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 · 1 June 2015
Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish in the Treasury the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund; (2) allow individual taxpayers to designate on their tax returns a specified portion (not less than $1) of any overpayment of tax, and to make a contribution of an additional amount, to be paid over to such Fund to provide services to homeless veterans; and (3) require the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Housing and Urban Development, each year beginning with the President's annual budget submission for FY2017, to include a description of the use of funds from the Fund in the previous fiscal year and the proposed use of such funds for the next fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Friendly Airports for Mothers Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to approve a grant application for an airport development project only if the Secretary receives written assurances that the owner or operator of a large or medium hub airport will maintain a lactation area at each passenger terminal building of the airport behind the airport security screening area. The bill defines "lactation area" to mean a room or other location in a commercial service airport for members of the public to express breast milk that: is shielded from view and free from intrusion from the public; has a door that can be locked; includes a place to sit, a table or other flat surface, and an electrical outlet; is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; and is not located in a restroom. The Secretary may approve a terminal development project for the construction or installation of a lactation area at a commercial service airport.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Hero Street USA Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins emblematic of Hero Street (in Silvis, Illinois) in the following amounts in commemoration of the semi-centennial of the naming of Hero Street: (1) 50,000 $5 gold coins, (2) 400,000 $1 silver coins, and (3) 750,000 half-dollar clad coins. Coins may be issued only between January 1 and December 31, 2018. There must be surcharges of: (1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin, (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin, and (3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin, all to be paid to implement the Wounded Warrior Project. The Treasury must act to ensure that coin minting and issuance do not result in any net cost to the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
TIGER Grants for Job Creation Act This bill provides $7.5 billion in supplemental FY2016 appropriations to the Department of Transportation for National Infrastructure Investments under a competitive grant program known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The bill permits the funds to remain available through FY2021. The funding provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Emergency spending is exempt from limits on discretionary spending and other budget enforcement rules. The funding is only available if the President subsequently designates the amount as an emergency and submits the designation to Congress. The funding is also exempt from sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the establishment of physicians' fee schedules, to extend for 2016 and each subsequent year the classification of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services as imaging services used in bone mass scans. The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish national minimum payment amounts for such services as identified by specified Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes and adjusted by the pertinent geographical adjustment factors.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Calls on Turkey to lift restrictions on freedom of expression, including expression online or in social media. Urges Turkey to fully respect universal human rights consistent with its Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments. Reaffirms the long-standing U.S. partnership and friendship with the people of Turkey.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies, childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Grants are allotted to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. "High-quality prekindergarten programs" are those that serve children three or four years of age and meet criteria concerning: class size; learning environments; teacher qualifications, salaries, and professional development; program monitoring; and accessibility to comprehensive health and support services. Programs supported by a state must conduct criminal history background checks on employees and applicants for employment with unsupervised access to children. States may apply to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level. ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall develop a process to: (1) provide Head Start program services to children younger than age four in states or regions that already provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs, or (2) convert programs to serve infants and toddlers. ED shall award competitive matching grants to states to increase their capacity to offer high-quality prekindergarten programs. States must provide assurances that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. The bill amends the Head Start Act to direct HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to assist them in meeting program performance standards. Such partnerships may serve children through age three. The bill reauthorizes the programs providing: (1) preschool grants for special education and related services, and (2) early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the value of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Every Child Deserves a Family Act Prohibits adoption or foster care placement service entities that receive federal assistance (or that contract with entities receiving such assistance) from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. Allows individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action seeking relief in federal court. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. Allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to states that fail to comply with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Buy America Update Act This bill exempts from Buy America requirements the procurement of railroad rolling stock when: the cost of components and subcomponents produced in the United States is more than 60% of the cost of all components of the rolling stock; and final assembly of such rolling stock has occurred in the United States. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall initiate a rulemaking to develop audit procedures for an agency to review rolling stock offeror and recipient compliance with domestic content requirements, and issue guidance on best practices for pre-award and post-delivery audits by recipients. Before seeking a Buy America waiver request, Amtrak shall contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct a supplier scouting process for domestic suppliers that can provide the compliant products for which a waiver will be sought. DOT must consider Amtrak's scouting report before deciding on the request. Before issuing the Federal Aviation Administration a waiver of Buy America requirements, DOT shall consult with the NIST and begin a supplier scouting process for domestic suppliers that can provide for compliant aviation products for which a waiver will be sought. DOT may approve an airport improvement project financed with passenger facility charges only if steel and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States.
