United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Chiropractic Membership in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to make chiropractic personnel eligible for appointment to the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Surgeon General must ensure that doctors of chiropractic (chiropractors) are trained, equipped, and otherwise prepared to fulfill public health and emergency response service responsibilities in the Commissioned Corps. The President must appoint at least six chiropractors into the commissioned Regular Corps and the Ready Reserve Corps. The Surgeon General must submit a quarterly report to the relevant congressional committees on measures taken by the President, Surgeon General, and HHS to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Information Reporting Simplification Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to penalties for filing erroneous tax returns, to set forth a safe harbor rule for errors on tax information returns and payee statements. If any such return or statement has one or more incorrect dollar amounts, but no single amount in error differs from the correct amount by more than $100, and no single amount reported for tax withheld on any information return differs from the correct amount by more than $25, then no correction shall be required and such return or statement shall be treated as having been filed with all of the correct required information.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to modernize and maintain a post office network.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2015
Improving School Nutrition Training Act This bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to add requirements regarding the availability of training that the Department of Agriculture provides under current law for local food service personnel. The training must be scheduled primarily during paid working hours, offered in-person when appropriate, and incorporate hands-on training techniques. If the training is scheduled outside of working hours, food service personnel must be informed about the necessity of scheduling the program and compensated for attending the program. Personnel may not be penalized for failing to attend a program outside of working hours.
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 · 20 October 2015
ADA Education and Reform Act of 2015 This bill requires the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice to develop a program to educate state and local governments and property owners on strategies for promoting access to public accommodations for persons with a disability. The program may include training for professionals to provide a guidance of remediation for potential violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The bill prohibits persons from, and subjects violators to a criminal fine for, sending demand letters or other pre-suit notifications alleging a violation of ADA public accommodation requirements if the notification does not specify the circumstances under which an individual was actually denied access. The notification must specify: (1) the address of property, (2) the specific ADA sections alleged to have been violated, (3) whether a request for assistance in removing an architectural barrier was made, and (4) whether the barrier was permanent or temporary. The bill also prohibits commencement of civil action based on the failure to remove an architectural barrier to access into an existing public accommodation unless: (1) the aggrieved person has provided to the owners or operators a written notice specific enough to identify the barrier, and (2) the owners or operators fail to provide the person with a written description outlining improvements that will be made to improve the barrier or they fail to remove the barrier or make substantial progress after providing such a description. The Judicial Conference of the United States must develop a model program to promote alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve such claims. The model program should include an expedited method for determining relevant facts related to such barriers and steps to resolve accessibility issues before litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Mining Schools Enhancement Act This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement of the Department of the Interior to ensure that at least 70% of specified amounts available for projects relating to the environmental impacts of surface coal mining is expended to fund activities of mining and mineral engineering programs at mining schools in the United States. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement shall ensure that such activities relate to conventional fuel resource development and production.
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 · 30 September 2015
Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015 This bill extends deadlines and modifies requirements for railroad carriers and providers of intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation to implement positive train control (PTC) systems. (A PTC system is a communications and signaling system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zone limits, and the movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. Railroads which carry passengers or have high-volume freight traffic with certain hazardous materials are required to implement a PTC system.) Within 60 days of enactment of this bill, each Class I railroad carrier (the largest operators by revenue) and provider of intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation must submit to the Department of Transportation (DOT) a plan for implementing PTC by December 31, 2018, instead of the December 31, 2015, deadline required under current law. DOT may extend the deadline if specified requirements are met. The revised plan must include a detailed schedule and sequence for fully implementing PTC in a manner that complies with specified regulations, and railroads must implement PTC in accordance with the plan. DOT may authorize a railroad carrier or other entity to begin the provisional operation of a PTC system without the required certification if it is necessary to enable the safe implementation of PTC in phases.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2015
Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reduce, for each of FY2015-FY2019, the authorized aggregate amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import Bank may have outstanding at any time. The Bank shall build to and hold in reserve, to protect against future losses, at least 5% of its aggregate amount of disbursed and outstanding loans, guarantees, and insurance. The Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 (EIBRA) is amended to require the Government Accountability Office's quadrennial review of the adequacy of the design and effectiveness of the Bank's fraud controls to include review of the Bank's compliance with these controls. An Office of Ethics is established within the Bank to recommend administrative actions to establish or enforce standards of official conduct. A Chief Risk Officer of the Bank is established to oversee all issues relating to risk within the Bank. A Risk Management Committee is also established to: oversee periodic stress testing on the entire Bank portfolio and the monitoring of industry, geographic, and obligor exposure levels; and review all required reports on the Bank's default rate. The Bank's Inspector General shall conduct an audit or evaluation of the Bank's portfolio risk management procedures, including its implementation of the duties assigned to the Chief Risk Officer. The Bank may establish a pilot program under which it may enter into contracts and other arrangements to share risks associated with its provision of guarantees, insurance, or credit, or participation in the extension of credit. The Bank shall: (1) increase from 20% to 25% of its lending authority the amount made available to finance direct exports by small business concerns, and (2) include in its annual report to Congress a report on its programs for U.S. businesses with less than $250 million in annual sales. The Bank may use a portion of its surplus through FY2019 to update its information technology systems. The Bank, the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee, and authority for dual use exports (of nonlethal defense