Bills Presented To President Trump For His Signature On January 2
Bills are presented to the President of the United States for his signature all the time. Yet most of the time, the general public doesn’t know what they are, what the effect will be or how to find them the bills themselves.
Below is a list of bills and a brief explanation of those bills that have recently been passed by Congress and that have been presented for President Trump’s signature on January 2, 2019 with links to the Enrolled Bill1 PDF. Each PDF includes addition links for further explanation of the bill.
Bills Presented to President Trump on January 2, 2019
- H.R.7318 — Official Title as Introduced: To amend the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to ensure that the Public Buildings Reform Board has adequate time to carry out the responsibilities of the Board, and for other purposes
This bill amends the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to remove the deadline for appointment of members to the Public Buildings Reform Board and revise the board’s termination date to six years after its members have been selected for appointment pursuant to the Act.
- H.R.7319 — Official Title as Introduced: To amend the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to provide flexibility with respect to the leaseback of certain Federal real property, and for other purposes
To amend the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 to provide flexibility with respect to the leaseback of certain Federal real property, and for other purposes.
- H.R.7279 — Official Title as Introduced: Water Infrastructure Improvement Act
(Sec. 3) This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow municipalities to develop a plan that integrates wastewater and stormwater management.
A permit for a municipal discharge under the national pollutant discharge elimination system that incorporates an integrated plan may integrate all requirements under the Act addressed in the plan, such as requirements relating to combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer collection systems, and total maximum daily loads. A plan that is incorporated into a permit may include the implementation of green infrastructure and projects to reclaim, recycle, or reuse water. Green infrastructure includes measures that mimic natural processes to store, reuse, or reduce stormwater.
Those permits may include a schedule of compliance that allows actions for meeting water quality-based effluent limitations to be implemented over more than one permit term if the compliance schedules are authorized by state water quality standards.
A municipality under an administrative order or settlement agreement may request a modification of the order or settlement based on the municipality’s integrated plan.
The EPA must report on each integrated plan developed and implemented through a permit, order, or judicial consent decree since June 5, 2012, including a description of the control measures, levels of control, estimated costs, and compliance schedules for the requirements implemented through such a plan.
(Sec. 4) The bill establishes an Office of the Municipal Ombudsman in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide: (1) technical assistance to municipalities seeking to comply with the Clean Water Act, and (2) information to the EPA to ensure that agency policies are implemented by all EPA offices.
(Sec. 5) The EPA must promote the use of green infrastructure.
- H.R.6602 — Official Title as Introduced: To reauthorize the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, and for other purposes
To reauthorize the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route, and for other purposes.
- H.R.5636 —Official Title as Introduced: Flatside Wilderness Enhancement Act
To designate additions to the Flatside Wilderness on the Ouachita National Forest, and for other purposes.
- H.R.4689 — Official Title as Introduced: To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska
(Sec. 1) This bill authorizes any landowner within the Northport Irrigation District in Nebraska to repay, at any time, the construction costs of project facilities allocated to the landowner’s land within the district. Upon discharge in full of the obligation for repayment of all such costs, the parcels of land shall not be subject to the ownership and full-cost pricing limitations under federal reclamation law. The Department of the Interior, upon request, must provide to the landowner who has repaid such costs in full a certificate acknowledging that the landholding is free of such limitations.
To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska.
- H.R.4174 — Official Title as Introduced: Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017
This bill requires departments and agencies identified in the Chief Financial Officers Act to submit annually to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress a plan for identifying and addressing policy questions relevant to the programs, policies, and regulations of such departments and agencies.The plan must include: (1) a list of policy-relevant questions for developing evidence to support policymaking, and (2) a list of data for facilitating the use of evidence in policymaking.
The OMB shall consolidate such plans into a unified evidence building plan.
The bill establishes an Interagency Council on Evaluation Policy to assist the OMB in supporting government-wide evaluation activities and policies. The bill defines “evaluation” to mean an assessment using systematic data collection and analysis of one or more programs, policies, and organizations intended to assess their effectiveness and efficiency.
Each department or agency shall designate a Chief Evaluation Officer to coordinate evidence-building activities and an official with statistical expertise to advise on statistical policy, techniques, and procedures.
The OMB shall establish an Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building to advise on expanding access to and use of federal data for evidence building.
Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act or the OPEN Government Data Act
This bill requires open government data assets to be published as machine-readable data.
Each agency shall: (1) develop and maintain a comprehensive data inventory for all data assets created by or collected by the agency, and (2) designate a Chief Data Officer who shall be responsible for lifecycle data management and other specified functions.
The bill establishes in the OMB a Chief Data Officer Council for establishing government-wide best practices for the use, protection, dissemination, and generation of data and for promoting data sharing agreements among agencies.
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2017
This bill codifies provisions relating to confidential information protection and statistical efficiency.
- H.R.672 — Official Title as Introduced: Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2017
(Sec. 3) This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) it is in the U.S. national interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad; (2) there is a need to ensure the security of European Jewish communities, including synagogues, schools, and cemeteries; (3) the United States should continue to emphasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies; and (4) the Department of State should continue to document acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement and encourage adoption by national government institutions and multilateral institutions of a working definition of anti-Semitism similar to the one adopted in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance context.