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 · 15 May 2015
Broadening Opportunities Through Education Act This bill directs the Department of Education to award competitive grants to states that make school attendance compulsory through age 17. States must use their grant to improve their secondary school programs, such as by: establishing or expanding work-based programs that integrate academic and career-based skills; implementing an early warning system that helps high schools and their feeder middle schools identify and assist struggling students; establishing grade and school transition programs and supports; personalizing the school experience and increasing student engagement through service-learning and experiential, work-based, and other learning opportunities; providing extended-learning opportunities by the school day, week, or year; and increasing student supports through activities such as student advisories, counseling, and one-to-one mentoring.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Global Respect Act Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Women's Preventive Health Awareness Campaign This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for a national public outreach and educational campaign, including a website, to raise awareness of women's preventive health. The campaign must describe guidelines for women's preventive services, promote well-woman visits, explain the women's preventive services that are covered by health insurance without patient cost sharing, and address health disparities. Well-woman visits that a health care provider determines a woman needs in order to obtain all necessary preventive services must be covered by health insurance without patient cost sharing. Health insurers may limit coverage of women's preventive services where guidelines do not specify the frequency, method, treatment, or setting for the services. Cost sharing for a preventive health service provided by an out-of-network provider shall not be imposed if a woman does not have an in-network provider with the capacity to provide the service. For a preventive health service that varies based on the patient's risk of disease, a woman must be treated as being at high risk for a disease if she has a family history of the disease or if a health care provider determines she is at high risk. Requirements are described for women's preventive services coverage of breast cancer susceptibility screening, HIV testing, breastfeeding support, and contraception. HHS must enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine (or another entity) to study and recommend the appropriate billing codes for a well-woman visit.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Recognizes that prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV worldwide and that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV worldwide has been a priority for more than 13 years. Supports providing women with HIV counseling and testing services and dramatically scaling up pediatric treatment of HIV.
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
Finds that the lack of minority representation in law enforcement across the country needs to be addressed. Calls on law enforcement departments to have a formal plan of community-oriented policing. Commits to ensuring that the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program has the resources it needs to increase the hiring and retention of diverse law enforcement officers. Encourages the Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with the COPS office, to issue further guidance and best practices on diversity hiring and retention of law enforcement personnel, use of excessive and deadly force, and community-oriented policing strategies. Urges the Bureau of Justice Statistics to report annually on DOJ's efforts to increase community-oriented policing and diversity hiring and retention within law enforcement departments nationwide.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Recognizes the significance of the establishment of Fort Michilimackinac and its importance to the people of Michigan and the United States on the occasion of its tricentennial.
