United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2016
Conscience Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against the federal government and state and local governments that receive federal financial assistance for health-related activities penalizing or discriminating against a health care provider based on the provider's refusal to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortion. Health care providers include health care professionals, health care facilities, social services providers, health care professional training programs, and health insurers. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), must investigate complaints alleging discrimination based on an individual's religious belief, moral conviction, or refusal to be involved in an abortion. DOJ or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may obtain equitable or legal relief in a civil action. Administrative remedies do not need to be sought or exhausted prior to commencing an action or granting relief. Such an action may be brought against a governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Commercializing on Small Business Innovation Act of 2016 This bill reauthorizes for FY2017-FY2022 both the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. The bill also: increases required expenditure amounts for those programs for each of those fiscal years, revises SBIR and STTR reporting requirements, requires indexing of SBIR and STTR awards for inflation, and converts from authorizations to requirements certain features of the Department of Defense Commercialization Readiness Program. The Small Business Administration shall modify its policy directives to make clear that HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) small business concerns owned and controlled by Alaska Native Corporations, Indian tribal governments, and Native Hawaiian Organizations are eligible to receive SBIR and STTR awards.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program. The bill delays the implementation of the ozone NAAQS that were published in 2015. The bill extends until: (1) October 26, 2024, the deadline for states to submit designations to implement the 2015 ozone NAAQS; and (2) October 26, 2025, the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate state areas as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable areas with respect to the 2015 ozone NAAQS. States must submit a state implementation plan (SIP) by October 26, 2026, to implement, maintain, and enforce the 2015 ozone NAAQS. The bill also changes the review cycle for criteria pollutant NAAQS from a 5-year review cycle to a 10-year review cycle. The EPA may not complete its next review of ozone NAAQS before October 26, 2025. The EPA may consider, as a secondary consideration, likely technological feasibility in establishing and revising NAAQS for a pollutant if a range of air quality levels for such pollutant are requisite to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety. Prior to establishing or revising NAAQS, the EPA must obtain advice from its scientific advisory committee regarding potential adverse public health, welfare, social, economic, or energy effects which may result from attaining and maintaining NAAQS. The EPA must publish regulations and guidance for implementing NAAQS concurrently with the issuance of a new or revised standard. New or revised NAAQS shall not apply to preconstruction permits for constructing or modifying a major emitting facility or major stationary source of air pollutants until those regulations and guidance have been published. The bill provides that in Extreme Ozone Nonattainment Areas, contingency measures are not required to be included in nonattainment plans. Technological achievability and economic feasibility must be taken into consideration in plan revisions for milestones for particulate matter nonattainment areas.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Condemns the attacks against the residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya in Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) bring to justice those responsible for the attacks; and (2) ensure access to food, clean water, medical assistance, electricity and other necessary supplies and equipment. Calls on the United States to work with Iraq to: (1) bring Camp Liberty/Hurriya to the same level of protection as that of the Baghdad International Airport to ensure the security of the residents, and (2) facilitate the residents' ability to sell their property and assets in order to fund their costs of living and resettlement out of Iraq. Urges the United States to work with Iraq and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents, without exception, are safely resettled outside of Iraq and Iran according to the terms of the December 2011 Memorandum of Understanding. Calls on the United States to work with Albania and UNHCR to provide suitable housing for the remaining Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents in Albania.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
ABLE to Work Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to ABLE accounts (tax-exempt savings accounts for persons with a disability), to allow: (1) an ABLE account beneficiary to make contributions to an ABLE account equal to the lesser of such beneficiary's compensation or an amount equal to the federal poverty line for a one-person household, and (2) a retirement savings tax credit for contributions to an ABLE account.