United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2014
Eliminate So-Called Right-to-Work Legislation Nationwide Act of 2013 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to repeal the disclaimer that nothing in the law shall be construed as authorizing the execution or application of agreements requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment in any state or territory in which such execution or application is prohibited by state or territorial law. (Preempts contrary state or territorial law to allow the execution or application of agreements requiring union membership.)
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2014
Rapid DNA Act of 2014 - Amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to require: the advisory board on DNA quality assurance methods appointed by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to include members from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; such board to develop, and the Director to issue, standards for testing the proficiency of qualified agencies (i.e., booking stations, jails, prisons, detention centers, other law enforcement organizations and facilities outside of forensic laboratories) and operators in conducting analyses of DNA samples using sample-to-answer DNA analysis systems (i.e., fully automated systems that prepare and analyze DNA samples with no operator intervention); the National Institute of Justice to certify that the blind external proficiency testing program for DNA analyses has been established and made available to such qualified agencies or is not feasible; and the Index to facilitate law enforcement exchange of DNA identification information to include information on DNA identification records and DNA analyses prepared by such qualified agencies that are engaged in the intake, processing, booking, detention, or incarceration of individuals charged or convicted of qualifying offenses and that conduct the analysis of DNA samples on a sample-to-answer DNA analysis system.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 East Market Street in Long Beach, California, as the "Juanita Millender-McDonald Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 801 West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc, California, as the "Federal Correctional Officer Scott J. Williams Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Copyright and Marriage Equality Act - Amends federal copyright law to revise the definition of "widow" or "widower" for purposes of provisions concerning the transfer of a copyright to an author's spouse or other next of kin following the author's death. Declares that an individual is the widow or widower of an author if the courts of the state in which the individual and the author were married (or, if the individual and the author were not married in any state but were validly married in another jurisdiction, the courts of any state) would find that the individual and the author were validly married at the time of the author's death. (Currently, only the author's surviving spouse under the law of the author's domicile at the time of death is considered a widow.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Homemade Firearms Accountability Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who has attained age 18 and desires to make a handgun, or to obtain a unique serial number or other identifying mark for a handgun made by the person after 1968, to request a licensed firearms dealer to issue such serial number or identifying mark for such handgun. Treats such request as a proposed transfer of the firearm from the dealer to the applicant for purposes of National Instant Criminal Background Check System provisions. Allows a licensed dealer to: (1) issue such serial number and identifying mark if federal firearms provisions would not prohibit the dealer from transferring the firearm to the applicant, and (2) charge an applicant a fee for the costs of issuing each serial number and identifying mark and contacting the System. Prohibits a person from: (1) making a firearm unless the person has obtained a serial number and identifying mark under this Act, or (2) possessing or transferring a firearm made by the person after 1968 (with exceptions) unless a serial number and identifying mark have been issued under this Act and are stamped on or otherwise permanently affixed to the firearm within 10 days after issuance. Requires any such firearm that is made from polymer plastic to be imbedded with 3.7 ounces of material type 17-4 PH stainless steel on which the serial number or identifying mark is permanently affixed. Directs the Attorney General to maintain, and make available on request, information on: (1) the number of serial numbers and identifying marks issued under this Act, and (2) the number of arrests for violations of this Act. Sets penalties for violating this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Fiscal Responsibility Using Government Accountability Laws Act of 2014 or the FRUGAL Act - Requires the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to analyze the extent to which taxpayers are reporting existing foreign accounts and are circumventing or properly utilizing offshore voluntary disclosure initiatives and programs. Requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to: (1) increase educational outreach concerning taxpayer offshore tax obligations, and (2) report to Congress on closing offshore tax loopholes and increasing revenue collection from offshore sources. Requires the Federal Acquisition Regulation to be revised to include guidelines for federal agencies to use reverse auctions, an electronic auction in which offerors compete by submitting bids or revised bids for a contract, task, or delivery order until the award is made to the offeror with the lowest bid. States that the guidelines should ensure that reverse auctions uphold high quality standards and that small businesses can continue to participate in the procurement process. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to develop and implement a plan to reduce spending on coin inventory management.