United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2014
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Improvement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to: accept a gift of money from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc. in order to renovate Melville Hall on the campus of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; and enter into a contract with the Foundation for the Hall's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
Standards Addressing Federal Transparency and Oversight With Evolving Recruitment Specifications Act or the SAFE TOWERS Act - Revises Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for the hiring of air traffic controllers. Directs the FAA Administrator to give preferential consideration in the hiring of air traffic controllers to: individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the FAA's Collegiate Training Initiative program, and have received a recommendation from the institution; and qualified individuals eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment or qualified eligible veterans who maintain aviation experience. Directs the Administrator to revise FAA hiring practices for air traffic controller applicants with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to eliminate the use of biographical assessments or other personality tests that unduly disqualify applicants. Changes from discretionary to mandatory the Administrator's authority to maintain the Collegiate Training Initiative program. Directs the Administrator to establish an Air Traffic Control Education and Training Advisory Committee. Requires the Administrator to take into consideration any locally developed training initiatives for air traffic controllers for use in establishing best practices nationwide.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free rollovers from tax-exempt retirement plans, annuities, and deferred compensation plans into a simple individual retirement account.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Public School Emergency Relief Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide emergency impact aid payments to states and, through them, to local educational agencies and Indian schools for each quarter of the 2014-2015 school year for any increase in the enrollment of immigrant children from the corresponding quarter of the 2012-2013 school year. Requires the payments to be used to provide services and assistance to schools that enroll immigrant students. Authorizes the funds to be used for: compensating school personnel, identifying and acquiring curricular material and mobile educational units and leasing sites or spaces, basic instructional services for immigrant students, reasonable transportation costs, health and counseling services, education and support services, and other uses allowed under title III (Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires any payment made on behalf of a disabled immigrant student to be used for special education and related services. Prohibits the use of the emergency impact aid for any expenses that are not incurred during the 2014-2015 school year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Helping Wounded Warriors Cover Medical Expenses Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow tax-free distributions from a qualified tuition program account (529 tuition plans) for payment of the medical expenses of veterans with disability ratings of more than 50%; and (2) exclude such distributions from gross income, for income tax purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Elder Justice Reauthorization Act - Reauthorizes the Elder Justice Act of 2009 and funding for its programs through FY2019. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to reauthorize through FY2019: (1) the National Training Institute for Federal and State Surveyors, and (2) grants by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to state agencies that perform surveys of skilled nursing facilities or nursing facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund through FY2041 and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Removes the disqualification of individuals on the terrorist watch list maintained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from being identified as WTC responders or WTC survivors eligible for benefits provided by the WTC Health Program. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 up to 30 years after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2014 - Expands the TRICARE health care program managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Prohibits cost-sharing from being imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Provides for such pregnancy prevention care to include all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling. Directs the DOD Secretary to: (1) ensure that every military treatment facility has a sufficient stock of a broad range of FDA-approved methods of contraception to dispense to any women members of the Armed Forces and female covered beneficiaries who receive care through such facility; (2) disseminate clinical practice guidelines and decision support tools to DOD-employed health care providers; (3) ensure that women members of the Armed Forces have access to contraception counseling during health care visits; and (4) establish an education program for all members of the Armed Forces, including both men and women members, consisting of a uniform standard curriculum on family planning. Requires questions regarding family planning services and counseling to be incorporated into DOD health surveys. Requires every military treatment facility, upon request, to provide emergency contraception, or information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, to any woman who: (1) states to personnel that she is a victim of sexual assault or is accompanied by another individual who states that the woman is a victim of sexual assault, or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Concrete Pump Tax Fairness Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a vehicle mileage tax on owners of mobile mounted concrete boom pump vehicles. Defines "mobile mounted concrete boom pump vehicle" as a vehicle which is mobile machinery and on which the mounted machinery consists of a concrete boom pump and related subordinate parts. Directs that revenues from such tax be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Amends the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to describe the organization as a national association of veterans (currently, an association of men) who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, served this Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters. Expands its purpose of assisting widows to that of assisting surviving spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2014
SAVE for Small Businesses Act or the Savings Accounts for a Variable Economy for Small Businesses Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for tax-exempt small business savings accounts. Allows tax deductible contributions to such accounts of not more than 10% of the gross profits of an eligible small business (persons employing an average of 50 or fewer full-time employees) for the preceding taxable year. Excludes qualified distributions from such accounts from gross income for income tax purposes. Defines "qualified distribution" as: (1) any amount that is distributed from a small business savings account during a specified period of economic hardship, and (2) the distribution of which is certified as being part of a plan that provides for the reinvestment of such distribution for the funding of worker hiring or financial stabilization for the purposes of job retention or creation. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) establish minimum standards for small business savings accounts that seek to minimize fees and risk of loss of principal, and (2) ensure a range of investment risk options available to account beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 25 New York Avenue in Sound Beach, New York, as the "John Moerlins Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act - Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ); and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Mom and Pop SHOP Act of 2014 or the Mom and Mom SHOP Act of 2014 or the Pop and Pop SHOP Act of 2014 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make an individual (and his or her spouse or domestic partner) who owns, or is a partner in, a business that has no employees eligible for the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP Exchange).