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act This bill declares that the proposed or the final rule of the Department of Labor entitled "Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees" shall cease to have any force or effect. The rule revises the "white collar" exemption of executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees from minimum wage and maximum hour, or overtime, requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). If the proposed rule is a final rule on the date of enactment of this bill: Labor shall not enforce it based on conduct occurring before that enactment date, an employee shall not have any right of action against an employer for the employer's failure to comply with the final rule at any time before that enactment date, any regulations that were amended by the final rule shall be restored and revived as if the final rule had never taken effect, and nothing in this bill shall be construed to create a right of action for an employer against an employee for the recoupment of any payments made to the employee before the enactment of this bill that were in compliance with that final rule. Labor may promulgate any substantially similar rule only if it has completed certain required actions; but the rule shall not contain any automatic updates to the salary threshold for purposes of exemptions to minimum wage and maximum hour requirements under the FLSA. The requirement that definitions applicable for such exemptions be defined and delimited from time to time by Labor regulations shall be construed to: require Labor to issue a new rule through notice and comment rulemaking for each change in any salary threshold it has proposed; and exclude any rule that would result in changes to any salary threshold for multiple time periods, including through any automatic updating procedure. Labor may not promulgate any final rule that includes any revision to duties tests for exemption from minimum wage and maximum hours requirements unless specific regulatory text for the provision was proposed in the proposed rule.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2016
Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2016 This bill modifies the scope of judicial review of agency actions to authorize courts reviewing agency actions to decide de novo all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions and rules.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act This bill establishes a three-year reauthorization, rescission, and termination schedule for unauthorized programs funded through the annual appropriations process. The schedule applies to programs included in the Congressional Budget Office's annual report listing programs that are funded through the appropriations process and have an authorization of appropriations that has either expired or will expire during the year. After a program's authorization has expired, the bill limits the program's funding in the first year to 90% of the funds provided in the expiring year, reduces the limit to 85% for the second and third years, and terminates the program at the end of the third year. The bill enforces the limits by rescinding any funds that exceed the limit. The Office of Management and Budget must reduce discretionary spending limits by the amount of any rescissions. Programs that are reauthorized during the three-year period are exempt from the limits, rescissions, and termination if the reauthorization includes a provision limiting the authorization of appropriations period to no more than three years. The bill establishes the Spending and Accountability Commission to recommend a reauthorization schedule for discretionary spending programs and review all mandatory spending programs. The commission may recommend legislation to replace the funding limits and rescissions required by this bill with reductions in mandatory spending. The commission's reauthorization schedule must limit reauthorizations to three years, include the funding limits and rescissions established by this bill, and establish a mechanism for replacing the limitations and rescissions with reductions to mandatory spending programs. The House of Representatives must consider the proposal using expedited legislative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
Recognizes the Burmese peoples' profound desire for change as reflected in the vote on November 8, 2015. Acknowledges the important roles played by the international community, Election Day workers, party observers, and domestic election observers in preventing fraud. Acknowledges that while Burma has taken steps toward democratic rule, constitutional, legal, economic, and security issues remain unresolved. Expresses concern about ongoing attacks in the Kachin and Shan states and the plight of the Rohingya people. Urges the government and all other stakeholders to support constitutional reform. Calls on the President and the Department of State to focus on: securing solutions to human rights and humanitarian problems, including fulfillment of the 11 human rights and security commitments made by the current President of Burma to President Obama; supporting changes to structural and systemic impediments to the realization of full democratic and civilian government; bringing about the release of all political prisoners, including those awaiting trial or sentencing; and supporting an end to offensives against ethnic nationalities and the creation of a peaceful federal union acceptable to the people of Burma. Urges the incumbent government to support a timely and peaceful transfer of power to the new government.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2016
Displaced Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries and Iran Act This bill directs the President to report annually to Congress on actions the Department of State and other relevant federal departments and agencies have taken in the preceding year regarding resolution of the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran. The report shall include a description of: actions in bilateral and multilateral fora to address the issue of rights for Jewish refugees from Arab countries; and measures to help ensure that the interests of Jews displaced from Arab countries and Iran and of all refugees displaced as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including Arabs, Jews, Christians, and other groups, are considered in any final settlement of the Middle East refugee question that is part of any comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2016
School-Based Asthma Management Program Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to add requirements that states must meet to receive a preference for asthma grants. (Currently, the preference is given to states that meet requirements regarding administration of epinephrine to students having severe allergic reactions.) To receive the preference, states must additionally: (1) provide civil liability protection to trained school personnel who administer asthma-related rescue medication to a student with asthma; and (2) require schools to permit trained school personnel to administer asthma-related rescue medication to students with asthma, maintain a supply of asthma-related rescue medication, and have a comprehensive asthma management program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2016