articles or services primarily for civilian use) are reauthorized through FY2019. The principal amounts of medium-term financing by the Bank are limited to $25 million Increased from a minimum of $10 million to a minimum of $25 million are the amounts of: long-term loans or loan guarantees the Bank may insure, working capital export loans and guarantees to small businesses, and long-term support for projects to which certain procedures apply regarding the potential beneficial and adverse environmental effects of goods and services for which direct lending and guarantee support is requested. The Bank may never: deny an application for financing based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns; or promulgate or implement policies that discriminate against an application based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns. The EIBRA is amended to require the President instead of the Department of the Treasury to initiate and pursue negotiations to end export credit financing. The President shall propose to Congress a strategy the U.S. government will pursue with other major exporting countries, including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members and non-OECD members, to eliminate over a period of 10 years subsidized export-financing programs, tied aid, export credits, and all other forms of government-supported export subsidies. The Bank shall study the extent to which products it offers are available and used by companies that export information and communications technology services and related goods.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Social Security Beneficiary 2nd Amendment Rights Protection Act This bill amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit any determination by the Commissioner of Social Security with respect to an individual, including one that OASDI and SSI benefits to which that individual is entitled shall be paid to a representative payee, from being considered to be a determination that the individual has been adjudicated as a mental defective to make it unlawful for the individual to engage in the shipment or transport of firearms or ammunition or receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Impeaches Regina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for high crimes and misdemeanors regarding testimony on the EPA's Clean Water Rule defining "waters of the United States." Sets forth the articles of impeachment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that an eligible disabled veteran provided an automobile or other conveyance is given the opportunity to make personal selections relating to the automobile or other conveyance. Minimum standards of safety and quality for adaptive equipment shall include that: the provider of any adaptive equipment modification services be certified by a certification organization or the manufacturer of the adaptive equipment; any individual performing such modification services on an automobile be certified by a certification organization, the manufacturer, or the state; and the provider of the automobile or adaptive equipment or the provider of the modification services adhere to specified requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act or the NATIVE Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and federal agencies with recreational travel or tourism functions to update their management plans and tourism initiatives to include Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Plans must include proposals for improving collection and provision of tourism information and assisting Native American communities. Interior and Commerce must: (1) work with a facilitator to provide technical assistance to Indian tribes and tribal organizations regarding participation in the tourism industry, and (2) report on departmental efforts supporting such participation. Federal agencies must support the cultural activities of Indian tribes and tribal organizations and carry out activities to promote understanding and awareness of Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Any grants for which Indian tribes or tribal organizations are eligible may be used to: (1) support their efforts to present their story and culture, (2) revitalize Native American communities using the arts and humanities, and (3) carry out this Act. The Smithsonian Institution must work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofits to share collections and conduct joint research and projects with museums, educational organizations, and cultural organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015 This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2025 the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act. The U.S. Forest Service must conduct forest management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in a manner that promotes multiple management benefits, unless the attainment of those benefits would excessively increase a project's cost. The Forest Service must also support the attainment of the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact's environmental standards for the Basin. Activities that reduce forest fuels in the Basin are categorically excluded from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), if the activities are: (1) developed in coordination with impacted parties, and in consultation with other interested parties, and (2) consistent with the Basin's land and resource management plan. The bill establishes an arbitration process for challenges to forest management activities in the Basin. During FY2016-FY2020, the Forest Service may enter into contacts and cooperative agreements with entities for certain forest management activities on land in the Basin. The term for an agreement or contract may be more than 10 years, but no more than 20 years. The Forest Service must retain any commercial product funds generated as part of forest management activities or cooperative activities conducted in the Basin, other than stewardship contracts. The bill amends the Santini-Burton Act to authorize the conveyance of: (1) 2,168 acres of land from California to the Forest Service; and (2) 39 acres of land from the Forest Service to Nevada. The Forest Service may convey all of its urban lots within the Basin. The proceeds from conveying urban lots must be used to purchase parcels of private land that are surrounded by federal land. The Forest Service must obtain consent of affected local governments before executing land acquisition in the Basin.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015 Establishes in the Treasury the American Hostages in Iran Compensation Fund to: (1) make payments to the Americans held hostage in Iran, and to their families, who are identified as members of the proposed class in case number 1:00-CV-03110 (ESG) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and (2) satisfy their claims against Iran relating to the taking of hostages and treatment of personnel of the U.S. embassy in Tehran between November 4, 1979, and January 20, 1981. Imposes a surcharge, to be deposited into the Fund, of 30% on the amount of: (1) any fine or penalty imposed for a violation (committed on or after enactment of this Act) of a law or regulation penalizing any economic activity relating to Iran that is administered by the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, or Energy; or (2) the monetary amount of a settlement entered into by a person regarding a suspected violation of such a law or regulation. Requires distribution of Fund payments to members of the proposed class in the following amounts: to each living former hostage, $6,750 for each day of captivity; to the estate of each deceased former hostage, $6,750 for each day of captivity; to each spouse (who is also a member of the identified class) of a former hostage, $600,000, or to the estate of such spouse who is deceased, $600,000; and to each child (who is also a member of the identified class) of a former hostage, $600,000, or to the estate of such child who is deceased, $600,000. Specifies the order of payment distribution. Prohibits a payment recipient from maintaining an action against Iran in any federal or state court for any claims relating to the hostage events. Deems waived and forever released all existing claims against Iran for those events upon payment from the Fund to all designated recipients. Requires the Department of State to submit recommendations to Congress if Fund amounts will be insufficient to pay all recipients within 444 days after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Downwinders Compensation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to expand eligibility for restitution relating to atmospheric nuclear testing to individuals who were present, during the periods of testing, in any part of Clark County, Nevada, or any part of any county in Arizona that has a part north of the Grand Canyon. