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![Official portrait of Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_ri_1_cicilline_david_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
4,107 records where Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Recognizes and honors the 50th anniversary of Project Head Start. Applauds President Lyndon Baines Johnson, all persons whose support and efforts led to the creation of Project Head Start in 1965, and the Head Start record of success over the ensuing half century.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Congratulates the New England Patriots on their Super Bowl XLIX victory.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Email Privacy Act Amends the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to prohibit a provider of remote computing service or electronic communication service to the public from knowingly divulging to a governmental entity the contents of any communication that is in electronic storage or otherwise maintained by the provider, subject to exceptions. Revises provisions under which the government may require a provider to disclose the contents of such communications. Eliminates the different requirements applicable under current law depending on whether such communications were: (1) stored for fewer than, or more than, 180 days by an electronic communication service; or (2) held by an electronic communication service as opposed to a remote computing service. Requires the government to obtain a warrant from a court before requiring providers to disclose the content of such communications regardless of how long the communication has been held in electronic storage by an electronic communication service or whether the information is sought from an electronic communication service or a remote computing service Requires a law enforcement agency, within 10 days after receiving the contents of a customer's communication, or a governmental entity, within 3 days, to provide a customer whose communications were disclosed by the provider a copy of the warrant and a notice that such information was requested by, and supplied to, the government entity. Allows the government to request delays of such notifications. Prohibits disclosure requirements that apply to providers from being construed to limit the government's authority to use an administrative or civil discovery subpoena to require: (1) an originator or recipient of an electronic communication to disclose the contents of such communication, or (2) an entity that provides electronic communication services to its employees or agents to disclose the contents of an electronic communication to or from such employee or agent if the communication is on an electronic communications system owned or operated by the entity. Allows the government to apply for an order directing a provider, for a specified period, to refrain from notifying any other person that the provider has been required to disclose communications or records. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress regarding disclosures of customer communications and records under provisions: (1) as in effect before the enactment of this Act, and (2) as amended by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2015 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 comprehensive counseling on contraception during health care visits, and (4) establish uniform curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces. 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 · 4 February 2015
Veterans Access to Speedy Review Act Requires the Board of Veterans' Appeals, for purposes of scheduling a veteran's appeal hearing at the earliest possible date, to determine whether to provide such hearing: (1) at its principal location or at another Department of Veterans Affairs facility or other federal facility, and (2) through the use of videoconferencing or by an appellant's personal appearance. Requires the Board to notify the appellant of such decisions. Allows the appellant to request a different location or type of hearing. Requires the Board to grant such request and ensure that the hearing is scheduled at the earliest possible date.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act of 2015 Amends the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 to: (1) expand the assistance provided under such Act, and (2) reauthorize appropriations for FY2016-FY2020. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to establish or expand: (1) veterans treatment court programs, which involve collaboration among criminal justice, veterans, and mental health and substance abuse agencies to provide qualified veterans (preliminarily qualified offenders who were discharged from the armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable) with intensive judicial supervision and case management, treatment services, alternatives to incarceration, and other appropriate services, including housing, transportation, job training, education, and assistance in obtaining benefits; (2) peer to peer services or programs to assist such veterans in obtaining treatment, recovery, stabilization, or rehabilitation; (3) practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, transitional, and other appropriate services to such veterans who have been incarcerated; and (4) training programs to teach criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving such veterans. Revises the definition of "preliminarily qualified offender" to include, in the case of a veterans treatment court program, an adult or juvenile accused of an offense who has been diagnosed with, or manifests obvious signs of, mental illness or a substance abuse disorder or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. Removes a requirement that the adult or juvenile be accused of a nonviolent offense. Requires preliminarily qualified offenders to be unanimously approved for participation in a collaboration program by, when appropriate, the relevant prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, probation or corrections official, judge, and representative from the relevant mental health agency. