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![Official portrait of Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/f000455_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
2,307 records where Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
Land-Grant Opportunity Act This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to modify the formula that the Department of Agriculture uses to distribute funds for land-grant colleges and universities to provide additional funding for certain historically black colleges and universities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act This bill prohibits an executive agency from using the following terms in any rule, regulation, interpretation, publication, other document, display, or sign issued by the agency except to the extent that the term is used in quoting or reproducing text written by a source other than an officer or employee of the agency: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national, and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status. In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies, the term "foreign national" in federal law means any individual other than an individual who: (1) is a U.S. citizen; or (2) though not a U.S. citizen, owes permanent allegiance to the United States. Any reference in any federal statute, rule, regulation, executive order, publication, or other U.S. document to the term: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national is deemed to refer to the term "foreign national," and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status is deemed to refer to the term "undocumented foreign national." Conforming amendments are made to specified Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2015
Welcomes Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on his official visit to the United States in October 2015. Expresses solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against terrorism. Reaffirms friendship and strategic partnership with a democratic Pakistan. Supports cooperation between the United States and Pakistan in a range of areas, including security, economic development, strengthening of democratic institutions, education, and trade.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 This bill permits a court to reduce the mandatory minimum prison term imposed on certain non-violent defendants convicted of a high-level first-time or low-level repeat drug offense (including unlawful import, export, manufacture, or distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance). The legislation expands safety valve eligibility to permit a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain non-violent, cooperative drug defendants with a limited criminal history. It reduces the enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for certain defendants who commit a high-level repeat drug offense, use a firearm in a crime of violence or drug offense after a prior conviction for such offense, or unlawfully possess a firearm after three or more prior convictions. It permits retroactive application of such reductions for defendants without a prior serious violent felony conviction, after a court considers certain factors. It also establishes a consecutive mandatory prison term for a defendant who commits a drug offense involving a detectable amount of heroin or fentanyl. The bill makes the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive to permit resentencing of a convicted crack cocaine offender sentenced before August 3, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Workplace Democracy Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify without an election an individual or labor organization as the exclusive representative of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining if a majority of the employees has signed valid authorizations designating the individual or labor organization specified in a properly filed petition as their bargaining representative and no other individual or labor organization is currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. The NLRB shall develop guidelines and procedures for the designation by employees of a bargaining representative. Deadlines are prescribed for critical turns in collective bargaining to establish an initial agreement upon the request of an individual or labor organization that has been newly organized or certified as a representative. The first meeting shall convene within 10 days after the employer receives a request. Either party to a negotiation may, 90 days after commencement, notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of the existence of a dispute and request mediation. The Service shall refer the dispute to an arbitration board if the parties are not brought to agreement within 30 days after the request for mediation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2015
African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) a U.S. Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement. In carrying out the Network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Commends the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its work over the past 25 years to improve and save the lives of women worldwide. Expresses that the ORWH must remain intact for this and future generations. Recognizes that there remain striking sex and gender differences among many diseases and conditions on which the ORWH should continue to focus. Encourages the ORWH to continue to focus on ensuring that NIH supports biomedical research that considers sex as a biological variable. Encourages the NIH to continue to consult and involve the ORWH on all matters related to the influence of sex and gender on health.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Recognizes school principals' and assistant principals' contribution to the success of elementary and secondary students, and encourages the observation of National Principals Month in a manner that promotes awareness of the importance of school leadership in ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center on December 8, 2015, for a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress on hunger in our communities by resolving that Congress should: increase support for programs that will strengthen wages and move the nation toward full employment; increase funding for programs such as Unemployment Insurance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), refundable tax credits, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program); appropriate funds for the Department of Agriculture to operate and manage programs that are authorized as part of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative; permit nonprofit organizations that serve children through the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program to operate one program year-round; and waive the on-site requirement for after-school and summer meals programs to allow communities to develop more effective ways to serve children outside of the school day.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should provide additional relief and assistance to the island of Dominica.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to adopt regulations on the use of inmate telephone and video services that enable persons incarcerated in correctional institutions to originate calls at payphones, telephones, or video kiosks designated for the personal use of prisoners. The regulations must: (1) prescribe a maximum uniform per-minute rate and service connection or other per-call rate, (2) prescribe variable maximum rates depending on factors such as carrier costs and the size of the correctional facility, (3) require providers of inmate telephone and video service to offer both collect calling and prepaid debit account services, (4) prohibit or limit the payment of commissions by such providers to administrators of correctional facilities based upon the revenue of the service, (5) require such administrators to allow more than one service provider at a facility so that prisoners have a choice, and (6) prohibit or substantially limit any ancillary fees that are in addition to the per-minute rate and connection charge.