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the tax deduction for charitable contributions that are required to purchase a ticket to a college sporting event.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to make grants to states to establish, expand, or maintain culturally competent programs for screening and treatment of women who are pregnant, or who have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal depression. The HRSA shall make such grants to at least three states and give priority to states proposing to expand or enhance screening for maternal depression in primary care settings. Activities eligible for funding: (1) shall include providing appropriate training and relevant resources, including information on maternal depression screening, treatment, follow-up support, and linkages to community-based resources, to health care providers; and (2) may include enabling health care providers to provide or receive real-time psychiatric consultation to aid in the treatment of pregnant and postpartum women, conducting a public awareness campaign, funding start-up costs, and establishing linkages with and among community-based resources.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the July 16, 2015, attack upon members of the Armed Forces at the Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center and the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, meets the criteria for the award of the Purple Heart, and (2) the Secretary of the Navy should award the Purple Heart to the members of the Marine Corps and Navy who were killed or wounded in the attack.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior to make available online a searchable database detailing federal expenditures for civil actions brought under the Act containing claims that are based on the actions of Interior, the Forest Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration, or the Southeastern Power Administration. Interior must submit an annual report to Congress including this information.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of the Interior to develop and maintain a current, accurate multipurpose cadastre (inventory) of federal real property to assist with federal land management activities, including, but not limited to, resource development and conservation, agricultural use, active forest management, environmental protection, and use of real property. Interior may enter into cost-sharing agreements with states to include any non-federal lands in this cadastre. The federal share of any such agreement shall be up to 50% of the total cost to a state for the development of a cadastre of the non-federal lands. Interior shall report on: (1) existing executive agency real property inventories or any components of any cadastre; (2) consolidation of inventories and components; (3) the use of existing inventories and components of any cadastre; (4) cost savings that will be achieved; (5) a plan for implementation of this Act, including a cost estimate and the feasibility of using revenue from any authorized transactional activity to offset such costs; and (6) recommendations for legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These Centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to support the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2015 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and periodically update a National Family Caregiving Strategy. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise it on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. Federal departments and agencies must share with HHS any data they maintain that HHS needs to prepare the initial and updated Strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Expresses disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran on July 14, 2015. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to: (1) prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, and (2) encourage global stability and security by strongly supporting strategic regional allies.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "applicable large employer" for purposes of the employer health care mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) any tribal employer. Defines "tribal employer" as: (1) any Indian tribal government or subdivision, (2) any tribal organization, or (3) any corporation or partnership if more than 50% of the equity interest of such an entity is owned by an Indian tribal government or tribal organization. An applicable large employer is defined by PPACA as an employer who employs 50 or more full-time employees who provide services on average at least 30 hours per week.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015
National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Act This bill designates the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, as a national memorial. The Department of the Interior may award a grant of not more than $25 million each fiscal year to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., for the operation and maintenance of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Merchant Marine of World War II 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 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal to the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Mayflower Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 50,000 $5 gold commemorative coins, and up to 100,000 $1 silver commemorative coins, whose design is emblematic of the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. These coins shall be issued only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The Department must pay all surcharges received from sales of the coins to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants for educational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act of 2015 or the TAILOR Act of 2015 This bill directs the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (federal financial institutions regulatory agencies) to: take into consideration the risk profile and business models of institutions subject to regulatory action; determine the necessity, appropriateness, and impact of applying that action to such institutions; and tailor regulatory action so as to limit the burden of regulatory compliance as befits the risk profile and business model involved. The federal financial institutions regulatory agencies shall also consider: the impact that such regulatory action has upon the ability of the institution to flexibly serve evolving and diverse customer needs, the potential unintended impact of examination manuals or other regulatory directives that work in conflict with the tailoring of such regulatory action, and the underlying policy objectives of the regulatory action and statutory scheme involved. In addition, a federal financial institutions regulatory agency must disclose in every notice of a proposed and final rulemaking for a regulatory action how it has applied this Act. The Financial Institutions Examination Council shall report to Congress on the extent to which regulatory actions tailored pursuant to this Act result in differential regulation of similarly-situated institutions of diverse charter types with respect to comparable regulations. The agencies must also apply the requirements of this Act to all regulations adopted five years before the introduction of this Act and ending on the date of its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Condemns the practice of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China. Calls on China and the Communist Party of China to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. Encourages the U.S. medical community to help raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in China. