In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

[Q]: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine 
Support Act of 2017'' or the ``VETS Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. LICENSURE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVIDING TREATMENT VIA TELEMEDICINE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1730A the following new section:
``Sec. 1730B. Licensure of health care professionals providing 
              treatment via telemedicine
    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any provision of law regarding 
the licensure of health care professionals, a covered health care 
professional may practice the health care profession of the health care 
professional at any location in any State, regardless of where the 
covered health care professional or the patient is located, if the 
covered health care professional is using telemedicine to provide 
treatment to an individual under this chapter.
    ``(b) Property of Federal Government.--Subsection (a) shall apply 
to a covered health care professional providing treatment to a patient 
regardless of whether the covered health care professional or patient 
is located in a facility owned by the Federal Government during such 
treatment.
    ``(c) Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed to 
remove, limit, or otherwise affect any obligation of a covered health 
care professional under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et 
seq.).
    ``(d) Covered Health Care Professional Defined.--In this section, 
the term `covered health care professional' means a health care 
professional who--
            ``(1) is an employee of the Department appointed under the 
        authority under sections 7306, 7401, 7405, 7406, or 7408 of 
        this title, or title 5;
            ``(2) is authorized by the Secretary to provide health care 
        under this chapter;
            ``(3) is required to adhere to all quality standards 
        relating to the provision of telemedicine in accordance with 
        applicable policies of the Department; and
            ``(4) has an active, current, full, and unrestricted 
        license, registration, or certification in a State to practice 
        the health care profession of the health care professional.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 17 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1730A the following new item:

``1730B. Licensure of health care professionals providing treatment via 
                            telemedicine.''.
    (c) Report on Telemedicine.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives a report on the effectiveness of the use of 
        telemedicine by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include an assessment of the following:
                    (A) The satisfaction of veterans with telemedicine 
                furnished by the Department.
                    (B) The satisfaction of health care providers in 
                providing telemedicine furnished by the Department.
                    (C) The effect of telemedicine furnished by the 
                Department on the following:
                            (i) The ability of veterans to access 
                        health care, whether from the Department or 
                        from non-Department health care providers.
                            (ii) The frequency of use by veterans of 
                        telemedicine.
                            (iii) The productivity of health care 
                        providers.
                            (iv) Wait times for an appointment for the 
                        receipt of health care from the Department.
                            (v) The reduction, if any, in the use by 
                        veterans of in-person services at Department 
                        facilities and non-Department facilities.
                    (D) The types of appointments for the receipt of 
                telemedicine furnished by the Department that were 
                provided during the 1-year period preceding the 
                submittal of the report.
                    (E) The number of appointments for the receipt of 
                telemedicine furnished by the Department that were 
                requested during such period, disaggregated by Veterans 
                Integrated Service Network.
                    (F) Savings by the Department, if any, including 
                travel costs, of furnishing health care 


              

                through the use of telemedicine during such period.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 7, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.
[A]: .  Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support Act of 2017 or the VETS Act of 2017  (Sec. 2) This bill allows a licensed health care professional of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to practice his or her profession using telemedicine at any location in any state regardless of where the professional or patient is located if the covered health care professional is using telemedicine to provide VA medical or health services.   Such authority shall apply to a covered health care professional regardless of whether the covered health care professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility.   The bill defines &quot;covered health care professional&quot; as a health care professional who: (1) is a VA employee appointed under specified VA authorities or under the civil service; (2) is authorized by the VA to provide health care; (3) is required to adhere to all telemedicine quality standards; and (4) has an active, current, full, and unrestricted state license, registration, or certification for such health care profession. The VA shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of the VA's use of telemedicine.


