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.
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Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Big Cat Public Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 
U.S.C. 3371) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (k) as 
        subsections (b) through (l), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so redesignated) 
        the following:
    ``(a) Breed.--The term `breed' means to facilitate propagation or 
reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or to fail to 
prevent propagation or reproduction.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Consolidated farm and rural development act.--Section 
        349(a)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
        U.S.C. 1997(a)(3)) is amended by striking ``section 2(a)'' and 
        inserting ``section 2(b)''.
            (2) Lacey act amendments of 1981.--
                    (A) Section 3(e)(2)(C) of the Lacey Act Amendments 
                of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3372(e)(2)(C)) is amended--
                            (i) in clause (ii), by striking ``section 
                        2(g)'' and inserting ``section 2(h)''; and
                            (ii) in clause (iii), by striking ``section 
                        2(g)'' and inserting ``section 2(h)''.
                    (B) Section 7(c) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 
                1981 (16 U.S.C. 3376(c)) is amended by striking 
                ``section 2(f)(2)(A)'' and inserting ``section 
                2(g)(2)(A)''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITIONS.

    Section 3 of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3372) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking the 
                        semicolon at the end and inserting ``; or'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
                        ``; or'' and inserting a semicolon; and
                            (iii) by striking subparagraph (C); and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``(1) through 
                (3)'' and inserting ``(1) through (3) or subsection 
                (e)''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
    ``(e) Captive Wildlife Offense.--
            ``(1) In general.--It is unlawful for any person to import, 
        export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in 
        interstate or foreign commerce, or in a manner substantially 
        affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or to breed or 
        possess, any prohibited wildlife species.
            ``(2) Limitation on application.--Paragraph (1) does not 
        apply to--
                    ``(A) an entity exhibiting animals to the public 
                under a Class C license from the Department of 
                Agriculture and that holds such license in good 
                standing, if the entity--
                            ``(i) has not been, and does not employ any 
                        person engaged in animal care who has been, 
                        convicted of or fined for an offense involving 
                        the abuse or neglect of any animal pursuant to 
                        any State, local, or Federal law;
                            ``(ii) has not had, and does not employ any 
                        person who has had, a license or permit 
                        regarding the care, possession, exhibition, 
                        breeding, or sale of animals revoked or 
                        suspended by any State, local, or Federal 
                        agency, including the Department of 
                        Agriculture, within the preceding 3-year 
                        period;
                            ``(iii) has not been cited by the 
                        Department of Agriculture under the Animal 
                        Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) within the 
                        preceding 12-month period for any repeat 
                        violation for--
                                    ``(I) inadequate veterinary care;
                                    ``(II) handling that causes stress 
                                or trauma or a threat to public safety;
                                    ``(III) insufficient provisions of 
                                food or water; or
                                    ``(IV) failure to allow facility 
                                inspection;
                            ``(iv) does not allow any individual other 
                        than a trained professional employee or 
                        contractor of the licensee (or an accompanying 
                        employee receiving professional training) or a 
                        licensed veterinarian (or an accompanying 
                        veterinary student) to come into direct 
                        physical contact with a prohibited wildlife 
                        species;
                            ``(v) ensures that during public exhibition 
                        of a lion (Panthera leo), tiger (Panthera 
                        tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), snow 
                        leopard (Uncia uncia), jaguar (Panthera onca), 
                        cougar (Puma concolor), or any hybrid thereof, 
                        the animal is at least 15 feet from members of 
                        the public unless there is a permanent barrier 
                        that prevents public contact or risk of 
                        contact;
                            ``(vi) does not breed any prohibited 
                        wildlife species unless the breeding is 
                        conducted pursuant to a species-specific, 
                        publicly available, peer-reviewed population 
                        management plan developed according to 
                        established conservation science principles;
                            ``(vii) maintains liability insurance in an 
                        amount of not less than $250,000 for each 
                        occurrence of property damage, bodily injury, 
                        or death caused by any prohibited wildlife 
                        species possessed by the person; and
                            ``(viii) has a written plan that is made 
                        available to local law enforcement, State 
                        agencies and Federal agencies on request, for 
                        the quick and safe recapture or destruction of 
                        prohibited wildlife species in the event a 
                        prohibited wildlife species escapes, including, 
                        but not limited to, written protocols for 
                        training staff on methods of safe recapture of 
                        the escaped prohibited wildlife species;
                    ``(B) a State college, university, or agency, or 
                State-licensed veterinarian;
                    ``(C) a wildlife sanctuary that cares for 
                prohibited wildlife species, and--
                            ``(i) is a corporation that is exempt from 
                        taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal 
                        Revenue Code of 1986 and described in sections 
                        501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of such Code;
                            ``(ii) does not commercially trade in 
                        prohibited wildlife species, including 
                        offspring, parts, and byproducts of such 
                        animals;
                            ``(iii) does not breed the prohibited 
                        wildlife species;
                            ``(iv) does not allow direct contact 
                        between the public and prohibited wildlife 
                        species; and
                            ``(v) does not allow the transportation and 
                        display of prohibited wildlife species off-
                        site;
                    ``(D) has custody of the prohibited wildlife 
                species solely for the purpose of expeditiously 
                transporting the prohibited wildlife species to a 
                person described in this paragraph with respect to the 
                species; or
                    ``(E) an entity or individual that is in possession 
                of a prohibited wildlife species that was born before 
                the date of the enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety 
                Act, and--
                            ``(i) not later than 180 days after the 
                        date of the enactment of the Big Cat Public 
                        Safety Act, the entity or individual registers 
                        each individual animal of each prohibited 
                        wildlife species with the United States Fish 
                        and Wildlife Service;
                            ``(ii) does not breed, acquire, or sell any 
                        prohibited wildlife species after the date of 
                        the enactment of such Act; and
                            ``(iii) does not allow direct contact 
                        between the public and prohibited wildlife 
                        species.''.

