United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2015
Clean Energy Victory Bond Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue, and promote the purchase of, Clean Energy Victory Bonds to pay for the energy-related tax benefits established or extended by this Act. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: extend through 2023 the tax credit for investment in solar energy property, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cell property, microturbine property, combined heat and power system property, and small wind energy property; allow an energy tax credit for investment in offshore wind facilities placed in service before January 1, 2022; extend through 2024 the tax credit for residential energy efficiency improvements; extend through 2023 the placed-in-service requirement for wind facilities and other renewable energy facilities for purposes of the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources; extend through 2023 the tax credit for nonbusiness residential energy property; allow a new tax credit, through 2024, for home energy efficiency improvements that increase energy efficiency by at least 20%; extend through 2023 the tax credit for new energy efficient homes; and increase, and extend through 2023, the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings. The bill directs the Department of Energy to establish a voluntary voucher program, through 2018, for the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2015
Seniors And Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to disburse a payment equal to 3.9% of the average amount of annual benefits to certain individuals (except prisoners, fugitive felons, or aliens) who are entitled to a specified benefit under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA), an annuity under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974, a veterans benefit, or are eligible for a cash benefit under SSA title XVI (Supplemental Security Income), including a special benefit for individuals who perform substantial gainful activity despite severe medical impairment. A refundable income tax credit is allowed for the first taxable year beginning in 2015 in an amount equal to $581 for certain eligible government retirees who do not receive such a payment. The Internal Revenue Code is amended, with respect to the $1 million limitation on the deductibility of employee compensation, to: eliminate the exemption from that limitation for compensation payable on a commission basis or upon the attainment of a performance goal; extend the limitation to any individual who is a current or former officer, director, or employee of a publicly-held corporation; and apply the limitation to all publicly-held corporations required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to register securities and provide periodic reports to their investors.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Visa Waiver Program Firearms Clarification Act of 2015 The bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the eligibility of certain foreign nationals to purchase and possess firearms in the United States. Current law prohibits firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national (i.e., alien) who is: (1) unlawfully present in the United States, or (2) lawfully present under a nonimmigrant visa (e.g., tourist visa). The prohibitions do not apply in certain circumstances. This bill expands the prohibition to bar firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national who was lawfully admitted to the United States without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. The prohibitions do not apply to a foreign national lawfully admitted under the Visa Waiver Program if that foreign national is a government official or law enforcement officer, or possesses a hunting license. Additionally, such foreign national may apply for a Department of Justice waiver to allow firearm possession.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Expresses support for the designation of June 2016 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Calls on the people of the United States to: promote greater awareness about gun violence and gun safety; concentrate annual heightened attention to gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make the communities safer.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Supporting Working Moms Act of 2015 This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to extend the requirement that certain employers provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child to bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity employees or outside salesmen who are exempt from federal labor laws that limit the number of hours in a workweek.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
First Time Homeowner Savings Plan Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $10,000 to $25,000 the maximum amount that may be withdrawn, without penalty, from a qualified retirement plan for purposes of assisting a first-time homebuyer in purchasing a principal residence. This increased distribution amount shall be adjusted annually for inflation for taxable years beginning after 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Child Protection Improvements Act of 2015 This bill amends the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to direct the Department of Justice to: (1) establish policies and procedures to streamline the process of obtaining national criminal history background checks on covered individuals, and (2) establish a criminal history review program to provide covered entities with reliable and accurate information on the criminal history of a covered individual. It defines "covered entity" as any business or organization that provides, or licenses, certifies, or coordinates individuals or organizations to provide care, care placement, supervision, treatment, education, training, instruction, or recreation to vulnerable populations including elderly persons, disabled persons, and children. It defines "covered individual" as an individual who: (1) has, seeks to have, or may have unsupervised access to vulnerable populations served by a covered entity; (2) is employed by or volunteers with, or seeks to be employed by or volunteer with, a covered entity; or (3) owns or operates, or seeks to own or operate, a covered entity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Hygiene Assistance for Families of Infants and Toddlers Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to states to conduct demonstration projects to implement and evaluate strategies to help families address the diapering supply needs of eligible children. Title XI of the Social Security Act is amended to exempt diaper benefits from the territorial payment ceiling.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
