United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2015 Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act (SSAct), to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSAct title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the program under SSAct title XVIII (Medicare) for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of a hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service with liability protection provided by the United States for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency and post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2015
Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act of 2015 or the PRIME Act of 2015 Amends part D (Prescription Drug Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit sponsors of prescription drug plans from paying claims for prescription drugs that do not include the valid National Provider Identifier for the drug's prescriber. Requires the Secretary's annual report to Congress on the use of recovery audit contractors under the Medicare Integrity Program to: (1) describe the types and financial cost of improper payment vulnerabilities identified by recovery audit contractors and how the Secretary is addressing them, and (2) assess the effectiveness of changes made to Medicare payment policies and procedures in order to address those vulnerabilities. Requires the Secretary to address improper payment vulnerabilities in a timely manner, prioritized based on the risk to the Medicare program. Authorizes the Secretary, under recovery audit contracts under both Medicare and Medicaid (SSAct title XIX), to retain a certain portion of the recovered amounts for a program management account for activities addressing problems that contribute to improper payments and fraud. Requires the Secretary, under such contracts, to retain an additional 5% of the recovered amounts to be made available to the HHS Inspector General to investigate improper payments or audit internal controls associated with Medicare or Medicaid payments. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to revise the incentive program under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 for the reporting of fraud and abuse to encourage greater participation by individuals reporting Medicare fraud and abuse. Requires the plan to include certain recommendations for: (1) ways to enhance rewards for individuals reporting, and (2) extension of the incentive program to the Medicaid program. Amends SSAct title XIX to cover the costs of equipment, salaries and benefits, and travel and training in appropriations for the Medicaid Integrity Program. Allows the Secretary to increase Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) staff whose duties consist solely of protecting the integrity of the Medicare program by a number determined necessary to carry out the Program (currently, by 100). Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for Medicare administrative contractors to reduce the improper payment error rates in their jurisdictions. Requires imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000 ($1 million in the case of a corporation), or both, for knowingly, intentionally, and with the intent to defraud purchasing, selling, distributing, or arranging for the purchase, sale, or distribution of a Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP beneficiary identification number or billing privileges under SSAct titles XVIII, title XIX, or title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP). Amends SSAct title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) with respect to the Federal Parent Locator Service to give the CMS Administrator access to information in the National Directory of New Hires to determine the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Requires the Secretary to disclose to the HHS Inspector General information on individuals and their employers in the National Directory of New Hires if the HHS Inspector General gives the Secretary their names and Social Security account numbers. Restricts the use of such information to: (1) determining the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program; or (2) evaluating the integrity of such programs. Sets forth rules for the use and disclosure of such information by state agencies. Directs the Secretary to establish a plan to encourage and facilitate the participation of states in the Medicare-Medicaid Data Match Program (Medi-Medi Program). Revises Medi-Medi Data Match Program purposes. Amends SSAct title XIX, as amended by PPACA, and SSAct XXI with respect to claims processing and detection of fraud within the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2015
Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to exclude remuneration paid for licensed independent insurance producers from administrative costs for purposes of calculating the medical-loss ratio of a health insurance plan. Defines "independent insurance producer" to mean an insurance agent or broker, insurance consultant, benefit specialist, limited insurance representative, and any other person required to be licensed under state law to sell, solicit, negotiate, service, effect, procure, renew, or bind policies of insurance coverage or offer advice, counsel, opinions, or services related to insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Financial Institution Customer Protection Act of 2015 Prohibits a federal banking agency from formally or informally suggesting, requesting, or ordering a depository institution to terminate either a specific customer account, or group of customer accounts, or otherwise restrict or discourage it from entering into or maintaining a banking relationship with a specific customer or group of customers, unless: (1) the agency has a material reason to do so, and (2) the reason is not based solely on reputation risk. Deems the "material reason" criterion satisfied if a federal banking agency believes that a specific customer or group of customers poses a threat to national security, including any belief that they are involved in terrorist financing. Prescribes notice requirements incumbent upon the federal banking agency to the depository institution regarding customer account restriction or termination, but states that the agency's notice to the customer is not required. Prohibits any notice to the customer if the federal banking agency requests or orders a depository institution to terminate a customer account (or a group of customer accounts) based upon a belief that customer or those customers pose a threat to national security. Amends the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to revise requirements for summoning witnesses and requiring production of books or other records the Attorney General deems relevant or material to a civil investigation in contemplation of a civil proceeding which may result in civil penalties for specified violations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Chiropractic Health Parity for Military Beneficiaries Act Directs the Department of Defense (DOD), no later than August 31, 2015, to complete development of a plan to provide chiropractic health care services and benefits for certain covered beneficiaries as a permanent part of DOD's TRICARE program. Requires plan implementation by January 31, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015 This bill amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coast Guard to enforce specified laws to address illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing, including through vessel forfeiture and civil and criminal penalties. NOAA may: (1) help other nations combat IUU fishing and achieve sustainable fisheries; (2) disclose information to government agencies, international fisheries management organizations, and foreign governments to enforce or assist in enforcing fisheries policies; and (3) publish a list of vessels and vessel owners engaged in IUU fishing and take action against listed vessels and owners. This bill subjects a nation to sanctions only if NOAA certifies that the nation is not addressing IUU fishing or activities resulting in bycatch of a protected living marine resource. Currently, such nations are subject to denial of port privileges and other sanctions unless NOAA has certified that they are addressing such activities. This bill amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to expand enforcement authority to include violations of a treaty or binding conservation measure. Antigua Convention Implementing Act of 2015 This bill amends the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 to implement the Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Established by the 1949 Convention Between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica, also known as the Antigua Convention. The Eastern Pacific Tuna Licensing Act of 1984 is repealed. Port State Measures Agreement Act of 2015 This bill implements the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing signed by the United States November 22, 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device: (1) to intentionally kill the unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant; or (2) to intentionally prematurely terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth or of preserving the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 Authorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2019 to the Secretary of Transportation for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for: the Northeast Corridor Improvement Fund account, the National Network account, the Office of the Inspector General, and national infrastructure investment capital grants. Directs Amtrak to establish internal controls to ensure its costs and revenues are allocated to either the Northeast Corridor or the National Network. Directs the Secretary to establish substantive and procedural requirements for Northeast Corridor and National Network investment capital grant requests. Directs Amtrak to establish: a Northeast Corridor Improvement Fund account for Northeast Corridor capital improvement projects, and a National Network account for capital expenses and operating costs of the National Network. Requires the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission to: develop an annual capital investment plan for the Northeast Corridor main line between Boston, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia, and the Northeast Corridor branch lines connecting to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Spuyten Duyvil, New York; and update, once every 10 years, a Northeast Corridor service development plan. Requires Amtrak, and states and public entities that own infrastructure supporting or providing intercity rail passenger transportation on the Northeast Corridor, to develop and update asset management plans for the Northeast Corridor main line and the Northeast Corridor branch lines. Requires the Amtrak Board of Directors to prepare a five-year capital and operating plan for the Northeast Corridor and National Network. Directs the Secretary to establish a State-Supported Route Advisory Committee. Amends the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 to revise requirements with respect to methodologies for Amtrak route and service planning decisions. Requires Amtrak, as a condition of receiving a grant, to obtain the services of an independent entity to develop and recommend objective methodologies for Amtrak to use in the planning of intercity rail passenger transportation routes and services. Revises alternate passenger rail service pilot program requirements. Requires the Surface Transportation Board, within 120 days after submission of a dispute between Amtrak and a rail carrier (or carriers) awarded the right to provide rail service over a route in which Amtrak is to grant access to its reservation system, stations, and facilities, to issue an order requiring Amtrak to provide such facilities and services to those carriers if certain criteria are met. Directs Amtrak to develop a plan to eliminate the operating loss for food and beverage service on board its trains. Directs Amtrak to request proposals from private sector persons or entities to utilize Amtrak-owned rights-of-way for telecommunications systems, energy distribution systems, and other appropriate activities. Authorizes Amtrak to enter into an agreement to implement any such proposal or proposals. Requires Amtrak to report to Congress on options to enhance development around Amtrak stations. Amends the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 to extend indefinitely specified authority to restructure long-term Amtrak debt and capital leases. Directs Amtrak to develop a pilot program to allow passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains. Directs the Amtrak Inspector General to evaluate Amtrak's boarding procedures at the 10 stations through which the most people pass. Directs the Secretary to develop a program to issue competitive grants for capital improvement projects included in the Northeast Corridor Priority Project List. Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to revise Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program requirements. Modifies application procedures for direct loans and loan guarantees for railroad improvement projects. Requires the Secretary, in granting applications for such loans and guarantees, to give priority to projects for the installation of a positive train control. Directs the Secretary to make direct loans and loan guarantees for capital improvement projects in the Northeast Corridor (NEC Fast Forward Program). Prescribes requirements for the award of grants in excess of $1 billion. Directs the Secretary to study the availability and use of small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)-funded intercity rail passenger transportation projects. Directs the FRA to convene a working group to evaluate the restoration of intercity rail passenger service in the Gulf Coast region between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida. Directs the Secretary to begin a rulemaking to govern the federal review, permitting, and approval or disapproval of freight railroad and intercity and commuter rail passenger transportation infrastructure projects. Directs the Secretary to: (1) pursue program alternatives to promote a consistent approach in the treatment of railroad and rail-related properties for historic preservation review, and (2) develop mechanisms for streamlining compliance with specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Fair Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act or the Fair BEER Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the excise tax on beer brewed or produced, and removed for consumption or sale, within the United States or imported into the United States. The revised tax ranges from $0 for an amount not exceeding 7,143 barrels to $18 per barrel on an amount exceeding 2 million barrels.
