement and establish procedures to give the public and Federal, State, and local governments adequate notice and opportunity to comment upon and participate in the formulation of plans relating to the declaration of national monuments upon federally owned or controlled lands.  Requires the Secretaries, prior to making any recommendations for declaration of an area, to:  (1) ensure compliance with all applicable Federal land management and environmental statutes; (2) cause mineral surveys to be conducted by the Geological Survey to determine the mineral values that may be present in such areas; (3) identify all existing rights held on Federal lands contained within such areas; and (4) identify all State lands contained within such areas.
Requires: (1) either Secretary, after such reviews and mineral surveys, to report his or her recommendations as to what federally owned or controlled lands warrant declaration as a national monument to the President; and (2) the President to advise the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the President's recommendations, together with maps of the monuments and definitions of their boundaries.
(Sec. 4) Amends the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980 to provide that if an area is not wholly contained within an existing National Park System unit, the Secretaries shall provide an opportunity for public involvement and establish procedures to give the public and Federal, State, and local governments adequate notice and opportunity to comment upon and participate in the formulation of plans relating to the designation of any federally owned lands for inclusion on the World Heritage List pursuant to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Requires:  (1) either Secretary, after such review, to report his or her recommendations as to what federally owned lands warrant such inclusion to the President; and (2) the President to advise the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of the President's recommendations with respect to the designation of any federally owned lands for such inclusion.  Requires either Secretary to object to the inclusion of any property on the list unless the Secretary:  (1) has submitted to the Speaker and the President of the Senate a report describing the necessity for including that property on the list; and (2) is specifically authorized to assent to such inclusion by a joint resolution of the Congress enacted after the date that report is submitted.  Requires the Secretaries to report annually to specified congressional committees on each World Heritage Site within the United States.
(Sec. 5)  Prohibits:  (1) Federal officials from nominating any lands in the United States for designation as a Biosphere Reserve under the Man and Biosphere Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; and (2) any designation of such a Reserve from having or being given any force or effect unless specifically authorized by an Act of Congress.
Requires the Secretaries to provide an opportunity for public involvement and establish procedures to give the public and Federal, State, and local governments adequate notice and opportunity to comment upon and participate in the formulation of plans relating to such designation.
Requires:  (1)  after such review, either Secretary to report his or her recommendations as to what federally owned lands warrant such inclusion to the President; and (2) the President to advise the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of his recommendations with respect to the designation of any federally owned lands for inclusion as a Biosphere Reserve.  Requires the Secretary of State to report annually to specified congressional committees on each Biosphere Reserve within the United States.
Provides that any recommendation of the President for declaration of land as a national monument, inclusion of land on the World Heritage List, or inclusion of land as a Biosphere Reserve shall become effective only if so provided by an Act of Congress.


Public Library Innovation Space Act This bill requires the National Museum and Library Services Board to carry out a program for making competitive grants to eligible partnerships (composed of a public library and an economic development corporation, a local government, a state government, an elementary or secondary school, a museum, an institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization, a corporation, and/or other entities identified by the Board) to establish makerspaces at public libraries.  A makerspace is a facility (which may be at a fixed location or a mobile unit) that is open to the public and provides individuals with access to: (1) tools, technology, and educational resources designed to enable such individuals to create physical goods, including prototypes; and (2) educational opportunities, including vocational training and assistance with early-stage business ventures.  A partnership must contribute, for the activities for which the grant was awarded, nonfederal matching funds equal to the grant amount.  Each eligible partnership that receives a grant may not use its grant funds, or the matching funds contributed by it, for construction activities at a public library that would provide extra square footage to house a makerspace.


Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Fish Springs Ranch Settlement Act - Ratifies the Fish Springs Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement dated May 20, 2007.

Sets forth provisions governing the waiver and retention of claims by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Indians and the Secretary of the Interior.


Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act - Validates conveyances of certain lands in San Joaquin and Nevada Counties, California, that form part of the right-of-way granted by the United States to the Central Pacific Railway Company.


Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends federal transportation law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish an automated video image analysis pilot program in states with the highest rates of accidents at highway-rail grade crossings to record motorist violations at crossings equipped with automatic warning devices. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a plan to eliminate highway-rail grade crossings, with priority given to crossings where the number of accidents are high or there is insufficient or outdated protective equipment.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) review the safety of all public railway-highway grade crossings in the United States; and (2) compile and submit to Congress, based on such review, a list of the 5,000 railway-highway grade crossings most in need of safety improvements.

Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states to make necessary improvements to crossings identified for elimination and improvement. Requires the Secretary, in awarding such grants, to: (1) give priority to projects to install automated warning systems at crossings in states with the highest number of accidents; and (2) strive to reduce the number of crossings without automated warning systems by not less than 50%.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) analyze all laws for preventing trespassing and vandalism on railroad property; and (2) develop model legislation providing for civil and criminal penalties for individuals who violate grade crossing signs, signals, or gates.

Requires the Secretary to inspect annually at least 2% of all highway-rail grade crossings in the 10 states with the highest rates of collisions at such crossings.

Requires the Secretary to investigate, and report to Congress, all fatal accidents in the United States (including fatal railroad accidents) that occur on or after enactment of this Act.


Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify, for a three year period, certain procedures for the provision of development assistance to foreign countries not cooperating with U.S. counterdrug efforts. Requires the President, for each fiscal year during such period, to identify to the appropriate congressional committees any country the President proposes to subject (with enactment of a joint resolution by Congress) to the withholding of half of any allocated bilateral assistance, and to opposition to any multilateral assistance to such country, because it is not: (1) cooperating with the United States in achieving full compliance with the goals and objectives of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; (2) taking adequate steps on its own to achieve full compliance with the Convention; or (3) taking adequate steps to achieve full compliance with a bilateral agreement with the United States on illicit drug control.Requires the inclusion of the identity of major drug trafficking organizations in the President's annual international narcotics control strategy report.


Rare Earths Supply Technology and Resources Transformation Act of 2010 or RESTART Act - Establishes within the Department of the Interior the Rare Earth Policy Task Force to monitor and assist federal agencies in expediting the review and approval of permits to accelerate the completion of projects that will increase investment in, exploration for, and development of domestic rare earths.

Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and of Energy to assess and report to Congress on: (1) the domestic rare earth supply chain; (2) rare earth elements critical to clean energy technologies and the national security; and (3) whether critical rare earth materials should be stockpiled.

Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) report to industry describing available mechanisms for obtaining government loan guarantees to reestablish a domestic rare earth supply chain; and (2) issue guidance for the rare earth industry on obtaining federal loan guarantees.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on past, current, and future projects to support the domestic rare earth supply chain.

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States faces a shortage of key rare earth materials that form the backbone of both the defense and energy supply chains; (2) the urgent need to reestablish a domestic rare earth supply chain warrants a statutory prioritization of projects to support such reestablishment; (3) there is a pressing need to support innovation, training, and workforce development in the domestic rare earth supply chain; and (4) the Departments of Energy, of the Interior, of Commerce, and of Defense should each provide funds to academic institutions, federal laboratories, and private entities for innovation, training, and workforce development in the domestic rare earth supply chain.


Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 This bill directs the President to:   establish a five-year strategy to achieve, with target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive lives by 2030; and  provide assistance to implement the strategy.  The President shall designate a current U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for:   overseeing such strategy, and  all U.S. government funds appropriated or used for international maternal and child health and nutrition programs.    Strategy grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements shall include targets for increased implementation of high-impact, evidence-based interventions and strengthening health systems.  The President shall report to Congress annually for six years regarding progress made toward achieving the strategy and ending preventable child and maternal deaths.


Rebuilding Equity Act of 2013 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs) to each establish a voluntary program for eligible borrowers under which the GSE shall pay $1,000 toward the closing costs associated with applying for and receiving the refinancing when the borrower agrees to refinance into a fully amoritizing loan with a term not longer than 20 years. Prohibits the amount of the closing costs that each GSE pays under the program during the 12 months following enactment of this Act from varying based on the term of the mortgage that the borrower agrees to refinance into.  Requires the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, for each of the next two 12-month periods, to: (1) adjust the amount of the portion of the closing costs that each GSE will pay in accordance with specified requirements. Makes eligible for the program borrowers: (1) who qualify for the Home Affordable Refinance Program carried out by the GSEs, (2) whose subject property has a loan-to-value ratio of at least 105%, and (3) who refinances from a loan with an original 30-year term to a loan with a term of 20 years or less.


