Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
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The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 () is a United States
omnibus spending bill An omnibus spending bill is a type of bill in the United States that packages many of the smaller ordinary appropriations bills into one larger single bill that can be passed with only one vote in each house of Congress. There are twelve differen ...
for the
United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
for fiscal year 2018 enacted by the
115th United States Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...
and signed into law by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
on March 23, 2018.


Legislative history

On the evening of March 21, 2018, the text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018Rules Committee Print 115–66: Text of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625 (Showing the text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018)
. ''U.S. House of Representatives''. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
was released. The text was posted to the web site of the
United States House Committee on Rules The Committee on Rules (or more commonly the Rules Committee) is a List of United States House of Representatives committees, committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which Bill (law), bills w ...
at 10:00p.m.Wolfensberger, Don (April 2, 2018).
House majority rules spark minority fights
. ''The Hill''.
H.R. 1625, formerly the TARGET act, was used as a legislative vehicle for the appropriations bill.H.R.1625 – 115th Congress
. ''U.S. Congress''. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
At 10:15p.m., the committee's Chairman Pete Sessions ( R-
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
) said he did not have a printout of the bill to consider. The Committee voted 8–3 to allow one hour of
debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse, discussion, and oral addresses on a particular topic or collection of topics, often with a moderator and an audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for opposing viewpoints. Historica ...
on the full bill and to disallow all points of order against the
motion In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an o ...
to add the more than 2,000 pages to the bill. The rule was filed at 1:20a.m. The one hour of debate began at 9:15a.m. Afterwards, James McGovern ( D-
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
) advocated to amend the bill further in order to be able to add text to adjust the status of unauthorized immigrants who entered the U.S. as children. The House voted 233–186 to disallow adding any text to the bill other than the more than 2,000 pages proposed the night before. Approximately 17 hours after the 2,232-page bill was released, the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
passed the bill 256–167 on March 22.Werner, Erica; DeBonis, Mike (March 22, 2018).
House approves jam-packed $1.3 trillion spending bill
. ''The Washington Post''. . Retrieved March 23, 2018.
That morning, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said, "Is the president going to sign the bill? Yes. Why? Because it funds his priorities." The
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
passed the bill 65–32 after midnight on March 23. The morning of March 23,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
said he might veto the bill because it would not fully fund a planned wall along the
Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
and would not address the individuals who entered the United States as children and are present in the United States without legal status. President Trump signed the bill later in the day.


Provisions


General appropriations

* The bill funds the federal government through September 30, 2018.Johnson, Ted (March 23, 2018).
Arts Funding Gets a Boost in Omnibus Spending Bill
. ''Variety''.
* The bill includes large increases to both defense and non-defense spending, following the budget-cap increases that had been included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 . * The bill bans federal funds going to
ACORN The acorn is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...
, an organization that dissolved in 2010, along with "any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, allied organizations, or successors." * Federal funding cannot be used to move employees from the National Finance Center, which provides payroll and human-resources services to federal agencies.


Arts and humanities

* The bill increases the budget of the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
and the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
by $3 million.


Commerce

* The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...
budget is increased by $234 million, including $20 million for disaster assistance to
fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...
and $65 million for the salmon recovery program along the Pacific coast. * The
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
must act against foods that are labeled as milk, cheese, or yogurt but are not made from a product of a dairy animal.


Congress

* Reports prepared by the
Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a ...
must be made easily available to the public.


Department of Agriculture

* Agricultural businesses are exempted from reporting emissions from manure under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. * The bill prevents the closure of the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, an agricultural experiment station that increases efficiency in sheep production and improve the sustainability of rangeland ecosystems.Dumas, Carol Ryan (March 26, 2018).
Omnibus bill includes manure reporting exemption
. ''Capital Press''.
* The bill delays the implementation of regulations requiring trucks that carry livestock to install electronic devices to monitor time spent driving.Dreiling, Larry (March 31, 2018).