IDEA High Cost Pool Funding Act This bill amends the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to establish additional grants for the purpose of assisting states in addressing the needs of high-need children with disabilities. The bill establishes limitations on grant amounts and how grant funds may be used. To be eligible to receive such a grant, a state shall: (1) provide matching funds equal to at least 25% of the grant amount; and (2) provide any information that the Department of Education may require, as specified by the bill. A state may request a waiver of certain grant requirements that are incompatible with aspects of the state's governmental structure.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Equity and Excellence in American Education Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to establish and administer several new grant programs. ED shall carry out the Equity and Excellence Initiative to provide grants to states to match each state's enhanced investment in meaningful educational opportunities for children who attend targeted schools. A "targeted school" is a public elementary or secondary school at which a specified percentage of students: (1) are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch; (2) qualify as limited English proficient; or (3) are racial or ethnic minorities, Indian, or migratory. Schools may use these grant funds to implement systems-based reforms and initiatives to enhance student achievement. A state that receives grant funds must meet specified maintenance of effort requirements. If ED determines that a state has failed to invest sufficient resources to create meaningful educational opportunities for all children attending targeted schools in that state, ED is authorized, through the Educating Every Child Initiative, to make grants directly to local educational agencies for distribution to targeted schools. A state in which targeted schools receive grant funds must meet specified funding obligations with respect to those schools. ED is also authorized to establish the Equitable and Sustainable Fiscal Policy Program to provide technical assistance grants to support state fiscal reform efforts aimed at ensuring meaningful educational opportunities for all children. The bill establishes various reporting requirements for ED and for grant recipients. ED must develop accountability metrics to measure grant performance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Building Opportunity for Student Startups Act or the BOSS Act This bill directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the role of incubators and accelerators in the commercialization of federally funded research and regional economic development. The study shall: (1) include an examination of metrics for comparing startups that have, and startups that have not, completed incubator or accelerator programs; (2) include the role of incubators and accelerators in developing regional innovation clusters; and (3) identify best practices in the structure, goals, operation, management, and funding mechanisms of leading incubators and accelerators.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2015 or the JOBS Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Job Training Federal Pell Grant Program. The Department of Education must award job training Federal Pell Grants to eligible students. An eligible student is one who does not have a degree, attends an institution of higher education (IHE), is enrolled in a job training program at such IHE, and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant. The maximum job training Federal Pell Grant award is 50% of the discretionary base maximum award specified in annual appropriations law. Any period during which a student receives a job training Federal Pell Grant counts toward that student's Federal Pell Grant eligibility period.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Start-up America's Students Act This bill amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education (with program participation agreements) for the purpose of establishing, maintaining, expanding, and improving business incubators operated by or affiliated with them. A business incubator is a facility primarily used to provide space where start-up businesses in operation for under 4 years with 10 or fewer employees: share space, support staff or services, physical resources, or overhead expenses; and receive technical assistance, financial advice, or business planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and implement a plan to hire a director for each VA medical center without a permanent director. Hiring priority shall be given to medical centers that have not had a permanent director for the longest periods.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Student Loan Transfers Disclosure Act of 2015 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act and the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish requirements related to the transfer of servicing of postsecondary education loans. "Transfer of servicing" refers to the assignment, sale, or transfer of student loan servicing from one servicer to another. A postsecondary education lender must disclose to each loan applicant, at the time of application, whether there may be a transfer of servicing of the loan. Both the transferor servicer and the transferee servicer must provide specified notice of a transfer to the borrower within a certain timeframe. Loan payments improperly received by the transferor servicer instead of the transferee servicer (or vice versa) during the transfer period may not be treated as late. A transferee servicer shall make available a simple, online process through which the borrower may transfer any electronic fund transfer authority that the borrower had provided to the transferor servicer. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is authorized to establish regulations and grant reasonable exceptions in accordance with the bill. A lender shall not be liable to a borrower for failure to comply with the bill's disclosure and notice requirements with respect to events that occur before such regulations take effect. As a condition of eligibility for certain federal funding, an institution of higher education must ensure compliance with the bill's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Student Loan Payment Optimization Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Truth in Lending Act to establish rules that lenders must follow regarding the overpayment and underpayment of student loan payments for borrowers with one or more loans that are grouped together. These rules are applicable to the Federal Family Education Loan and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan programs, except for income-based repayment plans, and federal Perkins Loans. The bill requires lenders to apply payments that are more than the monthly payment amount towards any outstanding fees owed and then towards the principal due on the loan that bears the highest interest rate. In addition, lenders must apply payments that are less than the monthly payment amount towards any outstanding fees owed and then towards the loan with the smallest balance of principal and interest combined unless the borrower requests otherwise.