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
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to repeal authority to restrict the export of: (1) coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks; and (2) supplies of materials or equipment necessary to maintain or further exploration, production, refining, or transportation of energy supplies, or for the construction or maintenance of energy facilities within the United States. Prohibits any federal official from imposing or enforcing any restriction on the export of crude oil. Requires the Secretary of Energy to study and make recommendations on the appropriate size, composition, and purpose of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
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
Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to replace the current windfall elimination provision (WEP) (that reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security) for individuals who: (1) become eligible for old-age insurance benefits after 2016 or would attain age 62 after 2016 and become eligible for disability insurance benefits after 2016, (2) subsequently become entitled to such benefits, and (3) have earnings derived from noncovered service performed after 1977. Establishes a new formula for the treatment of noncovered earnings in determining Social Security benefits. Prescribes a second formula to modify the WEP for current beneficiaries. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to recover overpayments from certain individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
RFS Reform Act of 2015 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel standard program. Beginning on January 1, 2015, the renewable fuel that is required to be blended into gasoline must be advanced biofuel, which cannot be ethanol derived from corn starch. This bill revises the renewable fuel standards by decreasing the total volume of renewable fuel that must be contained in gasoline sold or introduced into commerce for years 2015 through 2022. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must determine the target amount of cellulosic biofuel to be blended into transportation fuel based on the actual volume of cellulosic biofuel produced in the current year. The EPA must reduce the required volume of renewable fuel in transportation fuel by the same volume of cellulosic biofuel in the fuel. The EPA may not allow gasoline containing greater than 10% ethanol by volume to be introduced into commerce. Waivers that allow gasoline containing a greater percentage of ethanol are nullified.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2015 Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt from its registration requirements certain merger and acquisition brokers and associated persons. Denies such registration exemption, however, to brokers who: (1) receive, hold, transmit, or have custody of any funds or securities to be exchanged by parties to a transfer of ownership of an eligible privately held company; or (2) engage on behalf of an issuer in a public offering of securities that are either subject to mandatory registration, or with respect to which the issuer must file periodic information, documents, and reports. Prohibits this Act from being construed as limiting any other authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission to exempt any person, or any class of persons, from any provision of this Act, including any related rule or regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Pets on Trains Act of 2015 Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains. Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs. Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Student Success Act Authorizes FY2016-FY2021 appropriations for the programs under titles I, II, III, IV, and V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that states and local educational agencies (LEAs) should maintain the rights and responsibilities of determining educational curriculum, programs of instruction, and assessments. TITLE I--AID TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES Replaces title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the ESEA with a new title I (Aid to Local Educational Agencies). Amends the education accountability requirements under part A of title I of the ESEA and places them in a new subpart 1 (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies) under part A (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the ESEA. Eliminates the requirement that LEAs and schools make adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards or be subject to specified improvements, corrective action, or restructuring. Requires states to adopt academic content and achievement standards for mathematics, reading or language arts, and science that ensure that all their public school students graduate from high school fully prepared for postsecondary education or the workforce. Requires states to implement a set of high-quality assessments of student progress toward those standards that measure the overall performance of students in each public school and the performance of their poor, minority, disabled, and English learner subgroups. Allows states to adopt alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Allows states to measure student growth toward those standards and to develop and administer computer adaptive assessments that measure student proficiency against, and growth toward, the standards for the student's grade level. Requires education accountability efforts to include school improvement systems that require LEAs to implement interventions that address weaknesses in low-performing schools. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from attempting to influence or coerce: (1) state adoption of the Common Core State Standards, any other standards common to a significant number of states, or assessments tied to such standards; or (2) state participation in any voluntary partnership with another state to develop and implement academic assessments and standards. Amends school-wide programs that allow LEAs to consolidate educational funds to upgrade the entire educational program of schools in order to eliminate the requirement that such schools serve a high proportion of low-income families. Allows nonprofit and for-profit external providers to deliver school wide reform strategies and elements of Targeted Assistance programs, which direct school improvement funds toward the children in a school that are failing or most at risk of failing. Repeals provisions that established deadlines by which teachers in basic programs operated by LEAs must be highly qualified. Requires states to designate an ombudsman to ensure that private school children receive educational services and benefits that are equitable to those received by public school children under subpart 1. Authorizes states, to the extent permitted by state law, to allocate title I grant funds among their LEAs on the basis of the number of impoverished children enrolled in the public schools served by each LEA. Strikes parts B (Student Reading Skills Improvement Grants), F (Comprehensive School Reform), G (Advanced Placement Programs), and H (School Dropout Prevention) of title I of the ESEA. Amends part C of the current title I and transfers it to a new subpart 2 (Education of Migratory Children) under part A of the ESEA. Amends part D of the current title I and transfers it to a new subpart 3 (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk) under part A. Amends part A of title III (Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students) and transfers it to a new subpart 4 (English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement) under