. ''High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal'' (Dodge City, Kansas).
* The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act is extended to September 30, 2018. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act created a registration service fee system for applications for specific pesticide registration, amended registration, and associated actions. * The foreign catfish inspection program received a $5.5 million increase. Equivalence determinations must be completed within 180 days for each country that wants to continue exporting catfish to the United States. Imports of catfish are prohibited until a final rule of equivalence is issued if the deadline is not met.Myers, Debbie Burt (March 28, 2018).
Omnibus appropriations bill delivers for Neshoba General
". ''The Neshoba Democrat'' ( Neshoba County, Mississippi).


Department of Defense

* The bill increased the budget of the
Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...
by $61 billion. Military employees will receive an increase in pay of 2.4 percent.Zanona, Melanie (March 23, 2018).
Winners and losers from the $1.3T omnibus
. ''The Hill''.
* The bill added funding for approximately 17,000 more active duty troops and 10,000 more reserve troops in 2018.Maucione, Scott (March 22, 2018).
DoD gets nearly $655 billion and some flexibility on funding in omnibus bill
. ''Federal News Radio''.
* The bill included $34.4 billion for defense health and family programs, $359 million for cancer research, $125 million for research of
traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity ranging from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion) to severe traumati ...
and
mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
, and $287 million for prevention of
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
and responses to sexual assault. * The Department of Defense is now prohibited from spending more than 25 percent of its budget during the last two months of the fiscal year. Previously, the Department of Defense was limited to 20 percent. * The Department of Defense is now allowed to reallocate to $20 million of its budget without notifying Congress. Previously, the threshold was $15 million. * The
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
' budget was increased by $789 million.Cahlink, George; Koss, Geof; Lunney, Kellie (March 22, 2018).
Omnibus rejects big EPA cuts, hikes Energy and Interior funds
. ''E&E News''. Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC.


Department of Energy

* The
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ARPA-E, or Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy is an agency within the United States Department of Energy tasked with funding the research and development of advanced energy technologies. The goal of the agency is to improve U.S. economic ...
received an increase of $47 million. The Trump Administration had wanted to eliminate it. * The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy received an increase of $200 million. The Trump Administration had proposed to eliminate it. * The Office of Science received an increase of $863 million.


Department of Health and Human Services

* The Child Care Development Block Grant, which provide child-care services for low-income family members who work, receive employment training, attend school, or whose children receive or need to receive protective services, was increased by $2.3 billion."Hellmann, Jessie (March 21, 2018).
Spending bill would double child care funding for low-income families
. ''The Hill''.
* Head Start, which provides comprehensive early-childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent-involvement services to low-income children and their families, received an increase of $610 million.


Department of the Interior

* The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
received an increase of $138 million, intended to help its maintenance backlog. * The
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
's budget was increased by $79 million. Of that increase, $50 million is for improving the maintenance backlog on federal lands. * The
Land and Water Conservation Fund The United States' Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal program that was established by Act of Congress in 1965 to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, an ...
's budget was increased by $25 million. * The
Fish and Wildlife Service A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fins and a hard skull, but lacking limbs with digits. Fish can be grouped into the more basal jawless fish and the more common jawed fis ...
received an increase of $75 million. Of that increase, $53 million is for addressing its maintenance backlog at federal wildlife refuges and federal fish hatcheries.


Department of the Treasury

* The
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
was allocated $196 million to improve customer service, modernize its systems, and implement the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs ...
.Erb, Kelly Phillips (March 24, 2018).
What's Included (And What's Not) In The $1.3 Trillion Omnibus Bill
. ''Forbes''.
* The Internal Revenue Service is prohibited from spending federal funds "to target citizens of the United States for exercising any right guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States" or "to target groups for regulatory scrutiny based on their ideological beliefs." * The Internal Revenue Service may not spend federal funds "to issue, revise, or finalize any regulation, revenue ruling, or other guidance not limited to a particular taxpayer relating to the standard which is used to determine whether an organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare for purposes of section
501(c)(4) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)). Such organizations are exempt from some Taxation in the Un ...
."


