United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue the following coins in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution: up to 250,000 $50 bi-metallic platinum and gold coins, up to 250,000 $20 gold coins, and up to 500,000 $1 silver coins. Requires such coins to be considered legal tender and numismatic items. Permits Treasury to issue such coins only during the one-year period beginning January 1 of the issuance year, except that sales may be initiated, without issuance, before such date. Requires specified surcharges that Treasury receives from the sale of such coins to be paid to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Directs Treasury to ensure that: (1) the minting and issuing of such coins will not result in any net cost to the U.S. government; and (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to the Museum until the total cost of designing and issuing all such coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Nullifies the rule submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of "waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act and published on June 29, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Condemns: (1) the Assad regime for its atrocities against the Syrian people, including its weaponized use of chlorine; and (2) the use of any toxic chemical, including chlorine, as a weapon in Syria. Maintains that: (1) those who have engaged in such unlawful actions should be held accountable by the international community and urges the President to report to Congress on the use of chemical weapons, including chlorine, in Syria; and (2) no party in Syria should use, develop, acquire, or transfer chemical weapons, including weapons employing chlorine. Calls on the Administration to: (1) continue offering material support to programs and individuals collecting evidence of the use of chemical weapons inside of Syria, and (2) facilitate the future transfer of such evidence for use in prosecuting those responsible. Urges the international community to establish a comprehensive strategy regarding Syria which may include establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Small Business Healthcare Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow an employer with fewer than 50 employees that does not offer group health insurance coverage to establish a health reimbursement arrangement. Under the arrangement, funds contributed by an employer are excluded from the employer's taxable income and are used to pay or reimburse employees for medical care expenses, including premiums for individual health insurance coverage or Medicare supplemental insurance. Such a reimbursement arrangement: (1) must not pay premiums for an employee covered by a family member's coverage, (2) must be offered to all eligible employees on the same terms and may only vary based on the number of individuals covered, and (3) is not required to provide continuation coverage. Employer contributions to a reimbursement arrangement are not included in an employee's gross income if the employee was covered by the reimbursement arrangement for more than nine months of the year. Employees covered for less than nine months have a percentage of employer contributions included in their gross income, with exceptions. An employee offered affordable individual health insurance coverage under a reimbursement arrangement is not eligible for a premium assistance tax credit. Employers must report contributions to a reimbursement arrangement on their employees' W-2. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exempt reimbursement arrangements from requirements for health insurance coverage. Insurance offered under a reimbursement arrangement remains subject to the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Urges: states hanging the Confederate battle flag in public and state locations to remove the flag; states to discontinue use of the Confederate battle flag and its likeness on any property deemed governmental speech, including license plates; businesses to discontinue selling Confederate battle flags and related merchandise; and states with flags that include depictions of and symbolic references to the Confederate battle flag to remove those depictions and references.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Caregivers Access and Responsible Expansion for All Veterans Act or the CARE for All Veterans Act Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill (or aggravated such injury or illness) on active duty before September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Establishes three monthly caregiver stipend starting dates for pre-September 11, 2001, members of the Armed Forces or veterans based upon the amount and degree of personal care services provided. Includes among program eligibility criteria a veteran's need for regular or extensive instruction or supervision in completing two or more instrumental activities of daily living.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act of 2015 Redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the state of Georgia as the "Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park." Replaces the current boundary map with a map of a proposed boundary revision dated June 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Requirements are revised for determining which states and political subdivisions are or are not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to such requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Any specific political subdivision of a state shall also be subject to those requirements for a 10-year period if 3 or more violations occurred in it during the previous 25 calendar years. A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless new violations occur after the declaratory judgment was issued. Each state and each political subdivision shall: (1) identify any newly enacted or adopted law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a voting-related standard, practice, or procedure (covered practice); and (2) ensure that no such covered practice is implemented unless or until the state or political subdivision complies with certain preclearance requirements. This bill prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions, including authority to assign observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act or the Healthy MOM Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and Internal Revenue Code to require health insurers, health insurance exchanges, and group health plans to offer a special enrollment period to pregnant women beginning when the pregnancy is reported to the issuer, exchange, or plan. The Office of Personnel Management must ensure that eligible pregnant women are allowed to enroll in federal employee health benefit plans outside of the open enrollment period.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2015