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
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 · 13 May 2015
Pathogen Reduction and Testing Reform Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise the definition of "adulterated" to make explicit the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) authority to issue a recall of meat, poultry, and egg products that contain microbial pathogens associated with serious illness or death or are resistant to two or more antibiotics critically important for human medicine. The bill requires USDA to establish sampling protocols and testing procedures necessary to determine if meat, poultry, and egg products are adulterated under this bill and to prevent the entry, flow, or movement of those products into commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
United States Cadet Nurse Corps Equity Act This bill deems as active military service for Department of Veterans Affairs purposes any service as a member of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps between July 1, 1943, and December 15, 1945 (qualified service). The Department of Defense shall issue an honorable discharge within one year to each person whose qualified service warrants one. Retroactive benefits shall not be paid to persons as a result of enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Authorizes the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to commemorate the commitment and service represented by emergency medical services. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay any expense of the establishment of such work. Makes the Foundation solely responsible for acceptance of contributions for, and payment of the expenses of, the establishment of such work. Provides for the deposit of excess funds received for such work into a National Park Foundation account.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a center of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating to exposure to open burn pits and other environmental exposures in Afghanistan or Iraq. The VA shall, in selecting the site, consider entities that: are equipped with the specialized equipment needed to study, diagnose, and treat health conditions relating to such exposure; have a publication track record of post-deployment health exposures among veterans who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; have collaborated with a geosciences department that has a medical geology division; have developed animal models and in vitro models of dust immunology and lung injury consistent with the injuries of members of the Armed Forces who served in support of such Operations; and have expertise in allergy and immunology, pulmonary diseases, and industrial and management engineering. The VA shall ensure that the center collaborates with the Department of Defense (DOD), institutions of higher education, and other appropriate public and private entities to: provide for dissemination within the VA of best practices for the treatment of such conditions and the training of health professionals; provide guidance for the VA and DOD health systems in determining the personnel required to provide quality health care for members of the Armed Forces and veterans with such conditions; establish, implement, and oversee a comprehensive program to train VA and DOD health professionals in the treatment of such conditions; facilitate advancements in the study of the short-term and long-term effects of such exposure; conduct basic science and translational research on such conditions for the purposes of understanding the etiology of such conditions and developing preventive interventions and new treatments; and provide medical treatment to all veterans identified as part of the burn pits registry established under the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. The center shall have access to and make use of the data accumulated by such registry.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2016, or, if later, on the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act; (2) $9.00 an hour after one year; (3) $10.00 an hour after two years; (4) $11.00 an hour after three years; (5) $12.00 an hour after four years; and (6) the amount the Department of Labor determines (based on increases in the median hourly wage of all employees) after five years, and annually thereafter. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees shall increase to $3.15 an hour for one year on January 1, 2016, or the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase, according to a specified formula, shall ensure that it remains equal to the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Employers must notify their employees of the right to retain any received tips. The separate minimum wage requirements for tipped employees shall end, effective one day after the hourly wage established for them under this Act takes effect. The Department must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2019, provisions requiring the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that costs more than the regular first-class stamp to raise funds for breast cancer research. Agencies receiving these funds from the Postal Service must use them on breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
VA Employee Fairness Act of 2015 Repeals provisions excluding any matter or question concerning professional conduct or competence, peer review, or the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation from the applicability of collective bargaining rights for Veterans Health Administration employees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Social Security Administration Accountability Act of 2015 Amends title VII (Administration) of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to submit an annual budget estimate of the Social Security Administration (SSA) (instead of a budget) directly to Congress and the President (instead of first to the President, who would submit it to Congress). Revises requirements for the general contents of the SSA budget, requiring inclusion of the number of cases pending at each hearing office and the average processing time. Prohibits the Commissioner from closing or consolidating SSA field or hearing offices, or otherwise limiting public access to one, until 180 days after submitting to specified congressional committees a detailed report outlining and justifying the process for selecting field offices to be closed, consolidated, or otherwise have limited access. Prohibits the Commissioner from closing an SSA field or hearing office, consolidating two or more such offices, or otherwise imposing any new limitation on public access to any such office unless the Commissioner follows certain administrative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known collectively as the "Ghost Army," in recognition of its service during World War II. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the Ghost Army, and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