[Q]: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Union Member Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Labor unions make significant political contributions 
        and expenditures that directly or indirectly influence the 
        election of candidates and support or oppose political causes. 
        Decisions to use union dues for political contributions and 
        expenditures are usually made by union leadership and 
        management, rather than union membership.
            (2) Unions, acting through their management, should be 
        obligated to conduct business in the best interests of their 
        membership.
            (3) Historically, union members have not had a way to know, 
        or to influence, the political activities of unions that are 
        supposed to represent them. Union members and the public have a 
        right to know how unions are spending members' dues to make 
        political contributions or expenditures benefitting candidates, 
        political parties, and political causes.
            (4) Unions should be accountable to their membership in 
        making political contributions or expenditures affecting 
        Federal governance and public policy. Requiring the express 
        approval of a union's membership for political contributions or 
        expenditures will establish necessary accountability.

SEC. 3. DISCLOSURE AND APPROVAL OF CERTAIN POLITICAL EXPENDITURES.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Labor-Management Reporting and 
Disclosure Act (29 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 201 the following:

``SEC. 201A. DISCLOSURE AND APPROVAL OF CERTAIN POLITICAL EXPENDITURES 
              BY LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

    ``(a) Disclosure.--The report required under section 201 shall 
contain, in a clear and simple format--
            ``(1) a description of the specific nature of any 
        expenditures for political activities proposed to be made by 
        the labor organization for the forthcoming fiscal year, to the 
        extent the specific nature is known to the labor organization 
        and including the total amount of such proposed expenditures; 
        and
            ``(2) a disclosure of how each officer of the labor 
        organization voted to authorize or not to authorize each 
        expenditure for political activities made by the labor 
        organization during the preceding fiscal year.
    ``(b) Restriction on Expenditures.--No labor organization shall 
make any expenditure for political activities in any fiscal year 
unless--
            ``(1) such expenditure is of the nature of those proposed 
        by the labor organization pursuant to subsection (a); and
            ``(2) the full, free, and written authorization for such 
        expenditures has been granted by a majority of the members of 
        the labor organization.
    ``(c) Mechanism for Obtaining Authorization.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of the Union Member Protection Act, every 
labor organization shall adopt a mechanism for obtaining, by secret 
ballot, the authorization of its members as required under subsection 
(b)(2).
    ``(d) Liability.--The officers of a labor organization who 
authorize an expenditure without first obtaining the authorization of 
members required under subsection (b)(2) shall be jointly and severally 
liable in any action brought in any court of competent jurisdiction to 
any member of the labor organization or class of members for the amount 
of dues paid by such member or class of member during the 1 year period 
prior to the date that such expenditure was made.
    ``(e) Definition of Expenditure for Political Activities.--As used 
in this section:
            ``(1) The term `expenditure for political activities' 
        means--
                    ``(A) an independent expenditure, as such term is 
                defined in section 301(17) of the Federal Election 
                Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(17));
                    ``(B) contributions to any political party, 
                committee, or electioneering communication, as such 
                term is defined in section 304(f)(3)(A) of the Federal 
                Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(f)(3)(A)); 
                and
                    ``(C) dues or other payments to trade associations 
                or other tax exempt organizations that are, or could 
                reasonably be anticipated to be, used for the purposes 
                described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(2) Such term shall not include--
                    ``(A) direct lobbying efforts through registered 
                lobbyists employed or hired by the labor organization;
                    ``(B) communications by a labor organization to its 
                members and executive or administrative personnel and 
                their families; or
                    ``(C) the establishment, administration, and 
                solicitation of contributions to a separate segregated 
                fund to be utilized for political purposes by a labor 
                organization.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 201(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 431(c)) is 
        amended by striking ``make available the information required 
        to be contained in'' and inserting ``provide''.
            (2) Section 209(a) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 439(a)) is 
        amended by inserting ``other than section 201A'' after ``this 
        title''.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF VOTE BY PRINCIPAL OFFICERS.