Keep Our Pension Promises Act This bill repeals the elimination of the pension anti-cutback provisions under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The anti-cutback provisions prohibit reductions in pension benefits to participants in multiemployer pension plans. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow a plan sponsor of an eligible multiemployer plan to petition the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for a partition of a financially-troubled pension plan. PBGC is required to establish a legacy fund to cover the administrative and benefit costs resulting from a partition.. The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to assign first claim priority to pension obligations under ERISA. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a limit of $1 million on the exemption of the gain from the exchange of real property in a like kind exchange, (2) prohibit the use of like kind exchanges for collectibles, (3) establish estate valuation rules for certain transfers of nonbusiness assets, and (4) limit estate tax discounts for certain individuals with minority interests in a business acquired from a decedent.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Government Transformation Act Establishes the Commission on Government Transformation. Directs the Commission to: (1) review work done by governmental and non-governmental entities and conduct research on the organizational practices, operations, and reform efforts of federal agencies; (2) analyze organizational practices and management challenges of federal agencies; (3) assess federal programs for economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and identify best practices; (4) upon request, provide information on Commission activities to the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget, other federal agency heads, and the Office of Inspector General of each federal agency; and (5) serve as a repository for best practices for federal agencies. Requires the Commission to make interim and annual reports on its activities to the President and Congress and make such reports available to the public. Provides for expedited congressional consideration of legislation to implement recommendations of the Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act or the FAST Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) expand access to certain stroke telehealth services to any originating site at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished, regardless of where the site is located; and (2) waive the facility fee for certain such originating sites.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education (ED) to provide grants to local educational agencies to encourage the ongoing development of programs and curricula for girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and prepare those students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Airport Security Act of 2015 Directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a program to prohibit all but specified authorized individuals from possessing a firearm at a covered airport, including any individual who enters the airport, or exits public transportation at it, for air travel, meeting another individual, picking up cargo, or employment. Directs TSA to require airport operators to: display conspicuous notices summarizing the program at each airport entrance, and require law enforcement personnel to monitor the airport to prevent violations and escort air travelers who are authorized to carry a firearm. Prescribes criminal penalties for nonauthorized individuals who knowingly possess a firearm at a covered airport.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), particularly those provided in rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and in hospice programs. Amends Medicare part E (Miscellaneous) to exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system. Authorizes marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require a group or individual health plan that covers anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable coverage for anticancer medications administered by a patient. A plan may apply to patient-administered anticancer medications only the cost-sharing and limitations that apply to anticancer medications administered by a health care provider. These requirements apply to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with these requirements, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Global Democracy Promotion Act States that, with respect to eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be ineligible for such assistance solely on the basis of health or medical services provided by such organizations with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States. Declares in addition that foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving assistance under part I of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day. Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future, and (2) the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, half-dollar clad, and proof silver coins in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Treasury may issue coins minted under this Act for only a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2019. All sales of coins minted under this Act shall include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, $5 per half-dollar clad coin, and $50 per proof silver coin. All of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid as follows: one-half to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's "Destination Moon" exhibit; one-quarter to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; and one-quarter to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to aid its missions by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. The Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program providing eligible households with summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in order to give children access to food during the summer months to: (1) reduce or eliminate children's food insecurity and hunger, and (2) improve their nutritional status. An "eligible household" is a household that includes one or more children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs. The amount on each summer EBT card is set at $150 per child in 2017, with adjustments thereafter reflecting changes in reimbursement rates for school meals under the school lunch program. If children are enrolled to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs, they must be enrolled in this program without further application. Summer EBT cards may be used only to purchase food from retail food stores that have been approved for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Receiving Electronic Statements To Improve Retiree Earnings Act This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to authorize a document of any type that is required or permitted to be furnished to a retirement plan participant, beneficiary, or other individual to be furnished in electronic form if: (1) the system for furnishing such a document is designed to result in effective access to the document; (2) an annual paper notice is provided to each pension plan participant, beneficiary, or other individual that describes the selection of the specific electronic means for the furnishing of such document; and (3) the electronically-furnished document is prepared and furnished in an appropriate style and format and includes a notice that apprises the recipient of the significance of the document.