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about October 1, 2015, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Act of 2015 This bill: (1) prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act, with specified exceptions, for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States; and (2) requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at locally-prevailing rates. TITLE I--RELIEF FOR WORKERS AND BUSINESSES This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) restore the making work pay tax credit in 2015, and (2) allow 100% bonus depreciation for certain property acquired and placed in service before January 1, 2015. The title amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase to $7.5 million the limit on the guarantee for contract surety bonds and on the liability for bonds obtained by fraud or misrepresentation. This increase expires on September 30, 2016. TITLE II--PUTTING WORKERS BACK ON THE JOB WHILE REBUILDING AND MODERNIZING AMERICA This title directs the Departments of Education and the Interior (for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education) to reserve through FY2016 appropriated amounts to provide educational assistance to outlying areas based on their respective needs. The Department of Justice must carry out a competitive grant program for the hiring, rehiring, or retention of career law enforcement officers The Department of Education must award grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities and existing facilities at community colleges. This title makes funds available to the Department of Transportation for: (1) grants-in-aid for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects under the airport improvement program; (2) Federal Aviation Administration Next Generation air traffic control system advancements; (3) highway and bridge restoration, repair, and construction projects and for passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure projects; (4) grants for high-speed rail projects, capital investment grants for intercity passenger rail service, and grants to reduce congestion on intercity rail passenger transportation; (5) capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK); (6) transit capital assistance grants; (7) capital projects for existing fixed guideway system modernization, replacement and repair of buses and bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities; and (8) discretionary capital investment grants for surface transportation infrastructure. Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act This bill establishes the American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation to make direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate transportation, water, or energy infrastructure projects. This title: (1) requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $100 million ($25 million for rural infrastructure projects), (2) requires the AIFA Chief Lending Officer to establish an Office of Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance in the development and financing of rural infrastructure projects and a Center for Excellence to provide such assistance to public sector borrowers in the development and financing of infrastructure projects, and (3) establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to audit and investigate the business activities of AIFA. This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2018 the exemption from the alternative minimum tax for certain tax-exempt private activity bonds. This title appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities, including state and local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses, or eligible consortia, for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). TITLE III--ASSISTANCE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED AND PATHWAYS BACK TO WORK Supporting Unemployed Workers Act of 2015 This title amends: (1) the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) program until January 1, 2016; (2) the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through December 31, 2015, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC; and (3) the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for employees with less than 10 years of service. The title establishes the Reemployment NOW program to facilitate the reemployment of individuals receiving emergency unemployment compensation (EUC claimants). A state may use its allotted funds to: (1) establish a Bridge to Work program to provide EUC claimants with short-term work experience placements with eligible employers; (2) provide a wage insurance program to pay, for up to two years, an EUC claimant who obtains reemployment up to 50% of the difference between the wages received at the time of work separation and the wages received for reemployment; and (3) provide a program of enhanced reemployment services to EUC claimants, including unemployed individuals who have exhausted their EUC rights. The Department of Labor must award grants to states for short-time compensation programs and develop model legislative language for use by states in developing, enacting, and implementing such programs. The work opportunity tax credit is expanded to include the hiring of long-term unemployed individuals (individuals who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation for six months or more). Pathways Back to Work Act of 2015 This bill establishes programs to subsidize employment for unemployed, low-income adults, to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth, and for work-based training. Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2015 This bill makes it an unlawful practice for certain employers to: (1) publish a job advertisement or announcement that includes provisions indicating that an individual's status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for employment or that the employer will not consider or hire an individual for employment based on such status, (2) fail or refuse to consider or hire an individual because of such status, or (3) direct or request that an employment agency take an individual's status into account to disqualify an applicant for consideration for employment or when screening or referring employees. The bill makes it an unlawful practice for an employment agency to commit similar acts, including to: (1) screen, or fail or refuse to consider or refer, an individual for employment because of the individual's unemployed status; or (2) limit, segregate, or classify any such individual in any manner that would limit access to job information or consideration, screening, or referral for jobs. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer or employment agency to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee because such individual opposed any practice made unlawful by this Act or asserted any right under it. TITLE IV--OFFSETS This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for offsets against decreases in revenue by: (1) limiting tax deductions and other tax exclusions for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), (2) treating income received by a partner from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income for income tax purposes, (3) treating all general aviation aircraft (including corporate jets) as seven-year property for depreciation purposes; (4) denying the foreign tax credit to dual capacity taxpayers; and (5) increasing the period for amortizing geological and geophysical expenditures. The title repeals, after 2015, certain tax expenditures for the oil and gas industry, including: (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells; (2) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenditures; (3) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells; (4) the tax deduction for income from activities relating to oil, natural gas, or any primary product thereof; (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses; and (6) the tax credits for enhanced oil recovery and for producing oil and gas from marginal wells. The title amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to repeal its budget goal enforcement requirements (sequestration mandate).
