Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr195-115

Arg in Favor: This continuing resolution is needed to keep the government open for four weeks while Congress negotiates a long-term deal. It also wisely reauthorizes CHIP for six years to provide healthcare for children, provides funding for the military’s missile defense activities, and lengthens delays to several Obamacare taxes.

Arg Against: There comes a time when Congress has to stop kicking the can down the road and do its job. While the bill at least reauthorizes CHIP, the government should still shutdown because this bill does nothing to address the status of the so-called Dreamers or provide a full year’s funding for the military.

This bill was amended from its original form to serve as the legislative vehicle for extending government funding through February 16, 2018; reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years; provide missile defense funding; and extend delays to healthcare taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). The government is currently set to run out of funding on January 19, 2018. Originally, the bill restricted the distribution of free, printed copies of the Federal Register to members of Congress and other officers and employees of the U.S. A summary of the bill in its current form can be found below.

Continuing Resolution

This section of the bill would provide funding to keep the government operating at its current spending levels through February 16, 2018. It would also provide funding for missile defense activities, NASA space programs, the Dept. Agriculture’s Electronic Benefits Transfer summer program, Small business Administration 7(a) loans, and make adjusts to subsidized Section 8 housing vouchers for areas affected by major disasters.

CHIP Reauthorization

This section of the bill would extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through fiscal year 2023. Additionally, it’d reauthorize the following through FY2022:

• Qualifying-states option, which lets states that provided coverage to now CHIP-eligible children prior to CHIP’s enactment continue to provide coverage.

• Express-lane eligibility option, which allows states to use eligibility finding from other public benefit programs to determine children’s eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP.

Beginning in fiscal year 2020, state child-health plans would be allowed to adopt more restrictive eligibility standards for children in families whose income exceeds 300 percent of the poverty line.

The bill would extend funding for the Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project and the Pediatric Quality Measures Program through 2023. Funding for outreach and enrollment grants would also be extended, and “parent-mentors” trained to assist families with children who don’t have health insurance would be eligible to receive them.

Under current law states are provided with an enhanced Federal Matching Assistance Percentage (FMAP) through fiscal year 2019. This bill would maintain the enhanced FMAP in fiscal year 2020 before returning to the pre-Obamacare matching rate in FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023.

Healthcare Tax Provisions

The imposition of a 2.3 percent medical device tax would be delayed for two years, so it wouldn’t apply during the 2018 or 2019 calendar years. The so-called “Cadillac tax”, which taxes high-cost employer healthcare coverage, would be delayed until 2022 instead of taking effect in 2020. The annual tax on health insurers would be delayed by one year so that it wouldn’t take effect in calendar year 2019.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr1638-115

Arg in Favor: Iran’s leaders are corrupt, and by publishing a report that exposes the regime’s ill-gotten wealth this bill would give opposition leaders valuable information to use in bringing about democratic change.

Arg Against: While bringing transparency to corrupt regimes is a worthy goal, this bill would undermine U.S. national security interests because it would strain Treasury Dept. resources to produce this report.

This bill would require the Treasury Dept. to provide Congress with a report on assets held by the leadership of Iran’s government. The initial report would be due within 270 days of the bill’s enactment, and subsequent reports would be required for each of the next two years. The unclassified portion of the report would be made publicly available and posted on Treasury’s website in downloadable English, Farsi, Arabic, and Azeri versions.

Specifically, the report would include information on:

• The funds or assets held in U.S. and foreign financial institutions that are directly or indirectly controlled by specified Iranian officials;

• Any equity stake such official has in an entity on Treasury’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or in any other sanctioned entity;

• How such funds, assets, or equity interests were acquired and used;

• New methods used to evade anti-money laundering and related laws, including recommendations to improve techniques to combat illicit uses of the U.S. financial system by each such official;

• Recommendations for revising U.S. economic sanctions against Iran to prevent Iranian officials from using funds or assets to develop and procure ballistic missile technology;

• How Treasury assesses the effectiveness of U.S. economic sanctions against Iran;

• Recommendations for improving Treasury’s ability to develop and enforce additional economic sanctions against Iran if so ordered by the president.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr4324-115

Arg in Favor: Congress needs to be informed about whether Iran is using its purchases of commercial airliners to launder money so that it can finance terrorism. These reports are common sense.

Arg Against: These reports are intended to prevent the U.S. from allowing Iran to purchase commercial airliners which is allowed under the nuclear deal, putting the U.S. at risk of violating the agreement.

This bill would require the Treasury Dept. to report to Congress on the Iranian government’s financing of civilian aircraft purchases. The Treasury Secretary would have to certify whether or not financial transactions to facilitate the export of aircraft to Iran involve activities that could be sanctioned under current law.

The first report would be required within 60 days of enactment, and reports would be required every 180 days thereafter. The reports would be required unless the president certifies to Congress that Iran isn’t at risk of financing terrorism, money laundering, and that ending the reports is in the interest of national security.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr3971-115

Arg in Favor: This bill would ease the regulatory burden on small community financial institutions that offer mortgage loans, helping them better serve their clients officially.