SEC. 4. PENALTIES.

    (a) Civil Penalties.--Section 4(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments 
of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(a)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(e),'' after ``(d),''; and
            (2) by inserting ``, (e),'' after ``subsection (d)''.
    (b) Criminal Penalties.--Section 4(d) of the Lacey Act Amendments 
of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3373(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``(e),'' after 
        ``(d),'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``(e),'' after 
        ``(d),'';
            (3) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``(e),'' after ``(d),''; 
        and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Any person who knowingly violates subsection (e) of 
        section 3 shall be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned 
        for not more than five years, or both. Each violation shall be 
        a separate offense and the offense shall be deemed to have been 
        committed not only in the district where the violation first 
        occurred, but also in any district in which the defendant may 
        have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife 
        species.''.

SEC. 5. FORFEITURE OF PROHIBITED WILDLIFE SPECIES.

    Section 5(a)(1) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 
3374(a)(1)) is amended by inserting ``bred, possessed,'' before 
``imported, exported,''.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION.

    Section 7(a) of the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 
3376(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) The Secretary shall, in consultation with other 
        relevant Federal and State agencies, promulgate any regulations 
        necessary to implement section 3(e).''.

A: Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction.  The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions regarding those wildlife species to include: (1) certain entities that hold Class C licenses in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and (2) current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those entities and owners may not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species. A person who knowingly violates the prohibition must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both. The bill considers each violation to be a separate offense. The offense must be deemed to have been committed not only in the district where the violation first occurred, but also in any district in which the defendant may have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed. 
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Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Border Law Enforcement Enhancement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) It is the obligation of the Federal Government of the 
        United States to adequately secure the Nation's borders and 
        prevent the flow of undocumented persons and illegal drugs into 
        the United States.
            (2) Despite the fact that the United States Border Patrol 
        apprehends over 1,000,000 people each year trying to illegally 
        enter the United States, according to the Congressional 
        Research Service, the net growth in the number of unauthorized 
        aliens has increased by approximately 500,000 each year. The 
        southwest border accounts for approximately 94 percent of all 
        migrant apprehensions each year. Currently, there are an 
        estimated 11,000,000 unauthorized aliens in the United States.
            (3) The border region is also a major corridor for the 
        shipment of drugs. According to the El Paso Intelligence 
        Center, 65 percent of the narcotics that are sold in the 
        markets of the United States enter the country through the 
        Southwest Border.
            (4) Border communities continue to incur significant costs 
        due to the lack of adequate border security. A 2001 study by 
        the United States-Mexico Border Counties Coalition found that 
        law enforcement and criminal justice expenses associated with 
        illegal immigration exceed $89,000,000 annually for the 
        Southwest border counties.
            (5) In August 2005, the States of New Mexico and Arizona 
        declared states of emergency in order to provide local law 
        enforcement immediate assistance in addressing criminal 
        activity along the Southwest border.
            (6) While the Federal Government provides States and 
        localities assistance in covering costs related to the 
        detention of certain criminal aliens and the prosecution of 
        Federal drug cases, local law enforcement along the border are 
        provided no assistance in covering such expenses and must use 
        their limited resources to combat drug trafficking, human 
        smuggling, kidnappings, the destruction of private property, 
        and other border-related crimes.
            (7) The United States shares 5,525 miles of border with 
        Canada and 1,989 miles with Mexico. Many of the local law 