part A. Changes the current references to "limited English proficient students" to "English learners." Amends requirements for the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs under part C of title III and transfers them to subpart 4 under part A. Amends part B (Rural Education Initiative) of title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) and transfers it to a new subpart 5 (Rural Education Achievement Program) under part A. Gives states and LEAs flexibility in transferring funds among the programs under part A of title I. Removes maintenance of effort requirements that require states and LEAs to maintain their education funding at certain levels in order to be eligible for federal education funds. Amends part E (National Assessment) of title I and transfers it to a new part B of title I of the ESEA. Repeals the Demonstrations of Innovative Practices grant program and the Close Up Fellowship program. Amends part I (General Provisions) of title I and transfers it to a new part C of title I of the ESEA. TITLE II--TEACHER PREPARATION AND EFFECTIVENESS Replaces title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the ESEA with a new title II (Teacher Preparation and Effectiveness). Directs the Secretary, under part A (Supporting Effective Instruction) of title II, to make formula grants to states and, through them, subgrants to LEAs that LEAs may use to: develop and implement a teacher evaluation system; implement a statewide teacher evaluation system their state is implementing; train school leaders or other individuals to evaluate teachers or school leaders; implement a statewide school leader evaluation system their state is implementing; develop and implement a school leader evaluation system if a statewide system is not being implemented; provide training to teachers and school leaders that is evidence-based, job-embedded, and continuous; partner with public or private organizations to develop and implement the teacher evaluation system or administer professional development; carry out activities under part B of title II; or reduce class size. Directs the Secretary, under part B (Teacher and School Leader Flexible Grant) of title II, to make formula grants to states and, through them, competitive matching subgrants to LEAs, institutions of higher education, and business or nonprofit entities to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive programs and activities that may include: initiatives to assist in recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly effective teachers and school leaders; support for the establishment or expansion of teacher or school leader preparation academies; the recruitment of qualified individuals from other fields; model instructional programs; evidence-based, job embedded, continuous professional development for teachers and school leaders; programs that are based on the current science of learning; and recruiting and training teachers to teach dual credit, dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate postsecondary-level courses to secondary school students. Preserves the teacher liability protection provisions under part C (Innovation for Teacher Quality) of title II, but eliminates the other programs under part C. Replaces part D (Enhancing Education through Technology) of title II with a new part D (General Provisions). Requires LEAs receiving grants under title II to notify parents of the availability of the results of the evaluations of their children's teachers. Treats charter schools as LEAs under title II. TITLE III--PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT AND LOCAL FLEXIBILITY Replaces title III (Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students) of the ESEA with a new title III (Parental Engagement and Local Flexibility). Amends subparts 1 (Charter School Programs) and 2 (Credit Enhancement Initiatives to Assist Charter School Facility Acquisition, Construction, and Renovation) of part B of title V (Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs) and moves them to a new subpart 1 (Charter School Program) under part A (Parental Engagement) of title III. Replaces the current charter school grant program with a program awarding grants to state entities and, through them, subgrants to charter school developers to open new charter schools and expand and replicate high-quality charter schools. Allows charter schools to serve prekindergarten or postsecondary school students. Amends part C of title V of the ESEA and transfers it to a new subpart 2 (Magnet Schools Assistance) of part A of title III. Establishes a subpart 3 (Family Engagement in Education Programs) of part A of title III. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to statewide organizations to establish Statewide Family Engagement Centers that provide comprehensive training and technical assistance to states, LEA, schools, and organizations that support family engagement in education. Establishes a part B (Local Academic Flexible Grant) of title III under which the Secretary shall allot funds to states for: (1) state activities that include developing state educational assessments and standards; (2) competitive grants to LEAs, community-based organizations, and businesses to improve student academic achievement through student support programs; and (3) competitive matching grants to nongovernmental entities to improve academic achievement. TITLE IV--IMPACT AID Replaces title IV (21st Century Schools) with the Impact Aid program currently under title VIII of the ESEA. (The Impact Aid program compensates LEAs for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas.) Amends the Impact Aid program to alter methods used and considerations made in determining whether LEAs are eligible for Impact Aid payments, as well as formulae used in determining the amounts they are owed. Amends the Impact Aid Improvement Act of 2012 to make amendments that Act made to the Impact Aid program permanent, including the requirement that the Secretary complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. TITLE V--THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S TRUST RESPONSIBILITY TO AMERICAN INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION Revises the programs currently under title VII (Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education) of the ESEA and places them under parts A (Indian Education), B (Alaska Native Education), and C (Native Hawaiian Education) of a new title V. Establishes a new program under subpart 3 (National Activities) of part A requiring the Secretary to award grants to states, LEAs, and Indian entities for: (1) Native American language programs, and (2) Native American language restoration programs. Omits from that subpart programs: (1) funding in-service training for teachers of Indian children, (2) awarding fellowships to Indian students, (3) establishing two centers for gifted and talented Indian students and demonstration projects addressing the needs of such students, and (4) supporting the improvement of educational opportunities for adult Indians. Amends the Alaska Native Educational Equity, Support, and Assistance Act under part B to limit Alaska Native education grant activities to those provided specifically in the context of elementary and secondary education. Amends the Native Hawaiian Education Act under part C to revise the duties and composition of the Native Hawaiian Education Council. Includes charter schools as eligible recipients of Native Hawaiian Education program grants. Removes the provision of scholarships for undergraduate or graduate studies from the list of authorized grant activities. TITLE VI--GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR THE ACT Replaces title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) of the ESEA with a new title VI (General Provisions). Amends title IX (General Provisions) and transfers it to the new title VI. Requires the Secretary to establish a multi-disciplinary peer review team to review requests for waivers of statutory or regulatory requirements under the ESEA. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing new or additional requirements that are not specified in the ESEA on states, LEAs, or Indian tribes in exchange for the receipt of a waiver. Prohibits states from considering payments under the ESEA, other than under title IV, in determining an LEA's eligibility for state aid or the amount of that aid. Prohibits the federal government from mandating, directing, incentivizing, or controlling a state's, LEA's, or school's specific instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or program of instruction. Prohibits any state that opts out of receiving funds, or that has not been awarded funds, under one or more of the ESEA's programs from being required to carry out program requirements. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) imposing any requirements or exercising any authority over school administration not explicitly authorized under the ESEA, (2) issuing any regulations or non-regulatory guidance without first consulting with local stakeholders and fairly addressing their concerns, or (3) denying any LEA the right to object to any administrative requirement. Establishes requirements regarding the peer review panels used under the ESEA to review program applications. Prohibits federal employees from participating in, or working to influence, the peer review process. Makes a state or LEA ineligible for ESEA funds if it: (1) employs an individual who refuses to consent to, or makes a false statement in, a criminal background check, who is required to register as a sex offender, or who has been convicted of one of specified felonies; or (2) knowingly facilitates the transfer of an employee it knows or has probable cause to believe has engaged in sexual misconduct with a student. Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) forcing a state to satisfy any requirement imposed as a condition of receiving assistance under an ESEA grant program, or (2) releasing assistance to a state under an ESEA grant program unless the state's legislature has expressly approved the program. Prohibits ESEA funds that are not allocated to a state due to the state's failure to affirmatively agree to their receipt from being reallocated among the other states. Expresses the intent of the Congress regarding the authority of states to control public education and the authority of parents to control their children's education. Places the gun-free school requirements in part A (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities) of title IV of the ESEA in the new title VI. TITLE VII--HOMELESS EDUCATION Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act's program of grants to states and, through them, subgrants to LEAs for the education of homeless youth. Includes amendments that: (1) require student-centered factors to be considered before an LEA places a homeless youth in a school, (2) require schools to enroll homeless youth immediately despite missed application or enrollment deadlines, (3) protect the privacy of information about a homeless youth's living situation, and (4) focus on the identification of homeless youth. Authorizes appropriations for that program for FY2016-FY2021. TITLE VIII--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) confidentiality agreements between LEAs or schools and suspected child sex abusers should be prohibited, (2) the practice of transferring employees after suspected or proven sexual misconduct should stop, (3) states should require LEAs and schools to report sexual conduct between an employee and a minor to law enforcement, and (4) Congress should work to protect children and stop these unacceptable practices in our schools.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Disaster Assistance Fairness and Accountability Act of 2015 Prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from taking any actions to recoup from a recipient assistance provided in relation to a major disaster declared by the President on or after January 1, 2012, if: (1) the recipient's application was made in good faith and provided accurate information and the receipt of such assistance could reasonably have been expected by the recipient, or (2) the receipt of such assistance occurred more than three years before FEMA first notifies the recipient of FEMA's intent to recoup. Requires FEMA, in carrying out a recoupment of disaster assistance that is not prohibited under this Act, to provide documentation that demonstrates that the recipient did not apply in good faith with accurate information or could not reasonably have expected to receive such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Protection Act This bill prohibits the President from modifying, terminating, abandoning, or transferring the lease with the government of Cuba by which the United States acquired 45 square miles of land and waters that currently contain Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, unless: (1) the President notifies Congress of the proposed lease change, and (2) afterwards Congress enacts a law authorizing the change.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
American Entrepreneurship and Investment Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the EB-5 immigrant investor program permanent. Increases the targeted employment area set-aside. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to defer to state targeted employment area designations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a preapproval procedure for commercial enterprises that allows a regional center to apply for preapproval of a new commercial enterprise before an alien files a petition for classification by reason of investment in such enterprise; and (2) defer to certain prior favorable EB-5 determinations except in the case of fraud, material change, or legal deficiency. Prohibits a person who has been found liable for specified criminal or civil activities from serving as an owner, director, or officer of a regional center. Requires EB-5 petitions to be adjudicated within 180 days unless additional information is required. Provides that the child of an alien investor whose conditional permanent resident status is terminated shall continue to be considered a child of the alien investor for purposes of a subsequent immigrant petition by the alien investor if the child remains unmarried and the alien investor's subsequent petition is filed within one year after termination of status. Provides for a consolidated petition by an alien investor and his or her spouse and children. Exempts spouses and children of EB-5 immigrants from EB-5 admissions limits. Authorizes concurrent filing of EB-5 petitions and applications for status adjustment to conditional lawful permanent resident. Eliminates the per-country limit for employment-based immigrants and increases the per-country limit for family-based immigrants. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the requirement that the annual Chinese immigrant visas be reduced by a specified amount to offset status adjustments under that Act. Subjects EB-5 petitions to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency Act of 2015 or the SAVE Act TITLE I--SAVE I Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency I Act or the SAVE I Act Requires, every two years: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish a national strategy for managing excess and underutilized federal real property; and (2) the Administrator of the General Services Administration to implement a plan to improve the Federal Real Property Profile that ensures the data collected is complete, accurate, and consistent. Requires the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to issue guidance to federal agencies for reinvigorating the role of the competition advocate. Requires the OMB to issue government-wide savings goals for the strategic sourcing of goods and services by executive agencies. Requires each executive agency to develop and report on a policy for evaluating the effectiveness of information technology investments. Rescinds unobligated budget authority for the Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on efforts to finalize plans and schedules for fully implementing and expanding the use of the Integrated Data Repository and on actions taken to plan, schedule, and conduct training on the One Program Integrity System. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report on the adequacy of agricultural quarantine and inspection fees. Amends the USEC Privatization Act to expand the definition of "uranium" for purposes of transfers and sales to include depleted uranium and any byproduct of uranium processing. Requires the OMB to develop a strategy to assess the collective results of federal funding for the reduction of mobile source diesel emissions and to identify and eliminate any unnecessary duplication, overlap, and fragmentation of such activities. TITLE II--SAVE II Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency II Act or SAVE II Act Requires the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Task Force to examine the entire UAS portfolio of the Department of Defense (DOD), including UAS requirements, platforms, payloads, and ground control stations, to develop strategies for improved interoperability of existing systems. Directs DOD to: (1) identify areas in which commonality with other unmanned aircraft systems across the UAS portfolio will be achieved, (2) request a federally-funded research and development center to study UAS interoperability and overlap issues, (3) report to Congress on the examination of the UAS portfolio and the UAS study, and (4) issue revised excess inventory management guidance. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport or passport card for individuals with a seriously delinquent tax debt in excess of $50,000. Prohibits the Department of State from issuing a passport to an individual with a seriously delinquent tax debt and requires State to revoke the passport of such an individual, with an exception for emergency circumstances or humanitarian reasons. Allows disclosure of tax return information to State for purposes of processing passports of individuals with a seriously delinquent tax debt. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report on the merits and feasibility of converting from a retrospective antidumping and countervailing duty collection system to a prospective one, including an estimate of resulting costs and cost savings. Requires the Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to report on the effectiveness of each USAID foreign assistance program and project. Directs the Department of Justice to convert all X-ray systems in federal prisons from analog, film-based systems to digital, filmless systems by 2015. Prohibits the Department of the Treasury from minting or issuing any coin, or engraving or printing any U.S. currency, that costs more to produce than the denomination of such coin or currency. Requires the Director of the Government Publishing Office to make any document of the House of Representatives or Senate available only in an electronic format accessible through the Internet and prohibits the printing or distribution of a printed copy of any such document, with a limited exception for requests by any person for whom the Director would have been required to provide a printed copy. TITLE III--SAVE III Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency III Act Requires the OMB to issue software licensing policies for federal agencies. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to expand the definition of "energy or water conservation measure" to include, in the case of a contract in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is a party: (1) the purchase or lease of low emission and fuel efficient vehicles; (2) the upgrade of USPS vehicles to increase average fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions; or (3) the construction of infrastructure to support such vehicles, including electric vehicle charging stations. Directs the Postmaster General to develop guidelines for USPS vehicles that provide for specified carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy standards. Requires the head of each federal agency to ensure that agency desktop computers are shut down for at least 4 hours out of each 24-hour time period, except for certain computers that are in use for 16 or more hours per day. Denies payment of civil service retirement benefits and requires forfeiture of thrift saving plan agency contributions for federal employees who are convicted of certain public corruption offenses. Requires DOD to implement specified criteria in requests for overseas contingency operations. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to direct each federal facility energy manager, not later than two years after completion of a comprehensive energy evaluation of a federal agency's facilities, to consider: (1) implementing any energy-saving or conservation measure identified in the evaluation that is life cycle cost-effective, and (2) bundling individual measures of varying paybacks together into combined projects. Directs HHS to examine and report on which payments may be made under both the Medicare Advantage Program and the veterans health care system or the TRICARE program for health care furnished to individuals eligible under such programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare beneficiaries with an option to receive statements of benefits in a electronic format. TITLE IV--SAVE IV Savings, Accountability, Value, & Efficiency IV Act or the SAVE Act IV Sets forth reporting requirements for: (1) the Department of Treasury on the challenges that identity theft poses for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), especially the ability of IRS to identify false tax returns before fraudulent refunds are issued; (2) HHS on whether the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for Medicare is more cost effective than the rental of such equipment and supplies; and (3) DOD on streamlining the management of contracts for DOD foreign language support programs. Requires: (1) DOD to award a contract to a private auditor to perform an audit of DOD financial statements for FY2018, and (2) the Secretaries of the military departments to enter into contracts for the performance of maintenance and administrative functions at military installations under their jurisdiction with a proximately-located local or state government.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Medicare Beneficiary Preservation of Choice Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to repeal the allowance for disenrollment, between January 1 and March 15 of each year, only from an MedicareAdvantage plan to elect enrollment in the original Medicare fee-for-service program. Restores the option under previous law to elect to change from a MedicareAdvantage to the original Medicare fee-for-service plan, or from the original Medicare fee-for-service to a MedicareAdvantage plan, once a year during the first three months.