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Condemns: (1) all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval over political events, and (2) the comparison of Israel to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide. Applauds those foreign leaders, especially in France, Italy, and Germany, who have condemned anti-Semitic acts, and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Supports Holocaust educational programs at home and abroad. Urges the Secretary of State to: maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority, urge governments to ensure that adequate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes as well as establish mechanisms to investigate and punish perpetrators, continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism as a human rights and religious freedom issue, provide training for diplomatic and law enforcement personnel posted abroad to report on anti-Semitic incidents, deepen engagement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and support its specialized efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, and oppose efforts to prevent any individual from exercising his or her religion without fear of prosecution or violence.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the current outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia is an international health crisis and is the largest and most widespread outbreak of the disease ever recorded. Calls on all nations to immediately provide additional resources to help affected nations address current and future public health crises. Requests development of a global health security plan to respond to disease outbreaks. Urges the prioritization of the elimination of Ebola as a public health threat.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Pet and Women Safety Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order. Defines "pet" to mean a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. Requires the "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to award grants to eligible entities to carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services, and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the person in domestic violence protection orders.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2014 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize through FY2019 the Young Women's Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009, which supports: (1) campaigns to educate the public and health care professionals about young women's breast health, (2) research into prevention of breast cancer in young women, and (3) support for young women with breast cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Railroad Hours of Service Employees Technical Corrections Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 to consider that a railroad employee, subject to hours of service under federal law, meets the hours of service eligibility requirement under FMLA if: (1) the employee has worked for or been paid for at least 60% of the applicable total guarantee, or the equivalent, for the previous 12-month period, by the employer with respect to whom FMLA leave is requested; and (2) the employee has worked for or been paid by that employer for at least 504 hours (not counting personal commute time or time spent on vacation leave or medical or sick leave) during such period. Defines "applicable guarantee" for an employee, as established in the applicable collective bargaining agreement or, if none exists, in the employer's policies as: (1) the minimum number of hours for which an employer has agreed to schedule a nonreserve status employee for any given period; and (2) the number of hours for which an employer has agreed to pay a reserve status employee for any given period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. Grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. Allows them to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections. Declares that nothing in this amendment shall be construed to grant Congress or the states the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Responsive and Efficient Appeals Courts for Heroes Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, acting as a panel or en banc, to hear class action appeals in accordance with specified procedures. Allows one or more appellants to bring such a class action as the representative party on behalf of all members of such class if: there is at least one question of law or fact common to the class, the class is likely to consist of at least 50 members, the resolution of the common questions of law or fact is likely to have a material effect on the claims of the members of the class, and the representative party will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Gives an appellant 60 days after filing an appeal to file a motion with the Court to certify the appeal as a class action with respect to an issue that the appellant intends to raise. Allows the Court to waive such 60-day period for good cause shown. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), upon the filing of such motion, to: (1) make reasonable efforts to determine the approximate number of individuals with pending claims for benefits for whom class certification is sought, and (2) file a response. Requires the Court, after the Secretary has filed such response, to determine by order whether to grant class certification with respect to an issue considered under the appeal and allow the appellant to act as the representative party of the class. Requires that order, if certification is granted, to: (1) define the class and issue for which the class is certified, and (2) appoint counsel for the class. Authorizes the Court, acting as a panel or en banc, to alter or amend an order before final judgement. Requires the Court to include in the class only individuals who have, as of the date of the Court's entry of judgment on the class action, filed a claim that has not been finally resolved. Allows the Court to stay the individual claims of class members during the period the Court is considering the class action. Requires the Court to allow a veterans' organization to intervene in a class action appeal if the organization has an interest in the common questions of law or fact in the class action. Requires the Court's permission before the appeal and a common issue of law or fact may be settled, voluntarily dismissed, compromised, or remanded by agreement. Allows any member of the class, or an individual who would have been a member of the class if certification was granted, to appeal any decision of the Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Sets the salary of the Court's judges at the rate applicable to federal appellate court judges. (Currently, their salary is set at the rate applicable to federal district court judges.