Redefines "basic pay" to include any amounts received as physicians comparability allowances as part of basic pay for Federal employee retirement purposes.
Amends provisions relating to the computation of an annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to prohibit any part of such an allowance from being treated as basic pay unless, before the date of the separation on which entitlement to annuity is based, the separating individual has completed at least 15 years of service as a Government physician. Requires, if such condition is met, that any amounts received by the individual as such an allowance shall be treated as basic pay, but only to the extent that such amounts are attributable to service performed on or after the enactment of this Act, and only to the extent of the percentage allowable as specified by this Act. Requires that 100 percent of all amounts received as such an allowance, to the extent attributable to service performed on or after enactment, be treated as basic pay (without regard to any of the preceding provisions of this paragraph) for purposes of computing: (1) an annuity of a disabled employee or member; and (2) a survivor annuity if based on the service of an individual who dies before separating from service.


Reduce Unnecessary Spending Act of 2010 - Amends the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to transmit, within 45 calendar days after enactment of the funding in question, a message to Congress with specified information requesting any rescission the President proposes under the procedures in this Act.

Prescribes requirements for timing and packaging of rescission requests.

Authorizes OMB, subject to a specified time limit, to withhold funding from obligation temporarily if the President proposes a rescission.

Prohibits the President from invoking such expedited procedures or such authority to withhold funding on more than one occasion for any Act providing funding.

Sets forth procedures for expedited congressional consideration of proposed rescissions.


Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer policies, procedures, and programs (policies) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent the over-classification of homeland security, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and other information within the scope of the information sharing environment established under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that must be disseminated to prevent and collectively respond to acts of terrorism.

Requires the Secretary to coordinate with the Archivist of the United States and consult with representatives of state, local, tribal, and territorial government and law enforcement, organizations with expertise in civil rights, civil liberties, and government oversight, and the private sector to develop such policies.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) create standard classified and unclassified formats for finished DHS intelligence products; (2) require that all such products be simultaneously prepared in the standard unclassified format, provided that such unclassified product would reasonably be expected to be of benefit to a state, local, tribal or territorial government, law enforcement agency or other emergency response provider, or the private sector, based on input provided by the Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group Detail; (3) ensure that such policies protect the national security as well as the information privacy and legal rights of U.S. persons; (4) establish an ongoing auditing mechanism that randomly selects classified information from each DHS component to assess whether applicable classification regulations have been followed, describe any problems with their administration, and recommend improvements in awareness and training to address the problems identified; (5) establish a process whereby employees may challenge original classification decisions and be rewarded for successful challenges resulting in the removal or downgrading of classification markings; (6) inform employees and contractors that failure to comply could subject them to a series of penalties; and (7) institute such penalties.

(Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary to: (1) assess technologies by which an electronic identifying marker can be assigned to each DHS employee and contractor with original classification authority to track which documents have been classified by a particular employee or contractor, determine the circumstances when such documents have been shared, identify and address over-classification problems, and assess the information sharing impact of any such problems or misuse; (2) develop an implementation plan for a DHS standard for such technology; and (3) provide a copy of the implementation plan to the House and Senate homeland security committees.

Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Archivist, to: (1) require annual training for each DHS employee and contractor with classification authority or those responsible for analyzing, producing, or communicating written classified information; and (2) ensure that such program is conducted efficiently in conjunction with any other security, intelligence, or other training programs required by DHS to reduce the costs and administrative burdens associated with the additional training required.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) implement a program to detail DHS personnel to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for one year for purposes of training and educating DHS personnel to better understand classification authorities, bolstering NARA's ability to conduct oversight, and ensuring that the policies and procedures established by the Secretary remain consistent with those established by the Archivist; (2) ensure that the program includes at least one individual for each DHS office with delegated original classification authority; and (3) report to Congress, in coordination with the Archivist, on the advisability of expanding the program on a government-wide basis and on the administrative and monetary costs of full compliance. Terminates the program on December 31, 2012.