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Inspector General Vacancy Act of 2014 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide that if the President does not nominate an Inspector General within 180 days after a vacancy occurs in that position, the individual serving as interim Inspector General shall be deemed to be appointed, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2014 - Expands the TRICARE health care program managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Prohibits cost-sharing from being imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Provides for such pregnancy prevention care to include all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling. Directs the DOD Secretary to: (1) ensure that every military treatment facility has a sufficient stock of a broad range of FDA-approved methods of contraception to dispense to any women members of the Armed Forces and female covered beneficiaries who receive care through such facility; (2) disseminate clinical practice guidelines and decision support tools to DOD-employed health care providers; (3) ensure that women members of the Armed Forces have access to contraception counseling during health care visits; and (4) establish an education program for all members of the Armed Forces, including both men and women members, consisting of a uniform standard curriculum on family planning. Requires questions regarding family planning services and counseling to be incorporated into DOD health surveys. Requires every military treatment facility, upon request, to provide emergency contraception, or information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, to any woman who: (1) states to personnel that she is a victim of sexual assault or is accompanied by another individual who states that the woman is a victim of sexual assault, or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 - Declares a provision of a form contract to be void from the inception if it: (1) prohibits or restricts a person who is a party to the contract from engaging in written, verbal, or pictorial reviews, or other similar performance assessments or analyses of, the products, services, or conduct of a business that is a party to the contract; (2) imposes penalties or fees against such a person for engaging in such communications; or (3) assigns or provides an exclusive license, or requires such a person to assign or provide an exclusive license, to any of the person's intellectual property rights in such communications. (Thus, bars certain contract provisions that prohibit consumers from commenting publicly about businesses.) Sets forth exceptions under which a provision shall not be considered void under this Act if the provision prohibits disclosure of certain: (1) trade secrets or commercial or financial information, (2) personnel and medical files, or (3) law enforcement records. Provides for this Act to be inapplicable to contracts establishing an employer-employee or independent contractor relationship. Prohibits businesses from offering or entering into form contracts containing a provision that is considered void under this Act. Treats violations by businesses as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Sets forth authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce such violations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, California, as the "Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act - Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ); and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 73839 Gorgonio Drive in Twentynine Palms, California, as the "Colonel M.J. 'Mac' Dube, USMC Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to pay 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 certain victims of domestic violence residing in a shelter and their dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Condemns: (1) all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval over political events, and (2) the comparison of Israel to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide. Applauds those foreign leaders, especially in France, Italy, and Germany, who have condemned anti-Semitic acts, and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Supports Holocaust educational programs at home and abroad. Urges the Secretary of State to: maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority, urge governments to ensure that adequate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes as well as establish mechanisms to investigate and punish perpetrators, continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism as a human rights and religious freedom issue, provide training for diplomatic and law enforcement personnel posted abroad to report on anti-Semitic incidents, deepen engagement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and support its specialized efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, and oppose efforts to prevent any individual from exercising his or her religion without fear of prosecution or violence.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the current outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia is an international health crisis and is the largest and most widespread outbreak of the disease ever recorded. Calls on all nations to immediately provide additional resources to help affected nations address current and future public health crises. Requests development of a global health security plan to respond to disease outbreaks. Urges the prioritization of the elimination of Ebola as a public health threat.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Department to make publicly available on its website: a list of the institutions of higher education (IHEs) under investigation, and a copy of program reviews and resolution agreements entered into with the Secretary of Education or the Attorney General, under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) or title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the letter terminating the Department's monitoring of such agreements; and a list of the IHEs under investigation, and a copy of the program reviews, fines levied, and resolution agreements entered into with the Secretary or Attorney General, under the provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). Authorizes the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to impose a civil penalty on an IHE that has violated a law under the jurisdiction of the Department's Office for Civil Rights. Amends the Clery Act to direct the Secretary to develop an annual sexual violence climate survey and include statistics from such survey in the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees. Creates a private right of action in a judicial proceeding for individuals allegedly aggrieved by a violation of the Clery Act. Increases the maximum monetary penalty that may be imposed on an IHE for substantially misrepresenting the number, location, or nature of the crimes required to be reported under the Clery Act. Requires an IHE's annual statement of its policy regarding domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking to: use simple and understandable language and clear formatting; be made available and posted on its public website and in conspicuous places in and around student housing and academic buildings; be provided to each student group, team, or organization that has a specified connection to the IHE or is known by the IHE to act on an unaffiliated basis; and ensure that each of those student groups, teams, or organizations distributes a copy of such policy to each of its members or applicants for membership. Directs the Secretary and the Attorney General to create a joint interagency Campus Sexual Violence Task Force, the duties