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Medicare DMEPOS Audit Improvement and Reform (AIR) Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish a Medicare Administrative Contractor Payment Outreach and Education Program for DMEPOS (durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies) suppliers. Requires each Medicare administrative contractor responsible for DMEPOS payments, in order to reduce improper payments to DMEPOS suppliers under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance), to provide suppliers, physicians and practitioners who prescribe DMEPOS, and discharge planners and case managers who coordinate DMEPOS for individuals in the contractor's area with error rate reduction training as well as: a list of suppliers' most frequent payment errors and the most expensive payment errors over the last quarter, specific instructions regarding how to correct or avoid such errors in the future as well as to prevent future issues related to new audits, and a notice of all new topics that have been approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for audits. Sets forth the structure for audits of DMEPOS suppliers, requiring a contractor to give priority to activities under the DMEPOS payment outreach and education program that will reduce improper Medicare payments based on technical errors, medical necessity, and fraud. Requires annual reports to Congress on the use of recovery audit contractors under the Medicare Integrity Program to include certain information on the results of audit appeals related to DMEPOS. Requires the Secretary to: (1) increase the maximum record requests made by Medicare DMEPOS contractors in auditing claims of suppliers with a relatively high audited claims error rate for DMEPOS payments, and (2) decrease the maximum record requests for suppliers with a relatively low error rate. Directs the Secretary to limit the audit documentation review period for Medicare administrative contractors to three years.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 Cornell Street in Kingston, New York, as the "Staff Sergeant Robert H. Dietz Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
National Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax relief for disasters declared in 2012, 2013, and 2014 by: extending through 2014 the election to expense qualified disaster expenses (i.e., for removal of debris, demolition, and repair of business-related property); increasing the tax deduction for charitable contributions for disaster relief for individual and corporate taxpayers; allowing through 2014 the deduction of losses attributable to disasters; allowing waivers of requirements relating to mortgage revenue bonds; extending through 2014 the additional allowance for depreciation of business property (bonus depreciation); allowing an increase through 2015 of the new markets tax credit limitation amount within a federally-declared disaster area; permitting the use of tax-exempt retirement plan funds in federally-declared disasters without penalty; allowing an additional tax exemption for individuals who are displaced as a result of a federally-declared disaster; allowing an exclusion from gross income of imputed income from the cancellation of indebtedness resulting from federally-declared disasters; providing a special rule to allow individuals affected by a disaster in 2012, 2013, or 2014 to claim a full earned income tax credit; increasing the rehabilitation tax credit for buildings affected by a federally-declared disaster; permitting one additional advance refunding of a tax-exempt bond that is outstanding on the date on which a federally-declared disaster occurs; allowing the issuance of qualified disaster area recovery bonds; allowing an additional allocation of the low-income housing tax credit in 2014 to states affected by a federally-declared disaster occurring in 2012 or 2013; allowing payments of disaster assistance to tax-exempt mutual ditch or irrigation companies without affecting their tax-exempt status; allowing an exclusion from gross income for disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments; and allowing a tax deduction for payments to a tax-exempt natural disaster fund.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD), at least annually, to each arrange for an independent third party evaluation of, respectively, the VA and DOD mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Requires a board reviewing the discharge or dismissal of a former member of the Armed Forces whose application for relief is based at least in part on post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to military operations or sexual trauma, to: (1) review the medical evidence from the VA or a civilian health provider that is presented by the former member; and (2) review the case, with a presumption of administrative irregularity, and place the burden on the VA or DOD to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that no error or injustice occurred. Directs the VA Secretary to publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with regularly updated information regarding all of the VA's mental health care services. Requires the VA Secretary and the DOD Secretary to enter into certain strategic relationships to facilitate: the mental health referrals of members of the reserve components who have a service-connected disability and are being discharged or released from the Armed Forces, timely behavioral health services for such members, communication when such members are at risk for behavioral health reasons, and the transfer of documentation for line-of-duty and fitness-for-duty determinations. Requires the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine, demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA, and agree to a period of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a program, as part of the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, under which the VA Secretary and an institution of higher education (IHE) agree to cover the full cost of charges not covered by post-9/11 educational assistance that are incurred by veterans who: (1) are pursuing an advanced degree in mental health at the IHE, and (2) intend to seek employment as a mental health professional in the VA. Allows the VA Secretary to cover up to 64% of those charges, if the school covers the remainder. Requires the DOD Secretary to submit to Congress a zero-based review of the staffing requirements for individual State National Guard Commands with respect to Directors of Psychological Health. Directs the VA Secretary to establish a pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2014
Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014 - Affirms requirements, notwithstanding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, that: (1) an employer that establishes or maintains a group health plan for its employees must provide coverage of a specific item or service for the employees or their dependents where the coverage is required under federal provisions or regulations pursuant to those provisions; and (2) group health plans sponsored by an employer or employee organization, and any health insurance coverage, must provide coverage required under the Public Health Service Act, including preventive health services. Authorizes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury to modify regulations concerning coverage of contraceptive services by group health plans of religious employers consistent with the purposes and findings (regarding coverage of birth control services and the Supreme Court decisions in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell ) of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1335 Jefferson Road in Rochester, New York, as the "Specialist Theodore Matthew Glende Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to provide for the use of data from the second preceding tax year to carry out the simplification of the applications used in estimating and determining financial aid eligibility. Requires such simplification to include data sharing between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Education, pursuant to taxpayer consent.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to remove a service provider or a supplier from a plan network only for cause, subject to completion of a fair notice and appeals process. Lists as cause for removal: (1) medical negligence, (2) violation of any legal or contractual requirement for the provider or supplier acting within the lawful scope of practice, or (3) unfitness to furnish items and services in accordance with Medicare requirements. Requires an MA organization offering an MA plan to include information on the measures used to establish or modify the plan's provider network: (1) in the annual bid information submitted about the MA plan, and (2) on the plan's Internet Web. Subjects to certain sanctions MA organizations with contracts which fail to meet these information requirements. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) seek input from patient advocacy groups and others in applying network access adequacy standards, and (2) take necessary measures to ensure that the Medicare Advantage Compare Tool takes into account the preferences and utilization needs of such individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Stop Corporate Expatriation and Invest in America's Infrastructure Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities. Authorizes additional appropriations to the Highway Account and Mass Transit Account in the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Protecting American Jobs and Exports Act - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY2021. Extends through FY2021 and gradually increases (with a specified exception) the Bank's aggregate outstanding loan, guarantee, and insurance authority. Extends through FY2021 Bank authority to provide financing for the export of nonlethal defense articles or services whose primary end use will be for civilian purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act - Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person who: (1) is subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student, or from intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court; or (2) has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of stalking under federal, state, territorial, or tribal law or of a crime that involves conduct that would be proscribed by prohibitions against stalking if committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014
Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require state licensure and a bid and surety bond of at least $50,000 for each area for bidding entities under the Medicare durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive acquisition program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the government of Mexico should release U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi and provide for his return to the United States so he can receive appropriate medical assistance, and (2) the President should utilize the full powers and authorities of his office to secure Sgt. Tahmooressi's release.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014
Midshipmen Education Certainty Act - Makes appropriations available each fiscal year for operations of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for the Academy are not in effect. Requires funds made available for a fiscal year under this Act to remain available until the enactment of: (1) an appropriation for such fiscal year (including a continuing appropriation) for such operations; or (2) an applicable regular appropriation for the Maritime Administration for such fiscal year, or continuing appropriations resolution for such fiscal year, without any appropriation for such operations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Military Spouse Career Advancement Act - Requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish programs to provide education and training opportunities for military spouses to expand employment and portable career opportunities. Directs the Secretary to continue to carry out the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program, under which the spouse of a member of the armed forces who is serving on active duty may receive up to the amount that the Secretary determines is equal to the average amount of in-state tuition at public four-year colleges and universities located in the state in which the spouse resides in tuition assistance for education and training courses and licensing and credentialing fees. Requires financial assistance provided under the program to be available to cover the costs of: state certifications for teachers, medical professionals, and other occupations; licensing exams and related preparation courses; continuing education classes; degree programs leading to employment in portable careers; and secondary education completion courses, GED tests, and English as a Second Language classes. Prohibits the Secretary from restricting participation in the program to spouses of members serving in particular grades.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2014 - Makes an individual who is eligible for educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program eligible for assistance with the fees for applying to institutions of higher education (IHEs). Sets the amount of such assistance payable to an individual at the lesser of: (1) the total application fees charged to the individual by the IHEs, or (2) $750.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2014