Regulatory Capture Prevention Act of 2011 - Establishes the Office of Regulatory Integrity in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to be headed by an Administrator. Requires the Administrator to investigate and report on the influence of concentrated economic interests on federal agencies that results in: (1) agency action or inaction that fails to advance the mission of the agency or is otherwise inimical to the public interest; (2) regulation, licensing, adjudication, grants, or other agency action that favors a limited number of economic interests or is otherwise inimical to the public interest; (3) enforcement priorities that are not reasonably calculated to accomplish regulatory goals; and (4) a loss of confidence in the integrity of the regulatory process.

Grants certain powers to the Administrator to carry out this Act, including access to agency records, subpoena power, direct and prompt access to the head of a relevant agency and access to information and assistance by such agency.

Requires the Administrative Conference of the United States to provide the Administrator with written guidance on the principal means by which concentrated economic interests wield influence on federal agencies, the most salient threats to regulatory integrity arising from such influence, and effective measures to minimize regulatory capture.


Regulatory Integrity Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill directs each executive agency to make publicly available on the agency website or in the rule making docket on Regulations.gov a list of pending agency regulatory actions and for each such action:    the date the agency began to develop or consider the action, its status, an estimate of the date it will be final and in effect, and a brief description of such action; a list of any duplicative or overlapping regulatory actions issued by the same or any other agency;   if a regulatory impact analysis has been conducted, the findings of such analysis, including any data or formula used for purposes of such analysis; and   a list of each public communication about the action issued by the agency, including the date of the communication, its intended audience, the method of communication, and a copy of the original communication.   Each agency shall publish the information required within 24 hours after such communication is issued and maintain the public availability of such information for at least 5 years after the action is finalized. Any public communication issued by an agency that refers to a pending agency regulatory action:   shall specify whether the agency is considering alternatives and accepting comments;   shall expressly disclose that the agency is the source of the information to the intended recipients; and   may not solicit support for or promote the action, be sent through the private email account of an agency officer or employee, or include statements of aggrandizement for the agency, any federal employee, or the action.  An agency that communicated about a pending agency regulatory action during the previous fiscal year shall submit to each congressional committee with jurisdiction over the agency's activities, by January 15 of each year, a report indicating:   the number of pending agency regulatory actions the agency issued public communications about during that fiscal year,  the average number of public communications issued by the agency for each such action, and   the five pending actions with the highest number of public communications issued by the agency in that fiscal year and a copy of each such communication.  The report shall be made publicly available on the agency's website.


Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for 50% of the clinical testing expenses for: (1) infectious disease products that are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening infection, including one caused by an antibacterial or antifungal resistant pathogen or a qualifying pathogen listed by the Department of Health and Human Services as having the potential to pose a serious threat to public health; and (2) in-vitro diagnostic devices that identify in less than four hours the presence, concentration, or characteristics of a serious or life-threatening infection.


Renewable Energy Investment Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2014 the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources; (2) increase and extend through 2014 the authority for issuing new clean renewable energy bonds; (3) extend through 2018 the energy tax credit for investment in solar energy and fuel cell property, small wind energy property, and geothermal heat pump systems; (4) increase the energy tax credit for investment in advanced energy facilities; and (5) extend through 2011 the income and excise tax credits for alcohol fuels, biodiesel, and renewable diesel.

Authorizes appropriations for advanced biofuels research, development, and demonstration that will create fuels that are fungible in existing infrastructure.


Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend, through December 31, 2009, the duty on certain: (1) front panels for cathode-ray television picture tubes; (2) 32V funnels for use with curved screen panels; (3) 32V funnels for use with Pure Flat (PF) panels; (4) certain funnels for cathode-ray television picture tubes; (5) pre-assembled glass envelopes; (6) aperture masks made from aluminum-killed, open-coil annealed steel for color picture tubes; (7) three-beam electron guns for cathode ray tubes; (8) one-beam electron guns for projection cathode-ray tubes; and (9) aperture masks.