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Calls on the Department of State to: (1) conduct a more detailed analysis on state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the annual Human Rights Report, and (2) report annually to Congress on implementation of the immigration provision prohibiting visas to Chinese and other nationals engaged in coerced organ or bodily tissue transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 Defines: (1) "Delta" as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Suisun Marsh; and (2) "negative impact on the long-term survival" as an appreciable reduction in the likelihood of the survival of a listed species in the wild by reducing the reproduction, numbers, or distribution of that species. TITLE I--ADJUSTING DELTA SMELT MANAGEMENT BASED ON INCREASED REAL-TIME MONITORING AND UPDATED SCIENCE Requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), by October 1, 2016, and at least every five years thereafter, to cooperate with federal, California, and local agencies to use updated scientific and commercial data to modify the calculation of incidental take levels for adult and larval/juvenile Delta smelt in the biological opinion for the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) issued by the USFWS on December 15, 2008. Directs the USFWS to implement and make appropriate amendments to the reasonable and prudent alternative described in that smelt biological opinion. Requires the Department of the Interior to make all significant decisions in writing under the smelt opinion and any successor opinions affecting the CVP or the SWP. Requires Interior, on an annual basis, to determine: (1) the extent that adult Delta smelt are distributed in relation to certain levels of turbidity or other environmental factors that may influence salvage rate, and (2) how the CVP and SWP may be operated to minimize salvage while maximizing export pumping rates without causing a significant negative impact on the long-term survival of the Delta smelt. Requires Interior, if suspended sediment loads from the Sacramento River appear likely to raise turbidity levels in specified areas during each period from December through March, to conduct daily monitoring to determine how increased trawling can inform real-time CVP and SWP operations. Directs Interior, by January 1, 2016, and at least every five years thereafter, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the California Department of Water Resources, public water agencies, and other interested entities, to implement new targeted sampling and monitoring specifically designed to understand Delta smelt abundance, distribution, and habitats during all life stages. Requires Interior, in implementing the smelt biological opinion pertaining to reverse flow in the Old and Middle River (OMR), to maximize CVP and SWP water supplies by managing export pumping rates to a reverse flow rate of -5,000 cubic feet per second, unless Interior provides documentation concluding that a less negative OMR flow rate is necessary to avoid a negative impact on the long-term survival of Delta smelt. Directs Interior to manage a more negative OMR flow rate if it can be established without an imminent negative impact. Requires the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the USFWS to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to ensure that the smelt biological opinion is implemented in a manner that maximizes water supply while complying with applicable laws and regulations. Provides a framework under which reinitiation of consultation is unnecessary if any changes that the MOU makes to the biological opinion will not have a significant negative impact on the long-term survival on listed species and would not be a major change to implementation of the biological opinion. Prohibits procedural changes that do not create a significant negative impact on long-term survival from altering application of the take permitted by the incidental take statement in the biological opinion. Directs Interior, for purposes of increasing CVP and SWP water supplies, to revise the method of calculating reverse flow in the OMR for implementation of the reasonable and prudent alternatives in the USFWS's smelt biological opinion, the salmonid biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on June 4, 2009, and any succeeding opinion. TITLE II--ENSURING SALMONID MANAGEMENT IS RESPONSIVE TO NEW SCIENCE Establishes a process for Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Fisheries to provide for implementation of the reasonable and prudent alternative described in the NMFS's salmonid biological opinion to be adjusted as new scientific and commercial data is developed. Requires Interior and the Department of Commerce, annually, to direct Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator to implement certain recommended adjustments to project operations that, in the exercise of the adaptive management provisions of the salmonid biological opinion, will reduce water supply impacts of the salmonid biological opinion on the CVP and the SWP. Requires implementation of adjustments for which: (1) the net effect on listed salmonid species and the Delta smelt is equivalent to those of the underlying project operational parameters in the salmonid biological opinion, and (2) the effects of the adjustment can be expected to fall within incidental take authorizations. Requires Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator to evaluate potential species survival improvements likely to result from other measures that, if implemented, would offset adverse effects. Requires the Assistant Administrator to compare existing measures to increase through-Delta survival of salmonid through restrictions on export pumping rates to possible alternative management measures to increase salmonid survival through: (1) physical habitat restoration improvements, (2) predation control programs, (3) installation of temporary barriers or management of Cross Channel Gates operations, (4) salvaging near Clifton Court Forebay, or (5) conservation hatchery programs. Directs Reclamation to implement such an alternative measure in order to increase export rates if the Assistant Administrator determines that: (1) the alternative measure is technically feasible and within federal jurisdiction, or (2) California or a local agency has certified that it has the authority and capability to implement the alternative measure. Requires Commerce and California's Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation Districts to conduct a nonnative predator fish removal program to remove nonnative striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black bass, and other nonnative predator fish species from the Stanislaus River. Requires the districts to be responsible for 100% of the cost of the program. TITLE III--OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY AND DROUGHT RELIEF Requires the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, and the Interior to approve projects and operations to provide the maximum quantity of water supplies practicable (to all individuals or districts that receive CVP water under water service or repayment contracts, water rights settlement contracts, exchange contracts, or refuge contracts or agreements, to SWP contractors, and to any other tribe, locality, water agency, or municipality in California) to address the emergency drought conditions for the period of time such that in any year that the Sacramento Valley Index is 6.5 or lower, or at California's request, and until two succeeding years after either of those events has been completed where the final index is 7.8 or greater. Provides for: (1) temporary barriers or operable gates to be designed so that formal consultations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) are not necessary; (2) adoption of a 1:1 inflow to export ratio under specified conditions, as measured as a three-day running average at Vernalis during the period beginning on April 1, and ending on May 31, absent a determination in writing that a more restrictive inflow to export ratio is required to avoid a significant negative impact on the long-term survival of a listed salmonid species under the ESA; and (3) water transfers through the C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant or the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant from April 1 to November 30 if the transfers comply with California law. Provides expedited procedures for consideration of requests by the California governor relating to federal, state, or local projects or operations to provide relief for emergency drought conditions. Allows USDA, Commerce, or Interior to deem alternative arrangements for a project to be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) during emergency drought conditions if immediate implementation is necessary to address: (1) human health and safety, or (2) a specific and imminent loss of agriculture production upon which an identifiable region depends for 25% or more of its tax revenue used to support public services. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) development of drought plans; (2) operation of the Delta Cross Channel Gates; (3) the averaging period of the Delta Export/Inflow ratio pursuant to California State Water Resources Control Board decision D1641; (4) use of groundwater resources, implementation of offsite upstream projects in the Delta and upstream of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin basins, management of reverse flow in the OMR, and actions to expedite CVP water transfers; (5) a program to allow certain agricultural, refuge, municipal, and industrial water service contractors to reschedule water provided for under CVP contracts from one year to the next; and (6) implementation of the Modified Lower American River Flow Management Standard to improve water supply reliability for CVP American River water contractors and resource protection in the lower American River during consecutive dry years under current and future demand and climate change conditions. Repeals the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act and the related settlement. Deems certain fish and game requirements to be satisfied by the existence of a warm water fishery in the San Joaquin River that has an environment suitable for species of fish other than salmon and trout. TITLE IV--CALFED STORAGE FEASIBILITY STUDIES Establishes deadlines for water storage feasibility studies concerning specified dams and reservoirs under Calfed Bay-Delta Authorization Act. Requires Interior, if it finds the Temperance Flat Reservoir Project on the Upper San Joaquin River to be feasible, to manage land recommended in the Bakersfield Field Office, Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan (dated December 2014) for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, regardless of whether Interior submits any official recommendation to Congress. Allows Reclamation to partner or enter into an agreement on certain water storage projects identified in the Water Supply Reliability and Environmental Improvement Act with local joint powers authorities formed pursuant to state law by irrigation districts and other local water districts and local governments within the applicable hydrologic region. Authorizes Interior to carry out feasible projects, but prohibits federal funds from being used for construction. TITLE V--WATER RIGHTS PROTECTIONS Directs Interior to confer with the CDFW on potential impacts to any consistency determination for operations of the SWP resulting from the implementation of this Act. Requires Interior, in the operation of the CVP, to adhere to California laws governing water rights priorities and honor water rights senior to those held by the United States for operation of the CVP, regardless of the source of priority, including any appropriative water rights initiated prior to December 19, 1914. Requires Interior to ensure that actions taken to comply with environmental laws do not: (1) result in the involuntary reduction of water supply or fiscal impacts to recipients of water from either the SWP or the United States, or (2) cause redirected adverse water supply or fiscal impacts to those within the Sacramento River or San Joaquin River watersheds or the SWP service area. Directs Interior, in the operation of the CVP, to allocate water provided for irrigation purposes to existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed in compliance with specified allocation percentages. Makes Interior's allocations subject to: (1) the priority of individuals or entities with Sacramento River water rights, (2) the U.S. obligation to make a substitute supply of water available to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors, and (3) Interior's obligation to make water available to managed wetlands pursuant to the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Declares that Interior's allocation authority shall not be deemed to: (1) modify any provision of a water service contract that addresses municipal and industrial water shortage policies; (2) affect or limit Interior's authority to adopt, modify, or implement municipal and industrial water shortage policies; (3) affect allocations to CVP municipal and industrial contractors, including the utilization of such allocations as primary water sources for such contractors for purposes of calculating municipal and industrial water shortages; or (4) result in the involuntary reduction in contract water allocations to individuals or entities with contracts to receive water from the Friant Division. Requires Interior to develop and implement a program to allow existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed to reschedule water, provided for under their water service contracts, from one year to the next. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts or modifies any existing obligation of the United States under federal reclamation law to operate the CVP in conformity with state law, including established water rights priorities. TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS Includes the Kettleman City Community Services District within the CVP's authorized service area. Requires Interior to enter a long-term contract with such district for the delivery of up to 900 acre-feet of CVP water for municipal and industrial use, limited to the minimal quantity necessary to meet immediate needs if local supplies or SWP allocations are insufficient. Amends the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to establish an advisory board to make recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior regarding expenditures from the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) the accounting of CVP water credited to the quantity of CVP yield, and (2) implementation of an updated plan to increase the yield of the CVP by the amount dedicated to fish and wildlife purposes. Prohibits Interior and Commerce from distinguishing between natural-spawned and hatchery-spawned or otherwise artificially propagated strains of a species in making any determination under the ESA that relates to any anadromous or pelagic fish species that resides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta or tributary rivers. Directs Interior to negotiate with interested local water and power providers to transfer ownership, control, and operation of the CVP's New Melones Unit to interested local water and power providers in California. Directs Reclamation, in carrying out the climate change adaptation program, to expand opportunities and expedite assessments, with nonfederal partners, of risks to the water supply of sub-basins and watersheds within major Reclamation river basins. Requires Reclamation to ensure timely decision and expedited implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies developed through the special study process. Makes nonfederal partners responsible for 100% of the special study costs. Prohibits Interior, in operation of the CVP's Trinity River Division, from making releases from Lewiston Dam in excess of the volume for each water-year type (i.e., critically dry, dry, normal, wet, extremely wet) required by Interior's record of decision in the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report dated December 2000. Restricts the definition of "anadromous fish" under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to mean only native stocks of salmon (including steelhead) and sturgeon that were present in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers as of October 30, 1992, and that ascend those rivers and their tributaries to reproduce after maturing in San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean. TITLE VII--WATER SUPPLY PERMITTING ACT Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act Establishes Reclamation as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all reviews, analyses, opinions, statements, permits, licenses, or other approvals or decisions (reviews) required under federal law to construct qualifying projects (defined as new surface water storage projects in the states covered under the Act of June 17, 1902, and Acts supplemental to and amendatory of that Act on lands administered by Interior or USDA, exclusive of any easement, right-of-way, lease, or any private holding). Directs Reclamation: (1) upon receipt of an application for a qualifying project, to identify any federal agency that may have jurisdiction over a required review; and (2) to notify such agency that it has been designated as a cooperating agency unless the agency notifies Reclamation that the agency has no jurisdiction or authority over the project, has no expertise or information relevant to the project or any associated review, or does not intend to submit comments other than in cooperation with Reclamation. Requires each cooperating agency to submit to Reclamation: (1) a time frame for completing the agency's authorizing responsibilities, (2) all environmental review material produced in the course of carrying out activities required under federal law consistent with the project schedule, and (3) all relevant project data. Allows a state in which a qualifying project is being considered to choose to: (1) participate as a cooperating agency; and (2) make subject to the processes of this title all state agencies that have jurisdiction over the project, that are required to conduct or issue a review, or that are required to make a determination on issuing a permit, license, or approval for the project. Lists as Reclamation's principal responsibilities under this title: (1) to serve as the point of contact for applicants, state agencies, Indian tribes, and others regarding proposed qualifying projects; (2) to coordinate preparation of unified environmental documentation that will serve as the basis for all federal decisions necessary to authorize the use of federal lands for qualifying projects; and (3) to coordinate all federal agency reviews necessary for the development and construction of qualifying projects. Authorizes Interior to accept and expend funds contributed by a nonfederal public entity to expedite the evaluation of a permit of that entity related to a qualifying project. Directs Interior to ensure that all final permit decisions are made available to the public, including on the Internet. TITLE VIII--BUREAU OF RECLAMATION PROJECT STREAMLINING Bureau of Reclamation Project Streamlining Act Sets forth provisions governing feasibility studies for water projects initiated by Interior under the Reclamation Act of 1902 (project studies). Requires a project study initiated after enactment of this title to: (1) result in the completion of a final feasibility report within three years; (2) have a maximum federal cost of $3 million; and (3) ensure that personnel from the local project area, region, and Reclamation's headquarters levels concurrently conduct the required review. Sets forth factors for extending such time line for complex projects. Requires Interior, within 90 days after the initiation of a project study, to: (1) initiate the process for completing reviews, including environmental reviews, required to be completed as part of such study; (2) convene a meeting of federal, tribal, and state agencies required to act; and (3) provide information that will enable required reviews and analyses to be conducted by other agencies in a thorough and timely manner. Directs Interior to: (1) expedite the completion of any ongoing project study initiated before the enactment of this title; and (2) proceed directly to preconstruction planning, engineering, and design of a project that it determines is justified. Sets forth requirements applicable to: (1) project studies initiated after enactment of this title for which an environmental impact statement is prepared under NEPA; (2) other project studies initiated before such enactment for which an environmental review process document is prepared under NEPA; and (3) any project study for the development of a nonfederally owned and operated surface water storage project for which Interior determines there is a demonstrable federal interest and that is located in a river basin where other Reclamation water projects are located, that will create additional water supplies that support Reclamation water projects, or that will become integrated into the operation of Reclamation water projects. Requires Interior to: annually prepare a list of all such studies that do not have adequate funding for study completion; develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for the development of such studies; identify early all federal, state, and local government agencies and Indian tribes that may have jurisdiction and that may be required to act, which the federal lead agency shall invite to become participating or cooperating agencies; issue guidance regarding the use of programmatic approaches to carry out the environmental review process; and establish an electronic database and issue reporting requirements to make publicly available the status and progress with respect to compliance with applicable NEPA requirements and other action required for a project study. Sets forth the authorities and responsibilities of the joint lead agency, which may be a project sponsor, and the federal lead agency in the environmental review process, including: (1) the preparation and use of environmental documents; (2) establishing a plan for coordinating public and agency participation; (3) working with cooperating and participating agencies to identify and resolve issues that could delay process completion or result in the denial of any approval required for the project study; and (4) establishing, upon request, memoranda of agreement with the project sponsor, Indian tribes, and state and local governments to carry out the early coordination activities. Requires a federal lead agency to serve in that capacity for the entirety of all nonfederal projects that will be integrated into a larger system owned, operated, or administered by Reclamation. Directs Interior, upon determining that a project can be expedited by a nonfederal sponsor and that there is a demonstrable federal interest in expediting the project, to advance it as a nonfederal project. Requires a federal jurisdictional agency to complete any required approval or decision for the environmental review process on an expeditious basis. Provides for a reduction of funds for such an agency that fails to render such a decision by a specified deadline. Directs Interior to: (1) survey the use by Reclamation of categorical exclusions in projects since 2005 and propose a new categorical exclusion for a category of activities if merited, and (2) establish a program to measure and report on progress made toward improving and expediting the planning and environmental review process. Requires Interior to develop and submit annually a Report to Congress on Future Water Project Development that identifies: (1) the costs and benefits of, the nonfederal interests associated with, and the support for project reports, proposed project studies, and proposed modifications to authorized water projects and project studies that are related to Reclamation's missions and authorities, that require specific congressional authorization, that have not been congressionally authorized, that have not been included in any previous annual report, and that, if authorized, could be carried out by Reclamation; and (2) any project study that was expedited under this title. Specifies surface water storage, rural water supply, wastewater, and groundwater projects to be included in such studies and reports. TITLE IX--ACCELERATED REVENUE, REPAYMENT, AND SURFACE WATER STORAGE ENHANCEMENT Accelerated Revenue, Repayment, and Surface Water Storage Enhancement Act Directs Interior to convert certain existing water service contracts between the United States and water users' associations to repayment contracts to allow for prepayment of such contracts, upon the request of the contractor. Specifies the manner of conversion and the terms and conditions of prepayment. Requires a specified percentage of certain receipts generated from prepayment of contracts under this title, beyond amounts necessary to cover the amount of receipts forgone from scheduled payments under current law for the 10-year period following the enactment of this title, to be directed