United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) from providing federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion. Excludes an abortion where: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest; or (2) a physician certifies that the woman suffered from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy. Excludes hospitals that do not provide funds to non-hospital entities that perform abortions. Requires HHS to provide Congress annually: (1) information on grantees who performed abortions under the exceptions, and (2) a list of entities to which grant funds are made available.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Repeal Executive Amnesty Act of 2015 This bill shifts from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to parole an alien temporarily into the United States, on a case-by-case basis, and in the Secretary's sole discretion, for an urgent humanitarian reasons or for another reason strictly in the public interest. A humanitarian parole is limited to: a medical emergency or organ or tissue donation in certain circumstances; or a situation in which a close family member in the United States is dying and the alien could not arrive in the United States, through the normal visa process, in time to see that family member alive. A public interest parole is limited to instances where the alien has assisted the U.S. government in a matter, such as a criminal investigation, espionage, or other similar law enforcement activity, and either the government requires the alien's U.S. presence or the alien's life would be threatened if not permitted to come to the United States. Aliens found ineligible for refugee status may not be paroled. No funds may be used to implement specified memoranda from the President, the Secretary, the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other related memoranda. Law enforcement officers of the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations are made eligible for the law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) authorized for federal criminal investigators. The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 is amended to eliminate the special repatriation requirements for unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who are nationals or residents of a country contiguous to the United States, and so apply to them the same removal requirements applied to all UACs who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and who do not have a fear of returning to their country of nationality or last habitual residence. Any inadmissible UAC at a land border or port of entry, who fails to meet these victim criteria, must be returned to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence. The Secretary of State's authority to negotiate agreements between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States for the repatriation of children is extended to agreements with any country, contiguous or not. Procedural rights are specified for UACs who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons, and who do not fear returning to his or her country of nationality or last habitual residence. HHS must inform DHS about children apprehended during a specified period before enactment of this Act who are placed with an individual, and DHS must investigate the immigration status of that individual, and, if the individual is unlawfully present in the United States, initiate removal proceedings. Paroled aliens cannot receive benefits under either the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. State and local law enforcement personnel are authorized to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer aliens to federal custody in order to enforce federal, state, or local immigration laws. State and local law enforcement personnel will enjoy immunity from personal liability in the performance of such duties. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to prescribe procedural requirements for the transfer from state or local to federal custody of inadmissible or deportable aliens. Appropriations are authorized for FY2015 and subsequent fiscal years for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens. Bureau Of Justice Assistance, public safety, and community policing grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as well as compensation for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens, is denied to any state or local government that has in place a law or policy contravening the information collection and sharing requirements of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. ICE may issue detainers to detain aliens arrested by a federal, state, or local law enforcement official for violations of any law, not just one relating to controlled substances. The interoperable electronic data system ("Chimera system") under the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, which gives current, immediate access to information in federal law enforcement databases and the intelligence community relevant to an alien's admissibility or deportability, must also include the operation of the Secure Communities program. DHS must issue a detainer, take a deportable alien into custody, and initiate removal proceedings upon receiving notice under the interoperable law enforcement and intelligence electronic data system that a deportable alien is in federal, state, or local custody. The Immigration and Nationality Act is further amended to specify that: in no instance shall the government bear any expense for counsel for any person in removal proceedings or appealing from any such proceedings, an alien's statements must be true more probably than not in order to establish a credible fear of persecution in an asylum interview, and the prerequisite of a bilateral or multilateral agreement is eliminated as a condition for the possible removal to a safe third country in response to an alien's application for asylum in the United States. DHS must establish quality assurance procedures and take steps to ensure that: questions by DHS employees exercising expedited removal authority are asked in a uniform manner, and both these questions and the answers are recorded in a uniform fashion. Department of Justice authority is suspended until January 20, 2017, for waiver of the inadmissibility of any alien unlawfully present in the United States who is the spouse or son or daughter of a U.S. citizen or of a lawful permanent resident alien. Requirements are modified for the temporary protected status of aliens whose return to a foreign country would expose them to a serious threat to their personal safety.