United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2016
Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016 This bill: (1) directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish and conduct a pilot program through 2021 to execute lease agreements using alternative procedures to reduce costs of leased space and significantly reduce or eliminate the backlog of expiring leases over the next five years, and (2) authorizes the GSA to submit consolidated prospectuses for leases and projects to Congress for approval. The bill requires approval by congressional resolution of any costs and expenses associated with administering an acquisition by exchange involving real property or in-kind consideration, including services, with a fair market value of $2.85 million or more. The bill authorizes: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to authorize contract security personnel to carry firearms, and (2) such personnel to detain individuals without a warrant. DHS must establish minimum and uniform training standards for security personnel. DHS must report on: (1) the personnel needs of the Federal Protective Service (FPS), including recommendations on the numbers of FPS law enforcement officers needed to carry out the mission of FPS during the 10-year period after the enactment of this Act; and (2) the best method of funding for the FPS. The GSA must: (1) justify any need for new or replacement building space, including an explanation of why such space could not be consolidated or colocated into other owned or leased space; (2) notify the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works if the cost, scope, or size of any project changes by 5% or more; and (3) report to such committees on the justification for using three lease rental caps per fiscal year and their impacts in the National Capital Region. The bill directs the GSA to: (1) sell a portion of the Forrestal Complex in Washington, D.C. to generate funds necessary to construct a new Department of Energy headquarters on government-owned land in a manner consistent with the SW Ecodistrict Plan of the National Capital Planning Commission if the GSA determines that such headquarters can be constructed with no net costs to the government; and (2) consider the direct purchase of energy and other utilities in bulk or otherwise for leased facilities when cost-effective. The bill exempts an individual acquisition for commercial leasing services from enhanced competition requirements for the purchase of property and services by executive agencies if such individual acquisition is made on a no cost basis and pursuant to a multiple award contract in accordance with requirements for full and open competition. The Government Accountability Office must conduct biennial audits of the GSA National Broker Contract, conduct a review of the application of enhanced competition requirements, and report on such audits and reviews. The bill amends the Economic Development Administration Reform Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Commerce to release the federal government's interest in economic adjustment grants not less than seven years after the final disbursement of the grant.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 This bill establishes the Public Buildings Reform Board to identify opportunities for the federal government to reduce significantly its inventory of civilian real property and reduce its costs. The Board shall terminate six years after enactment of this Act. Each federal agency shall submit to the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): (1) current data on all federal civilian real properties owned, leased, or controlled by each agency; (2) recommendations on such properties that can be disposed of or outleased or that otherwise no longer meet agency needs or that can be transferred, exchanged, consolidated, co-located, reconfigured, or redeveloped; and (3) recommendations on operational efficiencies that the government can realize in its operation and maintenance of such properties. The OMB shall review agency recommendations, develop standards for reviewing such recommendations, and submit such standards and its recommendations to the Board. The Board shall: (1) identify at least five federal civilian properties not on the list of surplus or excess properties that have a total fair market value of not less than $500 million and not more than $750 million, (2) transmit a list of such properties to the OMB and Congress as Board recommendations, (3) analyze the inventory of federal civilian real property and the associated agency recommendations, (4) implement an accounting system to evaluate the cost of and returns on recommendations, and (5) report its conclusions and recommendations to the OMB. The Board's first report shall include transactions valued, in total, at not more than $2.5 billion and its second report shall include transactions valued, in total, at not more than $4.75 billion. The OMB shall: (1) review Board recommendations and transmit to the Board and Congress a report on its approval or disapproval of such recommendations, and (2) report information about the properties involved to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each agency shall: (1) submit a report of excess to the GSA regarding the federal civilian properties for which recommendations have been approved (which properties shall be sold by the GSA for fair market value), (2) immediately begin preparation to carry out the Board's recommendations after the OMB transmits such recommendations to Congress, (3) initiate all activities necessary for implementation of such recommendations not later than two years after such transmittal, and (4) complete implementation within six years after transmittal unless extenuating circumstances prevent timely completion. HUD shall identify any suitable properties for use as a property benefitting the mission of assistance to the homeless for the purposes of further screening pursuant to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The OMB may exclude from the Board's recommendations properties that are not suitable to benefit the homeless but that the OMB determines are suitable for use as a state or local public park or recreation area. The Government Accountability Office shall annually review and report to Congress on agency implementation activities under this Act. The net proceeds from the transfer of excess real property to another federal agency or from the sale, lease, or other disposition of surplus real property shall be deposited into the real property account of the agency that had custody of the real property at the time it was determined to be excess. Such proceeds may be expended only as authorized in annual appropriations Acts. Any net proceeds that are not expended shall be used for deficit reduction. The net proceeds of the disposition, lease, or transfer of excess personal property shall be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. GSA shall publish a database of all federal real property under the custody and control of all executive agencies, other than federal real property excluded for reasons of national security. The bill amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to allow the use of surplus property to provide permanent housing with or without supportive services to assist the homeless.