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Supports the goals of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Honors those working domestically and internationally to eliminate violence against women and girls. Encourages the President to: address the needs of women and girls experiencing violence through funding for participatory survivor-led programs; prioritize protections for women and children in fragile and conflict zones; address increased rates of violence against marginalized women due to race, ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, and socioeconomic status; and increase opportunities for women and girls worldwide, including opportunities for education and economic participation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Veterans' STEM Education Program This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay an additional appropriate amount, beyond other educational assistance, to each individual entitled to post-9/11 educational assistance who is pursuing a program of education with a STEM focus (science, technology, engineering, and math). Information on such additional payments must be included in a currently required annual VA educational assistance report.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to replace the authorization for a National Congenital Heart Disease Surveillance System with a requirement for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding congenital heart disease, to enhance and expand research and surveillance infrastructure, and plan and implement a public outreach and education campaign. (Congenital heart disease is a condition caused by a heart defect that is present at birth.) The CDC must award grants to nonprofit entities to conduct: (1) a cohort study of congenital heart disease, from birth to adulthood, that considers health care utilization, demographic factors, and outcomes; and (2) an awareness, outreach, and education campaign regarding congenital heart disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute must report on its ongoing research efforts regarding congenital heart disease, future plans for such research, and areas of greatest need for such research.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6531 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys, California, as the "Marilyn Monroe Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Office of Strategic Services in recognition of their service and contributions during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Early Childhood Nutrition Improvement Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to revise several provisions related to the child and adult care food program. Under current law: (1) an institution that provides child or day care under the program may be reimbursed for up to two meals and one supplement per day per child; and (2) a family or group day care home sponsoring organization may receive the same maximum reimbursement, but only with respect to a child maintained in a child care setting for at least eight hours per day. The bill eliminates this distinction between institutions and sponsoring organizations, and increases maximum reimbursement for both to: (1) two meals and one supplement or one meal and two supplements per day per child; or (2) three meals and one supplement or two meals and two supplements per day per child, for each child maintained in a child care setting for at least eight hours per day. A determination of a for-profit day care center's eligibility to participate in the program shall be in effect for six months. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must issue guidance and, as appropriate, regulations to assist in ensuring a fair and effective process for the identification, review, and correction of serious program deficiencies. USDA shall establish an advisory committee to examine the feasibility of reducing unnecessary or duplicative paperwork for those participating or seeking to participate in the program.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification Act of 2015 or the CARS Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions, to modify the substantiation rules for donations of qualified vehicles (i.e., motor vehicles manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways and boats or airplanes) with a claimed value exceeding $500 but not $2,500, to require: (1) a statement with respect to such qualified vehicles and a good faith estimate of their value at the time of donation; and (2) a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution by the donee organization, with information about the donor and the qualified vehicle.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Weekend Voting Act This bill amends the Revised Statutes to establish the first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November, in every even numbered year, as the days for the election, in each state and territory, of Delegates to, or Members of, Congress. The first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November, in every fourth year, shall be the days for the election of the President and Vice President of the United States. The polling place hours in the United States for both congressional and presidential elections shall be from 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday till 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, with polls allowed to close between the hours of 10:00 p.m. local time on Saturday and 6:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, as provided by the law of the state in which the polling place is located.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2015