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to: (1) complete, within 12 months of enactment, the required audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) and of the Federal Reserve Banks; and (2) submit to Congress, within 90 days of audit completion, a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions. The bill repeals certain limitations placed upon audits of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, except: (1) where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions; or (2) where the pregnancy is the result of rape, or the result of incest against a minor, if the rape has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency, or if the incest has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency or to a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse or neglect. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such an exception only in the manner that provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless that manner would pose a greater risk than other available methods would pose of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, excluding psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman. Subjects individuals who violate this Act to a fine, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act for violating or conspiring to violate this Act. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device to intentionally kill an unborn child or to intentionally terminate a pregnancy with an intention other than: (1) after viability, to produce a live birth and preserve the life and health of the child; or (2) to remove a dead unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
ObamaCare Repeal Act Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Save American Workers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from an employee who is employed on average at least 30 hours of service a week to an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Ensuring the Full Faith and Credit of the United States and Protecting America's Soldiers and Seniors Act Requires the following to take equal priority over all other federally incurred obligations in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit: (1) the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on debt held by the public; (2) the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act; and (3) the payment of pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces on active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Crude Oil Export Act Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to repeal the authority of the President to restrict exports of: (1) coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks, and (2) materials or equipment which he determines necessary for either exploration, production, refining, or transportation of energy supplies, or for construction or maintenance of energy facilities within the United States. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to repeal limitations on exports of oil. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to repeal limitations on export of Outer Continental Shelf oil or gas on the lands within its purview. Declares without force or effect: (1) the limitation placed upon crude oil exports by the Export Administration Act of 1979, and (2) a specified regulation relating to crude oil. Directs the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce to grant licenses to export crude oil to a country unless: (1) the country is subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States, or (2) either the President or Congress has designated the country as subject to exclusion for reasons of national security. Authorizes the President, subject to a congressional resolution of disapproval, to ban the export of crude oil from the United States for a maximum period of 90 days during a national emergency. Permits renewal of such ban during periods of national emergency. Subjects any act of imposing or renewing a ban to a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Amends provisions of the federal criminal code governing interstate transportation of firearms or ammunition to require that whenever transported by any means other than a motor vehicle: (1) a firearm shall be in a locked container or secured by a secure gun storage or safety device, and (2) ammunition shall be in a locked container. Excludes from permitted transport of a firearm or ammunition any transportation: (1) with the intent to commit a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year that involves the use or threatened use of force against another; or (2) with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that such a crime is to be committed in the course of, or arising from, the transportation. Prohibits the arrest or detention of a person for a violation of any state or local law or regulation related to the possession, transportation, or carrying of firearms unless there is probable cause to believe that the person is doing so in a manner not provided for under federal law. Provides that when a person asserts this as a defense in a criminal proceeding: (1) the prosecution shall bear the burden of proving, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the person's conduct did not satisfy federal conditions; and (2) the court shall award the prevailing defendant a reasonable attorney's fee. Authorizes a private right of action (and attorney fees) for deprivation of any right, privilege or immunity secured by federal firearms provisions under color of any state or local law or regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year or 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product unless Congress authorizes the excess by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress to levy a new tax, increase the rate of any tax, or increase the debt limit. Approval by a majority of the state legislatures is required to increase the federal debt. The amendment provides any Member of Congress with standing and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of this amendment if authorized by a petition signed by one-third of the Members of either house of Congress. Courts are prohibited from ordering any increase in revenue to enforce this amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Separation of Powers Act of 2015 Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to any federal department or agency to: parole an alien into the United States or grant deferred action on a final order of removal for any reason other than on an individual case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons; or issue to an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States any document attesting to such alien's lawful permanent resident status or U.S. employment authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Transparency on Prioritizing Spending Act This bill requires the President to submit a report to Congress detailing the priority of paying obligations of the federal government in the event that the statutory debt limit is reached. The report must be submitted no later than 30 days after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Rate of Average Time Execution Act of 2015 or the RATE Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to collect, publish, and keep current a set of indices, meeting specified criteria, that report the rate for dollar-denominated loans of various maturities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Amends the Truth in Lending Act to modify the exclusion from the definition of "mortgage originator" of a seller providing mortgage financing of three properties in a 12-month period to remove the requirement that a residential mortgage loan be fully amortizing. (Allows treatment as a mortgage originator of any seller providing mortgage financing of three properties in a 12-month period even if the mortgage loan involved is not fully amortizing.