Domestic aid

* The bill authorizes $74 billion for the adult
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income persons to help them maintai ...
. * The bill adds $15 million of funding for the Denali Commission, which helps remote villages in Alaska affected by erosion and the impact of climate change. The Trump Administration had previously recommended eliminating the Denali Commission.Martinson, Erin (March 23, 2018).
The big federal spending bill: What's in it for Alaska (and what isn't)
. ''Anchorage Daily News''.
* The
National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a program created by the Congress of the United States in 1968 through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-448). The NFIP has two purposes: to share the risk of flood losses through fl ...
was extended through July 31, 2018.Broach, Drew (March 28, 2018).
What New Orleans gets in the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill
. ''The Times-Picayune'' (New Orleans, Louisiana).


Education

* The
United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...
will forgive $350-million worth of student debts of borrowers under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. * The bill increased the maximum award for Pell Grants by $175.White, Herbert L. (March 23, 2018).
Omnibus adds spending for historically black colleges: Budget includes infrastructure and financial aid
. ''The Charlotte Post''.
* The bill adds $60 million to TRIO, eight programs that help low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to attend middle school, high school, college, and graduate school. * The bill adds $10 million to GEAR UP, a program that helps middle schools and high schools in areas with high rates of poverty and provides college scholarships to students with low incomes. * The bill gives $5 million of funding for the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
's HBCU Historic Preservation Program. * The bill added $10 million of funding for the HBCU Capital Financing Program, which finances improvements to the infrastructure of
historically black colleges and universities Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...
and improves their infrastructure.


Elections

* States are given $380 million to improve their voting systems.


Employment

* The bill adds $2.7 million of funding for the
Department of Labor A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...
to fund clinics to treat
coalworker's pneumoconiosis Black lung disease (BLD), also known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis, or simply black lung, is an occupational disease, occupational type of pneumoconiosis caused by long-term inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs and the consequent ...
and counseling services for coal miners with disabilities.Patterson, Brittany (March 23, 2018).
4 Ways the Omnibus Spending Bill Affects Coal Country
. ''West Virginia Public Broadcasting''.
*
Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...
's budget is increased by $3 million, a third of which funds job retraining in counties hurt most by the decline of the coal industry. The Trump Administration previously proposed eliminating the Appalachian Regional Commission. * The bill exempts
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
teams from paying
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
to minor-league players under contract.Highlights from the omnibus spending bill
". ''Raycom News Network''. Tucson News Now. March 24, 2018.
* Employers are prohibited from keeping tips received by their employees.


Environment

* The bill gives $300 million for cleaning of the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
, particularly to prevent invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes by building new barriers and improving existing barriers. * The White Clouds Wilderness in Idaho is named after former
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Cecil D. Andrus, who died in 2017.Barker, Rocky (March 23, 2018).
Andrus spent his life protecting this iconic Idaho wilderness; now it will carry his name
. ''Idaho Statesman''.


Foreign aid

* The
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
is ineligible from receiving federal funds unless the Palestinian Authority stops providing stipends to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for attacking Israel or people in Israel. * According to Jamphel Shonu of the Tibetan Government in Exile, "The massive bill includes $8 million for Tibetans inside Tibet and $6 million for Tibetan community in India and Nepal. The Congress also approved an additional and a new line of funding of $3 million to strengthen the capacity of Tibetan institutions and governance in exile."


Homeland security

* The bill includes $1.6 billion for
Mexico–United States border wall The Mexico–United States border wall is a series of disjoined physical barriers built along portions of the Mexico–United States border. The barriers were constructed in a piecemeal manner over the course of several President of the United ...
, less than the $25 billion sought by the Trump administration. The funding is largely restricted to upgrading existing fencing and planning and design.Debonis, Mike; O'Keefe, Ed; Werner, Erica. (March 23, 2018).
Here's what Congress is stuffing into its $1.3 trillion spending bill
. ''The Washington Post'' Retrieved March 23, 2018. .


