United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Every Child Deserves a Family Act Prohibits adoption or foster care placement service entities that receive federal assistance (or that contract with entities receiving such assistance) from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. Allows individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action seeking relief in federal court. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. Allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to states that fail to comply with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act Prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. Bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Makes this Act inapplicable to practices that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if the therapy provides: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Provides authority to Federal Trade Commission to enforce this Act and treats violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Student Loan Tax Debt Relief Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of student loan indebtedness to include indebtedness discharged pursuant to income-contingent and income-based repayment plans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Global Respect Act Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to make it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person: (1) has attained 21 years of age; (2) is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements; (3) has registered with the Attorney General as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints; (4) has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and (5) notifies the Attorney General of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show. Imposes recordkeeping requirements on gun show operators and criminal penalties for failure to register as a gun show operator and maintain required records. Grants the Attorney General authority to enter the business premises of any gun show operator, without a showing of reasonable cause or a warrant, to examine records and inventory to determine compliance with this Act. Increases criminal penalties for serious recordkeeping violations and violations of criminal background check requirements. Authorizes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to hire additional investigators to carry out inspections of gun shows.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Keep Teachers Teaching Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive, renewable grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), states, and partnerships of LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing teachers with research or industry professionals. ED must: (1) identify the most promising teacher retention strategies, and (2) make information about those strategies publicly available and easily accessible to states and LEAs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2015 Requires states receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, the Local Government Law Enforcement Block Grants Program, or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to: (1) require all individuals enrolled in an academy of a law enforcement agency and all law enforcement officers of the state to fulfill a training session on sensitivity each fiscal year, including training on ethnic and racial bias, cultural diversity, and police interaction with the disabled, mentally ill, and new immigrants; and (2) certify to the Attorney General that such training sessions have been completed. Subjects a state that fails to comply to a reduction of up to 20% of such funds that would otherwise be allocated to the state. Authorizes the Attorney General to waive such requirements if compliance would violate a state's Constitution. Directs the Attorney General to reduce by 20% the amount that would otherwise be awarded to a state or local government under such grant programs for a fiscal year if it fails to enact or have in effect by the end of the previous fiscal year a statute requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to conduct any criminal investigation and prosecution in which: (1) one or more of the possible defendants is a law enforcement officer, (2) one or more of the alleged offenses involves the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force in the course of carrying out that officer's duty, and (3) the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force resulted in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Parental Bereavement Act of 2015 or the Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of the death of a son or daughter. Allows such an employee to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay. Applies the same leave entitlement to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to require the licensing of ammunition dealers. Prohibits any person except a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) selling ammunition, with an exception for a sale of ammunition to a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer; or (2) engaging in the business of importing or manufacturing ammunition, or in the course of such business, from shipping, transporting, or receiving ammunition. Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) transferring ammunition to a person unless the licensee, in the physical presence of the person, has verified the person's identity by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of such person; or (2) selling or delivering any ammunition (currently, any armor-piercing ammunition) to any person unless the licensee notes in his records the person's name, age, and place of residence, if the person is an individual, or the person's identity and principal and local places of business, if the person is a business entity. Applies prohibitions applicable to the shipping or transport of firearms, and record-keeping requirements applicable to the importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms, to ammunition. Requires each licensee to: (1) prepare a report of multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person at one time or during any five consecutive business days; and (2) forward such report to the specified office and to the department of state police, the state law enforcement agency, or the local law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the sale took place by the close of business on the day the multiple sale occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2015
Thanks and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to participate in National Teacher Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Global Health Innovation Act of 2015 This bill directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to report annually to Congress on the development and use of global health innovations in USAID programs, projects, and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Data Security Act of 2015 Requires individuals, corporations, or other non-government entities that access, maintain, communicate, or handle sensitive financial account information or nonpublic personal information to implement an information security program and to notify consumers, federal law enforcement, appropriate administrative agencies, payment card networks, and consumer reporting agencies of certain data breaches of unencrypted sensitive information likely to cause identity theft or fraudulent transactions on consumer financial accounts. Directs entities to require their third-party service providers by contract to implement appropriate safeguards for sensitive information. Allows an entity to delay notifications upon the request of a law enforcement agency. Provides special notification procedures for: (1) third-party service providers that maintain data in electronic form on behalf of another entity, and (2) certain electronic data carriers. Allows financial institutions to communicate with account holders regarding breaches at third-party entities with access to their account information. Sets forth alternative compliance procedures for: (1) financial institutions and affiliates under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and (2) entities complying with certain health record privacy laws. Requires this Act to be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, or a state insurance authority depending on the type of entity handling the sensitive information. Prohibits certain state laws from being imposed for information security and breach notification purposes. Sets forth requirements concerning the application of this Act to entities regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to the treatment of certain municipal obligations to direct the federal banking agencies to treat as a high-quality level 2A liquid asset any municipal obligation that is liquid, readily marketable, and investment grade as of the calculation date. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Comptroller of the Currency are directed to amend the rule titled "Liquidity Coverage Ratio: Liquidity Risk Measurement Standards; Final Rule" to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Caring Start Act of 2015 This bill amends the Head Start Act to require that in providing and allocating resources for training and technical assistance, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) give priority consideration to activities that: support the implementation of evidence-based trauma-informed practices, age-appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports, early childhood mental health consultation, and prevention of suspension and expulsion; and increase coordination between Head Start agencies and other programs that serve very young children. Such assistance must also, to the maximum extent practicable, assist Head Start agencies in adopting evidence-based approaches to best identify and serve children whose experiences have elicited a toxic stress response. (Toxic stress response can result from strong or prolonged adversity without adequate adult support.) HHS shall fund personnel training in: evidence-based trauma-informed practices, as well as early childhood mental health consultation and age-appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports; and helping children who are victims of trauma or toxic stress.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Supports: (1) the designation of National Small Business Week, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of locally owned small business on the U.S. economy. Honors the vital role of small business and entrepreneurs in the United States during such week. Recognizes: (1) the important role of the Small Business Administration as a valuable resource for the U.S. entrepreneur, (2) the importance of creating policies that promote a business friendly environment for small business owners free of unnecessary regulations, and (3) the National Small Business Person of the Year and the National Lender of the Year. Encourages young entrepreneurs to pursue their passions and create more start-up businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2016, or, if later, on the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act; (2) $9.00 an hour after one year; (3) $10.00 an hour after two years; (4) $11.00 an hour after three years; (5) $12.00 an hour after four years; and (6) the amount the Department of Labor determines (based on increases in the median hourly wage of all employees) after five years, and annually thereafter. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees shall increase to $3.15 an hour for one year on January 1, 2016, or the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase, according to a specified formula, shall ensure that it remains equal to the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Employers must notify their employees of the right to retain any received tips. The separate minimum wage requirements for tipped employees shall end, effective one day after the hourly wage established for them under this Act takes effect. The Department must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2019, provisions requiring the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that costs more than the regular first-class stamp to raise funds for breast cancer research. Agencies receiving these funds from the Postal Service must use them on breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of FY2017-FY2021 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2017, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education, insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the National Health Care Workforce Commission established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to study the physician workforce. Directs the Comptroller General to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of Alcohol Responsibility Month. Encourages parents to be responsible role models and to have ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of alcohol abuse. Condemns the pervasiveness of alcohol-impaired driving and resulting tragedies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Generational Residences and Nurturing Dwellings Act or the GRAND Ac t Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a program to provide assistance for each fiscal year to up to five eligible nonprofit organizations to expand the supply of specialized housing and social services for qualified elderly relatives, age 60 or older, who are raising a child of whom they are not a parent either by blood or marriage. States that nothing in this Act shall preclude a recipient of such assistance from applying for or receiving financial assistance under any other HUD program. Provides such assistance in the form of: financing for the construction, reconstruction, moderate or substantial rehabilitation, or acquisition of a structure or a portion of a structure to be used as specialized housing; tenant-based rental (voucher) assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for entities meeting certain criteria for use only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for such assistance for rental of a dwelling unit that qualifies as specialized housing; elderly housing project rental assistance under the Housing Act of 1959 for entities entities meeting certain criteria in connection with dwelling units that qualify as specialized housing and are made available for occupancy only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for occupancy in such housing; and help with ongoing operational expenses of any specialized housing, including costs of supportive services required for such housing.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known collectively as the "Ghost Army," in recognition of its service during World War II. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the Ghost Army, and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
SAFE Transitional Licensing Act of 2015 This bill amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to provide a temporary license of 120 days for registered loan originators: (1) moving from a financial institution to a state-licensed non-bank originator, or (2) moving interstate to a state-licensed loan originator in another state. Any person registering a registered loan originator with the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry shall be subject to this Act and to applicable state law to the same extent as if that registered loan originator was licensed and registered as a state-licensed loan originator.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2015 Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a visa waiver program for the United States Virgin Islands for a national of a country that is a member or an associate member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) listed in regulations under this Act and who is applying for admission as a nonimmigrant business or pleasure visitor solely for entry into and stay in the United States Virgin Islands for not more than 30 days, if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that such waiver does not represent a threat to the welfare or security of the United States or its territories and commonwealths. Directs the Secretary to suspend the admission of nationals of a country if such admissions have resulted in an unacceptable number of visitors remaining unlawfully in the United States Virgin Islands, unlawfully obtaining entry to other parts of the United States, or seeking withholding of removal or asylum, or that visitors from such country pose a risk to law enforcement or security interests of the United States Virgin Islands or of the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the program at any time, on a country-by-country basis, for other good cause. Provides for the addition of program countries.