State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) national cybersecurity and communications integration center (NCCIC) to assist state and local governments with cybersecurity by: upon request, identifying system vulnerabilities and information security protections to address unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of information collected or maintained by, or information systems used or operated by, state or local governments or other organizations or contractors on their behalf; providing via a web portal updated resources and guidelines related to information security; coordinating through national associations to implement information security tools and policies to ensure the resiliency of state and local information systems; providing training on cybersecurity, privacy, and civil liberties; providing requested technical assistance to deploy technology that continuously diagnoses and mitigates cyber threats and to conduct threat and vulnerability assessments; coordinating vulnerability disclosures under standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and ensuring that state and local governments are aware of DHS resources and other federal tools to ensure the security and resiliency of federal civilian information systems. The NCCIC's privacy and civil liberties training must include: (1) reasonable limits on the receipt, retention, use, and disclosure of information associated with specific persons that is not necessary for cybersecurity purposes; (2) data integrity standards requiring the prompt removal and destruction of obsolete or erroneous names and personal information that is unrelated to the risk or incident information; and (3) safeguards and confidentiality protections for cyber threat indicators and defensive measures, including information that is proprietary or business-sensitive that may be used to identify specific persons from unauthorized access or acquisition.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2015
Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands during the period January 1, 1977-December 31, 1980, as radiation exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans paid to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
Security and Financial Empowerment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Violence Against Women Act to require the National Resource Center on Workplace Response provide information and assistance through domestic violence or sexual assault coalitions and survivor service organizations. These organizations and coalitions shall provide resource materials and assistance to employees, employers, and labor organizations to aid in efforts to develop adequate workplace responses to domestic and sexual violence. In addition, the bill requires employers to provide employees 30 days of leave per year, including 56 hours of earned paid leave, which can be used as a result of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking of an employee or an employee's family member. States may provide nonrecurring short-term emergency benefits to employees using such leave. Survivors' Employment Sustainability Act The Survivors' Employment Sustainability Act prohibits employers, public benefit agencies, and insurers from discriminating against survivors of: domestic violence, dating or sexual violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Under the Internal Revenue Code, employers must give unemployment compensation to survivors who are separated from work due to conditions related to the individuals being survivors. The bill amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to require state agency personnel that administer TANF programs to be adequately trained to assist survivors seeking assistance. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must study the barriers survivors encounter to maintain economic security. HHS may arrange financial literacy support for survivors. The Department of Labor must establish a public outreach campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2015
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act This bill amends the federal judicial code to narrow the scope of foreign sovereign immunity by authorizing U.S. courts to hear cases involving claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages that occur inside the United States as a result of a tort, including an act of terrorism, committed anywhere by a foreign state or official. It amends the federal criminal code to permit civil claims against a foreign state or official for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism. Additionally, the bill authorizes federal courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over and impose liability on a person who commits, or aids, abets, or conspires to commit, an act of international terrorism against a U.S. national.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Nutrition Education Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to require states to evaluate the need for broadband conduit (fiber optic cables that support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service) as part of any covered highway construction project (a project to construct a new highway or an additional lane or paved shoulder for an existing highway that receives funding under federal-aid highway provisions), in consultation with telecommunications providers. If the evaluation reveals a need in the next 15 years for broadband conduit beneath hard surfaces to be constructed by the project, the conduit shall be installed. DOT shall establish standards to carry out installation requirements that consider: the ability to accommodate broadband installation without impacting the safety, operations, and maintenance of the highway facility, its users, or others; population density in the area; the type of highway involved; and existing broadband access in the area. DOT shall ensure that: an appropriate number of broadband conduits are installed along such highway to accommodate multiple broadband providers, the size of conduit is consistent with industry best practices and sufficient to accommodate potential demand, hand holes and manholes for fiber access and pulling such conduit are placed at intervals consistent with industry best practices, installed conduit includes a pull tape and is capable of supporting fiber optic cable placement techniques consistent with industry best practices, installed conduit is placed at a depth consistent with industry best practices and cable separation requirements of electrical codes, and any requesting broadband provider has access to each broadband conduit installed on a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory basis for a charge not to exceed a cost-based rate. DOT may waive the requirements of this Act upon determining that the waiver is appropriate based upon: a showing of undue burden, a determination that the installation of conduit beneath hard surfaces is not necessary based on the availability of existing broadband infrastructure, or a cost-benefit analysis.