Condemns the charge of apostasy and adultery of Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag in Sudan and her sentence of 100 lashes and the death penalty. Calls for the release from prison of Ibrahim, her 20-month-old son, and newborn daughter. Urges the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize granting Ibrahim asylum or refugee status. Encourages U.S. efforts to support religious freedom within Sudan, including by requiring before normalizing relations or lifting certain sanctions that Sudan abide by international standards of freedom of religion or belief. Recognizes that every individual should have the opportunity to practice his or her religion without fear of discrimination. Reaffirms the commitment of the United State to end religious discrimination and to pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of all individuals. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue their support for religious freedom initiatives.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
EEZ Clarification Act - Declares that the landward boundary of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between the area south of Montauk, New York, and the area south of Point Judith, Rhode Island, for purposes of all federal laws governing marine fisheries management, shall be considered to be a continuous line running: (1) from a point three miles south of the southernmost point of Montauk to a point three miles south of the southernmost point of Block Island, Rhode Island, and (2) from such point three miles south of the southernmost point of Block Island, Rhode Island, to a point three miles south of the southern most point of Point Judith. Vests the authority to manage fisheries landward of such line in states and interstate marine fisheries management commissions that otherwise have jurisdiction over such waters. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress within three years on the impact of such boundary points and management authority.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Curbing Abusive Marketing Practices with University Student Debit Cards Act or the CAMPUS Debit Cards Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) that enters into a preferred banking arrangement with a financial institution to: develop a code of conduct regarding the preferred banking arrangement with which the IHE's officers, employees, and agents must comply that prohibits conflicts of interest and requires those individuals to act in the best interests of the IHE's students; publish that code prominently on the IHE's website; annually inform its officers, employees, and agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement of the code's provisions; and effectively enforce the code. Requires that code of conduct, at a minimum, to prohibit: the IHE from entering into a revenue-sharing arrangement with any financial institution; the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from soliciting or receiving a gift from the financial institution; the IHE from requesting or accepting from any financial institution assistance with any office or department of the IHE; the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from accepting financial compensation from any financial institution pursuant to a service contract; the IHE from denying or unnecessarily delaying the disbursement of a title IV loan or grant on the basis of a student's selection of a particular financial institution; and the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from receiving anything of value from the financial institution for serving on its advisory board, commission, or group. Allows specified exceptions to such prohibitions. Requires IHEs that enroll students who receive title IV grants or loans to establish a system to disburse credit balances to students through electronic payments to a deposit account or a general-use prepaid card with the protections afforded under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program giving students the option to receive credit balances through the Treasury Direct Express system or another low-cost alternative. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require: IHEs or their alumni organizations or foundations to publicly disclose any agreement made with a financial institution to market a financial product, financial institutions to submit an annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) containing the terms and conditions of all agreements they make with IHEs or IHE alumni organizations or foundations relating to any financial product they offer to students at such IHEs, the CFPB to establish and maintain on its publicly available website a central repository of all agreements contained in such reports from financial institutions. Prohibits financial institutions from offering students any tangible or intangible item to induce them to apply, purchase, or obtain a financial product offered by the financial institution if the offer is made on or near the campus of an IHE or at an event sponsored by or related to an IHE. Directs the CFPB: (1) to conduct a study on the marketing of financial products to students enrolled in IHEs, and (2) if the study finds that financial products are not marketed to IHE students in a fair manner, to issue regulations to ensure that such products are marketed in a fair manner. Expresses the sense of Congress that financial products marketed to IHE students should be presented in a fair and neutral manner.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Veterans TRICARE Choice Act - Allows an individual who is eligible to participate in the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) to: (1) elect to be ineligible to enroll in such program, (2) make tax deductible contributions to a health savings account during the period such individual elects to be ineligible for TRICARE coverage, and (3) enroll in the TRICARE program at a later date during a special enrollment period.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2019. Removes authority under which a USCIRF member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require the Secretary of State to receive assistance from USCIRF when establishing training for Foreign Service officers in the field of internationally recognized human rights, including instruction regarding the relationship between religious freedom and security, as well as the role of religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy. Encourages the Department of State to allow classified information to be accessed by USCIRF Commissioners and staff with the appropriate security clearance. Revises restrictions on USCIRF's acceptance of gifts and donations to permit sponsoring private parties to provide compensation and benefits to interns, fellows, and volunteers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Amends the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act to extend the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission until 30 years (currently, 15 years) after December 21, 2000.