        enforcement agencies located along the border are small, rural 
        departments charged with patrolling large areas of land. 
        Counties along the Southwest United States-Mexico border are 
        some of the poorest in the country and lack the financial 
        resources to cover the additional costs associated with illegal 
        immigration, drug trafficking, and other border-related crimes.
            (8) Federal assistance is required to help local law 
        enforcement operating along the border address the unique 
        challenges that arise as a result of their proximity to an 
        international border and the lack of overall border security in 
        the region.

SEC. 3. BORDER RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--From amounts made available under section 4, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security may make grants to--
            (1) sheriffs' offices of counties any part of which is 
        within 25 miles of the southern border of the United States; 
        and
            (2) police departments serving a city, town, or other 
        political subdivision in a county any part of which is within 
        25 miles of the southern border of the United States (including 
        tribal police departments serving a community any part of which 
        is within 25 miles of such border).
    (b) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Grant funds received under subsection (a) 
        may be used for the following:
                    (A) To conduct law enforcement operations in order 
                to enforce criminal laws, prevent and punish criminal 
                activity, and protect the lives, property, and security 
                of the people within the jurisdiction of the grant 
                recipient.
                    (B) To transfer aliens detained or in the custody 
                of the grant recipient who are not lawfully present in 
                the United States to appropriate Federal law 
                enforcement officials.
                    (C) To enforce State and Federal laws relating to 
                controlled substance trafficking and enforce other 
                State and Federal criminal laws.
            (2) Payment of costs.--Use of funds under paragraph (1) 
        shall include payment for costs of--
                    (A) hiring, equipping, training, and otherwise 
                controlling the operations and deployment of, law 
                enforcement officials engaged in duties described in 
                paragraph (1), as well as the costs of paying overtime 
                to such officials; and
                    (B) detaining, housing, and transporting aliens who 
                are not lawfully present in the United States, and who 
                are taken into custody by the grant recipient, until 
                the aliens are transferred to appropriate Federal law 
                enforcement officials.
            (3) Detention facilities.--In accordance with paragraph 
        (2)(B), grant funds received under subsection (a) may be used 
        for the construction, maintenance, and operation of detention 
        facilities to detain aliens who are unlawfully present in the 
        United States, except that not more than 20 percent of such 
        funds may be used for the construction or renovation of 
        detention or similar facilities.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible law enforcement agency 
        seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Secretary of Homeland Security at such time, in such 
        manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security may reasonably require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought; and
                    (B) provide such additional assurances as the 
                Secretary of Homeland Security determines to be 
                essential to ensure compliance with the requirements of 
                this section.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to carry out this Act $150,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAW.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize State or local 
law enforcement agencies or their officers to exercise Federal 
immigration law enforcement authority.

SEC. 6. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue regulations to carry out 
this Act.

A:
Border Law Enforcement Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to sheriff's offices and local and tribal police departments in jurisdictions within 25 miles of the U.S. southern border for: (1) law enforcement operations; (2) detention (including construction and operation of detention facilities) and transfer of illegal aliens to federal authorities; (3) enforcement of substance trafficking laws and other state and federal criminal laws; and (4) hiring, equipping, training, and overtime.

States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize state or local law enforcement agencies to exercise federal immigration law enforcement authority.
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