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
Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2015 This bill prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing the proposed rule entitled, "Definition of 'Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act," issued on April 21, 2014, or the proposed guidance entitled, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected By the Clean Water Act," dated February 17, 2012; or using the proposed rule or proposed guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance as the basis for any rulemaking or decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). The Army Corps and the EPA must withdraw the interpretive rule entitled, "Notice of Availability Regarding the Exemption from Permitting Under Section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act to Certain Agricultural Conservation Practices," issued on April 21, 2014. The Army Corps and the EPA are required to consult with relevant state and local officials to develop recommendations for a regulatory proposal that would identify the scope of waters covered under the Clean Water Act and the scope of waters not covered.
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
Help Americans in Need Develop Their Ultimate Potential Act or the HAND UP Act Establishes a framework for the head of a state entity or of a sub-state entity administering two or more qualified federal programs to participate in a demonstration project, approved by the administering Secretary, that supports individuals and families with the goal of moving them towards self-sufficiency, reducing welfare dependence, and increasing work and earnings. Authorizes the administering Secretary to waive program requirements for purposes of the demonstration. Specifies as qualified federal programs: (1) the TANF program under part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), (2) the Block Grants to States for Social Services under SSAct title XX, (3) activities funded under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; (4) activities funded under the United States Housing Act of 1937, and (5) the supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require an annual public housing agency plan for a public housing agency to contain certain demonstration project application information.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2015
Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 This bill modifies the rule making requirements and procedures of federal agencies (excluding Congress, U.S. courts, U.S. territories and possession, and the District of Columbia) under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA). The definition of "rule" under RFA is expanded to include all agency rules, except for rules that pertain to the protection of the rights of and benefits for veterans or rules of particular (and not general) applicability relating to rates, wages, and other financial indicators. Under a new definition of "economic impact," agencies are required to consider any direct economic effect of a proposed rule on small entities and any indirect economic effect on small entities that is reasonably foreseeable and that results from such rule. Under the bill, agencies are required to modify their rulemaking procedures to: include within initial and final regulatory flexibility analyses a detailed statement of information relating to a proposed rule; include in the agency regulatory flexibility agenda a description of the sector of the North American Industrial Classification System that is affected by a proposed agency rule that is likely to have a significant economic impact of a substantial number of small entities; require each initial regulatory flexibility analysis to contain detailed information about a proposed rule, including why agency action is being considered, the objectives and legal basis for the proposed rule, and an estimate of the number and types of small entities to which the proposed rule will apply; eliminate waivers or delays of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis; modify the procedures for participation of small entities in the promulgation of a proposed rule and the review panel advocacy process; and publish a plan for the periodic review of existing rules and new rules that have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities to determine whether such rules should be continued, changed, or rescinded. Judicial review of an agency final rule for compliance with RFA requirements is allowed after the publication of such rule, instead of after completion of the rulemaking process. The Small Business Act is amended to authorize the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make small business size standard determinations for all purposes other than for the purposes of such Act or the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. SBREFA is amended to require agencies, in preparing small entity compliance guides, to solicit input from affected small entities or associations of small entities. The Comptroller General must complete and publish a study that examines whether the SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy has the capacity and resources to carry out duties under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Working Families Flexibility Act of 2015 Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required. Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, an agreement between the employer and employee. Prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time. Requires an employee's employer to provide monetary compensation, after the end of a calendar year, for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year. Requires an employer to give employees 30-day notice before discontinuing compensatory time off. Prohibits an employer from intimidating, threatening, or coercing an employee in order to: (1) interfere with the employee's right to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment of monetary overtime compensation, or (2) require an employee to use such compensatory time. Makes an employer who violates such requirements liable to the affected employee in the amount of the compensation rate for each hour of compensatory time accrued, plus an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, reduced for each hour of compensatory time used. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress every three years on: (1) the extent to which employers provide compensatory time off and employees opt to receive it; (2) the number of complaints filed by an employee with the Secretary of Labor alleging a violation of the requirements as well as enforcement actions commenced by the Secretary on behalf of an aggrieved employee; (3) the disposition of such complaints and actions; and (4) any unpaid wages, damages, penalties, injunctive relief, or other remedies sought by the Secretary in connection with such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Enhancing Services for Runaway and Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 2015 Amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act with respect to grants to states, localities, and private entities to carry out research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects regarding activities designed to increase knowledge concerning, and to improve services for, runaway youth and homeless youth. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give priority to proposed projects relating to staff training in: the behavioral and emotional effects of severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking, responding to youth who are showing effects of severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking, and agency-wide strategies for working with runaway and homeless youth who are victims of trafficking. Extends the Secretary's authority to make grants to nonprofit private agencies for the purpose of providing street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation. Extends the scope of such grants also to street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, severe forms of trafficking in persons and sex trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Super Pollutant Emissions Reduction Act of 2015 or the SUPER Act of 2015 This bill requires the President to establish the Task Force on Super Pollutants to: review existing and potential policies and measures that promote the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, in part by identifying and evaluating programs and activities of the federal government that contribute to a reduction; identify and recommend specific federal programs and activities that are duplicative and that can be consolidated to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness; identify gaps where programs do not exist and recommend programs and activities to fill these gaps to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, with an emphasis on industry standards and public-private partnerships; identify, compile, evaluate, and develop best practices for reducing short-lived climate pollutants; and report to Congress on its findings and recommendations. A "short-lived climate pollutant" is black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, tropospheric ozone and its precursors, or emissions from banks of ozone-depleting substances.