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Families of Flint Act This bill provides support for Flint, Michigan in addressing lead in the city's drinking water and related issues. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by establishing a 10-year grant program to ensure that Flint's drinking water does not contain: (1) lead levels that threaten public health or the environment, or (2) other drinking water contaminants and pathogens that threaten public health. The bill also establishes specified grant programs for assisting Flint that are established within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, by allowing states to use more than 20% of funds from Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grants for addressing a threat to public health from heightened exposure to lead in a municipal drinking water supply if a federal or state emergency declaration has been issued for that threat. HHS must establish in Flint a Center of Excellence on Lead Exposure. The bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the allowable participation period in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children for children residing in areas that are in a state of emergency. A state may elect to allow those children to participate in the program for a period that ends on the earlier of: (1) the child's tenth birthday (currently fifth), or (2) five years after the emergency (currently children may participate for a one-year period).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Commemorates Representatives Sam Johnson and John Lewis for their patriotic service and sacrifice to the country they love and for becoming the first ever recipients of the Congressional Patriot Award.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2016
Original Black History Month Resolution of 2016 Recognizes: (1) the significance of Black History Month as an important time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of African-Americans in the nation's history, and (2) that the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the nation. Encourages: (1) the continued celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all peoples of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the nation, and (2) states to include in their year-round educational curriculum the history and contributions of African-Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2016
Recognizes: (1) National Mentoring Month, and (2) the staff and volunteers at quality mentoring programs who help young people reach their full potential. Acknowledges that mentoring is beneficial in that it encourages educational achievement, reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and strengthens communities. Expresses support for: (1) the creation and expansion of quality mentoring programs across the United States, and (2) initiatives to increase the percentage of young people who have a mentor.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2016
Original NAACP Resolution of 2016 Recognizes the 107th anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Honors the NAACP for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic rights of all persons.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Fresh Start Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal criminal code to allow an individual convicted of a nonviolent criminal offense to file a petition for expungement of the record of such conviction. It allows expungement if such individual: (1) has never been convicted of any criminal offense other than the nonviolent offenses committed in a single criminal episode that includes the offense for which expungement is sought; (2) has fulfilled all requirements of the sentence of the court, including payment of all fines, restitution, or assessments and completion of terms of imprisonment and probation; and (3) has remained free (if required by the court's sentence) from dependency on or abuse of alcohol or a controlled substance for at least one year. The Department of Justice must maintain an unaltered nonpublic copy of expunged criminal records, to be disclosed for limited purposes to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies. The bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase by 5% grant funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to states that implement expungement procedures substantially similar to the procedures enacted by this Act. It decreases such grant funding by 5% for states that fail to adopt expungement procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add the Zika virus to the list of tropical diseases under the priority review voucher program, which awards a voucher to the sponsor of a new drug or biological product that is approved to prevent or treat a tropical disease. (A voucher entitles the holder to have a future new drug or biological product application acted upon by the Food and Drug Administration within six months.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2015
Expresses condolences for the victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes. Declares that the House of Representatives: confirms its dedication to the rights and dignity of all citizens; denounces the increase of hate speech and hate crimes targeted against mosques, Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslim; and recognizes the positive contributions made by the U.S. Muslim community to U.S. society. Declares that the civil rights and liberties of all U.S. citizens, including Muslims in the United States, should be protected. Urges law enforcement authorities to work to prevent hate crimes and to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes. Reaffirms the inalienable rights of every citizen to live without fear and intimidation and to practice freedom of faith.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2015
Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is: (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The legislation amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to require law enforcement agencies to be notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a grandfathered SAW. It also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2015
Police Agency Investigation Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to create within the Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Civil Rights Division an Office of Police Agency Investigations to investigate alleged patterns or practices of police conduct that violate constitutional rights. Additionally, it amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to include complying with a judgment or consent decree pursuant to a pattern-or-practice investigation. DOJ may award additional grants to COPS grant recipients to comply with such judgments or consent decrees.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Gun Violence Prevention and Safe Communities Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the excise tax on the sale of firearms by manufacturers, producers, or importers, to: (1) increase the rate of such tax to 20% on pistols, revolvers, and other firearms and on any lower frame or receiver for a firearm; and (2) impose a 50% tax on shells and cartridges. The bill exempts any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States from such tax. The bill allocates revenues from the increased excise tax under this Act for law enforcement and public safety grant programs, including programs for research on gun violence and its prevention. The bill: (1) increases the occupational tax on importers, manufacturers, and dealers in firearms and the transfer tax on firearms; and (2) modifies the definition of "firearm" for excise tax purposes to include a semiautomatic pistol chambered for cartridges and configured with receivers commonly associated with rifles and capable of accepting detachable magazines.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Recognizes the 67th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of Human Rights Day. Supports the ideals of human rights and reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security which can be achieved only through democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. HHS must ensure that these grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2015
Denounces the attacks on health care centers for women, providers of health care for women, and patients. Affirms that all women have the right to access reproductive health care services without fear of violence, intimidation, or harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2015
Food Recovery Act of 2015 This bill amends the following to provide funding, expand tax deductions, and establish requirements to reduce food waste: the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; the Internal Revenue Code; the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Solid Waste Disposal Act; and several agricultural laws. The bill expands and establishes federal grant and loan programs to: improve the nutritional health of children and raise awareness about food waste, improve cooperation between agricultural producers and emergency feeding organizations, assist schools in using food from farms that would otherwise go to waste and providing farms with compostable materials, and install facilities that include composting or anaerobic digesters that use food or crop waste to produce energy. Recipients of grants to install anaerobic digesters that use waste to produce energy must meet specified requirements regarding environmental laws and the distribution of certain food to hunger-serving organizations. USDA must: (1) establish an Office of Food Recovery to coordinate federal programs to measure and reduce food waste, and (2) study techniques for decreasing food waste and estimating the amount of food wasted by farms. The bill provides that composting is a conservation practice eligible for support under USDA's conservation programs. The bill extends and expands tax deductions for the donation of food to charitable organizations. "Sell-by" dates included on food labeling must indicate that the dates are only the manufacturer's suggestion and use uniform language. Companies that receive food service contracts with the federal government must donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations that assist food-insecure people.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Expresses support for: (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBT Equality Day. Acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Stop Foreign Donations Affecting Our Elections Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit political committees from accepting any Internet credit card contribution unless: the individual or entity making the contribution is required, at the time of the contribution, to disclose the credit card's verification value; and the billing address associated with the card is located in the United States or, if the contribution comes from an individual U.S. citizen living outside of the United States, the individual gives the committee the U.S. mailing address he or she uses for voter registration. In the case of an Internet credit card contribution: the person receiving the contribution shall forward it to the treasurer of the political comittee within 10 days, together with the name and address of the contributor and the date of receipt; and the treasurer shall keep an account of the contributor's name and address, together with the date and amount of the contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2015
HUBZone Equity Act This bill amends the Small Business Act to redefine "Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business concern" as a small business concern that is at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens (as under current law) or lawful permanent residents of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Simeon Saunders Booker, Jr., in recognition of his achievements in the field of journalism, including his reporting during the civil rights movement and his social and political commentary.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a Small Business Saturday, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Hygiene Assistance for Families of Infants and Toddlers Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to conduct demonstration projects to implement and evaluate strategies to help families address the diapering supply needs of eligible children. Title XI of the Social Security Act is amended to exempt diaper benefits from the territorial payment ceiling.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Supports the goals and ideals of both National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Recognizes that every child should have a permanent and loving family. Encourages the people of the United States to consider adoption during the month of November and throughout the year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center on December 9, 2015, for a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