STEM K to Career Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require the Department of Education to forgive student loan obligations of borrowers employed as full-time teachers of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) in elementary or secondary schools in which the number of low-income children exceeds a certain percentage. Portions of the student loan debt, including interest, will be forgiven on the basis of years of service, with 100% forgiven for five years of teacher service. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an increased tax deduction for expenses by elementary and secondary school teachers for STEM education supplies; (2) a tax credit for the employment of STEM interns; and (3) a tax credit for employment of individuals who participated in an apprenticeship program in a STEM field, with the amount determined according to the degree of completion of a program. Beginning with FY2016, an institution of higher education must use at least 7% of federal work-study funds granted under HEA to compensate students employed in STEM fields.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015 Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, such compensation paid to injured or ill veterans. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2015 Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. Requires state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling and for the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's or doctoral degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. Requires a grant priority for institutions in partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. Provides grant amounts of at least $1 million and up to $1.5 million. Defines as eligible institutions those either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or demonstrating an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if receiving a grant. Requires the Secretary to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic-based research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to carry out research for the advancement of orthotic and prosthetic clinical care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other serious physical injury as a result of combat or military experience. Includes under such research the prevention of amputations, orthotic and prosthetic intervention, and orthotics and prosthetic materials and technology research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Put a Woman on the Twenty Act of 2015 This bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to convene a panel of U.S. citizens to solicit recommendations from the public for a portrait of a woman to be used in a redesign of the $20 Federal Reserve note.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Expresses support for efforts to: ensure that all students have access to debt-free higher education upon graduation from public institutions of higher education; provide support to states to make increased investments in higher education that will result in lower tuition and costs for students; increase financial aid to help students afford attending college without taking on debt; encourage innovation by states and institutions of higher education to cut costs for students and make college more affordable by increasing efficiency and enabling speedy and less-costly degree completion; and reduce the burden of existing student loan debt.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Mental Health First Aid Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to initiate and sustain mental health first aid training programs. Requires such a program to include training on: (1) the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services; (2) mental health resources, including the location of community mental health centers; and (3) protocols for referral to mental health resources. Sets forth the categories of individuals to be trained under the program, including first responders, law enforcement personnel, teachers and school administrators, human resources professionals, faith community leaders, nurses and other primary care personnel, students enrolled in school, parents of students, and veterans. Requires such programs to train individuals to accomplish safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders. Requires SAMHSA to ensure that grants are equitably distributed geographically, and to pay particular attention to the mental health training needs of rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2015 Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements that states must follow to contact the adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents. Requires the state, within 90 days after making a placement decision, to provide notice of the decision and the reasons for it to each parent of the child, each relative who has expressed an interest in caring for the child, the guardian, and other specified parties. Requires the state to establish procedures to: (1) allow a person who receives such a notice to request documentation of the reasons for the decision involved, (2) allow the attorney for the child to petition the court involved to review the decision, and (3) require the court to commence such a review on the record after receiving such a petition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the House should strive to create, debate, and adopt policy solutions to achieve a National Strategic Agenda with the goals of: creating 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years, balancing the federal budget by 2030, securing Medicare and Social Security for the next 75 years, and making the United States energy secure by 2024.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Encourages each state, city, and local educational agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act This bill expands programs to address neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which are infections caused by pathogens, including viruses, microbes, and helminths (parasitic worms), that disproportionately impact individuals living in extreme poverty, especially in developing countries. The NTDs Program of the U.S. Agency for International Development must be expanded, including by: (1) adding morbidity management to treatment plans, (2) addressing additional NTDs, and (3) establishing a research and development program. This bill amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to expand the duties of the Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally to include coordination of HIV/AIDS activities with NTD activities, particularly in areas that are highly endemic for female genital schistosomiasis, a parasitic worm disease. The President must direct the U.S. representatives to the United Nations and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to urge actions on NTDs, including deworming programs. The Department of Health and Human Services must continue to promote the need for NTDs programs and activities through interagency groups and international forums. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must report to Congress on NTDs in the United States. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or the Health Resources and Services Administration to support one or more centers of excellence for NTD research, training, and treatment. The National Institutes of Health must establish a panel to evaluate issues relating to worm infections, including potential solutions such as deworming medicines.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Requires not less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount or $10 million, whichever is greater, to be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
