WASHINGTON -- Olympic athletes who bring home the gold, silver and bronze for Team USA will no longer pay a victory tax for their achievement under a bill President Barack Obama signed into law Friday.The IRS will now be prohibited from taxing most medals or other prizes awarded to U.S. Olympians.The bill was among more than a dozen pieces of legislation signed by Obama, including measures to help sexual assault victims and parents with babies in need of a diaper change. Another new law targets the growing worldwide problem of illegal wildlife poaching and trafficking.The U.S. Olympic Committee awards cash prizes to medalists, ranging from $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. The cash prize comes on top of the value of the medals themselves: $600 for gold and $300 for silver; bronze medals arent worth much.The money had been considered earned income, making it subject to tax. Lawmakers who objected to the tax passed legislation to eliminate it, citing the levy as an unfair burden on U.S. athletes who spend years sacrificing and training in their sport, often at great financial expense.But not all Team USA medalists will be exempt. The tax will still apply to high-profile athletes who earn at least $1 million a year, like swimmer Michael Phelps.Other measures signed into law Friday will:-Establish a federal bill of rights for sexual assault survivors to ensure that plaintiffs in federal criminal cases have the right to a sexual assault evidence collection kit, to be told of the results and to be notified in writing before the kit is destroyed. The law was spurred by the case of Amanda Nguyen, a former Harvard University student who was sexually assaulted in Massachusetts. Nguyen said she was repeatedly required to return to Massachusetts to prevent her rape kit from being destroyed and also had a hard time keeping up with developments in the legal case.-Make federal buildings more family friendly by requiring that baby-changing stations be installed, within two years, in restrooms in federal buildings that are open to the public. That would include courthouses, post offices, Social Security offices and some government-run museums like the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Archives.-Boost efforts to combat wildlife poaching and trafficking by supporting the work of a presidential task force. The law also directs U.S. agencies to work with countries affected by wildlife crime, such as Zimbabwe, where the 2015 killing of Cecil the lion by an American during an illegal hunt sparked a worldwide outcry. Prosecutors will get more tools to go after individuals involved in trophy hunting and other crimes while the State Department will provide Congress annually with a list of countries considered major sources, transit points or consumers of wildlife trafficking.For Phelps, the tax bill for the five gold and one silver he won in Rio could cost him as much as $55,000. Gymnast Simone Biles faces a possible $43,000 tax bill for landing four golds and a bronze.Most of these athletes will never sign an endorsement deal or a professional contract, which is why its so important that these athletes will no longer be forced to pay a big tax bill when they achieve their Olympic dreams representing the United States, said Rep. Robert Dold, R-Ill., sponsor of the bill, which cleared the House by a vote of 415-1.Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., cast the lone vote against what he called bad policy.The law applies retroactively to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It will not affect taxes on an athletes endorsement or sponsorship income.Team USA brought home 121 medals from Rio Games, including 46 gold medals.---Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.---The bill is H.R. 5946.---Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleapHydro Flask 40 Oz Ireland .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Ireland . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. http://www.cheaphydroflaskireland.com/32-oz-hydro-flask-outlet.html . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Hydro Flask Ombre Sale . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Cheap Hydro Flask Near Me . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins.Haas is not planning to make a decision on its driver line-up for 2017 until the end of the European season in September.The all-new American team has experienced a rollercoaster debut year in F1, with Romain Grosjean scoring all of the teams 28 points while Esteban Gutierrezs car has been plagued by reliability issues. Grosjeans contract is believed to extend into 2017, but Gutierrezs position at the team next year is less clear.Team principal Guenther Steiner says no discussions about the 2017 line-up will begin until after the Italian Grand Prix.Nothing has been decided and we havent even talked about it, he said. Ive spoken specifically with Gene [Haas], and weve said were not talking about drivers or what we are doing until the European season is over.Steiner is wary that speculation about driver ccontracts could take the teams focus away from its push for performance.ddddddddddddIts a distraction. In the end we know what everybody can do, but we need to see a little bit more, and where we want to be. We need to see also as a team what we want to achieve next year. There is so much that is not clear about where we are.But as soon as the European season is over we need to start to make decisions, because we need to get things moving. You dont just call somebody up and say something, there are negotiations and all this.We actively do not want to talk about drivers until the European season ends because we would just get opinions out there that people would misinterpret. ' ' '