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Pay Our Bills Act This bill permits the President to increase the statutory debt limit unless two-thirds of Congress votes to disapprove the increase. If the President certifies to Congress that the debt is within $100 billion of the limit and a specified amount of further borrowing is necessary to meet existing commitments, the Department of the Treasury may borrow the specified amount unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted within 15 days after Congress receives the certification. The debt limit is suspended from the date the President submits the certification to Congress until the earlier of: (1) 15 days after Congress receives the certification, or (2) enactment of a joint resolution of disapproval. After the suspension period ends, the limit is increased to accommodate obligations issued during the suspension period. Congress must consider a joint resolution of disapproval using expedited legislative procedures specified in the bill. If the resolution is approved by Congress, the President may veto the resolution. If Congress votes to override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, the debt limit may not be increased, except as required during the suspension period.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
This bill prohibits federal departments and agencies from including the Social Security account number of any individual on any document sent by mail unless the department or agency head determines that inclusion of that Social Security number on the document is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2015 Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include LGBT individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals) within the purview of such Act, particularly their status as LGBT individuals among those with the greatest social need. Authorizes the Administration of Aging to: (1) designate within it a person with responsibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individuals; (2) conduct studies and collect data to determine the services needed by LGBT older individuals; and (3) establish and operate the National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Aging. Revises the list of activities of national significance for families and other caregivers, for which the Administration's grants may be used, to specify those provided to individuals with greatest social need which: (1) address physical and mental health, disabilities, and health disparities; (2) provide long-term care, including in-home and community-based care; (3) provide informal care and formal care in a facility setting; (4) provide access to culturally responsive health and human services; and (5) address other gaps in assistance and issues of particular importance to older individuals with the greatest social need. Requires a State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to collect and analyze discrimination data with respect to LGBT older individuals in the admission to, transfer or discharge from, or lack of adequate care provided in long-term care settings.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Diversity in Science Technology and Nurturing Capable Educators Act or the DISTANCE Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive merit-based scholarships to students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with concurrent certification as kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers. It requires scholarship recipients to work for at least five academic years as a full-time STEM teacher at a public or private kindergarten or elementary or secondary school during the seven-year period beginning within one year after they complete their studies. It awards scholarships for one academic year of study at a time, but makes them renewable on an annual basis if their recipients meet certain measures of academic progress. Scholarship recipients may enter into agreements with ED that provide them with a bonus in exchange for performing their service in a high-need local educational agency for a period equivalent to the period for which they receive the bonus. This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize ED to award competitive matching grants to up to 50 institutions of higher education to establish, strengthen, and operate four-year undergraduate degree programs that enable students to concurrently: (1) earn a STEM bachelor's degree; and (2) be certified to teach kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school. It awards those grants one fiscal year at a time, but makes them renewable on an annual basis for up to five years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act This bill prohibits an executive agency from using the following terms in any rule, regulation, interpretation, publication, other document, display, or sign issued by the agency except to the extent that the term is used in quoting or reproducing text written by a source other than an officer or employee of the agency: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national, and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status. In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies, the term "foreign national" in federal law means any individual other than an individual who: (1) is a U.S. citizen; or (2) though not a U.S. citizen, owes permanent allegiance to the United States. Any reference in any federal statute, rule, regulation, executive order, publication, or other U.S. document to the term: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national is deemed to refer to the term "foreign national," and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status is deemed to refer to the term "undocumented foreign national." Conforming amendments are made to specified Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