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Community Lender Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act with respect to the presumption of a mortgagor's ability to pay a qualified residential mortgage loan and the insured depository institutions or insured credit unions meeting specified criteria that may be its creditors. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is amended to exempt from its requirement of annual written privacy notices certain financial institutions. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to: (1) increase from $500 million to $1 billion the size of certain small insured depository institutions eligible for an 18-month on-site examination cycle, and (2) require private deposit insurers of credit unions to give the Federal Housing Finance Agency copies of independent audit reports within 7 days after the audit is completed. The Federal Home Loan Bank Act is amended to require the treatment of a state-chartered credit union as an insured depository institution even though it is not federally insured if it has applied for membership in a federal home loan bank and has met specified conditions, including insurance application eligibility requirements under the Federal Credit Union Act. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the adequacy of insurance reserves held by the private deposit insurer of privately insured credit unions, including the level of compliance with federal regulations regarding disclosure of a lack of federal deposit insurance. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to extend securities registration requirements to savings and loan holding companies. The S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 is amended to: establish a transitional period during which a state, while examining the applicant's submitted background information, may permit a covered registered loan originator applying for a state license as a loan originator to act as one under the supervision of a non-depository firm that engages in loan origination in that state, and grant confidentiality to information shared with state and federal regulatory officials with financial services industry oversight authority. The Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 is amended to cover specified sections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act as "enumerated consumer laws." The expiration of the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 is repealed, and the Act is restored and revived as it was in effect on December 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission to carry out activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the date the U.S. Virgin Islands became an unincorporated U.S. territory.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
This bill amends the United States Cotton Futures Act to exclude cotton future contracts involving cotton that is grown outside of the United States and tendered for delivery from coverage under the Act, including the requirement that the cotton be classified by the Department of Agriculture.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Postmaster General should issue a first-class postage stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Virgin Islands becoming a part of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2015
Securing Senior's Health Care Act of 2015 This bill amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (in effect, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS]) to revise for 2017, and periodically afterwards, the system for risk adjustments to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations so that an individual's risk score takes into account the number of chronic conditions with which the individual has been diagnosed. HHS must, including an actuarial opinion of the CMS Chief Actuary, evaluate the impacts of: including two years of data to compare the models used to determine the risk scores for 2013 and 2014, removing the diagnosis codes related to chronic kidney disease in the 2014 risk adjustment model, and including 10% of encounter data in computing payment for 2016 and CMS readiness to incorporate encounter data in risk scores. HHS shall also analyze the best practices of MedicareAdvantage (MA) plans to slow disease progression related to chronic kidney disease. HHS shall then, if appropriate, make revisions to the risk adjustment system, based on such an evaluation or analysis, to better reflect and appropriately weight for the population served. Congress declares that the five-star quality rating system for MA plans lacks proper accounting for the socioeconomic status of plan enrollees and the extent to which those plans serve individuals also eligible for medical assistance under SSAct title XIX (Medicaid). It is the intent of Congress to: (1) continue to study and request input on the effects of socioeconomic status and dual-eligible populations on the five-star quality rating system for MA plans before reforming it, and, pending study and input results, (2) delay CMS authority to terminate MA plan contracts solely on the basis of performance under the five-star quality rating system. HHS may not, through the end of plan year 2018, terminate a contract with respect to the offering of an MA plan by an MA organization solely because the plan has failed to achieve a minimum quality rating under the five-star rating system.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Voluntary Protection Program Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) voluntary protection program, under which management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Honors military caregivers of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to show support to military families and the sacrifices endured by those families in service to the United States. Recognizes the daisy as the flower for military caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Private Prison Information Act of 2015 Subjects records relating to the operation of and prisoners in a prison or other correctional or detention facility that is owned or operated by a nongovernmental entity, state, or local government and that incarcerates or detains federal prisoners pursuant to a contract or agreement with a federal agency to the Freedom of Information Act in the same manner as records maintained by a federal agency operating a federal prison or detention facility.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