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to enhance the capabilities of a correctional facility to: (1) identify and screen for mentally ill inmates; (2) plan and provide assessments of the clinical, medical, and social needs of inmates and appropriate treatment and services that address mental health and substance abuse needs; (3) develop, implement, and enhance post-release transition plans that coordinate services and public benefits, the availability of mental health care and substance abuse treatment services, alternatives to solitary confinement and segregated housing, and mental health screening and treatment for inmates placed in solitary confinement or segregated housing; and (4) train employees in identifying and responding to incidents involving inmates with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to provide support for programs that teach law enforcement personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving persons with such disorders. Directs the Attorney General to give priority in awarding grants for adult or juvenile collaboration programs to applications that: (1) propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism, and (2) use validated assessment tools to target preliminarily qualified offenders with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a need for treatment and services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Process Act Authorizes the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico to provide for a vote on Puerto Rico's admission into the Union as a state within one year of this Act's enactment. Requires the governor of Puerto Rico to transmit the results of such vote to the President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate within 10 days after the certification of the vote by the Commission. Directs the President, if a majority of the votes cast are for Puerto Rico's admission as a state: (1) within 30 calendar days of receipt of the certified results, to issue a proclamation to begin the transition process that will culminate in Puerto Rico's admission as a state effective January 1, 2021; and (2) within 90 calendar days of such receipt, to appoint a Commission on the Equal Application of Federal Law to Puerto Rico, which shall survey U.S. laws and submit recommendations to Congress by July 1, 2018, as to how laws that do not apply, or that apply differently, to the territory should be amended or repealed to treat Puerto Rico equally. Requires Puerto Rico to carry out necessary actions by January 1, 2020, to enable it to hold elections for federal office in November 2020, including the election to the 117th Congress of two U.S. Senators and the number of Representatives to which it would have been entitled for the 116th Congress if it had been a state during such Congress. Provides for a temporary increase in the membership of the House of Representatives initially and a permanent increase effective with the taking effect of the first reapportionment occurring after the regular decennial census conducted for 2020. Requires the President, following a transition process, to issue a proclamation declaring that Puerto Rico is admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other states, effective January 1, 2021. Sets forth provisions regarding the continuity of government and the continuity of laws of Puerto Rico.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require a state Medicaid plan to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual, regardless of age. Amends SSAct title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) to require a state CHIP plan also to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Cancer Prevention Day.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2015 Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to the treatment of revocable trusts for the benefit of an individual for purposes of meeting income requirements for Medicaid coverage. Extends the supplemental needs trust exemption from treatment of a trust as resources available to the individual to supplemental needs trusts for Medicaid beneficiaries established by those beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders in recognition of their contribution to civil rights, which inspired a movement to equality in interstate travel. Requires such medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution to be available for display and research. Expresses the sense of Congress that the medal should be made available for display elsewhere, particularly at locations associated with the Freedom Riders.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Calls on schools and state and local educational agencies to recognize that dyslexia has significant educational implications that must be addressed.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2015 or the FOIA Act This bill makes changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to provide the public with greater access to information disclosable under such Act. The bill requires agencies, in administering FOIA, to: (1) make information disclosable under such Act available to the public in an electronic, publicly accessible format; and (2) make available to the public records of general interest that inform the public of the operations and activities of the government or that have been requested three or more times. The Office of Management and Budget is directed to ensure the operation of an online request portal that allows a member of the public to submit a FOIA request for records to any agency from a single website. The bill establishes a presumption of openness by prohibiting an agency from withholding information otherwise disclosable under FOIA unless: (1) the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would cause specific identifiable harm to an interest protected by an exemption to FOIA, or (2) disclosure is prohibited by law. The duties of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) are expanded to require: (1) mediation services to resolve disputes between agencies and persons making FOIA requests; (2) annual reports on the activities of OGIS that are available in an electronic, publicly accessible format; and (3) annual public meetings on the review of agencies' FOIA policies, procedures, and compliance. The bill requires annual agency FOIA reports and the annual reports on FOIA of the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) to be made available in an electronic, publicly accessible format. Agencies are prohibited from assessing search or duplication fees if they have failed to comply with a statutory deadline for a FOIA response and did not submit a written notice to the requestor justifying the fees requested. The role of the Chief FOIA Officer at each agency is expanded to require officers to serve as the primary agency liaison between OGIS and OIP and to complete annual compliance determinations that review agency regulations, fee assessments, use of exemptions, dispute resolution services, and the timely processing of FOIA requests. The bill establishes a Chief FOIA Officers Council for developing recommendations for increasing compliance and efficiency, disseminating information about agency experiences, identifying initiatives to increase transparency and compliance, and promoting performance measures to ensure agency compliance with FOIA requirements. The Inspector General of each agency is required to: (1) periodically review compliance with FOIA requirements, including the timely processing of requests, assessment of fees and fee waivers, and the use of FOIA exemptions, and (2) make recommendations to the agency head, including recommendations for disciplinary action.