    Section 201 of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act 
(29 U.S.C. 431) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) The bylaws required under this section shall expressly 
provide for a vote of the principal officers of the labor organization 
on any individual expenditure for political activities (as such term is 
defined in section 201A(e)) in excess of $50,000. A labor organization 
shall make publicly available the individual votes of principal 
officers required by the preceding sentence within 48 hours of the 
vote, including in a clear and conspicuous location on the Internet 
website of the labor organization.''.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    The Comptroller General of the United States shall annually conduct 
a study on the compliance with the requirements of this Act by labor 
organizations and their management. Not later than April 1 of each 
year, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report of such 
study.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date of 
enactment of the Shareholder Protection Act of 2010.
[A]: Union Member Protection Act - Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) to require a labor organization's mandatory report to the Secretary of Labor on its constitution, officers, and basic organization to include, in a clear and simple format, both: (1) a description of the specific nature and total amount of political expenditures the labor organization proposes to make for the upcoming fiscal year; and (2) a disclosure of how each labor organization officer voted on each political expenditure made by the organization during the preceding fiscal year.

Prohibits a labor organization from making political expenditures unless: (1) they are of the nature of those proposed in such report; and (2) they have received a full, free, and written authorization by secret ballot by a majority of the labor organization members.

Makes officers jointly and severally liable for authorizing a political expenditure without first obtaining the authorization of labor organization members.

Requires labor organization bylaws to provide expressly for a vote of the organization's principal officers on individual political expenditures in excess of $50,000. Requires a labor organization to make public the individual votes of such officers within 48 hours, including in a clear and conspicuous location on its website.


[Q]: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Training and Knowledge Ensure 
Children a Risk-Free Environment (TAKE CARE) Act ''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Under both Federal and State law, the courts play a 
        crucial and essential role in the Nation's child welfare system 
        and in ensuring safety, stability, and permanence for abused 
        and neglected children under the supervision of that system.
            (2) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 
        105-89; 111 Stat. 2115) establishes explicitly for the first 
        time in Federal law that a child's health and safety must be 
        the paramount consideration when any decision is made regarding 
        a child in the Nation's child welfare system.
            (3) The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 promotes 
        stability and permanence for abused and neglected children by 
        requiring timely decision-making in proceedings to determine 
        whether children can safely return to their families or whether 
        they should be moved into safe and stable adoptive homes or 
        other permanent family arrangements outside the foster care 
        system.
            (4) To avoid unnecessary and lengthy stays in the foster 
        care system, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 
        specifically requires, among other things, that States move to 
        terminate the parental rights of the parents of those children 
        who have been in foster care for 15 of the last 22 months.
            (5) While essential to protect children and to carry out 
        the general purposes of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 
        1997, the accelerated timelines for the termination of parental 
        rights and the other requirements imposed under that Act 
        increase the pressure on the Nation's already overburdened 
        abuse and neglect courts.
            (6) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
        Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be substantially 
        improved by the acquisition and implementation of computerized 
        case-tracking systems to identify and eliminate existing 
        backlogs, to move abuse and neglect caseloads forward in a 
        timely manner, and to move children into safe and stable 
        families. Such systems could also be used to evaluate the 
        effectiveness of such courts in meeting the purposes of the 
        amendments made by, and provisions of, the Adoption and Safe 
        Families Act of 1997.
            (7) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
        Nation's abuse and neglect courts would also be improved by the 
        identification and implementation of projects designed to 
        eliminate the backlog of abuse and neglect cases, including the 
        temporary hiring of additional judges, extension of court 
        hours, and other projects designed to reduce existing 
        caseloads.
            (8) The administrative efficiency and effectiveness of the 
        Nation's abuse and neglect courts would be further strengthened 
        by improving the quality and availability of training for 
        judges, court personnel, agency attorneys, guardians ad litem, 
        volunteers who participate in court-appointed special advocate 
        (CASA) programs, and attorneys who represent the children and 
        the parents of children in abuse and neglect proceedings.
            (9) While recognizing that abuse and neglect courts in this 
        country are already committed to the quality administration of 
        justice, the performance of such courts would be even further 
        enhanced by the development of models and educational 
        opportunities that reinforce court projects that have already 
        been developed, including models for case-flow procedures, case 
        management, representation of children, automated interagency 
        interfaces, and ``best practices'' standards.
            (10) Judges, magistrates, commissioners, and other judicial 
        officers play a central and vital role in ensuring that 
        proceedings in our Nation's abuse and neglect courts are run 
        efficiently and effectively. The performance of those 
        individuals in such courts can only be further enhanced by 
        training, seminars, and an ongoing opportunity to exchange 
        ideas with their peers.
            (11) Volunteers who participate in court-appointed special 
        advocate (CASA) programs play a vital role as the eyes and ears 
        of abuse and neglect courts in proceedings conducted by, or 
        under the supervision of, such courts and also bring increased 
        public scrutiny of the abuse and neglect court system. The 
        Nation's abuse and neglect courts would benefit from an 
        expansion of this program to currently underserved communities.
            (12) Improved computerized case-tracking systems, 
        comprehensive training, and development of, and education on, 
        model abuse and neglect court systems, particularly with 
        respect to underserved areas, would significantly further the 
        purposes of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 by 
        reducing the average length of an abused and neglected child's 
        stay in foster care, improving the quality of decision-making 
        and court services provided to children and families, and 
        increasing the number of adoptions.