of which include: providing IHEs with recommendations for preventing and responding to campus sexual violence; reviewing the Department's authority to levy intermediate fines for noncompliance with Title IX and the advisability of additional remedies for such noncompliance; and creating a plan for recruiting, retaining, and training a highly qualified Department of Education workforce to investigate alleged violations of and enforce Title IX and the Clery Act with respect to campus sexual violence. Authorizes funding to train, hire, and retain such a workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Reforming Federal Procurement of Information Technology Act or RFP-IT Act - Establishes an increased $500,000 simplified acquisition threshold for contracts for the purchase of information technology services from a small business concern. Makes permanent the authority to issue solicitations for purchases of commercial items in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold. Establishes within the General Services Administration (GSA) the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program to bring non-government innovators into the federal government to solve challenges of national importance. Redesignates the Office of Electronic Government as the United States Digital Government Office or United States DGO. Designates the head of such Office as the U.S. Chief Information Officer. Establishes in the DGO the Digital Service Pilot Program to provide digital services to support executive agencies on high-priority federal information technology projects. Directs the GSA Administrator to conduct an in-depth analysis of IT Schedule 70. Defines "IT Schedule 70" as the multiple award supply of GSA for the procurement of information technology. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on: (1) the effectiveness of the 18F program of GSA, (2) IT Schedule 70, and (3) challenges and barriers to entry for small business technology firms into the federal marketplace. Requires the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to be revised to clarify that agency acquisition personnel are permitted and encouraged to engage in responsible and constructive exchanges with industry, so long as such exchanges are consistent with existing law and do not promote an unfair competitive advantage. Requires the U.S. Chief Information Officer to advise the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on improving the performance of federal agencies in development specifications for an information technology project contract. Makes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) a member of the FAR Council.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Condemns: (1) the attack that occurred at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on August 5, 2012; and (2) intolerance, including religious and racial discrimination, and calls for continued vigilance against violence. Honors the memory of Suveg Singh Khattra, Satwant Singh Kaleka, Ranjit Singh, Sita Singh, Paramjit Kaur, and Prakash Singh, who died in the attack. Applauds the bravery of Lieutenant Brian Murphy and other first responders who prevented the gunman from taking more lives and treated wounded individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2014
Commends the GAVI Alliance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, civil society, the private sector, faith-based organizations, and the international community on the progress made in reducing child mortality through the increased availability of vaccines. Supports the ideals and goals of the GAVI Alliance. Recognizes that the United States, in addition to being an important donor, is a critical technical partner to the GAVI Alliance. Encourages the continued use of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) global immunization resources. Encourages continued U.S. and international commitment and investment, through the GAVI Alliance, to the global effort to ensure that children in developing nations have access to vaccines and immunizations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Calls on: (1) the United States to prioritize the rights of migrant workers in their relations with Qatar by offering technical assistance and expertise in combating human trafficking and the provision of victim-centered services, and (2) U.S. corporations involved in constructing World Cup related infrastructure in Qatar to ensure that working conditions are in compliance with international human rights standards by holding subcontractors accountable for labor violations and incorporating mechanisms for enforcement of such contractual obligations. Calls on the Qatari authorities to implement existing legislation and enact new legislation to prevent human rights violations. Calls on the migrant laborers' countries of origin, notably Bangladesh, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, to protect their nationals from deceptive recruitment agencies in their countries and intervene on behalf of their nationals whose rights are abused when working in Qatar and other Persian Gulf states. Urges the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to: (1) ensure that the World Cup is a symbol of global cooperation, (2) deliver a strong message to Qatar to make sure that the 2022 World Cup is not staged with the assistance of modern slavery by continuing the organization's involvement in Qatar, and (3) advocate for fair labor practices on all World Cup related projects.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Reaffirms the commitments of the House of Representatives to promoting and protecting religious freedom around the world and providing relief to minority groups facing persecution. Calls on the Department of State to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi central government, neighboring countries, the diaspora community in the United States, the United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Refugees, and other key stakeholders to help secure safe havens for those claiming amnesty in Iraq. Requests the addition of a Special Representative for Religious Minorities to be included in Prime Minister al-Maliki's newly reconstructed government.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Maya Angelou.