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order in the House to consider any bill or joint resolution that carries more than one subject.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Tax Code Termination Act Terminates the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after December 31, 2019, except for self-employment taxes, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, and railroad retirement taxes. Requires a two-thirds majority vote in Congress to change such termination date. Declares that any new federal tax system should be a simple and fair system that: (1) applies a low rate to all Americans, (2) provides tax relief for working Americans, (3) protects the rights of taxpayers and reduces tax collection abuses, (4) eliminates the bias against savings and investment, (5) promotes economic growth and job creation, and (6) does not penalize marriage or families. Requires that the new federal tax system be approved by Congress in its final form by July 4, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Separation of Powers Act of 2014 - Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to any federal department or agency to: parole an alien into the United States or grant deferred action on a final order of removal for any reason other than on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons; or issue to an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States any document attesting to such alien's lawful permanent resident status or U.S. employment authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Directs the Secretary of State, in accordance with the Rewards for Justice program authorized under the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, to offer a reward to any individual who furnishes information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual for committing, conspiring or attempting to commit, or aiding or abetting in the commission of the kidnapping and murder of James Foley, Peter Kassig, or Steven Sotloff or the kidnapping and murder of any other U.S. citizen by a foreign terrorist organization. Limits to $5 million the total amount of rewards offered in connection with the kidnapping and murder of any such individual.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Electronic Health Fairness Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit any patient encounter of an eligible professional occurring at an ambulatory surgical center from being treated as such an encounter in determining whether an eligible professional qualifies as a meaningful electronic health record (EHR) user. Terminates this prohibition three years after the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies EHR technology for the ambulatory surgical center setting.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Small Business Loan Simplification Act of 2014 - Amends the Small Business Act to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to: (1) amend regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to authorize the SBA and participants in specified lending programs to use electronic signatures and records for the programs, and (2) accept such electronic signatures and records associated with SBA management and closing processes.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the United States Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, as the "Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Recognizes that members of the Armed Forces face changing battlefield threats and unique enemy challenges that call for proven equipment tested at the Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Supports the long term viability of Fort Huachuca and its Electronic Proving Ground. Expresses appreciation to soldiers and civilians for their 60 years of work at the Electronic Proving Ground and their service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Empowering Our Veterans Act of 2014 - Prohibits the appropriation of funds, or the obligation or expenditure of funds by Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for any VA alternative energy generation project unless the funds for such project have been specifically authorized by law. Directs the Secretary to transfer all unobligated funds that were appropriated to the VA before this Act's enactment for an alternative energy generation project to the VA's account funding veterans' medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Isolating ISIS Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit, or impose strict conditions on, the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: facilitates a transaction for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); facilitates a transaction of a person designated for acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, ISIS; engages in money laundering to carry out such an activity; facilitates a transaction or provides financial services to carry out such an activity; or facilitates such an activity, conspires to facilitate or participate in such an activity, or is owned or controlled by a foreign financial institution that knowingly engages in such an activity. Applies specified penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for violations of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the application of a prohibition for up to 180 days (with renewable 180-day waivers) if in U.S. national security interests, and with congressional notification. Directs the Secretary to identify to Congress every 180 days each foreign central bank that carries out a prohibited activity. Directs the President to transmit to Congress a list of, and impose specified sanctions against, any person who knowingly engages in a transaction with a foreign person that transfers or receives, or facilitates the transfer or receipt of, any goods or services to or from ISIS. States that the President shall not be required to include a person on this list if: (1) that person is no longer engaging in or has taken significant steps toward stopping sanctioned activities, and (2) the President has received reliable assurances that such person will not knowingly engage in any new sanctioned activity. States that nothing in this Act shall apply to authorized U.S. intelligence activities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2014