Reduces, through such date, the duty on front panels for certain cathode-ray television picture tubes.


Repatriate Our Patriots Act This bill prohibits a special veteran from being removed from the United States. A special veteran: (1) is an alien veteran who was discharged or released from military service under conditions other than dishonorable; (2) includes only an honorably discharged or released individual; and (3) excludes an individual convicted of voluntary manslaughter, murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, or terrorism-related offenses or an individual determined to be a child abuser or a pedophile.  DHS: (1) shall process naturalization applications for special veterans within 90 days; and (2) may permit special veterans to file naturalization applications from abroad and take the oath of allegiance at U.S. embassies, consulates, and military installations. DHS shall: (1) cancel the removal of a special veteran in removal proceedings, and (2) allow a special veteran whose permanent resident status was rescinded to adjust back to such status. The Department of Justice, in the case of a special veteran who was ordered removed, shall rescind any outstanding order of removal and any finding that the individual is subject to removal or is inadmissible. DHS shall create a program to allow a special veteran who was removed to return to the United States as a lawfully admitted permanent resident. A special veteran who has been naturalized or who has obtained lawful permanent resident status pursuant to this bill shall be eligible for all military and veterans benefits for which such individual would have been eligible otherwise.  DHS shall identify and maintain records of immigration cases involving special veterans.


Repeals: (1) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (2) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; and (3) the sugar quota prohibition under the Food Security Act of 1985.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to declare the denial of foreign tax credit inapplicable to Cuba after enactment of this Act.
Permits: (1) installation and maintenance of telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, including telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba; and (2) travel to and from Cuba by United States citizens or residents.
Requires the United States Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba.
Directs the President to negotiate with the Government of Cuba for the purpose of: (1) settling claims of U.S. nationals for the taking of property by such government; and (2) securing the protection of internationally recognized human rights.


Requires each HMO that is licensed by a State to provide health care coverage to make biannual payments to the Guaranty Fund in accordance with an assessment schedule to be established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Permits deferrals or exemptions if an HMO demonstrates that payment of the assessment would endanger its ability to fulfill contractual obligations or place it in an unsound financial condition. Prescribes a civil penalty for failure to pay.


Requires the Secretary of the Air Force to carry out a demonstration program to assess the feasibility and advisability of permitting individuals with auditory impairments (including deafness) access as officers of the Air Force.  Authorizes between 15 and 20 individuals who are deaf or have a range of other auditory impairments, who otherwise meet all essential qualifications for accession as an officer of the Air Force, and who have not previously served as officers to participate in such program. Requires selected participants to undergo the Basic Officer Training course or the Commissioned Officer Training course at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, at the election of the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to designate a special advisor to act as a resource for participants, as well as a liaison between participants and those providing the officer training.