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Condemns the religious bigotry, property destruction, and violent attacks on, and intimidation of, Iraqi civilians by armed extremists. Calls upon the government of Iraq to protect the safety and constitutional rights of all Iraqi citizens. Calls on the President, Secretary of State, and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to implement a humanitarian intervention to protect civilians, stabilize the security situation in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq, and facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Kurdistan region to help absorb the influx of refugees. Calls on the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to document human rights abuses against Iraqi civilians and develop a plan to facilitate access to potable water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic security for the most vulnerable civilian populations. Calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations working in Iraq to develop an effective strategy for resettlement assistance and mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches the intended recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2014 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%. Sets forth criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Empowers state Attorneys General to enforce this Act. Revises requirements for a periodic statement for each billing cycle with respect to where the total finance charge exceeds 50 cents for a monthly or longer billing cycle, or the pro rata part of 50 cents for a billing cycle shorter than monthly. Requires inclusion of the fee and interest rate, displayed as "FAIR," instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency III Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue software licensing policies for federal agencies. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to expand the definition of "energy or water conservation measure" under such Act to include, in the case of a contract in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is a party: (1) the purchase or lease of low emission and fuel efficient vehicles; (2) the upgrade of USPS vehicles to increase average fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions; or (3) the construction of infrastructure to support such vehicles, including electric vehicle charging stations. Directs the Postmaster General to develop guidelines for USPS vehicles that provide for specified carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy standards. Requires the head of each federal agency to ensure that agency desktop computers are shut down for at least 4 hours out of each 24-hour time period, except for certain computers that are in use for 16 or more hours per day. Denies payment of civil service retirement benefits and requires forfeiture of thrift saving plan (TSP) agency contributions for federal employees who are convicted of certain public corruption offenses. Requires the Secretary of Defense to implement specified criteria in requests for overseas contingency operations. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to direct each federal facility energy manager, not later than two years after completion of a comprehensive energy evaluation of a federal agency's facilities, to consider: (1) implementing any energy-saving or conservation measure that the agency identified in the evaluation that is life cycle cost-effective, and (2) bundling individual measures of varying paybacks together into combined projects. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine, and report to Congress on, which payments may be made under both the Medicare Advantage Program and the veterans health care system or the TRICARE program for health care furnished to individuals eligible under such health care programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare beneficiaries with an option to receive statements of benefits in a electronic format.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Department of Energy Laboratory Modernization and Technology Transfer Act of 2014 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to rename the Under Secretary for Science as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to report on DOE's ability to improve the technology transfer and commercialization of energy technologies. Directs the Secretary to carry out the Agreements for Commercializing Technology pilot program in accordance with this Act, including by giving the contractors of the national laboratories increased authority to negotiate contract terms and making every DOE nonmilitary national laboratory eligible for the program. Extends the pilot program for two years. Requires the Secretary to delegate to the directors of the national laboratories signature authority with respect to specified agreements of less than $1 million. Permits the directors of national laboratories to use funds authorized to support technology transfer within DOE to carry out early-stage and pre-commercial technology demonstration activities to: (1) remove technology barriers that limit private sector interest, and (2) demonstrate potential commercial applications of any research and technologies arising from national laboratory activities. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exempt institutions of higher education and nonprofit institutions from the cost-sharing requirements for research or development for six years. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enable the participation of DOE researchers in the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program. Requires a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hamas's use of this illegal tactic. Calls on: (1) the international community to recognize Hamas's grave breaches of international law by using human shields, and (2) Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields. Places responsibility for launching the rocket attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, in Gaza. Supports Israel's sovereign right to defend its territory and stop the rocket attacks on its citizens. Expresses condolences to the families of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. Supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all forms of terrorism and who desire to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1048 West Robinhood Drive in Stockton, California, as the "W. Ronald Coale Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, California, as the "Philmore Graham Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the National Freight Network Trust Fund, from which expenditures shall be made to fund awards under the National Freight Network Grant Program. Appropriates to the Fund amounts equivalent to 5% of the import duties imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. Establishes such Program in the Department of Transportation (DOT), under which the Secretary of Transportation shall make grants to states, regional or local transportation organizations, or port authorities to assist projects that improve the performance of the national freight network. Directs the Secretary to evaluate and select projects on a competitive basis by considering their potential to: generate national economic benefits, improve the performance of key corridors and gateways, reduce congestion, improve transportation safety, and enhance the network. Requires the Secretary to update the national freight network every five years.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. Grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. Allows them to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections. Declares that nothing in this amendment shall be construed to grant Congress or the states the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