This bill amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to require that at least 10% of the funds made available for federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs, including highway safety research and development, and for the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012 be expended through small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Restoration Act of 2015 This bill declares that, if a veteran is forced to discontinue a course as a result of a a permanent school closure and did not receive credit or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period of time, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill applies to courses and programs of education discontinued beginning with FY2015. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on an executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure, but only until the earlier of: (1) the date of the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure occurred; and (2) the date that is four months after the school closure.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Family Cord Blood Banking Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat the cost of private umbilical cord blood or tissue, or placental blood or tissue, banking services as a medical care expense for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Supports the goals of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Honors those working domestically and internationally to eliminate violence against women and girls. Encourages the President to: address the needs of women and girls experiencing violence through funding for participatory survivor-led programs; prioritize protections for women and children in fragile and conflict zones; address increased rates of violence against marginalized women due to race, ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, and socioeconomic status; and increase opportunities for women and girls worldwide, including opportunities for education and economic participation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Housing Our Heroes Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to begin a three-year pilot grant program to assess the feasibility of awarding grants to eligible entities to purchase and renovate abandoned homes for homeless veterans. Eligible entities are: (1) veterans service agencies and organizations, (2) homeless organizations, and (3) other nongovernmental organizations. The Veterans Homelessness Grant Fund is established in the Treasury. The VA shall give grant priority to communities with the greatest need of homeless services, and may give grant priority to achieve geographic grant distribution.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of American Diabetes Month, including encouraging individuals to fight diabetes through public awareness about prevention and treatment options and enhancing education about the disease; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in the United States through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection, awareness of the symptoms, and the risk factors that often lead to the development of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Gun Violence Research Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to specifically include injuries from gun violence as a research subject for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nothing in the CDC's research authorization may be construed to authorize support for advocacy or promotion of gun control. The CDC must improve the National Violent Death Reporting System, particularly through the voluntary participation of additional states. Nothing in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may be construed to prohibit a health care provider from discussing guns or gun safety with a patient or reporting a patient's threat of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Office of Strategic Services in recognition of their service and contributions during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2015
Calls on the President to convene international negotiations to stop the civil war in Syria. Requests that these negotiations: stabilize the country and provide for political change towards a popularly supported, accountable Syrian leadership; implement measures to protect, and stem the flow of, refugees from Syria and provide for their return; and create a coordinated international strategy for the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Calls on other nations that have an interest or involvement in the region and conflict to join these negotiations and commit to transitioning from the current al-Assad government and countering ISIL.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Community College to Career Fund Act This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to eligible community colleges, four-year public institutions of higher education, tribal colleges or universities, private or nonprofit two-year institutions of higher education in specified U.S. territories, or a consortium of any of them, in partnership with employers or an employer or industry partnership representing multiple employers, in order to develop, offer, improve, and provide educational or career training programs for workers. The governor of the state in which at least one of these entities is located shall establish criteria for an educational or career training program leading to a recognized postsecondary credential for which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a working families agenda is established to: raise the minimum wage, strengthen workers' right to organize, and protect workers from misclassification; provide workers with paid sick days, paid family leave, flexible and stable schedules, access to high-quality early learning opportunities, and affordable child care; and strengthen the law guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, ensure specified rights for pregnant workers, and ensure workers have explicit protections from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Declares the sense of the House furthermore that hearings and votes should be held on specified House bills, including H.R. 2150, the Raise the Wage Act, and H.R. 1439, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act).