SEC. 3. TRAINING IN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT PROCEEDINGS.

    (a) Payment for Training.--
            (1) In general.--Section 474(a)(3) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)(3)) is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C), (D), and 
                (E) as subparagraphs (D), (E), and (F), respectively; 
                and
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B), the 
                following:
                    ``(C) 75 percent of so much of such expenditures as 
                are for the training (including cross-training with 
                personnel employed by, or under contract with, the 
                State or local agency administering the plan in the 
                political subdivision, training on topics relevant to 
                the legal representation of clients in proceedings 
                conducted by or under the supervision of an abuse and 
                neglect court (as defined in section 475(8)), and 
                training on related topics such as child development 
                and the importance of developing a trusting 
                relationship with a child) of judges, judicial 
                personnel, law enforcement personnel, agency attorneys 
                (as defined in section 475(9)), attorneys representing 
                parents in proceedings conducted by, or under the 
                supervision of, an abuse and neglect court (as defined 
                in section 475(8)), attorneys representing children in 
                such proceedings (as defined in section 475(10)), 
                guardians ad litem, and volunteers who participate in 
                court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs, to 
                the extent such training is related to provisions of, 
                and amendments made by, the Adoption and Safe Families 
                Act of 1997, provided that any such training that is 
                offered to judges or other judicial personnel shall be 
                offered by, or under contract with, the State or local 
                agency in collaboration with the judicial conference or 
                other appropriate judicial governing body operating in 
                the State,''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) Section 473(a)(6)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                673(a)(6)(B)) is amended by striking ``474(a)(3)(E)'' 
                and inserting ``474(a)(3)(F)''.
                    (B) Section 474(a)(3)(E) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                674(a)(3)(E)) (as redesignated by subsection (a)(1)) is 
                amended by striking ``subparagraph (C)'' and inserting 
                ``subparagraph (D)''.
                    (C) Section 474(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(c)) 
                is amended by striking ``subsection (a)(3)(C)'' and 
                inserting ``subsection (a)(3)(D)''.
    (b) Definition of Certain Terms.--Section 475 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 675) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs:
            ``(8) The term `abuse and neglect courts' means the State 
        and local courts that carry out State or local laws requiring 
        proceedings (conducted by or under the supervision of the 
        courts)--
                    ``(A) that implement part B and this part 
                (including preliminary disposition of such 
                proceedings);
                    ``(B) that determine whether a child was abused or 
                neglected;
                    ``(C) that determine the advisability or 
                appropriateness of placement in a family foster home, 
                group home, or a special residential care facility; or
                    ``(D) that determine any other legal disposition of 
                a child in the abuse and neglect court system.
            ``(9) The term `agency attorney' means an attorney or other 
        individual, including any government attorney, district 
        attorney, attorney general, State attorney, county attorney, 
        city solicitor or attorney, corporation counsel, or privately 
        retained special prosecutor, who represents the State or local 
        agency administrating the programs under part B and this part 
        in a proceeding conducted by, or under the supervision of, an 
        abuse and neglect court, including a proceeding for termination 
        of parental rights.
            ``(10) The term `attorneys representing children' means any 
        attorney or a guardian ad litem who represents a child in a 
        proceeding conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse 
        and neglect court.''.