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Designates buildings occupied by the Department of Transportation (DOT) located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast, in the District of Columbia as the James L. Oberstar United States Department of Transportation Building Complex for the period the buildings are occupied by the DOT.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2014 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require every person (including every employer and enterprise) that employs an employee or non-employee who performs labor or services, including through an entity such as a trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation, to: (1) classify such individuals accurately as employees or non-employees; and (2) notify each new employee and new non-employee of his or her classification as an employee or non-employee, together with information concerning their legal rights. Makes it unlawful for any person to: (1) discharge or otherwise discriminate against an individual (including an employee) who has opposed any practice, or filed a complaint or instituted any proceeding related to this Act, including with respect to an individual's status as an employee or non-employee; and (2) wrongly classify an employee as a non-employee. Doubles the amount of liquidated damages for maximum hours, minimum wage, and notice of classification violations by an employer. Subjects a person who: (1) violates such requirements (including recordkeeping requirements) to a civil penalty of up to $1,100; or (2) repeatedly or willfully violates such requirements to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a single webpage on the Department of Labor website that summarizes the rights of employees and non-employees under the FLSA and this Act. Amends the Social Security Act to require, as a condition for a federal grant for the administration of state unemployment compensation, for the state's unemployment compensation law to include a provision for: (1) auditing programs that identify employers that have not registered under the state law or that are paying unreported compensation where the effect is to exclude employees from unemployment compensation coverage, and (2) establishing administrative penalties for misclassifying employees or paying unreported unemployment compensation to employees. Requires any office, administration, or division of the Department of Labor to report any misclassification of an employee by a person subject to the FLSA that it discovers to the Department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Authorizes the WHD to report such information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on: (1) the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) of qualified borrowers if the DLs were first disbursed or (in the case of Direct Consolidation Loans) applied for before July 1, 2013, and (2) the Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) of qualified borrowers as DLs. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) Refinances the FFELs as Federal Direct Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loans depending on the categorization of the FFEL as a Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loan. Sets the interest rate on the refinanced loans, other than the Federal Direct Consolidation Loans, at the rate for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, applicable to the DL's categorization and, in the case of Stafford Loans, applicable to a loan issued to an undergraduate student or a loan issued to a graduate student. Sets the interest on refinanced Consolidation Loans at the rate on Federal Direct PLUS Loans for the 12-month period beginning on July 1, 2013. Fixes the interest rate on such loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio that take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers with the greatest financial need. Imposes an administrative fee on the borrowers of such reissued loans that is based on the unpaid principal, and accrued unpaid interest and late charges, of their original loan. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on private education loans as Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans if the private education loans were first disbursed to qualified borrowers before July 1, 2013, and were for their own postsecondary educational expenses. Sets the interest rate on Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans at the rate applicable for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, to: (1) Direct Stafford and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to undergraduates if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate expenses, (2) Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to graduate or professional students if the private education loan was issued for graduate or professional studies, or (3) Direct PLUS Loans if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate and graduate or professional studies. Fixes the interest rate on such loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio that take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers with the greatest financial need. Requires qualified borrowers of such loans to undergo loan counseling before their private education loan is refinanced. Imposes an origination fee on the borrowers of Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax). Establishes the amount of such tax as the excess (if any) of the tentative fair share tax over the excess of: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's regular tax liability, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) amount, and the payroll tax for the taxable year; over (2) certain tax credits. Provides for a phase-in of such tax. Requires an inflation adjustment to the $1 million income threshold for taxable years beginning after 2015. Requires the Secretary to terminate this Act's refinancing programs when the net cost of carrying out the programs is equal to the Secretary's estimate of the amount of additional revenue generated during the 10-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment due to the fair share tax.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2014 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct any prescription drug plan that has in its network one or more pharmacies located in a health professional shortage area, in a medically underserved area, or among a medically underserved population, and that provides a reduction in coinsurance or copayments for covered part D drugs, to extend to any pharmacy located in that area, or among that population, the option to be an in-network pharmacy under terms and conditions comparable to those the plan has agreed upon with other in-network pharmacies located in the area or among that population.
![Official portrait of Rep. Bishop, Timothy H. [D-NY-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001242_200.jpg)