Calls on the Department of Defense (DOD) to expedite the direct delivery of all necessary military equipment, weapons, ammunition, and other needed materials to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces to successfully combat and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to direct the Attorney General to provide appropriate state officials responsible for regulating financial service providers or related businesses (in addition to state officials responsible for regulating state-licensed loan originators) with access to criminal history information to the extent that criminal history background checks are required under state law for the licensing of such parties.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
American Renaissance in Manufacturing Act - Title I: Creating a More Competitive Tax Code - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce to 25% of taxable income the income tax rate for corporations (currently, the maximum rate is 35%). Makes permanent: (1) the reduction in the recognition period for the built-in gains of S corporations, (2) the basis adjustments to the stock of S corporations making charitable contributions of appreciated property, (3) the expensing allowance for depreciable business assets, (4) the research tax credit, and (5) the additional depreciation allowance (bonus depreciation) for business assets. Title II: Reining In Job-Killing Washington Red Tape - States that the purpose of this title is to increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations. Revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to Congress and to the Comptroller General (GAO) a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule. Sets forth a congressional approval procedure for major rules and a congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to provide that any rule subject to such congressional approval procedure affecting budget authority, outlays, or receipts shall be assumed to be effective unless it is not approved in accordance with such procedure. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), before promulgating as final an energy-related rule that is estimated to cost more than $1 billion, to report to Congress on the effects of such rule on the economy and on employment. Prohibits the Administrator from: (1) using the social cost of carbon in any cost-benefit analysis relating to such energy-related rule; and (2) issuing, implementing, or enforcing any proposed or final rule under the Clean Air Act that establishes a performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from any new source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit unless the rule meets specified requirements. Nullifies the force and effect of specified proposed rules (or similar successor proposed or final rules) for Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units. Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize states to adopt and implement coal combustion residuals permit programs. Title III: Reducing Frivolous Legal Costs - Amends the sanctions provisions in Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to require the court to impose an appropriate sanction on any attorney, law firm, or party that has violated, or is responsible for the violation of, the rule with regard to representations to the court. Requires any sanction to compensate parties injured by the conduct in question. Repeals the provision that prohibits filing a motion for sanctions if the challenged paper, claim, defense, contention, or denial is withdrawn or appropriately corrected within 21 days after service or within another time the court sets. Authorizes the court to impose additional sanctions, such as striking the pleadings, dismissing the suit, or other nonmonetary directives or ordering penalty payments if warranted for effective deterrence. Amends federal bankruptcy law to require a quarterly report on asbestos claims. Revises pleading and procedural requirements for patent infringement actions. Directs the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to notify the public on its website when a patent case is brought in federal court. Codifies judicial doctrine relating to the consideration of prior art in cases of double patenting for the purpose of determining the nonobviousness of a second patent's claimed invention, thereby specifying that such doctrine continues to apply to the first-inventor-to-file patent system under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. Amends the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to ensure that any emergency order issued under such Act for the interconnection of facilities for the generation, transmission, and sale of electric energy that may result in a conflict with a requirement of any environmental law: (1) requires generation, delivery, interchange, or transmission of electric energy only during hours necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest; and (2) to the maximum extent practical, is consistent with any other applicable environmental law and minimizes any adverse environmental impacts. Title IV: Preserving Access to Abundant and Affordable Sources of Energy - Expedites the permit approval process for the Keystone Pipeline by eliminating the requirement for a presidential permit and other requirements. Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity within 12 months after providing public notice of the permit application for a natural gas pipeline project. Prohibits any person from constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico without obtaining a certificate of crossing under this Act. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from enforcing any federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing (including any component of that process), relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any state that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for that activity. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to implement a leasing program that includes at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources, with an emphasis on offering the most geologically prospective parts of the planning area. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct specified oil and gas lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coasts of Virginia and South Carolina and to offer for sale leases of tracts in the Southern California area. Allocates 37.5% of the amount of new federal leasing revenues to coastal states that are: (1) impacted by the leases under which those revenues are received by the United States, and (2) within 200 miles of the leased tract. Establishes in the Department of the Interior: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety; (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management; (4) a Bureau of Ocean Energy; (5) an Ocean Energy Safety Service; and (6) an Office of Natural Resources Revenue. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a National Offshore Energy Safety Academy to train oil and gas inspectors and other Department of Interior personnel; and (2) an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board to provide advice on mineral and renewable energy exploration, development, and production activities. Abolishes the Minerals Management Service. Prohibits the Bureau of Ocean Energy and the Ocean Energy Safety Service from developing, proposing, finalizing, administering, or implementing any limitation on activities under their jurisdictions as a result of the coastal and marine spatial planning component of the National Ocean Policy developed under Executive Order No. 13547. Redefines the OCS to include all submerged lands lying within the U.S. exclusive economic zone and the Continental Shelf adjacent to any U.S. territory. Sets forth requirements for filing complaints for judicial review of federal actions relating to energy leases.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Condemns: (1) all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval over political events, and (2) the comparison of Israel to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide. Applauds those foreign leaders, especially in France, Italy, and Germany, who have condemned anti-Semitic acts, and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Supports Holocaust educational programs at home and abroad. Urges the Secretary of State to: maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority, urge governments to ensure that adequate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes as well as establish mechanisms to investigate and punish perpetrators, continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism as a human rights and religious freedom issue, provide training for diplomatic and law enforcement personnel posted abroad to report on anti-Semitic incidents, deepen engagement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and support its specialized efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, and oppose efforts to prevent any individual from exercising his or her religion without fear of prosecution or violence.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hamas's use of this illegal tactic. Calls on: (1) the international community to recognize Hamas's grave breaches of international law by using human shields, and (2) Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields. Places responsibility for launching the rocket attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, in Gaza. Supports Israel's sovereign right to defend its territory and stop the rocket attacks on its citizens. Expresses condolences to the families of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. Supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all forms of terrorism and who desire to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 - Prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing the proposed rule entitled, "Definition of 'Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act," issued on April 21, 2014, or the proposed guidance entitled, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected By the Clean Water Act," dated February 17, 2012; or using the proposed rule or proposed guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance as the basis for any rulemaking or decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to withdraw the interpretive rule entitled, "Notice of Availability Regarding the Exemption from Permitting Under Section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act to Certain Agricultural Conservation Practices," issued on April 21, 2014. Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to consult with relevant state and local officials to develop recommendations for a regulatory proposal that would identify the scope of waters covered under the Clean Water Act and the scope of waters not covered.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2014 - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: (1) placed in removal proceedings, (2) eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and (3) provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements, in addition to countries contiguous to the United States, between the United States and Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and any other appropriate country regarding the repatriation of children. Applies the requirements of this Act to any UAC apprehended on or after June 15, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Condemns the President and the executive branch for actions that are beyond the laws of the United States. Calls on the President and the executive branch to: (1) adhere to the Constitution and halt all unlawful and illegal actions that circumvent Congress and violate the Constitution, and (2) respect the constitutionally defined separation of powers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
National Border and Homeland Security Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to give state criminal alien assistance program (SCAAP) funding priority to: (1) northern or southern border states, or (2) state political subdivisions having one of the four largest populations of unlawfully present aliens for the preceding fiscal year. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) to complete the required 700 mile southwest border fencing and priority-area fencing by December 31, 2015. Amends the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to direct the Secretary, in consultation with state and local officials along the U.S.-Mexico border, to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders by December 31, 2015. Directs the Secretary to: increase the number of full-time, active-duty Border Patrol agents through FY2018; increase the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at U.S. ports of entry through FY2018; and establish within 18 months the biometric entry and exit data system required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from impeding border security-related activities by the Secretary on U.S. public lands. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (of DHS), in protecting the United States from a nuclear, fissile material, or radiological attack, to consider potential smuggling routes in land border areas between ports of entry, railcars entering the United States from Canada or Mexico, and private aircraft or small vessels. Directs the Secretary to procure within one year the number of next generation portable radiation detectors (PRDs) and radioactive isotope identification devices (RIIDs) required by the Border Patrol along the southern and northern U.S. borders. Directs the Secretary to develop within one year, and implement within two years of development, a strategic plan to detect and interdict biological and chemical weapons entering the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Commonsense Legislative Exceptional Events Reforms Act of 2014 - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise the requirements for regulations that govern the review and handling of air quality monitoring data influenced by exceptional events. (The Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] may exclude monitored exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards from consideration when designating an area as nonattainment, redesignating an area as nonattainment, or reclassifying an existing nonattainment area to a higher classification if a state demonstrates that an exceptional event caused the exceedances.) Requires the criteria used to determine if an exceptional event was demonstrated to be specific in order to minimize the discretion of the EPA in approving or disapproving the demonstration. Requires the EPA to make a determination within 90 days after the submission of a petition by a state of an exceptional event demonstration. Considers the demonstration approved if the EPA does not make a determination by that deadline. Requires a determination to be based on a preponderance of the evidence and to accord substantial deference to the findings of the state exceptional event demonstration. Establishes an appeal process for reviewing a disapproval of a demonstration.