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 820 Elmwood Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island, as the "Sister Ann Keefe Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 This bill states that: the President may not prohibit or otherwise regulate travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel, including banking transactions; any regulation in effect on the date of enactment of this Act prohibiting or otherwise regulating such travel or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effective; but the prohibitions and requirements of this Act shall not apply if the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
VA Regional Office Accountability Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include in a required annual report on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expenditures and activities a report on each VA regional office that failed to reach administrative goals concerning the timeliness and accuracy of veterans' claims adjudication.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2015
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Directs the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against any foreign person (or entity) who: is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in any foreign country, especially those persons seeking to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials, or to obtain, exercise, or promote human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign person in such activities; is a government official (or senior associate of such official) responsible for, or complicit in, ordering or otherwise directing acts of significant corruption or the facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption to foreign jurisdictions; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. Prescribes related penalties. Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to: waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and terminate them under specified conditions. States that sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters, or other applicable international obligations of the United States. Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition. Directs the Comptroller General to assess for Congress: (1) the process to determine whether a foreign person has engaged in a sanctionable activity, whether sanctions should be imposed, and whether the identity of a sanctioned foreign person should be classified; and (2) implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2015
Supports the goals and ideals of a Dominican Heritage Month. Supports the establishment of a national month of Recognition for Dominican-Americans to honor the Dominican people and their contributions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover pharmacist services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Data Accountability and Trust Act Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations requiring each person engaged in interstate commerce that owns or possesses data containing personal information to establish specified security policies and procedures to treat and protect such information. Requires the regulations to include methods for disposing of both electronic and nonelectronic data. Requires information brokers to submit their security policies to the FTC in conjunction with a notification of a security breach notification or upon the FTC's request. Authorizes the FTC to conduct information security practices audits of brokers who have had a security breach or require such brokers to conduct independent audits. Requires information brokers to: (1) establish procedures to verify the accuracy of information that identifies individuals, (2) provide to individuals whose personal information it maintains a means to review it, (3) place a conspicuous notice on the Internet instructing individuals how to request access to such information, and (4) correct inaccurate information. Directs the FTC to require information brokers to establish measures which facilitate the auditing or retracing of access to, or transmissions of, any data containing personal information. Makes it unlawful for information brokers to obtain or disclose personal information by false pretenses (pretexting). Requires such person to notify the FTC and affected individuals of information security breaches. Sets forth requirements concerning such notification, including method of notification requirements and timeliness requirements. Allows an exemption from notification requirements if such person determines that there is no reasonable risk of identity theft, fraud, or other unlawful conduct. Preempts state information security laws.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
CEO-Employee Paycheck Fairness Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a publicly held corporation a tax deduction for the payment of performance-based remuneration in excess of $1 million to any of its current or former officers or directors if such corporation does not meet the pay fairness requirement established by this Act. Deems the pay fairness requirement to be satisfied if: (1) the average compensation paid by the employer for all applicable U.S. employees for the taxable year exceeds the inflation and productivity growth adjusted average (i.e., $118,450 in 2015) of such compensation for the preceding taxable year; and (2) the aggregate compensation paid by the employer to or for all applicable employees for the taxable year is not less than the aggregate of such compensation for the preceding taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Pro Football Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5-gold coins, 400,000 $1-silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins emblematic of the game of professional football. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to help finance the expansion and renovation of Pro Football Hall of Fame facilities. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) minting and issuing such coins will not result in any net cost to the government, and (2) no proceeds are disbursed until the total cost of designing and issuing such coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of provisions governing mandatory restitution of victims of offenses involving sexual exploitation and other abuse of children to include medical services, physical and occupational therapy or rehabilitation, and lost income for the victim's lifetime, as well as any losses suffered by the victim from any sexual act or conduct in preparation for or during the production of child pornography depicting the victim involved in the offense. Sets forth guidelines for determining restitution where the victim of of a specified child pornography offense was harmed by one defendant (requiring restitution for not less than the full amount of the victim's losses) or by more than one defendant (requiring restitution for not more than the full amount of the victim's losses and not less than specified minimum amounts for certain offenses). Requires joint and several liability where there are multiple defendants and allows each defendant who is ordered to pay restitution and who has made full payment to the victim equal to or exceeding the specified minimum amount to recover contribution from any other defendant ordered to pay. Sets forth contribution claim procedures. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress within one year after enactment of this Act on any progress of the Department of Justice in obtaining restitution for victims of such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Expresses support for efforts to: (1) provide protections and supports for sexually exploited and trafficked girls in the United States, and (2) create criminal or civil penalties for anyone who buys or sells a child through a system of child trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of State to establish in the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Peoples who shall: direct U.S. government efforts regarding the human rights of LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender); represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBT people, including discrimination and violence against LGBT people; serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State regarding human rights for LGBT people; and implement activities regarding support, education, resettlement, and empowerment of LGBT people. Directs the Special Envoy to develop or update annually for five years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide assistance to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Stepping Up to STEM Education Act Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education within the Department of Education to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology and to facilitate the effective use of that technology to improve student achievement. Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to state-based science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (STEM) networks or similar organizations of STEM stakeholders to increase students' achievement in the STEM disciplines in elementary and secondary schools and in out of school and afterschool programs. Includes among grant uses: testing, sharing, and scaling up STEM education research, promising practices, and exemplary programs; identifying state STEM education weaknesses and prioritizing strategies to address them; implementing rigorous career and college ready standards in STEM education; developing and implementing innovative STEM assessments that measure student progress toward those career and college ready standards; promoting and developing pre- and in-service STEM teacher training; developing STEM career pathways and workforce education and training programs that reflect 21st century workforce needs; facilitating the implementation of expanded STEM learning opportunities on school sites; and promoting, supporting, and designing programs that develop STEM content coaches and master educators in order to strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner. Requires grantees to conduct periodic independent evaluations of their effectiveness in accomplishing those activities. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) endorsing or approving any STEM curriculum designed for use in an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education; or (2) requiring a state, local educational agency, or school to adopt a specific STEM program or instructional materials.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Supports the people of Nigeria, especially the men, women, and children in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga who were victimized, trafficked, and murdered by the terrorist group Boko Haram. Condemns Boko Haram for its violent attacks on civilian targets in Nigeria. Encourages the government of Nigeria to: (1) strengthen efforts to protect civilians from Boko Haram; and (2) work with the United States and other governments such as Chad, Niger, and Cameroon to defeat Boko Haram. Supports U.S. offers of assistance to Nigeria in the search for the school girls abducted by Boko Haram.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2015 Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require physical therapists furnishing outpatient physical therapy services to use specified locum tenens arrangements for payment purposes in the same manner as such arrangements are used to apply to physicians furnishing substitute physicians services for other physicians. (Locum tenens [place holder], or substitute, physicians usually assume professional practices in the absence of a regular physician for reasons such as illness, pregnancy, vacation, or continuing medical education.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2015 or the ACE Kids Act of 2015 Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow a state, at its option, to elect to provide medical assistance for items and services furnished to eligible children with medically complex conditions enrolled in a Medicaid Children's Care Coordination (MCCC) program. Requires an MCCC program, among other things, to coordinate, integrate, and provide for the furnishing of the full range of MCCC program services to enrolled children, as well as designate pediatric care management services and pediatric focused care coordination and health promotion. Requires a state to enroll eligible children prospectively in an MCCC program through an initial 90-day assignment to a nationally designated children's hospital network, unless the child opts not to participate in any MCCC program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore mail delivery service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2015