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to modernize and maintain a post office network.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
GEAR UP for Counseling This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase requirements for grant recipients under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Specifically, it requires state and partnership GEAR UP grantees to also provide academic and mental health counseling services to participating students. The bill reauthorizes GEAR UP for FY2017-FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
This bill requires: the Department of State and the Department of Defense to develop jointly and submit to Congress a five-year strategy to help Nigeria, members of the Multinational Joint Task Force to Combat Boko Haram, and relevant partners to counter Boko Haram, and to assist Nigeria and its neighbors to address legitimate grievances of vulnerable populations in areas affected by Boko Haram; and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the willingness and capability Nigeria and regional partners to implement such strategy. It is the sense of Congress that lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice, and other social services contributes to Boko Haram's ability to radicalize and recruit individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Nutrition Education Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to require states to evaluate the need for broadband conduit (fiber optic cables that support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service) as part of any covered highway construction project (a project to construct a new highway or an additional lane or paved shoulder for an existing highway that receives funding under federal-aid highway provisions), in consultation with telecommunications providers. If the evaluation reveals a need in the next 15 years for broadband conduit beneath hard surfaces to be constructed by the project, the conduit shall be installed. DOT shall establish standards to carry out installation requirements that consider: the ability to accommodate broadband installation without impacting the safety, operations, and maintenance of the highway facility, its users, or others; population density in the area; the type of highway involved; and existing broadband access in the area. DOT shall ensure that: an appropriate number of broadband conduits are installed along such highway to accommodate multiple broadband providers, the size of conduit is consistent with industry best practices and sufficient to accommodate potential demand, hand holes and manholes for fiber access and pulling such conduit are placed at intervals consistent with industry best practices, installed conduit includes a pull tape and is capable of supporting fiber optic cable placement techniques consistent with industry best practices, installed conduit is placed at a depth consistent with industry best practices and cable separation requirements of electrical codes, and any requesting broadband provider has access to each broadband conduit installed on a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory basis for a charge not to exceed a cost-based rate. DOT may waive the requirements of this Act upon determining that the waiver is appropriate based upon: a showing of undue burden, a determination that the installation of conduit beneath hard surfaces is not necessary based on the availability of existing broadband infrastructure, or a cost-benefit analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Family Stability and Kinship Care Act of 2015 This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) (renamed by this Act Federal Payments for Foster Care and Permanency) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to give states the option of providing certain time-limited family services, including parenting and family skills training and counseling, to a child meeting certain criteria or the child's parents or kin caregivers. SSAct title IV part B is also amended to: eliminate the time-limit for family reunification services, increase the mandatory funding authorization for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, and extend funding for Family Connection Grants for one year.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2015
Seniors Deserve A Raise Act This bill requires cost-of-living increases in any benefit under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act as well as military retirement and survivor benefits by any increase in the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. In addition to any such increase, each such benefit shall be further increased by 2.9% on January 1, 2016, and shall remain in effect every year thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Access to Marketplace Insurance Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, payments made by certain third parties, including state and federal government programs, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and certain tax exempt organizations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Integrated Transportation and Economic Development Act This bill: (1) adds as a new goal of the federal-aid highway program to improve road conditions in economically distressed urban communities and increase access to jobs, markets, and economic opportunities for people who live in such communities; (2) requires the Department of Transportation to establish measures for states to use to assess the conditions, accessibility, and reliability of roads in such communities; and (3) requires each state to set performance targets that reflect such measures.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Medicare Premium Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prevent 2016 increases to Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles for enrollees, and (2) authorize federal funding to offset the corresponding reduction in aggregate monthly premiums. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must annually determine the monthly actuarial rate upon which Part B premiums and deductibles are based. The bill temporarily freezes that rate at the 2015 level for enrollees, effectively preventing increases to premiums and deductibles for those enrollees in 2016. (Current law already protects Part B enrollees whose benefits are deducted from their Social Security benefits from premium increases that would result in a smaller Social Security check.)
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to: establish a five-year strategy to achieve, with target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive lives within a generation; and provide assistance to implement the strategy. The President shall designate a current U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for: overseeing such strategy, and all U.S. government funds appropriated or used for international maternal and child health and nutrition programs. The U.S. government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies, should identify and remove financial barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems for vulnerable and marginalized populations by leveraging public and private capital to expand delivery of interventions for maternal, newborn, and child health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend support for residential substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women through FY2020. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment must carry out a pilot program to make grants to state substance abuse agencies to support services for pregnant and postpartum women who have a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2015
African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) a U.S. Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement. In carrying out the Network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.
![Official portrait of Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c001072_200.jpg)