21st Century Cures Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through FY2018. The NIH Innovation Fund is established to fund a strategic plan, early stage investigators, and high-risk, high-reward research. The NIH may require scientific data to be shared if the research is fully funded by the NIH. The NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must implement a system that allows further research on clinical trial data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must expand surveillance of neurological diseases. The Council for 21st Century Cures is established to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative cures, treatments, and preventive measures. The Department of Health and Human Services must monitor the use of antibacterial and antifungal drugs and resistance to these drugs. Requirements are established for interoperability and certification of health information technology. Practices that discourage the exchange of electronic health information are prohibited. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the drug approval process, including by: (1) allowing patient experience data to be considered in the risk-benefit assessment of a new drug, (2) requiring the FDA to qualify drug development tools, (3) allowing the FDA to rely upon data previously submitted for a different purpose to expedite the development of certain drugs, and (4) establishing a streamlined data review program for approval of a drug for an additional indication. Manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs for serious conditions must publish their policies on compassionate use requests. The marketing exclusivity period is extended by six months for a drug approved for a new indication that is a rare disease or condition. The priority review voucher program for rare pediatric diseases is revised and extended. The FDA must: (1) establish a program for priority review of breakthrough medical devices, (2) identify types of devices that do not require a report preceding introduction, and (3) rely on a third-party to determine the safety and effectiveness of changes to medical devices. Regarding medical devices, this bill defines “valid scientific evidence” and makes changes to classification panels and the humanitarian device exemption. “Health software” is defined and, with certain exceptions, exempted from FDA regulations. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to: (1) increase certain payments for new antimicrobial drugs, (2) establish a payment methodology for certain medical devices, and (3) publish online estimated payments for certain outpatient items and services. A pharmaceutical and technology ombudsman within the CMS must respond to complaints from manufacturers of medical products. Medicare prescription drug plan sponsors may limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. This bill amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to allow exported controlled substances to be re-exported within the European Economic Area.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-approved lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional). Allows coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by another appropriate health care provider or program only if it is furnished: (1) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in a primary care or other HHS-specified setting; and (2) in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, a community-based site that complies with the federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information, or another HHS-specified setting. Authorizes HHS to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more related comorbidities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Field EMS Modernization and Innovation Act This bill amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to evaluate the implementation and reimbursement under Medicare of field EMS (emergency medical response and medical care provided outside of a medical facility) other than transportation to the nearest appropriate medical facility. The Social Security Administration (SSA) must: (1) promote innovative payment models for field EMS, (2) develop and evaluate innovative models of field EMS delivery and reimbursement, and (3) pay providers and suppliers of ground ambulance services for reporting certain quality measures. The SSA may establish for field EMS an innovative payment model that has been sufficiently demonstrated. The Public Health Service Act (PHSA) is amended to require the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to: (1) award grants to improve field EMS agency readiness and for field EMS education programs, (2) promote medical oversight of field EMS, (3) make recommendations for improving collection and use of field EMS data that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) must implement, and (4) develop and implement a national emergency medical services strategy to improve patient outcomes in the field and support value-based emergency medical care. Patient safety improvement activities are expanded to include field EMS agencies, medical directors, and emergency medical technicians. Responsibility for the National EMS Information System is transferred from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the ONC. Emergency medical service providers are health care providers for purposes of title XXX (Health Information Technology and Quality) of the PHSA. HHS is responsible for improving the emergency medical care system and field EMS. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must conduct or support field EMS research. Federal field EMS research may be used to determine Medicare coverage. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund and allow individuals to contribute to the fund when filing a tax return.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Expresses support for the goals of Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month. (Uterine fibroids are common in women and can cause pain, bleeding, and infertility.) Recognizes the disparity in incidence rates of uterine fibroids in African-American and Hispanic women, and the need for greater research, treatment, and care options.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2015 Prohibits the wages or other remuneration earned by an employee who performs employment duties in more than one state from being subject to income tax in any state other than: (1) the state of the employee's residence, and (2) the state within which the employee is present and performing employment duties for more than 30 days during the calendar year. Exempts employers from withholding of tax and information reporting requirements for employees not subject to income tax under this Act. Allows an employer, for purposes of determining penalties related to employer withholding or reporting requirements, to rely on an employee's annual determination of the time such employee will spend working in a state in the absence of fraud or collusion by such employee. Exempts from the definition of "employee" for purposes of this Act professional athletes, professional entertainers, and public figures who are persons of prominence who perform services for wages or other remuneration on a per-event basis.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