American Space Technology for Exploring Resource Opportunities In Deep Space Act or the ASTEROIDS Act - Directs the President through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other appropriate federal agencies to facilitate the commercial exploration and utilization of asteroid resources to meet national needs; discourage government barriers to the development of economically viable, safe, and stable industries for the exploration and utilization of asteroid resources in outer space in manners consistent with the existing international obligations of the United States; promote the right of U.S. commercial entities to explore and utilize resources from asteroids in outer space, in accordance with such obligations, free from harmful interference, and to transfer or sell such resources; and develop the frameworks necessary to meet the international obligations of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2014
Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014 - Affirms requirements, notwithstanding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, that: (1) an employer that establishes or maintains a group health plan for its employees must provide coverage of a specific item or service for the employees or their dependents where the coverage is required under federal provisions or regulations pursuant to those provisions; and (2) group health plans sponsored by an employer or employee organization, and any health insurance coverage, must provide coverage required under the Public Health Service Act, including preventive health services. Authorizes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury to modify regulations concerning coverage of contraceptive services by group health plans of religious employers consistent with the purposes and findings (regarding coverage of birth control services and the Supreme Court decisions in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell ) of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
International Science and Technology Cooperation Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a body under the National Science and Technology Council that has the responsibility of identifying and coordinating international science and technology cooperation that can strengthen U.S. science and technology enterprise, improve economic and national security, and support U.S. foreign policy goals. Requires the body to be co-chaired by senior level officials from OSTP and the Department of State. Requires the body to: (1) coordinate interagency international science and technology cooperative research and training activities and partnerships supported or managed by federal agencies, (2) establish federal priorities and policies for aligning such international science and technology cooperative research and training activities and partnerships with the foreign policy goals of the United States, (3) identify opportunities for new international science and technology cooperative research and training partnerships that advance science and technology and U.S. foreign policy priorities, (4) solicit recommendations from non-federal science and technology stakeholders, and (5) identify broad issues that influence the ability of U.S. scientists and engineers to collaborate with foreign counterparts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2014
Help Employ and Recruit Our Excellent Servicemembers Grant Act of 2014 or the HEROES Grant Act of 2014 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of public safety and community policing (COPS ON THE BEAT) grants to hire veterans and other individuals as employees of law enforcement agencies for positions that do not require sworn authority.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Working Families Child Care Act of 2014 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to create a supplemental state entitlement for child care assistance for families with infants or toddlers under age three. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to enable eligible states (including Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers, especially those from low-income families. Authorizes the use of grant funds to: (1) make grants to organizations with expertise in providing child care and related technical assistance, to establish new staffed family child care networks or to operate existing staffed family child care networks or systems that offer, to eligible infant and toddler care providers, technical assistance, training, administrative support, or direct services including monitoring visits to providers; (2) support a statewide network of infant and toddler care specialists; and (3) support initiatives to improve the quality of the provider workforce. Allows the use of such funds also to: (1) develop infant and toddler components for the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System or a similar rating system, child care licensing regulations, or voluntary early learning guidelines; (2) improve the ability of parents to obtain information about high-quality infant and toddler care; or (3) assist eligible infant and toddler care providers seeking to increase their ranking on the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System or similar rating system, meet performance standards applicable to an Early Head Start agency, or become accredited by a national accrediting body.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Military Separation Pay Fairness Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to determine whether former members of the Armed Forces who were separated for a violation of the policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces as in effect before the effective date of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 were paid: (1) the full amount of separation pay to which they should have been entitled under standard military separation pay laws, or (2) a reduced amount because of homosexuality pursuant to administrative instructions in place at the time of the separation. Requires the Secretary to pay such a former member who has not received the full military separation pay: (1) the amount of the difference between the full amount and the amount actually paid, and (2) interest on the amount of the difference. Excludes former members who joined the class-action settlement in Collins v. United States from receiving additional payments for the difference in amounts under such procedures, but provides for former members in such settlement to receive payment for interest on such amount.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Voices for Veterans Act - Expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2017 (currently, 2014).