Housing

* The bill increased the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit by 12.5 percent in order to offset the reduction in its value from the reduction of corporate tax rates by ("
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs ...
").Khouri, Andrew (March 23, 2018).
Boost to affordable housing is part of new $1.3-trillion federal budget
". ''The Los Angeles Times''. Post-Bulletin (Rochester, Minnesota).


Infrastructure

*
Broadband internet In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide- bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Internet access. The transmission m ...
will be extended to certain counties in central
Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
by way of $10 million of funding.


Law enforcement

* The bill includes the CLOUD Act which amends the Stored Communications Act of 1986 to allow United States authorities to use warrants and subpoenas to require United States-based service providers to provide requested data stored on computer servers regardless of whether the servers are located within the United States or elsewhere. The bill also instructs the
executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...
of the federal government to end mutual legal-assistance treaties with foreign governments.Krazit, Tom (March 23, 2018).
President Trump signs omnibus spending bill, putting the CLOUD Act on the books in big shift for cloud data
. ''Geek Wire''.


Science and medical research

* The bill provided the largest increase in research funding in a decade, contrary to the significant cuts requested by the Trump administration. The budget of the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
was increased by $3 billion. * The bill includes funding for the National Institutes of Health's research into
opioid Opioids are a class of Drug, drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morphine-like effects, ...
s, the
Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
's programs for overdose prevention and monitoring, improving access to treatment for people in rural areas who are addicted to opioids, and the development of a protocol to notify medical facilities about patients' previous opioid use.


Taxes

* A provision mistakenly included in ("
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs ...
") that would favor farmer-owned cooperatives over agricultural businesses was removed.


Transportation

* Funding was included for the Gateway Program, a rail infrastructure program in the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
that had been a matter of dispute, but the funding was included as part of existing programs rather than as an explicit item. * The
Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
was forced to restore its interim approval of Clearview as an alternative to its 70-year-old custom typeface for guide signs on highways. The FHWA had rescinded its approval of Clearview in 2016.


Veterans

* Military personnel with an other-than-honorable discharge are required to have a mental health screening before departure.Shane III, Leo (March 22, 2018).
Budget omnibus includes new mental health care for other-than-honorable vets
. ''Military Times''.
* The
United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...
will offer mental health support to all veterans with at least 100 days of service in active duty, experienced
sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
while serving, experienced trauma while serving, or operated an
unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
. * The United States Department of Veterans Affairs will allow veterans with other-than-honorable discharges to access its emergency rooms for urgent mental health care. * Veterans with other-than-honorable discharges may appeal for discharge upgrades. * Veterans are eligible to receive care at private-sector medical offices if deemed appropriate by a medical provider. * The United States Department of Veterans Affairs must provide information on eligibility for benefits to affected veterans within six months of the bill's passage. Veterans must be able to call a phone number for more information. Usage of care must be tracked and reported to Congress.


Visas and immigration

* The bill authorizes an additional 60,000 H-2B visas to be issued each year. H-2B visas allow
foreign worker Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest worke ...
s to work in the United States on a one-time, seasonal, peakload, or intermittent basis. * The bill extends the
EB-5 The United States EB-5 visa, ''employment-based fifth preference category'' or ''EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program'' was created in 1990 by the Immigration Act of 1990. It provides a method for eligible immigrant investors to become lawfu ...
program, which allows a foreign individual to immigrate and receive a
green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
if the person invests at least $1 million in a business in the United States that will employ at least 10 people.Maples, Robert Y. (March 23, 2018).
Omnibus Appropriation Legislation with EB-5 Extension Becomes Law
. '' Greenberg Traurig, LLP''. The National Law Review. March 23, 2018.
* The EB-4 program is extended, which allows certain religious workers to immigrate and live permanently in the United States. * The bill extends the Conrad 30 Waiver Program, which allows certain foreign physicians in
family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is ...
,
obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...
,
pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...
,
internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...
, or
psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...
to remain in the United States to work in an area with a shortage of physicians, rather than be required to leave the country at the end of their medical residency training. * The E-Verify program is extended for three years. E-Verify is a website by the
Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...
that allows businesses to verify the employment eligibility of their employees.