National Credit Union Administration Budget Transparency Act This bill amends the Federal Credit Union Act to require the National Credit Union Administration Board, before the annual submission of its required detailed business-type budget, to: (1) print a draft of the budget in the Federal Register; (2) hold a public hearing to receive comments from the public on the draft; and (3) include in the required integral set of accounts statements in which the budget will address any of such comments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Prevent Trafficking in Cultural Property Act Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enhance and unify their efforts to interdict, detain, seize, and investigate cultural property illegally imported into the United States, disrupt and dismantle smuggling and trafficking networks engaged in or facilitating illegal trade in cultural property, and support Offices of U.S. Attorneys in prosecuting persons engaged in such illegal trade; and (2) protect cultural property pursuant to U.S. obligations under international conventions. Requires the CBP and ICE to each designate a principal coordinator or group of personnel to direct, manage, coordinate, and update their respective policies and procedures, and conduct interagency communications, regarding illegally imported cultural property. Directs the CBP and ICE to update and devise directives, regulations, rules, and memoranda of understanding relating to policies and procedures on the illegal importation of cultural property in order to: (1) reflect changes in cultural property law, (2) emphasize investigating, and providing support for investigations and prosecutions of, persons engaged in or facilitating the illegal importation of cultural property, and (3) provide for communication, coordination, and unity of effort between relevant CBP and ICE offices in investigating and supporting prosecutions of such individuals. Requires the CBP and ICE to ensure that all CBP and ICE personnel involved in interdicting and investigating the illegal importation of cultural property receive sufficient training in relevant cultural property laws, the identification of cultural property from regions that are at greatest risk of looting and trafficking, and methods of interdiction and investigative techniques specifically related to illegal trade in cultural property. Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that the heads of all DHS components involved in cultural property protection activities are authorized to enter into agreements or memoranda of understanding to temporarily engage personnel from the Smithsonian Institution to further cultural property protection activities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Commodity End User Relief Act Amends the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) to direct registered futures associations to require their futures commission merchant members to: maintain written policies and procedures governing maintenance of members’ specified residual interests in customer segregated funds accounts, including cleared swaps customer collateral accounts; and establish rules governing the withdrawal, transfer, or disbursement of a member's residual interest in customer segregated funds, in foreign futures and foreign options customer secured amount funds, and from a cleared swaps customer collateral. Authorizes the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to require that property of the bankruptcy estate, including trading or operating accounts and commodities held in inventory, of a commodity broker who is a Chapter 7 debtor in bankruptcy be included in customer property to the extent that such property is insufficient to satisfy the net equity claims of the broker's public customers. Extends authority for CFTC operations. Amends the CEA to revise the requirement that the CFTC, before promulgating a regulation or issuing an order, consider the costs and benefits of the action. Requires the CFTC, through the Office of the Chief Economist (established by this Act), to: (1) assess and publish the costs and benefits, both qualitative and quantitative, of the proposed regulation; and (2) require the proposed regulation or order to state its statutory justification. Requires the CFTC to submit every five years to certain congressional committees a detailed strategic technology plan focused on its acquisition and use of technology. Requires CFTC staff to develop comprehensive internal risk control mechanisms to safeguard and govern the storage of all market data, including CFTC market data sharing agreements, and academic research performed at the CFTC using market data. Directs the Government Accountability Office, among other things, to: assess whether CFTC resources are sufficient to enable the CFTC to carry out its duties effectively; and examine prior CFTC expenditures on hardware, software, and analytical processes to protect customers in the areas of market surveillance and risk detection, and market data collection, aggregation, interpretation, standardization, harmonization, and streamlining. Revises the treatment of affiliate transactions that may be exempt from clearing requirements to authorize such an exemption only if such affiliate enters into the swap to hedge or mitigate the commercial risk of the person that is not a financial entity (as under current law), except that if the hedge or mitigation of the commercial risk is addressed by entering into a swap with a swap dealer or major swap participant, an appropriate credit support measure or other mechanism must be utilized. Prescribes reporting requirements for transactions in utility operations-related swaps. Requires the CFTC, in determining whether to exempt from designation as a swap dealer an entity that engages in a de minimis quantity of swap dealing, to treat a utility operations-related swap entered into with a utility special entity as if the entity were not a special entity. Excludes from the definition of financial entity subject to clearing requirements specified entities that are not supervised by a prudential regulator, yet are commercial market participants deemed to be a financial entity because they: (1) predominantly engage in physical delivery contracts; or (2) enter into swaps, contracts for future delivery, and other derivatives on behalf of, or to hedge or mitigate the commercial risk of affiliates that are not so supervised or described. Directs the CFTC to: (1) provide by