Main Street Growth Act This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to permit a national securities exchange, for itself or for one of its listing tiers, to elect treatment as a venture exchange by notifying the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of such an election either at the time it applies for registration or after registering as a national securities exchange. Unless the SEC denies the registration application within six months after its receipt, the application shall be deemed to have received SEC approval. The bill subjects a venture exchange to certain restrictions, including that it may only constitute, maintain, or provide a market place or facilities for bringing together purchasers and sellers of venture securities. Venture securities are securities of: an early-stage, growth company exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933; and an emerging growth company. The bill exempts a venture exchange from specified National Market System and Alternative Trading System rules as well as requirements to submit data to a securities information processor or to use decimal pricing. The Securities Act of 1933 is amended to exempt venture securities from state regulation. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the SEC, if necessary or appropriate, should: make use of its general exemptive authority with respect to the elements of this bill; and create an Office of Venture Exchanges within the SEC Division of Trading and Markets.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Midnight Rule Relief Act of 2016 This bill prohibits a federal agency (excluding the Federal Election Commission, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the U.S. Postal Service) from proposing or finalizing any midnight rule unless the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget finds that it will not result in: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices; (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete internationally; or (4) a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses. The bill defines "midnight rule" as an agency statement of general applicability and future effect that is issued during the moratorium period, that is intended to have the force and effect of law, and that is designed to: (1) implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy; or (2) describe the procedure or practice requirements of an agency. The "moratorium period" begins on the day after the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in every fourth year succeeding a presidential election and extends through January 20 of the following year in which a President is not serving a consecutive term. The bill exempts any midnight rule that the President determines is necessary: (1) because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, (2) to enforce criminal laws, (3) to protect U.S. national security, or (4) to implement an international trade agreement. The moratorium does not apply to a midnight rule if the OIRA finds that such rule is limited to repealing an existing rule and certifies such finding in writing.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act or the BRACE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2016
Status of the Sixth Amendment Act of 2016 This bill requires a state that receives a Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs grant to report annually certain information with respect to the following categories: (1) criminal offenses punishable by a prison term of more than one year; (2) criminal offenses punishable by a prison term of one year or less, including misdemeanors, traffic, and municipal violations; and (3) acts of juvenile delinquency punishable by a term of detention. A state must report, for each offense category, the number of charges for which: (1) an individual was prosecuted, (2) a defendant waived the right to counsel, (3) a defendant was represented by publicly appointed counsel, and (4) a defendant was represented by counsel who was not publicly appointed. DOJ must publish such reports on its website.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
POLICE Act of 2016 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to include participation in active shooter training programs.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Protecting the Dignity of Unborn Children Act of 2016 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to recklessly dispose of or abandon fetal remains in a landfill or in any navigable waters of the United States. The term "fetal remains" means any part (except a cremated part) of a deceased human fetus following an abortion. A violator is subject to a fine, up to three years in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Safe Harbor for Reporting Violent Behavior Act of 2016 This bill makes an employer immune from civil liability for reporting to a potential future employer an employee or former employee’s violent or threatening behavior. The report must be made in good faith and based on objectively reasonable suspicion. Additionally, the bill makes a potential employer immune from civil liability for taking a reasonable action in good faith to respond to a report of violent or threatening behavior of an employee or potential employee.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