(Sec. 4) The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 is amended to require the State Department’s Annual Report on International Religious Freedom to include, for each European country in which threats or attacks against Jewish persons, schools, and religious institutions are particularly significant, a description of:
• the security challenges and needs of European Jewish communities and European law enforcement agencies;
• U.S. efforts to partner with European law enforcement agencies and civil society groups to combat anti-Semitic incidents;
• educational programming and public awareness initiatives that impart values of pluralism and tolerance, showcase the positive contributions of Jews, and pay special attention to population segments that exhibit a high degree of anti-Semitic animus; and
• efforts by European governments to adopt and apply a working definition of anti-Semitism.
- S.3661 — Official Title as Introduced: 75th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Act
75th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Act
- S.3456 — Official Title as Introduced: A bill to redesignate Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge as the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes
A bill to redesignate Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge as the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes.
- S.3247 — Official Title as Introduced: Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018
To improve programs and activities relating to women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment that are carried out by the United States Agency for International Development, and for other purposes.
- S.1862 — Official Title as Introduced: Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017
This bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to modify: (1) the criteria for determining whether countries are meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, and (2) actions to be taken against countries that fail to meet such standards.
The U.S. Agency for International Development shall incorporate child protection and anti-trafficking strategies into the development strategy for each country on the special watch list.
The bill sets forth child soldier protection provisions.
The U.S. Executive Director of each multilateral development bank shall initiate discussions to develop anti-human trafficking provisions in project development, procurement, and evaluation policies.
- S.1580 – Official Title as Introduced: Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act
This bill urges the consideration of the educational needs of vulnerable women and girls in designing, implementing, and evaluating U.S. foreign assistance policies and programs.
The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may advance programs that:
• provide safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children;
• build the capacity of institutions in countries hosting displaced people to prevent displaced children from facing educational discrimination; and
• help increase the access of displaced children, especially girls, to educational, economic, and entrepreneurial opportunities.
The State Department and USAID may:
• coordinate with multilateral organizations to work with foreign governments to collect relevant data, disaggregated by age and gender, on the ability of displaced people to access education and participate in economic activity; and
• work with domestic and foreign private sector and civil society organizations to promote safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children.
- S.1158 — Official Title as Introduced: Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018
This bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility.
The President shall instruct the Department of State to establish a Mass Atrocities Task Force to strengthen State Department efforts and assist other agency efforts at atrocity prevention and response.
The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to provide for the training of Foreign Service Officers in conflict and atrocity crimes prevention.
The Director of National Intelligence is encouraged to include in his or her annual testimony to Congress on threats to U.S. national security: (1) a review of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes; and (2) specific countries and regions at immediate risk of atrocity crimes, including most likely pathways to violence, specific risk factors, potential perpetrators, and at-risk target groups.
The bill establishes the Complex Crises Fund to enable the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crises overseas, including potential atrocity crimes. Fund amounts may not be expended for lethal assistance or to respond to natural disasters.
- S.1023 — Official Title as Introduced: Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2018
This bill renames the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 as the Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2017.
Non-tropical forests and coral reef ecosystems are included within the scope of, and made eligible for benefits under, the Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2017.
The Tropical Forest Facility is renamed the Conservation Facility.
One or more individuals appointed by the U.S. government may serve on oversight bodies for grants from a debt-for-nature swap or debt buyback regardless of whether the United States is a party to any agreement between the eligible purchaser and the government of the beneficiary country.
The Tropical Forest Fund is renamed the Conservation Fund.
A grant of more than $250,000 from a fund must be approved by the U.S. government and the government of the beneficiary country.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to revise International Monetary Fund criteria for country eligibility.
- S.512 — Official Title as Introduced: Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act
This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to modify the licensing process for commercial advanced nuclear reactor facilities. In addition, the bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to revise how the NRC preserves budgeted funds for conducting and accelerating license reviews of commercial advanced nuclear reactor facilities.
The NRC must implement a licensing process that is designed to be predictable and efficient while conforming to existing NRC regulatory guidelines. The Department of Energy (DOE) must provide cost sharing grants to license applicants for the purpose of funding a portion of the NRC review fees. The NRC must also develop a new technology-inclusive, regulatory framework by the end of 2024 that encourages greater technological innovation for the advanced nuclear reactor program.
The NRC must publish necessary revisions to the guidance on the baseline examination schedule and any subsequent examinations for baffle-former bolts in pressurized water reactors with down-flow configurations.
The NRC may issue licenses for utilization facilities that are used in conducting research and development activities related to nuclear energy. The NRC must report to Congress on the status of the licensing process for accident tolerant fuel.
The NRC must: (1) report to Congress on the safety and feasibility of extending the duration of uranium recovery licenses from 10 to 20 years, and (2) complete a voluntary pilot program to determine the feasibility of establishing a flat fee structure for routine licensing matters relating to uranium recovery.
DOE must issue a long-term federal excess uranium inventory management plan at least every 10 years that details the management of DOE excess uranium inventories.
Note: 1 – An Enrolled bill is the final copy of the bill.