rule for the public reporting of swap transactions in illiquid markets that are not cleared and entered into by a non-financial entity that is hedging or mitigating commercial risk; and (2) ensure that certain swap transaction information is publicly available no sooner than 30 days after the swap transaction has been executed, or at such later date as the CFTC determines appropriate to protect the identity of participants and positions in illiquid markets and to prevent the elimination or reduction of market liquidity. Sets forth recordkeeping requirements for a member of a designated contract market or a swap execution facility that is neither registered with the CFTC nor required to be so registered. Excludes from the definition of “swap” any purchase or sale of a nonfinancial commodity or security for deferred shipment or delivery, so long as the transaction is intended to be physically settled (as under current law). Requires a new affirmative CFTC rule or regulation in order to amend or reduce the de minimis quantity of swap dealing that is currently set at $8 billion. Directs the CFTC, in consultation with the prudential regulators and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to the extent that swap dealers and major swap participants that are banks are permitted by the regulators or the SEC to use approved financial models to calculate minimum capital requirements and minimum initial and variation margin requirements, including the use of non-cash collateral, to permit the use of comparable financial models by swap dealers and major swap participants that are not banks. Directs the CFTC to amend regulations regarding criteria that qualify certain registered commodity pool operators for exemption from requirements for specified risk disclosures, performance disclosures, periodic reporting, annual reporting, and recordkeeping. Alters one criterion for qualification for such exemptions currently granted to: (1) registered commodity pool operators who sell participations in a pool solely to qualified eligible persons in an offering which qualifies for exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, and (2) certain banks registered as commodity pool operators in connection with a pool that is a collective trust fund whose securities are exempt from registration under the Securities Act . Authorizes the CFTC to define a bona fide hedging transaction, consistent with certain CEA requirements. Directs the CFTC to issue rules governing cross-border regulation of derivatives transactions. Considers the swaps regulatory requirements of eight foreign jurisdictions with the largest swaps markets to be comparable to and as comprehensive as U.S. swaps requirements. Exempts from U.S. swaps requirements either a non-U.S. person or a transaction between two non-U.S. persons if the person or transaction is in compliance with the swaps regulatory requirements of specified foreign jurisdictions. Entitles to expedited CFTC consideration a petition for review that is requested by either a registered entity, commercial market participant, or CFTC registrant with respect to a CFTC determination regarding foreign jurisdiction regulatory requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2015 Requires states receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, the Local Government Law Enforcement Block Grants Program, or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to: (1) require all individuals enrolled in an academy of a law enforcement agency and all law enforcement officers of the state to fulfill a training session on sensitivity each fiscal year, including training on ethnic and racial bias, cultural diversity, and police interaction with the disabled, mentally ill, and new immigrants; and (2) certify to the Attorney General that such training sessions have been completed. Subjects a state that fails to comply to a reduction of up to 20% of such funds that would otherwise be allocated to the state. Authorizes the Attorney General to waive such requirements if compliance would violate a state's Constitution. Directs the Attorney General to reduce by 20% the amount that would otherwise be awarded to a state or local government under such grant programs for a fiscal year if it fails to enact or have in effect by the end of the previous fiscal year a statute requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to conduct any criminal investigation and prosecution in which: (1) one or more of the possible defendants is a law enforcement officer, (2) one or more of the alleged offenses involves the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force in the course of carrying out that officer's duty, and (3) the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force resulted in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Recognizes the National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system and supports the designation of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Data Security Act of 2015 Requires individuals, corporations, or other non-government entities that access, maintain, communicate, or handle sensitive financial account information or nonpublic personal information to implement an information security program and to notify consumers, federal law enforcement, appropriate administrative agencies, payment card networks, and consumer reporting agencies of certain data breaches of unencrypted sensitive information likely to cause identity theft or fraudulent transactions on consumer financial accounts. Directs entities to require their third-party service providers by contract to implement appropriate safeguards for sensitive information. Allows an entity to delay notifications upon the request of a law enforcement agency. Provides special notification procedures for: (1) third-party service providers that maintain data in electronic form on behalf of another entity, and (2) certain electronic data carriers. Allows financial institutions to communicate with account holders regarding breaches at third-party entities with access to their account information. Sets forth alternative compliance procedures for: (1) financial institutions and affiliates under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and (2) entities complying with certain health record privacy laws. Requires this Act to be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, or a state insurance authority depending on the type of entity handling the sensitive information. Prohibits certain state laws from being imposed for information security and breach notification purposes. Sets forth requirements concerning the application of this Act to entities regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based and promising practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities and Indian tribes. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention or intervention. Directs the Office to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