SEC. 4. STATE STANDARDS FOR AGENCY ATTORNEYS.

    Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (22), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (23), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(24) provides that, not later than January 1, 2002, the 
        State shall develop and encourage the implementation of 
        guidelines for all agency attorneys (as defined in section 
        475(9)), including legal education requirements for such 
        attorneys regarding the handling of abuse, neglect, and 
        dependency proceedings.''.

SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND DEPENDENCY 
              MATTERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
coordination with the Attorney General, shall provide the technical 
assistance, training, and evaluations authorized under this section 
through grants, contracts, or cooperative arrangements with other 
entities, including universities, and national, State, and local 
organizations. The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 
Attorney General should ensure that entities that have not had a 
previous contractual relationship with the Department of Health and 
Human Services, the Department of Justice, or another Federal agency 
can compete for grants for technical assistance, training, and 
evaluations.
    (b) Purpose.--Technical assistance shall be provided under this 
section for the purpose of supporting and assisting State and local 
courts that handle child abuse, neglect, and dependency matters to 
effectively carry out new responsibilities enacted as part of the 
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89; 111 Stat. 
2115) and to speed the process of adoption of children and legal 
finalization of permanent families for children in foster care by 
improving practices of the courts involved in that process.
    (c) Activities.--Technical assistance consistent with the purpose 
described in subsection (b) may be provided under this section through 
the following:
            (1) The dissemination of information, existing and 
        effective models, and technical assistance to State and local 
        courts that receive grants for automated data collection and 
        case-tracking systems and outcome measures.
            (2) The provision of specialized training on child 
        development that is appropriate for judges, referees, 
        nonjudicial decision-makers, administrative, and other court-
        related personnel, and for agency attorneys, attorneys 
        representing children, guardians ad litem, volunteers who 
        participate in court-appointed special advocate (CASA) 
        programs, or parents.
            (3) The provision of assistance and dissemination of 
        information about best practices of abuse and neglect courts 
        for effective case management strategies and techniques, 
        including automated data collection and case-tracking systems, 
        assessments of caseload and staffing levels, management of 
        court dockets, timely decision-making at all stages of a 
        proceeding conducted by, or under the supervision of, an abuse 
        and neglect court (as so defined), and the development of 
        streamlined case flow procedures, case management models, early 
        case resolution programs, mechanisms for monitoring compliance 
        with the terms of court orders, models for representation of 
        children, automated interagency interfaces between data bases, 
        and court rules that facilitate timely case processing.
            (4) The development and dissemination of training models 
        for judges, attorneys representing children, agency attorneys, 
        guardians ad litem, and volunteers who participate in court-
        appointed special advocate (CASA) programs.
            (5) The development of standards of practice for agency 
        attorneys, attorneys representing children, guardians ad litem, 
        volunteers who participate in court-appointed special advocate 
        (CASA) programs, and parents in such proceedings.
    (d) Training Requirement.--Any training offered in accordance with 
this section to judges or other judicial personnel shall be offered in 
collaboration with the judicial conference or other appropriate 
judicial governing body operating with respect to the State in which 
the training is offered.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``agency attorneys'', 
``abuse and neglect courts'', and ``attorneys representing children'' 
have the meanings given such terms in section 475 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 675) (as amended by section 3(b) of this Act).
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to carry 
out this section $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2001 through 
2005.
[A]:
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance, training, and evaluations under this Act through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with other entities, including universities, and national, State, and local organizations. Authorizes appropriations.