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014 - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement Agreement between the Hualapai Tribe, the Department of of the Interior, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the Freeport Minerals Corporation. Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Agreement between the Tribe, the United States as trustee for the Tribe, and Freeport Minerals Corporation. Directs the Secretary of Interior to execute both agreements. Sets forth provisions regarding the waiver, release, and retention of specified water rights claims.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the accelerated depreciation (seven-year recovery period) of motorsports entertainment complexes.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2014 or the ACE Kids Act of 2014 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to extend medical assistance to payment for items and services furnished under a Medicaid Children's Care Coordination (MCCC) Program which the state may elect to provide to eligible children with complex medical conditions. Requires an MCCC program, among other things, to coordinate, integrate, and provide for the furnishing of the full range of MCCC program services to enrolled children, as well as designate pediatric care management services and pediatric focused care coordination and health promotion. Requires eligible children to be enrolled prospectively in an MCCC program through initial assignment to a nationally designated children's hospital network.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014
Southwest Border Protection Act of 2014 - Requires Secretary of Defense (DOD), at the request of a governor of a state that shares a portion of the international border between the United States and Mexico, to order to active duty, and provide for the deployment of, at least 10,000 members of the National Guard to assist the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in achieving operational control of such border. Provides for such deployment to be in addition to the number of National Guard members already deployed along such border as of the enactment of this Act. Requires such a governor-requested deployment to continue until: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) certifies that the federal government has achieved operational control, or (2) the governor withdraws the request. Exempts National Guard members deployed under this Act from being counted toward any limits on: (1) end strength, or (2) the number of National Guard personnel that may be placed on active duty for operational support.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2014
Department of Energy Research and Development Act of 2014 - Enabling Innovation for Science, Technology, and Energy in America Act of 2014 or the EINSTEIN Act - Authorizes and modified Department of Energy (DOE) programs related to science, basic research, and applied energy research and development. Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2015 for these purposes. Directs the DOE Office of Science to carry out research programs related to: basic energy sciences, including materials sciences and engineering, chemical sciences, physical biosciences, and geosciences; advanced scientific computing; high energy physics; biological and environmental research; fusion energy; and nuclear physics. Requires the Office of Science to carry out a program to improve the safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of infrastructure at its laboratories. Directs the Secretary of Energy to make public specified details related to cost-share waivers, technology transfer agreements, and financial awards. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to set forth policies related to technology transfer activities. Requires the Secretary to review all DOE science and technology activities and develop a plan to improve collaboration and coordination in research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities. Directs DOE to carry out nuclear energy research and development, including research related to reactor concepts, small modular reactors, conventional improvements to nuclear power plants, and fuel cycles.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts with such non-VA facilities as may be necessary to furnish hospital care and medical services to veterans who: have waited longer than the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (as of June 1, 2014) for an appointment for hospital care or medical services in a VA facility; have been notified by a VA facility that an appointment for hospital care or medical services is not available within such wait-time goals; or reside more than 40 miles from the VA medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is closest to their residence. Allows eligible veterans who opt for hospital care or medical services in a non-VA facility to receive such care or services through the completion of the episode of care, but for no longer than 60 days. Directs the Secretary, to the extent that appropriations are available to the VHA for medical services, to reimburse non-VA facilities with which the VA does not have such a contract for providing hospital care and medical services to such veterans, if such care and services cannot be provided within the VHA's wait-time goals in a facility with which the VA has a contract. Sets the reimbursement rate for such care or services at the greatest of the VA, Medicare, or TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed care program) payment rate for such care or services. Terminates the Secretary's authority to contract with or reimburse non-VA facilities for the provision of such care and services two years after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract or contracts with a private entity or entities with experience in VHA and private delivery systems and in health care management to conduct an independent assessment of the hospital care and medical services furnished in VA facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from paying awards and bonuses to VA employees for FY2014-FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Empower Employees Act - Prohibits federal agencies, including executive, legislative, and judicial agencies, the United States Postal Service (USPO), the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), and the government of the District of Columbia, from deducting labor organization fees from the salaries of their employees.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2014