to the Reclamation Surface Water Storage Account. Requires the Secretary to allocate amounts in such Account to fund the construction of surface water storage for: increased municipal and industrial water supply; agricultural floodwater, erosion, and sedimentation reduction; agricultural drainage improvements; agricultural irrigation; increased recreation opportunities; and reduced adverse impacts to fish and wildlife from water storage or diversion projects within watersheds associated with water storage projects funded under this Act. TITLE X--SAFETY OF DAMS Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize Interior, subject to a feasibility study, to develop additional project benefits (including additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works when it exercises its authority to modify Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety, provided that: (1) the additional project benefits will promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities, (2) the feasibility study is authorized under the Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965, and (3) the costs are allocated to the authorized purposes of the structure and repaid consistent with federal reclamation law. TITLE XI--WATER RIGHTS PROTECTION Water Rights Protection Act Prohibits Interior and USDA from: conditioning or withholding the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement (permit) on the limitation or encumbrance of any water right or the transfer of any water right to the United States or any other designee or on any other impairment of any water right under state law by federal or state action; requiring any water user (including a federally recognized Indian tribe) to apply for or acquire a water right in the name of the United States under state law as a condition of such a permit; asserting jurisdiction over groundwater withdrawals or impacts on groundwater resources, unless consistent with state groundwater resource laws, regulations, and policies; or infringing on the rights and obligations of a state in evaluating, allocating, and adjudicating state waters originating on or under, or flowing from, land owned or managed by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: allow taxpayers who are liable for not more than $50,000 per year in excise taxes on distilled spirits, wine, or beer to file and pay such taxes quarterly without the requirement of posting a bond covering the operations and withdrawals of such distilled spirits, wines, or beer; allow such taxpayers who reasonably expect to have a tax liability of not more than $1,000 per year and who were liable for not more than $1,000 in taxes in the preceding calendar year to file and pay such taxes annually rather than quarterly; exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer, wine, and distilled spirits produced in the United States; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; modify the definition of "hard cider" for excise tax purposes; and exempt home distillery establishments that produce distilled spirits solely for personal or family use from excise tax and bonding requirements. Directs the Department of the Treasury to amend applicable Treasury regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish funding levels in FY2016-FY2021 for the enforcement and compliance activities of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act This bill nullifies: (1) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's determination to list the Mexican wolf ( Canis lupus baileyi ) as an endangered subspecies under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and (2) the rule entitled, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revision to the Regulations for the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf."
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of "qualifying income" for such partnerships to include income and gains from renewable and alternative fuels (in addition to fossil fuels), including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) elected Members of Congress should work to promote public awareness of the importance of proper flag etiquette, including the proper disposal of worn and tattered American flags; (2) they should work to aid the respectful and dignified disposal of such flags in their districts and among their constituents, and should cooperate with the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Boy Scouts of America, and other such organizations in their efforts; (3) such organizations that conduct respectful ceremonies disposing of the flags should be commended for the public service they perform for all U.S. citizens; and (4) the city of Chicago, Illinois, should be commended for its policies regarding flag disposal, making it easy and convenient for its citizens to properly dispose of their flags.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act or the FAST Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) expand access to certain stroke telehealth services to any originating site at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished, regardless of where the site is located; and (2) waive the facility fee for certain such originating sites.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Remote Transactions Parity Act of 2015 This bill authorizes both member states under the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement and states that have not adopted the Agreement (the multistate agreement for the administration and collection of sales and use taxes adopted on November 12, 2002) to require remote sellers (i.e., sellers who make remote sales in a state without a physical presence) to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to remote sales sourced to such states. States that have not adopted the Agreement must show that they have adopted and implemented minimum simplification requirements for the administration of sales and use taxes in order to collect such taxes. Such requirements include: (1) the designation of a single state entity responsible for all state and local sales and tax administration, return processing, and audits of remote sales; (2) a single audit of a remote seller for all taxing jurisdictions in the state; (3) direct contact with a certified software provider utilized by the remote seller in conducting an audit; (4) a single sales and use tax return for use by remote sellers that is filed with a single entity responsible for tax administration; (5) a uniform sales and use tax base; and (6) sourcing of all remote sales in compliance with criteria established by this Act. This bill expressly prohibits a state from requiring a remote seller to file sales and use tax returns any more frequently than is required for nonremote sellers. Additionally, remote sellers whose gross annual receipts are less than $5 million are exempt from audits unless there is a reasonable suspicion of intentional misrepresentation or fraud. For the first three years after the effective date of this Act, the requirement for remote sellers to collect and remit sales and use taxes is limited to remote sellers whose gross annual receipts exceed a certain level (i.e., $10 million in the first year, $5 million in the second year, and $1 million in the third year) and who utilize an electronic marketplace for making sales to the public. After the third year after the effective date of this Act, there is no exemption for remote sellers to collect and remit such taxes. The bill specifies limitations on the applicability of this Act, including by providing that nothing in this Act shall be construed as: (1) subjecting a remote seller to any type of tax other than sales and use taxes, or (2) enlarging or reducing the authority of a state to impose such taxes. The bill suspends the authority of a state to collect sales and use taxes in the first year after the effective date of this Act and between October 1 and December 31 of such first year. The bill also prohibits a state from exercising any authority under this Act unless it: (1) provides certification procedures for persons to be approved as certified software providers, (2) refrains from denying or revoking certification to a software provider without a reasonable basis, (3) has certified multiple national certified software providers and such certifications are in effect, and (4) provides compensation for certified software providers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2015 Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the amount of benefits excludible; and (2) make such tax exclusion available for taxable years beginning in 2016, 2017, or 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Nevada Native Nations Land Act This bill declares that the United States holds in trust the following lands for the benefit of: the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, approximately 19,094 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land; the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, approximately 82 acres of Forest Service land; the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, approximately 941 acres of BLM land; the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, approximately 13,434 acres of BLM land; the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, approximately 6,357 acres of BLM land; and the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe approximately 31,269 acres of BLM land. The lands held for such Tribes shall be part of their respective reservations. Lands held in trust under this Act shall not be eligible for Class II and class III gaming.