PLO Accountability Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress concerning the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the peace process and adherence to diplomatic agreements with Israel, PA support for an International Criminal Court investigation of Israel, and the presence of a PLO office in Washington, DC. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 is amended to authorize the President to waive for up to six months the prohibition against establishment or maintenance of a PLO office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities within U.S. jurisdiction, if the President certifies to Congress that the Palestinians have entered into a final negotiated peace agreement with, and have ceased hostilities against, Israel or that: the Palestinians have not, on or after April 1, 2015, obtained state standing in the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof outside an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians; the Palestinians have officially ceased to be members of the ICC and have withdrawn from the Rome Statute; any ICC investigation against Israel initiated by, or on behalf of, the Palestinians has been withdrawn and terminated; the PLO and the PA no longer provide financial awards or salaries to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for terrorist attacks, or to their families; and the PLO and the PA no longer engage in a pattern of incitement against the United States or Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Expresses concern about the disappearance of David Sneddon in Yunnan Province, China, in August 2004. Directs the Department of State and the intelligence community to continue joint investigations, coordinate investigations with the governments of China, Japan, and South Korea, and solicit information from regional affairs and law enforcement experts on plausible explanations for David Sneddon's disappearance. Encourages the State Department and the intelligence community to work with foreign governments known to have diplomatic influence with North Korea to better investigate the possibility of North Korea's involvement in David Sneddon's disappearance, and to seek his recovery. Requests the State Department and the intelligence community to continue to work with and inform Congress and David Sneddon's family on efforts to resolve David's disappearance.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Application Privacy, Protection, and Security Act of 2016 or the APPS Act of 2016 This bill directs mobile device application developers, before the application collects personal data about the user, to notify the user and obtain the user's consent regarding the terms and conditions governing the collection, use, storage, and sharing of such personal data. Excluded from such notice and consent requirements is any "de-identified data" that cannot reasonably be used to identify or infer information about, or otherwise be linked to, a particular individual or mobile device, as determined with a reasonable level of justified confidence based on the available methods and technologies, the nature of the data at issue, and the purposes for which the data will be used. Developers must: (1) provide users with a method to withdraw such consent and to request that the developer delete personal data or refrain from further data collection or sharing, and (2) take measures to prevent unauthorized access to personal and de-identified data. Violations are to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) must promulgate regulations to implement and enforce this Act. States may bring civil actions in federal court on behalf of affected state residents. Nothing in this Act prohibits a developer from disclosing or preserving personal data or de-identified data as required by other federal laws or, except when superceded by this Act, the laws of a state or political subdivision, including court orders. A developer may satisfy the requirements of this Act by adopting and following a code of conduct for consumer data privacy that is approved pursuant to FTC regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2016
Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act or the HALOS Act This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to amend Regulation D (governing the limited offer and sale of securities without registration under the Securities Act of 1933) to make the prohibition against general solicitation or general advertising inapplicable to events with specified kinds of sponsors (including angel investor groups not connected to broker-dealers or investment advisers) where: presentations or communications are made by or on behalf of an issuer, the advertising does not refer to any specific offering of securities by the issuer, the sponsor does not engage in certain activities (such as offering investment recommendations or advice to attendees), the sponsor does not receive compensation for the event which would require registration as a broker or dealer or as an investment advisor, and no specific information regarding a securities offering is communicated (other than that the issuer is in the process of offering or planning to offer securities, including the type and amount of securities being offered). This bill may only be construed as requiring the SEC to amend Regulation D with respect to presentations and communications, and not with respect to purchases or sales.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2016
Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act of 2016 or the PROP Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude certain pain-related measures for purposes of calculating incentive payments under the value-based purchasing program (VBP). (VBP is a program that links hospital payments to the quality of care provided.) Specifically, VPB measures shall not include measures based on a patient's assessment of: (1) the patient's need for pain medicine during a hospital stay; (2) how often, during the stay, the patient's pain was well controlled; or (3) how often, during the stay, hospital staff did everything they could to help manage the patient's pain.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Health Savings Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the taxation of health savings accounts (HSAs), to: rename high deductible health plans as HSA-qualified health plans; allow spouses who have both attained age 55 to make increased catch-up contributions to the same HSA; make Medicare Part A (hospital insurance benefits) beneficiaries eligible to participate in an HSA; allow individuals eligible for hospital care or medical services under a medical care program of the Indian Health Service or of a tribal organization to participate in an HSA; allow individuals eligible to receive medical benefits under certain TRICARE plans to participate in an HSA; allow members of a health care sharing ministry to participate in an HSA; allow individuals who receive primary care services in exchange for a fixed periodic fee or payment, or who receive health care benefits from an onsite medical clinic