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses deepest condolences to and solidarity with the people of Nepal following the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015. Supports the Administration's efforts to coordinate an immediate U.S. humanitarian response. Commends the efforts and honors the sacrifice of the men and women engaged in the response, including the citizens and government of Nepal, the United States, and international humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations. Urges the Administration, in coordination with the government of Nepal and other donors, to provide emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in Nepal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Supports the efforts of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in working with the public and private sectors to: increase financial education for youth in school and for young adults in the workplace, increase access to financial services, establish measures of national financial literacy, conduct research on financial knowledge, and strengthen financial education programs. Reaffirms the purposes of the Dodd-Frank Act directing federal financial agencies to partner with organizations focused on developing opportunities to place talented young minorities and women in industry internships, summer employment, and full-time positions. Supports the efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide consumers with relevant information and decisionmaking tools regarding important financial decisions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Cold War Service Medal Act of 2015 Authorizes the military department concerned to issue the Cold War Service Medal to members of the Armed Forces who: (1) served on active duty for at least 24 consecutive months during the Cold War (September 2, 1945, through December 26, 1991); (2) were deployed outside the continental United States for at least 30 days during such period; (3) were members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and were called or ordered to active duty to participate in exercises or operations directly related to the Cold War; or (4) performed other Cold War service as DOD may prescribe. Disqualifies any such person who was not discharged or released from the Armed Forces under under honorable conditions. Expresses the sense of Congress that DOD should expedite the design and issuance of the Medal.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to include the application of any pressure to the throat or windpipe which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air within the meaning of "punishment, pain, or penalty" for purposes of the federal prohibition against deprivation of rights under color of law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Directs 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 Edwin Cole "Ed" Bearss in recognition of his contributions to the preservation of American Civil War history and his continued efforts to bring our nation's history alive for new generations through his interpretive storytelling.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. Makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this Act, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Requires persons found to be in violation of such prohibition to pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Stress Awareness Month. Recognizes the efforts made by the Department of Health and Human Services to educate people about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of stress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) U.S. citizens and residents have the Constitutional right to record law enforcement officers in a public place and shall be required to give up possession of a recording device used to do so based only upon the individual's consent or a warrant based on probable cause; (2) law enforcement officers shall safeguard data stored on any recording device seized from an individual and the destruction of such data is a violation of federal law; and (3) no data stored on a recording device seized from an individual may be received in evidence in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding unless collected pursuant to a warrant based on probable cause or where an exception to the warrant requirement applies.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Securities and Exchange Commission Overpayment Credit Act This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offset future fees and assessments otherwise due from a national securities exchange or national securities association if it is informed within 10 years that the entity has overpaid past fees and assessments. This requirement applies to any fees and assessments paid before, on, or after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
College Options for DREAMers Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow Dreamer students to receive federal financial aid for higher education. A "Dreamer student" is an individual who was under age 16 upon entering this country, has provided a list of secondary schools the individual attended in this country, and, in this country: has earned a high school diploma or the equivalent, is scheduled to complete the requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent before the next academic year begins, has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education, has successfully completed at least two years of a program for a baccalaureate or higher degree, is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or has served honorably in the uniformed services for at least four years. The Department of Education must provide for a hardship exception to the age and secondary school list requirements. States are allowed to offer unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state (e.g., in-state tuition).
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education to award an additional Pell Grant to a student who has received a Pell Grant for an award year and is enrolled in a program of study for payment periods during the same award year that are not covered by the Pell Grant. The total amount of the Pell Grants awarded to such a student for the award year may exceed the total maximum Pell Grant.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Pell Grant Cost of Tuition Adjustment Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to set the maximum Pell Grant at a specified amount, increased for inflation each year, plus any additional amount specified in the last enacted appropriation Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Pell Grant Protection Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to appropriate for each fiscal year beginning with FY2016 the funding necessary to provide each eligible student with the maximum Pell Grant amount, minus the student's expected family contribution. (Currently, funds for the Pell Grant program come from a combination of mandatory and discretionary spending. This bill converts the Pell Grant program into a mandatory spending program.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. Prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. Requires state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling and for the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Taxpayer Economic Hardship Protection Act of 2015 This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service to take certain actions to protect taxpayers in economic hardship from a tax levy, including the adoption of procedures and guidelines that consider the possibility that a taxpayer is in economic hardship before issuing a levy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Encourages North Korea to allow Korean Americans to meet with their family members from North Korea. Calls on North Korea to take steps to build goodwill that is conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Hispanic Opportunity Program in Education and Science Act Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to establish a program awarding competitive grants to Hispanic-serving institutions to: (1) enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM) at those institutions; and (2) increase the retention and graduation rates of students of such institutions who pursue associate's or baccalaureate degrees in STEM.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Condemns the atrocities and terrorist attack that occurred at Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, on April 2, 2015. Recognizes the heroic and selfless acts by Kenyan citizens, first responders, and the Kenya Red Cross to rescue those caught in such attack. Condemns al Shabaab's apparent effort to foment divisions among the Kenyan people along religious lines. Reaffirms U.S. support for the efforts of the government and people of Kenya to combat terrorism, counter extremism, promote tolerance, and bring all the perpetrators of such attack to justice. Commends the Kenyan government's continued participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia. Urges Kenya to maintain its commitment to protecting Somali refugees who are fleeing from al Shabaab. Recognizes Kenya as an important regional ally and partner of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2015 Extends to all veterans with a serious service-connected injury the eligibility to participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs program of comprehensive assistance to family caregivers of such veterans. (Under current law, such eligibility is limited to those veterans who incurred such an injury on or after September 11, 2001.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001137_200.jpg)