Weapons

* The bill strengthens requirements for reporting information to the
National Instant Criminal Background Check System The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a background check system in the United States created by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 to prevent firearm sales to people prohibited under the Act. The system ...
.McPherson, Lindsey (March 23, 2018).
How House Members Voted on the Omnibus Versus the Budget Deal: More Democrats, including Pelosi, switch to 'yes' on omnibus from 'no' on budget deal
. ''Roll Call''.
* Legislation was included to allow the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...
to spend funds on gun-violence research, which was previously considered to be banned by the 1996 Dickey Amendment. * The bill funds over $2 billion of grants to be awarded by the
Bureau of Justice Statistics The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of c ...
and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to train school employees and law-enforcement officers to identify signs of potential violence.Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (March 23, 2018).
What's in Congress' spending bill? 5 things to know about the omnibus package
. ''Fox News''.


Proposed provisions not included in the final bill

* An extension of the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a Immigration policy of the United States, United States immigration policy that allows some individuals who, on June 15, 2012, were physically present in the United States with no lawful immigra ...
program was not included. * The bill did not prohibit federal funding for
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization
's programs. * The bill did not reinstate the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...
's cost sharing reductions subsidy, which would have reduced health insurance premiums by 40 percent. The bill also did not deregulate the health insurance industry. * The bill did not fund the hiring of hundreds of new Border Patrol agents and immigration-enforcement agents. * The bill did not increase the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21.Frieg, Gregory (March 22, 2018).
What's not in the omnibus is what matters most
. ''CNN''.
* The bill did not ban the sale of
bump stock Bump stocks or bump fire stocks are gun stocks that can be used to assist in bump firing, the act of using the recoil of a semi-automatic firearm to fire cartridges in rapid succession. The legality of bump stocks in the United States came u ...
s. * The bill did not require a three-day waiting period before a person can purchase a firearm. * The bill did not have penalties to cities that do not enforce federal immigration laws. * The bill did not allow an individual with a permit to carry a concealed weapon to transport their guns across state lines. * The bill did not eliminate federal funding for the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB; stylized as cpb) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to ...
. * The bill did not allow
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s to endorse or oppose candidates for elective federal, state, or local public office. * There were no provisions to make it more difficult for the president to terminate Special Counsel
Robert Mueller Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013. A graduate of Princeton University and New York University, Mueller served a ...
or the Special Counsel investigation. * The
Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exis ...
of the
Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...
continues to have funding, despite the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate it altogether. The Economic Development Administration gives money to rural communities to create jobs, retain existing jobs, and help businesses grow. *
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's Independent Verification and Validation Facility funding was restored, despite the Trump administration's attempts to eliminate it. The Independent Verification and Validation Facility increases cost-effectiveness and safety for NASA's mission-critical software. * The bill did not allow
logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksTongass National Forest. * The bill did not prohibit
mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
in the
National Forest System In the United States, national forest is a classification of protected and managed federal lands that are largely forest and woodland areas. They are owned collectively by the American people through the federal government and managed by the ...
's land in the Emigrant Crevice area of the Custer Gallatin National Forest, north of
Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
.Kidston, Martin (March 23, 2018).
Sen. Schumer weighs in on Yellowstone protection amid Montana delegation's disagreement
. ''Missoula Current''.
* The Clean Water Rule was not repealed. * The bill does not budget any funding to develop and build a nuclear waste depository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.


References

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External links


Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
as amended
PDFdetails
in the GPObr>Statute Compilations collection

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
as enacted
PDFdetails
in the US Statutes at Large United States federal appropriations legislation First presidency of Donald Trump