of an employer, to participate in an HSA; include amounts paid for prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines or drugs as "qualified medical expenses" for which distributions from an HSA or an Archer Medical Savings Account may be used; and allow HSA distributions to be used to purchase health insurance coverage. The bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to exempt HSAs from creditor claims in bankruptcy. The bill amends the Social Security Act to reauthorize the use of Medicaid health opportunity accounts. The bill allows a medical care tax deduction for: (1) exercise equipment, physical fitness programs, and membership at a fitness facility; (2) nutritional and dietary supplements; and (3) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician and amounts paid for pre-paid primary care services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Do Your Job Act This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a chamber of Congress if the chamber has not considered and voted on final passage of each regular appropriations bill before the beginning of the fiscal year. The salaries are withheld until the earlier of the: (1) the date on which the chamber has considered and held votes on final passage of each of the bills, or (2) the last day of the Congress. In the House of Representatives, consideration of the bills must include permitting Members to offer amendments.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
No Welfare for Terrorists Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to make convicted terrorists ineligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2016
Expresses support for: (1) the goals of Catholic Schools Week, an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and established to recognize the contributions of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States; and (2) the continued dedication of Catholic schools, students, parents, and teachers toward academic excellence and the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2016
Expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Week. ("DIPG" is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.) Encourages the National Cancer Institute and other research funders to elevate their consideration of the mortality rate of a type of cancer as well as the life years lost as factors considered during the grant application process.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2016
Defending America's Small Contractors Act of 2016 This bill amends the Small Business Act to revise requirements for: increasing prime federal contracting opportunities for small business concerns, and determining awards or contracts for the sale of government property to such concerns. The bill revises requirements for annual Small Business Administration (SBA) reports to the President and Congress analyzing the number and dollar amount of prime contracts awarded by federal agencies each fiscal year to specified kinds of small business concerns. The total value of federal procurement contract awards to small business concerns for a fiscal year may not be determined in a manner that excludes the value of a contract based on where the contract is awarded, where it is performed, or other specified criteria. The bill amends the Small Business Act to revise the range of the anticipated value of federal procurement contracts that must be reserved exclusively for small businesses. The range shall be between the micro-purchase threshold ($3,000) and the simplified acquisition threshold ($100,000). (Currently the range of the anticipated value must be between $2,500 and $100,000.) A procurement center representative (PCR) may review any solicitation for a contract or task order without regard to whether there are any set-asides for small businesses. The bill specifies the principal duties of Commercial Market Representatives (CMRs), who are government contracting staff stationed at area SBA offices and reporting to specified senior SBA officers. The bill also allows for the management of each Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) to be vested in an individual whose primary responsibilities were for the functions and duties of: (1) the procurement program for small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and (2) the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program. The OSDBU of each federal agency with procurement powers shall review agency purchases between the micro-purchase threshold and the simplified acquisition threshold to ensure that they have been made to comply with the Act and have been properly recorded in the Federal Procurement Data System, if the method of payment is a purchase card issued by the Department of Defense (DOD) or by an executive agency head. Each OSDBU shall assist a small business concern awarded a federal contract or subcontract under the Act, or under military or civilian procurement law, in finding resources for education and training on compliance with contracting regulations after such an award. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 is amended to require agreements under the Mentor-Protege Program of DOD to include, if applicable, the assistance the mentor firm will give the protege firm in understanding contract regulations of the federal government and the DOD after the award of a subcontract. The Small Business Act is amended to require the SBA to give small business development centers and entities participating in the Procurement Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement (PTACA) Program a list of resources for small business concerns seeking education and assistance on post-award compliance with contracting regulations. The SBA, with respect to a non-DOD mentor-protege program, shall issue regulations to address the extent to which assistance to improve the ability of proteges to compete for federal prime contracts and subcontracts complies with post-award federal contracting requirements. A federal agency's PCR or CMR may delay acceptance of a subcontracting plan for 30 days if the plan fails to provide the maximum practicable opportunity for certain covered small businesses to participate under the applicable contract. The SBA shall establish a pilot program for a small business performing as a first tier subcontractor under certain federal