First Responders Passport Act of 2015 This bill amends the Passport Act of June 4, 1920 to waive passport fees for an individual who has contracted with the U.S. government, including a volunteer, to aid a foreign country suffering from a qualifying natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Access to Marketplace Insurance Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, payments made by certain third parties, including state and federal government programs, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and certain tax exempt organizations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Supports the designation of Earth Science Week. Expresses strong support for the goals and ideals of Earth Science Week and its aims to increase understanding of and interest in earth science at the local, state, national, and international levels. Recognizes the importance of education and public outreach efforts to ensure the U.S. public gains a better understanding and appreciation for the impact of the earth sciences on their daily lives. Encourages K-12 students to participate in local, state, and national events in connection with Earth Science Week and to get involved in the celebration by exploring artistic and academic applications of earth science.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans; and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans, and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to: establish a five-year strategy to achieve, with target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive lives within a generation; and provide assistance to implement the strategy. The President shall designate a current U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for: overseeing such strategy, and all U.S. government funds appropriated or used for international maternal and child health and nutrition programs. The U.S. government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies, should identify and remove financial barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems for vulnerable and marginalized populations by leveraging public and private capital to expand delivery of interventions for maternal, newborn, and child health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the qualifying service requirement of the teacher loan forgiveness program for certain military spouses. Under current law, an otherwise qualified full-time teacher must complete five consecutive years of service to be eligible for the teacher loan forgiveness program. This bill permits a teacher who completes five full-time years of non-consecutive service to be eligible for loan forgiveness if the teacher was a qualified military spouse during any break in teaching service. A qualified military spouse is an individual who: (1) is a highly-qualified teacher at a high-need school, (2) is the spouse of a servicemember, (3) experienced a break in teaching service to relocate with servicemember spouse pursuant to military orders, and (4) resumed teaching the next academic year. The Department of Education must report to Congress on the number of individuals impacted by this modification.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Promoting Good Cyber Hygiene Act of 2015 This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish for the federal government, the private sector, and any individual or organization a list of voluntary best practices for effective and usable cyber hygiene to help protect information systems or devices against cybersecurity threats that include unauthorized access, alteration of information or code running on such systems or devices, and unauthorized denials of service. The Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with NIST and the Federal Trade Commission, must: (1) assess cybersecurity threats relating to mobile devices and the effect of such threats on the cybersecurity of the federal government's information systems and networks, and (2) submit recommendations for addressing such threats.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Safety for Airports and Firefighters by Ensuring Drones Refrain from Obstructing Necessary Equipment Act of 2015 or the SAFE DRONE Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly operate a drone in a restricted area. A "restricted area" is an area that is: within a two-mile radius of a hub airport or an ongoing firefighting operation, or subject to a temporary flight restriction issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The prohibition does not apply to government operations in response to a fire or emergency. Violators are subject to fines, up to one year in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states to develop a peer review process to identify and investigate questionable or inappropriate prescribing and dispensing patterns of drugs classified as schedule II or III under the Controlled Substances Act, which are drugs with an accepted medical use that have the potential to be abused and addictive. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require HHS to establish grant programs to: (1) facilitate training to increase the capacity of health care providers to screen and treat patients to prevent drug abuse, and (2) develop continuing education criteria that allow health profession boards or state agencies to certify appropriate education for safe prescribing of schedule II or III drugs. The Health Resources and Services Administration must award grants to evaluate the prospect of state health professions boards expanding the authority of providers to prescribe drugs to treat drug abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration must request that practitioners registered to dispense controlled substances screen patients for potential drug abuse before prescribing a schedule II or III drug. The Food and Drug Administration must consider whether naloxone (a prescription drug used to rapidly reverse an overdose of heroin or other opioids, which are drugs with effects similar to opium) should be available without a prescription. HHS must convene or coordinate with an interagency working group to encourage states and local governments to increase opportunities for disposal of opiates (drugs derived from opium) and to reduce opportunities for abuse of opiates. The Government Accountability Office must review federal opioid abuse activities and make recommendations to reduce opioid abuse and overdoses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
This bill directs the Social Security Administration to pay, upon the request of a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, family violence, sexual assault, or stalking, the fees charged by any governmental authority associated with obtaining the birth certificate or state residence identification card in order to obtain a replacement Social Security card for such a person.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office, upon receiving a request from Congress, to determine if legislation would reduce spending outside of the 10-year budget window through the use of preventive health and preventive health services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Mental Health Awareness Semipostal Stamp Act This bill directs the United States Postal Service to issue and sell, at a premium, a Mental Health Awareness Semipostal Stamp. Use of this stamp must be voluntary for postal patrons. Proceeds from the sale of this stamp must be transferred to the National Institute of Mental Health to help fund mental illness research and suicide prevention programs. The stamp must be available to the public for at least six years.
![Official portrait of Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001193_200.jpg)