Requires the appraisal of properties under such provisions to use the Canyon Ferry Cabin Site appraisal with a completion date of March 29, 1999, and amended June 11, 1999, with an effective date of valuation of October 15, 1998, for the Bureau. Directs the contract appraisers that conducted the original appraisal having such effective date of valuation to make modifications to permit recalculation of the lot values established in the original appraisal into an updated appraisal, the function of which shall be to provide market values for the sale of each of the 265 Canyon Ferry Cabin Site lots.
Provides for adjustments to the updated appraisal based on changes in property characteristics.
Authorizes periodic updates of the fair market values through appropriate market analyses, subject to the approval of the Canyon Ferry Recreation Association (CFRA) and the Secretary of the Interior.
Grants the Bureau and the 265 Canyon Ferry cabin owners the right to seek reconsideration, before commencement of the updated appraisal, of the assumptions used by the appraisers in arriving at the fair market values derived in the original appraisal.
Requires the original appraisal to remain valid for use by the Bureau in the sale process for a period of at least three years from the date of completion of the updated appraisal to the extent consistent with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition.
Grants nonpurchasing lessees the right to continue leasing through August 31, 2014. Permits such lessees to close under the terms of the sale at any time before such date. Removes all personal property and improvements, on termination of the lease either by expiration or by violation of lease terms, and requires the cabin site to remain in Federal ownership.
Requires the Secretary to close on the property and prepare all other properties for closing within 45 days if no one (including CFRA) bids for a property.
Directs CFRA and the lessees to purchase at least 75 percent of the properties not later than August 1 of the year that begins at least 36 months (currently, 12 months) after title to the first property is conveyed by the Secretary to a lessee.
Requires the Secretary to allocate all funding necessary to conduct the sales process for the sale of property under the Act. Directs the Secretary to begin: (1) preparing for the sales process on enactment of the Act; and (2) conveying the property not later than one year after the Act's enactment.
Requires the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust, acting through the trust manager, to enter into a legally enforceable Recreation Trust Agreement with CFRA. Requires the Agreement to provide that: (1) the Trust shall loan up to $3 million of a property's sale proceeds to CFRA; (2) CFRA shall deposit such borrowed funds in the Canyon Ferry-Broadwater County Trust; (3) CFRA and the individual purchasers shall repay loan principal to the Trust as soon as practicable in accordance with a loan agreement repayment schedule; and (4) CFRA and the purchasers shall make an annual interest payment (at a rate between six and eight percent) on the outstanding loan principal.
Prohibits the trust manager, except as otherwise provided, from disbursing any Trust funds until August 1, 2001, unless Broadwater County, at an earlier date, certifies that the Canyon Ferry-Broadwater County Trust has been fully funded. Bars any closing of property until the Recreation Trust Agreement is entered into.
Prohibits any closing of property until CFRA and Broadwater County enter into a legally enforceable agreement concerning contributions to the Trust. Provides that such agreement shall require that CFRA ensure that $3 million is deposited in the Canyon Ferry- Broadwater County Trust by August 1, 2001. (Current law prohibits any sale of property before such amount is deposited as the initial corpus of such trust.)


Reserve Account for Administrative Savings Act of 1993 - Amends Federal law to require that appropriated salaries and expenses be apportioned.  Requires the establishment of reserve accounts equal to five percent of the actual amount incurred for those salaries and expenses in the immediately preceding fiscal year.
Provides procedures for such funds to be permanently rescinded, released and spent, or used to offset supplemental appropriations.


Respirator Access Assurance Act of 2005 - States that manufacturers or sellers of respirators shall not be subject to claims for defective design or warning, or any claims based on such allegations, if the respirator in question received National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approval and was manufactured in compliance with NIOSH-approved design and labeling in effect on the date of manufacture.

Provides for withdrawal of a previous NIOSH approval of a respirator on grounds of misrepresentation of material information or bribery of a NIOSH officer or employee (thus subjecting the manufacturer or seller to liability for a claim).

Preempts all state and local laws with regard to such claims.

Makes this Act applicable to any civil action in federal or state court for harm allegedly caused by a respirator, respirator manufacturer, or respirator seller.

Applies this Act to any action than has not proceeded to trial as of the date of enactment.


Responsible Deficit Reduction Act of 1995 - Amends House Concurrent Resolution 67, 104th Congress to revise the definition of "discretionary spending limit" so as to reduce and specify new budget authority and outlay levels only for FY 1996 through 2000 (
H. Con. Res. 67
 covered through FY 2002).
(Sec. 3) Modifies the deficit reduction assumptions in the conference report on that resolution.
(Sec. 4) Declares that, notwithstanding any other law governing sales of electric power by the Alaska Power Marketing Administration, the Bonneville Power Marketing Administration, the Southern Power Marketing Administration, the Southeastern Power Marketing Administration, or the Western Area Power Marketing Administration (each referred to as "the Administration"):  (1) offers of power sales by the Administration shall be made on a nonpreferential basis to public bodies and cooperatives and private persons; (2) sales of power by the Administration shall be made to the persons offering the highest price; and (3) the Administration shall not be required to acquire for sale to any public body or cooperative or any other person any amount of power in excess of that generated by the projects from which the Administration sells power.
Amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to:  (1) require annual inflation adjustment of storage fees; and (2) establish deadlines for the payment of principal and interest on storage fees.
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to modify license application competitive bidding requirements.  Removes provisions terminating the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to grant a license or permit under specified provisions.
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to end the authority to provide price support for sugar beets and sugarcane.  Removes provisions relating to security interests obtained by the Commodity Credit Corporation resulting from security agreements by sugar beet and sugarcane processors.  Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to exclude sugar beets and sugarcane from the general power of the Commodity Credit Corporation to support agricultural commodity prices.  Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act to repeal marketing quota provisions relating to information reporting by sugarcane processors, cane sugar refiners, sugar beet processors, manufacturers of crystalline fructose, and producers of sugarcane or sugar beets.  Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from making price support available (in the form of loans, payments, purchases, or other operations) for sugar beets or sugarcane under any law, except for settling outstanding loans under specified provisions.
Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to repeal provisions mandating a commodity export market promotion program and provisions mandating a commodity export enhancement program.