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, half-dollar clad, and proof silver coins in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Treasury may issue coins minted under this Act for only a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2019. All sales of coins minted under this Act shall include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, $5 per half-dollar clad coin, and $50 per proof silver coin. All of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid as follows: one-half to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's "Destination Moon" exhibit; one-quarter to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; and one-quarter to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to aid its missions by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. The Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act Amends the federal criminal code to modify the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to: (1) include a projectile that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer for use in a handgun (currently, a projectile that may be used in a handgun); (2) repeal the exclusion of a projectile that the Attorney General finds is primarily intended for sporting purposes; and (3) exclude a projectile that is primarily intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used in a rifle or shotgun and a handgun projectile that is designed and intended by the manufacturer or importer to be used for hunting, recreational, or competitive shooting. Repeals a prohibition on assembling from imported parts a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that is identical to one prohibited from importation as not being suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. Repeals the condition that in order for a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to be permitted to ship to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty outside the United States or to clubs whose entire membership is composed of such members, and for such members or clubs to be permitted to receive, a firearm or ammunition intended for the lawful personal use of such members or club, the firearm or ammunition must be determined by the Attorney General to be generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes. Includes among the categories of firearms or ammunition that may be authorized for importation into the United States by the Attorney General, within 30 days after receiving an application therefor: (1) ammunition that is not armor piercing ammunition; (2) a firearm or ammunition that is being brought in for the use of a federal, state, or local government agency; and (3) a firearm or ammunition that is being imported for the purpose of exportation. Amends the National Firearms Act to modify the definition of "destructive device" to exclude: (1) a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Department of the Treasury finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for lawful (currently, sporting) purposes; and (2) an antique or a rifle which the owner intends to use for (currently, solely for) sporting purposes. Authorizes the temporary interstate transfer of a firearm for lawful (currently, sporting) purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that all trade agreements the United States enters into with a foreign country should provide reasonable collaboration with that country for the purpose of search and recovery activities for Armed Forces members missing in action from prior wars or military conflicts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 This bill creates the position of Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders to take over the responsibilities of the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mental health programs are extended and training regarding mental health is expanded. SAMHSA must establish the National Mental Health Policy Laboratory and the Interagency Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institute of Mental Health to translate evidence-based interventions and the best available science into systems of care. Certain mental health care professional volunteers are provided liability protection. Pediatric mental health subspecialists are eligible for National Health Service Corps programs. An underserved population of children or a site for training in child psychiatry can be designated as a health professional shortage area. The protected health information of an individual with a serious mental illness may be disclosed to a caregiver under certain conditions. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to conditionally expand coverage of mental health services. Part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct is amended to require coverage of antidepressants and antipsychotics. If it will not increase Medicare spending, Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services is eliminated. Health information technology activities and incentives are expanded to include certain mental health and substance abuse professionals and facilities. This bill restricts the lobbying and counseling activities of protection and advocacy systems for individuals with mental illness. These systems must focus on safeguarding the rights of individuals with mental illness to be free from abuse and neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2015 Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to extend through FY2020 the authorization for deposit and use of lease revenues under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Makes such funds available to the Department of the Interior for FY2015 and afterwards to implement both the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Directs the Bureau of Land Management to establish priority and variance areas on covered land for geothermal, solar, and wind energy projects. Requires Interior to establish a program to improve federal permit coordination with respect to renewable energy projects carried out on public land administered by Interior and not excluded from the development of geothermal, solar, or wind energy (covered land). Defines "variance area" as covered land that is neither an exclusion area (not suitable for development of renewable energy projects) nor a priority area. Establishes in the Treasury the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund, to be available in regions affected by the development of wind or solar energy on federal land for: (1) protecting and restoring important fish and wildlife habitat; and (2) ensuring and improving right-of-way access to federal land and water in the impacted region for fishing, hunting, and other forms of outdoor recreation. Requires the Department of Agriculture as well as Interior to determine the feasibility of carrying out a conservation banking program on federal land. Denies the rental fee exemption for rights-of-way under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to wind or solar generation projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts or more that are issued a lease, right-of-way, permit, or other authorization.
![Official portrait of Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/a000369_200.jpg)