Memorializes the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz and honors the victims of Nazi concentration camps, killing centers, crimes, and aggression. Honors the U.S. Armed Forces, the armed forces of Allied nations, underground resistance fighters, and other persons who helped defeat the Nazi regime during World War II. Expresses gratitude to hosts and participants in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, including a U.S. presidential delegation attending an event in Oswiecim, Poland. Reaffirms support for educational efforts to teach about the Holocaust, preserve the memory of those murdered, and prevent future genocide. Urges all countries to: (1) implement educational lessons about the Holocaust to explain how unchecked intolerance and prejudice has led to, and could lead to, atrocities as happened during the Holocaust; and (2) improve efforts to identify and combat anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry and intolerance.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Survivors of Human Trafficking Empowerment Act Establishes the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, which shall provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President's Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Directs the Council to: (1) meet at least annually to review federal government policy and programs intended to combat human trafficking, (2) formulate assessments and recommendations to ensure that U.S. policy and programming efforts conform to best practices in the field of human trafficking prevention, and (3) meet with the Group at least annually to present the Council's findings and recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015 Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to condition eligibility to receive a state grant for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs on inclusion in the state plan of a certification by the governor that the state has in effect and is enforcing a state law, or is operating a statewide program, that includes provisions and procedures to: identify and assess reports involving children who are sex trafficking victims (and which may also involve children who are victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons), train representatives of the state child protective services about identifying and assessing such children, and identify services and procedures for appropriate referral to address the needs of such children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on: the specific type and prevalence of severe forms of trafficking in persons to which children have been subjected who are identified for services or intervention under the placement, care, or supervision of state, Indian tribe, or tribal organization child welfare agencies; the practices and protocols utilized by states to identify and serve children who are, or are at-risk of becoming, victims of trafficking; and any barriers in federal laws or regulations that may prevent identification and assessment of children who are such victims.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Duplication Elimination Act of 2015 This bill requires the President to send Congress a proposed joint resolution and a special message within 90 days of publication of the annual Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on duplicative government programs. The joint resolution is limited to one that: (1) makes legislative changes needed to carry out the recommendations contained in the GAO report and included by the President, and (2) requires savings from the legislative changes to be transferred to the Treasury for deficit reduction. The bill requires the special message to specify: the GAO recommendations that are excluded from the proposed joint resolution, why the recommendations were excluded, and the GAO recommendations included in the joint resolution. The bill sets forth expedited procedures for congressional consideration of the joint resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Shareholder Protection Act of 2015 Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require that any solicitation of a proxy, consent, or authorization with respect to any security of an issuer: (1) describe the specific nature (to the extent known) and total amount of expenditures proposed for political activities for the forthcoming fiscal year but not yet authorized by a vote of the issuer's shareholders, and (2) provide for a separate shareholder vote to authorize such proposed expenditures. Prohibits an issuer from making an expenditure for political activities in any fiscal year unless: (1) such expenditure is of the nature of those proposed by the issuer according to the requirements of this Act, and (2) authorization for such expenditure has been granted by votes representing a majority of outstanding shares. Deems a violation of this requirement to be a breach of the fiduciary duty of the officers and directors who authorized such expenditure. Subjects officers and directors who authorize the expenditure without prior shareholder authorization to joint and several liability to any shareholder or class of shareholders for the amount of such expenditure. Requires certain institutional investment managers to disclose annually in mandatory reports how they voted (proxies) in certain shareholder votes. Prohibits any person from bringing any civil, criminal, or administrative action against an institutional investment manager, or any of its employees, officers, or directors, based solely upon the investment manager's decision to divest from, or not to invest in, securities of an issuer because of expenditures for political activities made by that issuer. Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to direct the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit the listing of any equity security of an issuer whose corporate bylaws do not expressly provide for a vote of the issuer's directors on any individual expenditure for political activities in excess of $50,000. Requires an issuer to make public, within 48 hours, the individual votes of the directors regarding any such expenditure. Directs the SEC to: (1) require issuers to disclose expenditures for political activities made during the preceding quarter and the individual votes by board members authorizing such expenditures, and (2) make such reports publicly available through the SEC website. Requires the SEC to make annual assessments of the compliance by public corporations and their management with the reporting and disclosure requirements of this Act, and the Comptroller General to evaluate periodically the effectiveness of SEC oversight of these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2015 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 · 21 January 2015
Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2015 or the DISCLOSE 2015 Act Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidates, qualifications, or fitness for office. Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. Prescribes: (1) disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities; and (2) disclaimer requirements for campaign-related disbursements and for certain communications. Requires any communication transmitted through radio or television to include an individual or organizational disclosure statement, together with: (1) the Top Two Funders List of the persons providing the largest and second largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a radio communication, and (2) the Top Five Funders List of the five persons providing the largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a television communication. Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger. Requires a covered organization which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders, members, or donors on its finances or activities to include in each report, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the information included in the statements it has filed about campaign-related disbursements the organization has made during the period covered by the report. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require semiannual reports on certain election campaign contributions filed with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives by registered lobbyists (or persons or organizations required to register as lobbyists) to contain: (1) the amount of any independent expenditure of $1,000 or more made by each such person or organization, along with the name of each candidate being supported or opposed and the amount spent supporting or opposing that candidate; and (2) the amount of any electioneering communication of $1,000 or more made by such person or organization, along with the name of the candidate referred to in the communication and whether the communication involved was in support of or in opposition to the candidate.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015 Conditions a state or local government's eligibility for funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program on the state's compliance with this Act. Requires: (1) the chief officer of the law enforcement agency of a locality in which a death results from the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer of such agency to report the death to the elected prosecutor of that locality within 24 hours of such death, and (2) the elected prosecutor to report the death to the governor of the state within 24 hours after receiving such notice. Directs the governor: (1) within three days after receiving such report, to appoint a special prosecutor to present evidence on the state's behalf at a hearing before a judge to determine whether probable cause exists to bring criminal charges against the law enforcement officer; (2) to use a random process to select the special prosecutor from among all of the elected prosecutors in the state, excluding the elected prosecutor of the locality in which the death occurred; and (3) within 24 hours after being notified of such death, to report the death to the chief officer of the state's law enforcement agency, which shall assume exclusive control of the investigation of the death during the pendency of the probable cause hearing. Requires: (1) the hearing to be held within 90 days after the appointment of the special prosecutor, unless the judge determines that good cause exists to delay it; (2) the court to remain open to the public for such hearing, except as determined appropriate by the presiding judge; (3) the presiding judge, within five days of the hearing's conclusion, to issue a determination regarding probable cause and to submit such determination to the elected prosecutor of the locality in which the death occurred; and (4) the special prosecutor to submit recommendations to the elected prosecutor, including regarding whether criminal charges should be brought against the officer. Declares that the probable cause hearing shall have no binding effect on the elected prosecutor.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Women's Health Protection Act of 2015 This bill prohibits any government from imposing on abortion services: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or medical procedures; a requirement that the same clinician who performs a patient's abortion also perform additional tests, services or procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs or provide services via telemedicine; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at those facilities; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a patient make medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity; a limitation on medical training for abortion procedures; a prohibition prior to fetal viability; a prohibition after fetal viability when continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction on a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; or a restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion. A measure or action that is similar to a requirement or limitation listed above is prohibited if it singles out abortion services or makes abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Stop Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to treat as a campaign contribution any payment made by any person (other than a candidate, an authorized committee of a candidate, or a political committee of a political party) for a coordinated expenditure which is not otherwise treated as a contribution. (In effect, replaces