Revises basic educational assistance for veterans' survivors and dependents to: (1) eliminate the present 45 month cap on benefit payments and set an aggregate limit of $80,000; (2) extend from a dependent's 26th to 30th birthday the delimiting age for the use of such assistance; (3) increase the amount of such assistance for survivors and dependents pursuing certain types of education; and (4) authorize the provision of tutorial assistance to such individuals without charge to their educational assistance entitlement.


Revises state agency authority with respect to operation of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities. Replaces the exception from general HOV restrictions for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles with one for alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.

Authorizes a state agency (including a state transportation department) with jurisdiction over the operation of an HOV facility to permit alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to use HOV lane highways. Requires states to establish procedures for enforcing restrictions on such vehicles operating on HOV lane highways.

Requires a state agency which collects tolls on HOV facilities for their use by vehicles not otherwise exempted from HOV restrictions to use excess toll revenues for certain highway projects, giving priority consideration to those for developing alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel and projects for improving highway safety.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation and states should provide additional incentives (including the use of HOV lanes on state Interstate System highways and routes) for the purchase and use of advanced technology and dedicated alternative fuel vehicles.


Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to impose a tax on the manufacture or importation of tires of any type, including solid and pneumatic tires.
Establishes the Waste Tire Recycling, Abatement, and Disposal Trust Fund.  Appropriates to the Fund the taxes received under IRC provisions relating to an assessment on motor vehicle tires and amounts received under specified provisions of the Solid Waste Disposal Act.  Makes Fund amounts available (as provided in appropriations Acts), and authorizes appropriations, for State and Federal waste tire recycling, abatement, and disposal activities and related research.


Rural Aviation Improvement Act - Repeals the Essential Air Service Local Participation Program.

Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from compensating an air carrier for providing essential air service to an eligible community in the 48 contiguous states if such community: (1) is located fewer than 70 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport; or (2) is fewer than 210 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport and requires a per passenger subsidy for such service in excess of $200 for calendar year 2008, including any increase for each ensuing calendar year.

Authorizes a state or local government to submit a proposal to the Secretary to: (1) compensate an air carrier for essential air service to an eligible community above the $200 per passenger subsidy cap; (2) compensate a preferred air carrier for providing such service (i.e., an air carrier preferred by the affected community although it is not the lowest bidder); and (3) restore the eligibility of a community to receive subsidized essential air service.

Requires the Secretary, in determining compensation (or eligibility for it) for essential air service based on highway mileage, to use the highway mileage of the most commonly used route between the eligible community and the nearest medium hub airport or large hub airport.

Establishes within the Office of the Secretary the Office of Rural Aviation.

Extends through FY2011 the Secretary's authority under the essential air service program to make agreements to provide assistance to underserved airports.

Requires adjustment of compensation to air carriers for providing essential air service in order to take into account significant increases in fuel costs.

Directs the Secretary to treat passenger boardings on aircraft operated by charter air carriers at airports receiving essential air service as passenger boardings for purposes of making apportionments of airport improvement grant funds.


Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1997 - Authorizes the establishment of the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement as a private, nonprofit corporation for the purpose of assisting rural law enforcement agencies with management education and training, maintaining a clearinghouse, evaluation, technical assistance, research, computer and forensic education and training, and providing other support.
Authorizes appropriations.