contracts to request a past performance rating in the system used by the federal government to monitor and record contractor past performance. The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 to revise the no-affiliation requirement in the eligibility criteria under the Mentor-Protege Program of the DOD for a mentor firm to receive the award of a federal contract and enter into an agreement with one or more protege firms to provide them certain assistance. The bill amends the Small Business Act to bar DOD from carrying out a Mentor-Protege Program for a small business unless: (1) it submits a plan to the SBA, and (2) the SBA approves that plan. The bill requires the SBA at least annually to provide a list of pertinent regulation changes, together with compliance training materials, to the Defense Acquisition University, the Federal Acquisition Institute, the individual responsible for mandatory training and education of the acquisition workforce of each executive agency, small business development centers, and PTACA participants. The bill makes permanent the prohibition against protests in connection with the issuance or proposed issuance of a task or delivery order for federal agency procurement of services or property except on specified grounds. The bill amends the Small Business Act to specify that any agricultural enterprise (farm) it covers is a small business concern regardless of whether its annual receipts, including those of any affiliates, exceed $750,000. The bill expands the definition of "small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans" to include certain small business concerns at least 51% of which, or at least 51% of whose stock, is owned by one or more veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities rendering them unable to manage daily business operations. The bill directs the Government Accountability Office to initiate a review of the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development of the SBA.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2016
DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act This bill declares that the prohibitions of the District of Columbia Official Code against carrying a pistol within the District either openly or concealed without a license under D.C. law shall not apply to an individual who is: not prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm; carrying a valid license or permit for a concealed firearm issued under the law of a state; and carrying a valid identification document containing the individual's photograph. The Metropolitan Police Department, upon application by a person with a bona fide residence or place of business within the United States and a license to carry a concealed pistol under the law of any state or local government, shall issue that person a license to carry a concealed pistol within the District for up to two years from its date of issue, regardless of the applicant's reason for applying for the license. The bill repeals the condition on the permission for a non-D.C. resident who lives in a state that does not require a license to carry a concealed pistol to apply to the Metropolitan Police Department for a license to carry one within the District for up to two years. The condition repealed states that the non-resident may apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon only if the non-resident meets the same reasons and requirements a person must meet who has a bona fide residence or place of business in the District. The Metropolitan Police Department shall enter into reciprocity agreements with each other state that requires such an agreement in order to grant recognition to a license to carry a concealed firearm issued by that state.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2016
Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that any executive order, memoranda, proclamation, or signing statement issued by the President that infringes on the powers and duties of Congress under article I, section 8 of the Constitution or the Second Amendment, or that would require the expenditure of federal funds not specifically appropriated for such executive action, is advisory only and has no force or effect unless enacted as law. The bill nullifies any such executive action and prohibits the use of appropriated funds to promulgate or enforce any such action. The following persons may bring a civil action in an appropriate U.S. district court to challenge the validity of any such executive action: (1) any Member or either or both chambers of Congress, (2) the highest governmental official of any state or political subdivision if the challenged action infringes on a power of such state under any congressional enactment or relevant treaty, and (3) any person aggrieved of the challenged executive action with respect to a liberty or property interest adversely affected directly by the executive action.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2015
Patient Opportunity Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from imposing additional conditions on excepted benefits, which are health benefits that are not subject to requirements applicable to group health plans or individual health insurance. In the individual health insurance market, HHS may not condition the treatment of fixed indemnity insurance as an excepted benefit on the beneficiary satisfying the requirement for minimum essential coverage. The amendments made by this bill are retroactively effective as if included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2015
Service Provider Opportunity Clarification Act of 2015 This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue regulations providing examples of activities that would be considered a failure to make a good faith effort to comply with the requirements imposed on any entity (other than a small business) awarded a prime contract exceeding $500,000 (or exceeding $1 million if for construction of a public facility) that contains an SBA clause that: notifies potential offering companies of SBA requirements relating to contracts awarded pursuant to the negotiated method of procurement; or requires any bidder selected for a contract reward to submit to the appropriate federal agency a subcontracting plan which incorporates specified SBA information.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2015
Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2015 This bill prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on or with respect to mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property for five years after the enactment of this Act. A "new discriminatory tax" is a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate, unless such tax was imposed and actually enforced prior to the enactment date of this Act. The bill grants jurisdiction to federal district courts to provide injunctive and other appropriate relief to prevent, restrain, or terminate any acts in violation of this Act. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the impact of: (1) state and local taxes on mobile services, providers, or property on the costs consumers pay for mobile services; and (2) the prohibition in this Act against discriminatory mobile services taxes on such costs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2015
Establishes in the House of Representatives the Select Committee on Oversight of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to conduct comprehensive oversight and investigate compliance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and issue annual reports of its findings to the House regarding: all enrichment activities, including relevant limitations pertaining to uranium enrichment levels, centrifuge capacity, and related research and development; all international collaborative partnerships formed and the agreed upon research interests; all uranium stockpile levels, including enrichment levels as well as the amount and price of any excess uranium sold to international buyers; all International Atomic Energy Agency oversight activities relating to the JCPOA, including the effectiveness of relevant inspections into JCPOA tenants; compliance with all enacted international and domestic sanctions, including potential violations of relevant sanctions; all financial transactions including establishment of banking relationships, trade in gold and precious metals, and investment in Iran's oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors; all research and development of missile technology and the acquisition of relevant technology from international partners; and all acquisition of conventional weaponry by the Iranian regime.
United States · United States Congress · 15 December 2015
Cuban Immigrant Work Opportunity Act of 2015 This bill makes Cuban nationals who enter the United States on or after the date of enactment of this Act ineligible for refugee/parolee assistance under the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980. Conforming amendments are made to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration shall report to Congress describing methods for enforcing the loss of Supplemental Security Income eligibility by persons who are absent from the United States for at least one month.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2015
No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress within 18 months on: (1) whether past weaknesses in the operation and administration of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) and its subsets (e.g., the No Fly list) have been addressed, and (2) the extent to which additional changes may address or mitigate existing vulnerabilities. The study and report must include, with respect to the TSDB, information on: (1) timely integration of information, (2) increased demands for information, (3) accessibility to relevant agencies, and (4) identification of known or suspected terrorists by users.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Protecting Our Youth from Dangerous Synthetic Drugs Act of 2015 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to include in the definition of a "controlled substance analogue" a substance designated as such by the Controlled Substance Analogue Committee (established by this bill). It directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to establish such Committee as an interagency committee headed by the DEA and comprised of scientific experts in the fields of chemistry and pharmacology from the DEA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and any other federal agency determined by the DEA to be appropriate. The Committee may designate, and shall establish and maintain a list of, controlled substance analogues determined to be similar to a schedule I or II controlled substance in either chemical structure or predictive effect on the body in such a manner as to make it likely that the substance will, or can be reasonably expected to, have a potential for abuse. The DEA must publish a description of each designation made by the Committee. The bill amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to prohibit the importation of any controlled substance analogue except pursuant to such notification or declaration as the DEA may prescribe. It directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements to ensure that they provide adequate penalties for any offense involving the unlawful manufacturing, importing, exporting, or trafficking of controlled substance analogues and similar offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Affirms that the U.S.-Israel economic partnership has benefitted both countries and is a foundational component of the strong alliance. Recognizes that science and technology innovation present new frontiers for U.S.-Israel economic cooperation, particularly in light of widespread drought, cybersecurity attacks, and other major challenges impacting the United States. Encourages the Administration to expand forums of economic dialogue with Israel. Supports the exploration of new agreements with Israel, including in the fields of energy, water, agriculture, medicine, neurotechnology and cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Stop Trafficking in Fentanyl Act of 2015 This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to modify the drug quantity thresholds that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who manufactures, distributes, or possesses with intent to distribute fentanyl. Specifically, the bill reduces from 400 to 20 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 100 to 5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a 10-year or 20-year mandatory minimum prison term for high-level first-time or repeat offenders. It also reduces from 40 to 2 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 10 to 0.5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a 5-year or 10-year mandatory minimum prison term for low-level first-time or repeat offenders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Recognizes the achievements of Berry Gordy, Jr., who established the Motown record label, in creating the lasting musical sound of Motown. Recommits the House of Representatives to ensuring that musical artists such as Berry Gordy, Jr., receive fair protection under the copyright laws of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2015
Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise requirements concerning citizen suits. Litigation costs (including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees) must be awarded to the prevailing party, thus the bill removes a court's discretion to award the fees. A prevailing party is defined as the party that prevails on more than half of the claims at issue. The bill repeals the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny or restrict the use of any area as a disposal site for dredged or fill material when the discharge of such materials would have an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, or recreational areas. Current law requires compensatory mitigation to replace the loss of aquatic resource functions in a watershed when a permit to discharge dredged or fill materials into navigable waters has unavoidable impacts on aquatic resources. This bill prohibits government entities from carrying out compensatory mitigation in excess of existing regulatory requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2015
Reaffirms: (1) the commitment of Congress to stopping Iran's sponsorship of terrorism and human rights violations; and (2) the legislative intent of Congress that the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 was enacted to deter illicit Iranian behavior, including sponsorship of terrorism and human rights violations. Supports state and local government sanctions targeting Iran's illicit activity, including divestment of assets from companies investing in Iran and prohibition of investment of state and local assets in any person engaging in investment activities in Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Supports a free press in Latin America and the Caribbean and condemns violations of press freedom and violence against journalists. Urges countries in the region to implement recommendations to its Member States from the Organization of American States Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. Urges the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State to assist the media in closed societies to promote a free press.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule published on October 26, 2015, that revises the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards for ozone.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Guantanamo Transfer Prevention Act This bill prohibits the President from using Department of Defense (DOD) funds to transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces and is or was held on or after January 20, 2009, at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by DOD. Any contravening action by the President shall be without legal effect. No amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for DOD for FY2016 may be used to: (1) close or abandon Guantanamo, (2) relinquish control of Guantanamo to Cuba, or (3) implement a material modification to the Treaty Between the United States of America and Cuba signed at Washington, DC, on May 29, 1934, that constructively closes Guantanamo.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a Small Business Saturday, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that: the President should submit to the Senate for advice and consent the climate change agreement proposed for adoption at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-21), and Congress should refuse to consider any budget resolutions and appropriations language that include funding for the Green Climate Fund until COP-21 emissions commitments are submitted to the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 or the American SAFE Act of 2015 This bill requires that, in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before U.S. refugee admission. A "covered alien" is any alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who: is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria, has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011. A covered alien: may not be admitted as a refugee until the FBI certifies to DHS and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that he or she has received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the alien is a U.S. security threat; and may only be admitted to the United States after DHS, with the unanimous concurrence of the FBI and the DNI, certifies to Congress that he or she is not such a threat. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct annual risk-based reviews of all certifications. DHS shall report monthly to Congress on the total number of admission applications for which a certification was made and the number of covered aliens for whom such a certification was not made for the preceding month. The report shall include for each covered alien for whom a certification was not made the concurrence or nonconcurrence of each person whose concurrence was required by the certification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Clean Up the Code Act of 2015 This bill repeals provisions of the federal criminal code relating to the: (1) transportation of water hyacinths; (2) unauthorized application of a theft prevention decal or device to a motor vehicle; (3) fraudulent display of the 4-H club emblem; (4) commercial use of the Swiss Confederation coat of arms; (5) unauthorized use of the "Smokey Bear" character or name, the "Woodsy Owl" character, name, or slogan, or the "Golden Eagle Insignia"; (6) interstate transportation of dentures; and (7) receipt of compensation after marriage by federal employees.
![Official portrait of Rep. Chabot, Steve [R-OH-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000266_200.jpg)