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes the repeal of any federal law or regulation when the legislatures of two-thirds of the states approve resolutions for this purpose that particularly describe the provisions to be repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement the policy set forth in the notice of proposed policy entitled "Proposal To Consider the Impact of One Engine Inoperative Procedures in Obstruction Evaluation Aeronautical Studies" published by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on April 28, 2014, only if the policy is adopted pursuant to notice and comment rulemaking.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the following entities, programs, and courses eligible for funding under title IV if they are accredited by an authorized accreditation authority in a state that has an alternative accreditation agreement with the Secretary of Education: institutions that provide postsecondary courses; postsecondary apprenticeship programs; and postsecondary education courses or programs provided by institutions of postsecondary education, nonprofit organizations, or for-profit organizations or businesses. Lists the items to be included in a state's alternative accreditation agreement with the Secretary, including the standards those entities, programs, and courses must meet to receive and maintain their accreditation. Requires that agreement to include the state's assurance that only entities, programs, and courses that provide credits toward a postsecondary certification, credential, or degree (as defined by the state in the agreement) will be accredited. Establishes the formula for determining the administrative cost allowance for: (1) the entities, programs, and courses that are accredited through the alternative accreditation system and that administer the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs in accordance with the agreement; and (2) states that will administer those programs for such entities, programs, and courses in accordance with the agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2014
Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act concerning establishment of minimum leverage and minimum risk-based capital requirements on a consolidated basis for a depository institution holding company or a nonbank financial company supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board). States that federal banking agencies shall not be required to subject any person to such minimum capital requirements, to the extent that such person either: (1) acts in its capacity as a regulated insurance entity regulated by a state insurance regulator, or (2) is a regulated foreign subsidiary engaged in the business of insurance (including a regulated foreign affiliate of such subsidiary). Exempts from any requirement to prepare holding company financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles any Board-supervised depository institution holding company or nonbank financial company that is also a person regulated by a state insurance regulator or a regulated foreign subsidiary (or a regulated foreign affiliate) that files its holding company financial statements using only Statutory Accounting Principles in accordance with state law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) to revise qualifications requirements for members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion. Revises requirements for the Corporation's annual report to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to require a description of and rationales for: (1) the Corporation's efforts to focus on specific countries and populations, and (2) its combination of media channels employed in meeting the promotional objectives of its marketing campaign. Directs the Corporation and the Secretary (or their designees) to meet biannually to review procedures to determine the fair market value of goods and services received by the Corporation from non-federal sources. Reduces from 80% to 75% the percentage of the fair market value of those goods and services the Corporation may receive from non-federal sources each fiscal year, increasing from 20% to 25% the federal matching rate. Includes U.S. territories among the states and the District of Columbia whose benefit the Corporation's international travel promotion plan must ensure. Extends the TPA and the Corporation through FY2020. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend through FY2020 also the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to charge a fee for use of the electronic travel authorization system to determine, in advance, an alien's eligibility to travel to the United States. Amends the TPA to require the Corporation to establish performance metrics to: (1) measure the impact of its marketing efforts, and (2) demonstrate any cost or benefit to the U.S. economy. Requires the Corporation to report to Congress actions it has taken in response to any recommendations the Government Accountability Office (GAO) might make to it. Requires the Corporation to: (1) establish a competitive procurement process, and (2) certify in its annual report to Congress that any contracts it has entered into were in compliance with that process.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2014
Acre in, Acre Out Act - Prescribes a new requirement for the acquisition of land by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) that would result in a net increase of total land acreage under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), or the Forest Service. Requires the Secretary concerned to offer for sale an equal number of acres of federal land that is under the same jurisdictional status. Exempts from this requirement any easements acquired to facilitate management of federal lands. Requires land sold pursuant to this Act to be offered for sale: (1) at fair market value (based on local comparable sales); and (2) at a price reduced by 10% each month if the land is not sold or under contract six months after it was first offered for sale. Declares that time periods during which such land is under contract or withdrawn from the market shall not be counted for price reduction purposes. Requires all net proceeds from the sale of federal lands pursuant to this Act to be deposited directly into the Treasury for reduction of the public debt.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001183_200.jpg)