and eliminates a prohibition against contributions by minors which the U.S. Supreme Court in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission ruled an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment.) Sets forth rules governing payments for coordinated expenditures, including special rule for payments by coordinated spenders for covered communications. Defines "covered communication" as a public communication which: (1) expressly advocates the election of the candidate or the defeat of an opponent of the candidate (or contains the functional equivalent of express advocacy); (2) promotes or supports the candidate, or attacks or opposes an opponent of the candidate (regardless of whether the communication expressly advocates the election or defeat of a candidate or contains the functional equivalent of express advocacy); or (3) refers to the candidate or an opponent of the candidate in other ways, but only if the communication is disseminated during the applicable election period. Prescribes penalties for knowing and willfull violation of this Act by a contribution which consists of a payment for a coordinated expenditure. Prohibits candidates or individuals holding federal office, their agents, and certain related entities from soliciting, receiving, directing, or transferring funds to or on behalf of any political committee which accepts donations or contributions that do not comply with FECA limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements, or to or on behalf of any 527 organization which accepts such donations or contributions (other than a committee of a state or local political party or a candidate for election for state or local office). (A 527 organization, tax-exempt in certain circumstances under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Empowering Citizens Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to revise the system of public financing for presidential primary and general elections occurring after January 1, 2016, and to establish a system of public financing for congressional elections. Increases the amount of matching funds for presidential primaries from a one-to-one match to a six-to-one match for contributions of $250 or less from individuals, with a limit on aggregate individual contributions of $1,000. Limits the total amount of payments to a presidential primary candidate to $300 million. Provides for an inflation adjustment to matching contributions beginning after 2015. Requires presidential primary candidates who opt to participate in the public financing system to certify to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that they have raised $25,000 (currently, $5,000) in each of 20 states, with individual contributions limited to $250. Requires such candidates to commit to accept public financing in both the primary and general elections. Prohibits presidential primary candidates from accepting contributions or bundled contributions (i.e., combining small contributions into one large contribution) from lobbyists or political action committees (PACs). Eliminates expenditure limitations for presidential primary and general elections. Changes the period for payment of matching funds to presidential primary candidates from January 1 of the election year to six months prior to the date of the earliest state primary election. Revises general election payment provisions to allow a grant of $50 million to candidates and an additional $150 million in matching funds based upon a six-to-one match of contributions raised after June 1 of the general election year from individual donors giving up to $250 each. Increases to $100 million the limit on coordinated spending by a national party and its presidential candidate in a general election campaign. Provides for public financing of congressional election campaigns. Establishes the Empowering Citizens Payment Account in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to finance congressional election campaigns. Amends the FECA to prohibit federal candidates or office holders from soliciting, receiving, directing, or transferring funds to or on behalf of any political committee that accepts donations or contributions that do not comply with FECA limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements (Super PACs), or to or on behalf of any Section 527 organization which accepts such donations or contributions (other than a committee of a state or local political party or a candidate for election for state or local office). Increases from $3 to $20 ($6 to $40 for joint returns) the tax check-off for contributions to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. Directs the Department of the Treasury to prescribe regulations to ensure that approved tax preparation software does not automatically accept or decline a check-off of contributions for the public financing system. Directs the FEC to issue regulations on best efforts for identifying persons making contributions to political committees. Prohibits an authorized committee of a candidate from establishing a joint fundraising committee with a political committee other than an authorized committee of a candidate. Revises reporting requirements for the disclosure of bundled contributions by lobbyists and to presidential campaigns. Sets forth rules for judicial review of campaign finance laws and FEC actions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of No Name-Calling Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Government By the People Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a refundable credit of 50% of qualified congressional House campaign contributions paid or incurred during the taxable year (contributions of cash by an individual to a House candidate or a political committee established and maintained by a national political party if the contribution is not prohibited under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 [FECA], to be known as "My Voice Federal" contributions). Directs the Government by the People Oversight Commission, established by this Act, to launch a pilot program under which it shall select three eligible states to operate a voucher pilot program. Requires a state under a voucher pilot program to provide each qualified individual during the election cycle, upon his or her request, with a "My Voice Voucher" worth $50, which will be assigned a routing number. Authorizes the individual to submit the My Voice Voucher to qualified federal election candidates, allocating a portion of its value in $5 increments. Requires the