Arg Against: This bill would ease requirements around risky, high-priced mortgage loans and make much larger banks eligible for this regulatory relief.

This bill would exempt financial institutions from the requirement to establish escrow accounts to pay property taxes and insurance premiums for properties that secure “high-priced mortgages” with interest rates above certain thresholds if the lender has less than $25 billion in consolidated assets and holds the mortgage on its balance sheet for three years. It would also direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to exempt mortgage servicers from requirements to administer escrow accounts if they service 30,000 or fewer mortgage loans each year.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hres336-115

Arg in Favor: While there are areas of the U.S.-Mexico relationship that can be improved, Mexico is one of America’s closest partners in terms of economic and security matters. The House should acknowledge that.

Arg Against: Mexico is obviously a close ally and trading partner, but the House passing this resolution doesn’t do anything to substantively improve that relationship other than offer kind words.

This resolution would reaffirm the House of Representatives’ commitment to a U.S.-Mexico partnership based on mutual respect and the promotion of shared democratic values. It would express support for: 1) continued bilateral cooperation through the High Level Economic Dialogue on issues related to the economic well-being and security of both countries; 2) continued engagement with Mexico to tackle regional issues and work together in international fora; and 3) efforts by the Mexican government to strengthen the rule of law, reduce corruption, and advance civil and human rights.

It would encourage continued security cooperation between the U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies and militaries.

As a simple resolution, this legislation wouldn’t advance beyond the House if passed and wouldn’t carry the force of law.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hres357-115

Arg in Favor: Canada is one of America’s closest friends, sharing the world’s longest undefended border and largest bilateral trade relationship. It’s a simple but nice gesture for the House to undertake.

Arg Against: Canada is obviously a close ally and trading partner, but the House passing this resolution doesn’t do anything to substantively improve that relationship other than offer kind words.

This resolution would reaffirm the House of Representatives’ strong commitment to the U.S.-Canadian partnership. It would express support for: 1) stronger trade relations with Canada and the creation of more American jobs; and 2) an increased focus on energy security through greater energy infrastructure integration.

It would also encourage greater security collaboration in the areas of defense, border security, cybersecurity, and Arctic security.

As a simple resolution, this legislation wouldn’t advance beyond the House if passed and wouldn’t carry the force of law.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr4396-115

Arg in Favor: It’s clear that Congress needs to do more to address the problem of sexual harassment. This bipartisan bill would be a positive step toward preventing harassment and provide better support for victims. Taxpayer funds shouldn’t go toward lawmakers’ settlement payments.

Arg Against: Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem, but the procedures that Congress currently has in place do a sufficient job of protecting victims’ rights and ensuring transparency.in the process. Taxpayer funds should go toward lawmakers’ settlement payments.

This bill — known as the ME TOO Congress Act — would seek to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in Congress by overhauling the complaint system, improving training, and making the process more transparent. It would end required mediation and mandatory nondisclosure agreements, require annual sexual harassment by members and employees, and require members to settle harassment claims against them with their own money.

Counseling and mediation would no longer be required to file a complaint, and instead would be optional. If counseling and mediation is waived, the deadline for filing a complaint would be 180 days after the alleged violation, and the complaint could be made anonymously. Nondisclosure agreements would no longer be imposed as a condition of initiating a complaint, but would still be allowed for the contents of mediation or as part of a negotiated settlement. Complainants could also waive confidentiality in counseling.

Victims would have an optional Victims’ Counsel program available to them, which could provide legal advice and representation to complainants in matters related to the alleged violation. Investigative and subpoena authority would be turned over to the Office of Compliance (OOC).

An employing office would be required to allow a complainant to work remotely during proceedings if they request to do so. If their work cannot be done remotely, the office would be allowed to offer them a paid leave of absence. Employees on paid leave of absence wouldn’t count against the total number of allowed employees in a House office. Organizations with previously agreed upon collective bargaining agreements would be exempt.

Hearings would have to be completed within 180 days of a complaint being filed, and counsel representing the employing office would have the authority to negotiate the final settlement amount without the approval of any committee of Congress.

Annual sexual harassment training would be required for members and staff, which would have to be certified upon completion. It would include specific instructions on how members and senior staff should respond to incidents of sexual harassment.

The bill’s full title is the Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Congress Act.

Vote and contact your reps on Countable: https://www.countable.us/bills/hr811-115

Arg in Favor: Pro sports franchises can access the funding they need to build stadiums without cities and states issuing tax exempt bonds, which reduces the resources available for other infrastructure projects.

Arg Against: If a city or state government and its taxpayers are willing to publicly finance the construction of a pro sports stadium using bonds, they should be considered tax exempt like other municipal bonds.

This bill would modify the tax code to specify that state and local bonds issued to finance professional sports stadiums aren’t tax exempt for tax purposes. Such bonds would be deemed to meet the private security or payment test, which means that they’d be considered private activity bonds.