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 · 14 January 2015
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 2015
Retired Pay Restoration Act Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Student Worker Exemption Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude students who are employed by an institution of higher education (IHE) and carrying a full-time academic workload at the IHE from being counted as full-time employees in calculating the IHE's shared responsibility regarding health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
North Korea Sanctions and Diplomatic Nonrecognition Act of 2015 Continues diplomatic, economic, and military sanctions against the government of North Korea as a supporter of international terrorism until the President certifies to Congress that North Korea: is no longer engaged in the illegal transfer of missile or nuclear technology, particularly to Iran, Syria, or Burma; is not assisting foreign terrorist organizations, engaged in counterfeiting U.S. currency, or engaged in illicit narcotics traffic; has returned the last remains of Reverend Kim Dong-shik to the United States; has released abducted Japanese nationals and surviving Korean War prisoners of war; has undertaken specified actions regarding family reunification, penal reforms, refugee access, and religious organization communications; and is no longer engaged in cyber-attacks against the United States, its government, infrastructure, entities, or citizens, or those of its allies. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should redesignate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Finds that the United States did not grant diplomatic recognition to North Korea upon its establishment as a client regime of the former Soviet Union in 1948. Continues diplomatic nonrecognition of North Korea until such benchmarks have been met. Directs the President, given North Korea's third nuclear weapons test on February 12, 2013, in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1695, 1718, 1874, and 2087 to instruct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use U.S. influence to secure adoption of a Security Council resolution condemning North Korea's action as a violation of such Resolutions and requiring implementation of comprehensive sanctions and an inspection regime against North Korea.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. Sets forth the following transition period for employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas: for FY2015, 15% of such visas allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011; for FY2016, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012; and for FY2017, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2015. Sets forth the following per country distribution rules: (1) for transition period visas, not more than 25% of the total number of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country; and (2) for non-transition period visas, not more than 85% of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country. Provides that the amendments made by this Act will take place as if enacted on September 30, 2014, and shall apply beginning in FY2015.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2015 Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2018 the grant program for armor vests for law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to deauthorize the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area Critical Restoration Project upon execution of a transfer agreement between the Secretary of the Army and the South Florida Water Management District, under which the District shall operate the transferred project as an environmental restoration project to provide water storage and water treatment options.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Army to carry out the project for environmental restoration, CERP, Central Everglades Planning Project, Florida, in accordance with the plans and subject to the conditions recommended in the final report of the Chief of Engineers signed on December 23, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Respect for Marriage Act Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Medgar Wiley Evers Congressional Gold Medal Act Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Medgar Wiley Evers, in recognition of his contributions and sacrifice in the fight for racial equality in the United States. Requires the medal, following its award, to be given to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, where it is to be available for display or temporary loan to be displayed elsewhere.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to: (1) complete, within 12 months of enactment, the required audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) and of the Federal Reserve Banks; and (2) submit to Congress, within 90 days of audit completion, a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions. The bill repeals certain limitations placed upon audits of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to add a provision to exempt any employee with coverage under a health care program administered by the Department of Defense, including the TRICARE program, or by the Veterans Administration, from classification as an eligible employee of an applicable large employer for purposes of the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide such employees with minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, except: (1) where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions; or (2) where the pregnancy is the result of rape, or the result of incest against a minor, if the rape has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency, or if the incest has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency or to a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse or neglect. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such an exception only in the manner that provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless that manner would pose a greater risk than other available methods would pose of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, excluding psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman. Subjects individuals who violate this Act to a fine, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act for violating or conspiring to violate this Act. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device to intentionally kill an unborn child or to intentionally terminate a pregnancy with an intention other than: (1) after viability, to produce a live birth and preserve the life and health of the child; or (2) to remove a dead unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Veteran's I.D. Card Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a veteran's identification card to any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment. Requires such card, among other things, to: (1) display their name and photograph, and (2) serve as proof that the veteran honorably served in the Armed Forces and has a DD-214 form or other official document in their personnel file that describes their military service. Directs the Secretary to charge a card fee. States that such card shall not serve as proof of entitlement to any benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers.