Commission to pay any candidate who transmits a My Voice Voucher that portion of its value which the individual allocated to the candidate. Considers this transaction a contribution by the individual to the candidate for purposes of FECA. Requires a state operating a voucher pilot program also to permit an individual to revoke a My Voice Voucher within two days after submitting it to a candidate. Requires such a state to establish a commission or designate an existing entity to oversee and implement the program in the state, except that no such commission or entity may be composed of elected officials. Amends FECA with respect to: benefits for participating House of Representatives candidates; Federal Election Commission (FEC) payments to such candidates; candidate use of payments; qualified small dollar contributions, expenditures, and fundraising requirements; certification of participating candidates; campaign administration; prevention of the unnecessary spending of public funds; establishment of the Freedom From Influence Fund in the Treasury and of a Government by the People Oversight Commission in the FEC; remittal of unspent funds to the Freedom From Influence Fund after an election; eligibility of participating candidates for additional payments; civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; a Commission action appeals process; and contributions and expenditures by multicandidate and political party political committees on behalf of participating candidates. Prohibits a certified participating candidate's authorized committee from establishing a joint fundraising committee with any political committee other than another authorized committee of the candidate. Prohibits a certified participating candidate from establishing, financing, maintaining, or controlling a leadership PAC (political action committee). Prohibits use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign. Revises bundler disclosure requirements to repeal a specified exception and so require disclosure of persons who provided bundled contributions to the reporting committee. Amends FECA to empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action to enforce the Act. Requires all political committee designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC; and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to set a station's lowest unit price for preemptible use as the charge for a broadcast by the national committee of a political party for an affiliated candidate. Authorizes the FEC to revoke a broadcast station license or construction permit only for at least three willful failures to allow reasonable access to, or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of, a broadcasting station or cable system by a legally qualified candidate for federal office. Amends the IRC to allow taxpayers to designate overpayments of tax for contribution to the Freedom From Influence Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2015
Pause for Safety Act of 2015 Authorizes the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice to make grants to to assist states in carrying out state legislation that: (1) authorizes family members or close associates of an individual to apply for, and state courts or magistrates to issue, gun violence prevention orders (prohibiting a named individual from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving firearms because such individual poses a significant threat of personal injury to the individual or others) and gun violence prevention warrants (directing a law enforcement officer to temporarily seize any firearm in the possession of such individual); and (2) requires each law enforcement agency of the state to comply with a procedure that requires a law enforcement officer, in conjunction with performing a wellness check (a visit to an individual's residence to assess whether the individual poses a danger to the individual or others due to a mental, behavioral, or physical condition), to check whether the individual is listed on any of the firearm and ammunition databases of the state or jurisdiction in which the individual resides. Requires: (1) a court issuing such an order and warrant to hold a hearing within 14 days to determine whether the individual who is the subject of the order may own, purchase, possess, or receive firearms and whether any seized firearms should be returned; (2) the state or petitioner to establish probable cause that the individual poses a significant risk of personal injury to the individual or others by owning or possessing the firearm; (3) the individual to be prohibited from possessing a firearm for up to one year if he or she is found to pose a significant threat; and (4) the firearm to be returned if the court finds that the state has not met the required standard of proof. Authorizes a law enforcement agency to seek renewal of an order if it has probable cause to believe the individual continues to pose a threat. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) the sale or disposition of a firearm or ammunition to anyone subject to such an order; and (2) any person subject to such an order from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving any firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2015
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 · 20 January 2015
Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2015 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 · 16 January 2015
Trafficking Prevention in Foreign Affairs Contracting Act This bill directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to report to Congress regarding: a definition of "placement and recruitment fees" for purposes of complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and how such definition will be incorporated into grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and contracting practices; and a description of actions taken to ensure that officials include the prevention of trafficking in persons in monitoring grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and contracting practices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015
Veterans' Access to Hearing Health Act of 2015 Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to appoint licensed hearing aid specialists in the Veterans Health Administration. Requires the Secretary to submit an annual report on: (1) the timely access of veterans to VA hearing health services, and (2) VA contracting policies regarding the provision of hearing health services to veterans in non-VA facilities.