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
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 · 26 June 2014
Stop Corporate Expatriation and Invest in America's Infrastructure Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities. Authorizes additional appropriations to the Highway Account and Mass Transit Account in the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Ask Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract with an experienced non-government entity to conduct an annual survey, over a five-year period, of a statistically significant sample of veterans who reside in the geographic area served by each VA medical facility to determine the experiences of such veterans in obtaining hospital care and medical services at such facility. Requires those surveys to include questions relating to: the veteran's ability to obtain hospital care and medical services at the facility in a timely manner, the time that expires between the date the veteran requests an appointment and the date on which the appointment is scheduled, the frequency with which scheduled appointments are cancelled, and the quality of hospital care or medical services the veteran receives. Requires the non-government entity to consult with veterans service organizations in designing and conducting the surveys. Prohibits the non-government entity from conducting a survey before the Comptroller General (GAO) certifies the survey as scientifically valid and the proposed sample size of veterans as statistically significant. Directs the Secretary to make the results of the surveys publicly available on the VA's Internet website.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (SAA, 2008) to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before five months after enactment of this Act. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until five months after enactment of this Act requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of such Act and 11 months after enactment of this Act from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to five months after enactment of this Act, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the SAA, 2008 to appropriate funds out of the employment security administration account through FY2015 to assist states in providing reemployment and eligibility assessment activities. Requires the provision of such activities to an individual, at a minimum, within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-1 EUC benefits, and if applicable, again within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-3 EUC benefits. Requires the Secretary of Labor to determine appropriate time periods. Specifies the purposes of the activities, namely to: better link the unemployed with the overall workforce system by bringing individuals receiving unemployment insurance benefits in for personalized assessments and referrals to reemployment services; and provide them with early access to specific strategies that can help get them back into the workforce faster, including through: (1) the development of a reemployment plan, (2) provision of access to relevant labor market information, (3) provision of access to information about industry-recognized credentials that are regionally relevant or nationally portable, (4) provision of referrals to reemployment services and training, and (5) an assessment of the individual's on-going eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2014, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Makes a change in application of a certain requirement (nonreduction rule) to a state that has entered a federal-state EUC agreement, under which the federal government would reimburse the state's unemployment compensation agency making EUC payments to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and meet specified other criteria. (Under the nonreduction rule such an agreement does not apply with respect to a state whose method for computing regular unemployment compensation under state law has been modified to make the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010, less than what would have been paid before June 2, 2010.) Declares that the nonreduction rule shall not apply to a state which has enacted a law before June 30, 2014, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. Allows a state whose agreement was terminated, however, to enter into a subsequent federal-state EUC agreement on or after enactment of this Act if, taking into account this inapplicability of the nonreduction rule, it would otherwise meet the requirements for an EUC agreement. (Thus allows such a subsequent EUC agreement to permit payment of less than the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010.) Prohibits the use of federal funds to: (1) make payments of unemployment compensation to any individual whose adjusted gross income in the preceding year was at least $1 million; or (2) determine whether or not this prohibition applies to them. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to: study the use of work suitability requirements to strengthen them to ensure that unemployment insurance benefits are being provided to individuals who are actively looking for work and truly want to return to the labor force; and brief Congress on the ongoing study, including preliminary recommendations for appropriate legislation and administrative action. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to revise the applicable percentages for determining minimum funding standards for single-employer defined benefit pension plans (funding stabilization). Exempts plans providing accelerated benefit distributions from the application of such standards. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2024 the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to collect customs user fees for the processing of certain merchandise.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification Act of 2014 or the CARS Act of 2014 - 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) 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 · 24 June 2014
Protecting American Jobs and Exports Act - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY2021. Extends through FY2021 and gradually increases (with a specified exception) the Bank's aggregate outstanding loan, guarantee, and insurance authority. Extends through FY2021 Bank authority to provide financing for the export of nonlethal defense articles or services whose primary end use will be for civilian purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2551 Galena Avenue in Simi Valley, California, as the "Neil Havens Post Office."
![Official portrait of Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001193_200.jpg)