Promoting Financial Literacy and Economic Opportunity Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow up to 20 for-profit organizations in any taxable year a business-related tax credit for 50% of the amount paid or incurred to carry out activities to improve the quality of student understanding of personal finance and economics. The Department of the Treasury shall determine which for-profit organizations are eligible for the credit, ensuring that a majority of credit recipients are: (1) either a socially and economically disadvantaged small business concern, a small business concern owned and controlled by women, or a small business concern that is at least 51% owned by veterans, or (2) do not have more than $60 billion in assets. In determining the eligibility of a for-profit organization, Treasury shall give priority to organizations that have programs serving either urban or rural underserved areas.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to select a VA medical center to serve as the national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the biological children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to such exposure. Requires: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the head of a federal agency to make available to the VA for review records held by DOD, an Armed Force, or that federal agency that might assist the VA in making determinations regarding individuals and descendents afflicted with a health condition as a result of such exposure; (2) the VA and DOD or such agency head to jointly establish a mechanism for the availability and review of records by the VA; and (3) the national center to employ at least one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate access of individuals to appropriate social and health care programs and to handle case management. Establishes an Advisory Board to oversee and assess the national center and to advise the VA regarding the center's work. Directs DOD to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which at least 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of an associated disability. Directs the VA to conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed toward members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on: (1) incidents of exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, health conditions resulting from such exposure, and the potential long-term effects; and (2) the national center. Requires DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the VA in implementing such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act of 2015 Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to reauthorize it through FY2020, generally at FY2009 levels. Modifies the Basic Center Grant (BCG) Program (for short-term emergency shelter and family reunification services to runaway and homeless youth) to require local centers to provide safe shelter and services, including trauma-informed services, for runaway and homeless youth, and (if appropriate) services for their families, including individuals they identify as family. Extends the maximum stay in a BCG shelter from 21 to 30 days, and requires a shelter to provide suicide prevention services. Allows shelter services to include: (1) trauma-informed and gender-responsive services for runaway or homeless youth, including victims of trafficking in persons or sexual exploitation; and (2) an assessment of family engagement in support and reunification (if appropriate), interventions, and services for parents or legal guardians of such youth, or individuals they identify as family. Revises plan applicant record keeping requirements. Requires plan applicants to: (1) provide age, gender, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the extent practicable to runaway youth; and (2) assist youth in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Revises the Transitional Living Grant (TLG) Program (for longer-term residential services, life skills, education, and employment support to older homeless youth) to require information and counseling services in basic life skills to be age, gender, and linguistically appropriate to the extent practicable.. Requires TLG plan applicants to provide suicide prevention services, counseling to homeless youth, and aftercare services. Requires a TLG plan to ensure proper referral of homeless youth to mental health services, including programs providing wrap-around services to victims of trafficking in persons or sexual exploitation. Requires plan applicants to provide age, gender, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the extent practicable that address the needs of homeless and street youth. Revises requirements for the coordination of activities among federal agencies, grants for technical assistance and training, and grants for research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects. Revises the sexual abuse prevention program to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to public agencies (as well as nonprofit private agencies, as under current law) to provide street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, violence, trafficking in persons, or sexual exploitation. Prohibits any person in the United States, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, from being excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part under such Act. Makes an exception to this prohibition if sex segregation or sex-specific programming is necessary to the essential operation of a program. Amends the Missing Children's Assistance Act to require the annual grant of the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to be used to operate a cyber tipline to provide online users and electronic service providers an effective means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in the areas of child sex trafficking (currently, child prostitution). Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to: require a missing child report to include a recent photograph of the child, if available; reduce from 60 to 30 days after the original entry of such a report into the state law enforcement system and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computer networks the deadline for the law enforcement agency that entered the report to verify and update the record with any additional information; require that law enforcement agency to maintain close liaison with state and local welfare systems; and require it also to grant permission to the NCIC Terminal Contractor for the state to update the missing person record in the NCIC computer networks with additional information learned during the investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund indefinitely and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 anytime after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Recognizes the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation.
![Official portrait of Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000624_200.jpg)