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Jobs Now Act of 2015 Amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to carry out a two-year pilot program to award competitive grants to general local government units or community-based organizations to retain, employ, or train employees who provide them a public service. Prescribes program requirements, including that: each unit or organization grantee give priority to the retention, employment, and training of veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals who receive unemployment benefits, or dislocated workers; and Labor give priority to the award of grants to units and organizations with high unemployment, foreclosure, and poverty rates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honor the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Congressman Louis Stokes. Extends heartfelt sympathies and condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional liquidated damages equal to double the back pay, without any reduction, to any employee against whom an employer has discriminated with regard to hiring or because the employee has filed charges or given testimony or if the employer has committed an unfair labor practice resulting in the employee's discharge or other serious economic loss. Civil penalties are established for violations of posting requirements and any violations causing serious economic loss to employees. Whenever it is charged that an employer has engaged in an unfair labor practice that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of guaranteed rights and involves discharge or other serious harm to an employee, the preliminary investigation of the charge shall be made forthwith and given priority generally over all other cases. The U.S. district court shall: (1) have jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order to protect the rights guaranteed, and (2) shall grant the relief requested unless the court concludes that there is no reasonable likelihood that the NLRB will succeed on the merits of the NLRB's claim. A person injured by an unfair labor practice may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court. Unauthorized aliens may be paid back pay under a court order directing reinstatement of an employee. In any case where the NLRB finds that an election to determine a collective bargaining representative should be set aside because the employer committed a violation or otherwise interfered with a fair election, it shall issue an order requiring the employer to collectively bargain with the labor organization. The NLRB shall dismiss any petition to represent a unit if in an election a majority of the valid votes cast in an appropriate unit have not been cast in favor of representation by the labor organization. The NLRB shall promulgate regulations requiring each employer to post and maintain, in conspicuous places, a notice setting forth the rights and protections afforded employees under such Act. Each order of the NLRB shall take effect 30 days after notice of an NLRB order is given, unless the NLRB directs otherwise. The NLRB shall apply to the district court in which an unfair labor practice or other subject of the order occurred for the enforcement of an order if any person or entity fails or neglects to obey it.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to restore a student's Pell Grant eligibility for any period of time during which the student qualified for, or would have qualified for, federal student loan forgiveness due to school closure, assertion of a defense against repayment, or institutional fraud or misconduct. Specifically, this bill provides that Pell Grants received by a student during that period of time do not count toward the student's lifetime limit on Pell Grant eligibility (currently 12 full-time semesters).
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Honoring Our Fallen TSA Officers Act This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend public safety officers' death benefits to Transportation Security Administration employees who are responsible for protecting the nation's transportation systems.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2015 or the Fair Chance Act This bill prohibits federal agencies and federal contractors from requesting that applicants for employment disclose criminal history record information before receiving a conditional offer (an offer of employment conditioned upon the results of a criminal history inquiry). The bill sets forth positions to which such prohibition shall not apply, such as positions for which prior consideration of criminal history record information is otherwise required by law, positions with law enforcement and national security duties, and positions requiring access to classified information. The bill prohibits agencies from requiring an individual or sole proprietor who submits a bid for a contract to disclose criminal history record information regarding that individual or sole proprietor before determining the apparent awardee. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Administrator of General Services, and the Secretary of Defense must: (1) establish procedures for submitting complaints about, and taking adverse actions against, agency employees and contractors for violating such prohibitions and for appealing such an adverse action; and (2) issue regulations to implement this Act. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the requirements of this Act. The Department of Labor, in coordination with the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, must study and report every five years on the employment of individuals who are released from federal prison after completing a term of imprisonment for a federal criminal offense.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Grandparents Tax Credit Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow grandparents of a minor child whose family adjusted gross income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level a refundable tax credit for up to $500 of the cost of household items (i.e., food, clothing, and other items typically used by or for the benefit of the child) paid for the benefit of such child in a taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2015 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer to improve the understanding of these cancers and of the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2020 and revised to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to states to improve tracking of childhood cancers. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs to publish policies for compassionate use of the drugs. The Department of Health and Human Services must: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors, (3) establish a task force on standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (4) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. The NIH must support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: revise and reauthorize grant programs for offender reentry demonstration projects; family-based substance abuse treatment; and evaluating and improving educational methods at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; and repeal grant programs for offender reentry courts and drug treatment alternatives to incarceration. Additionally, the legislation amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to: rename, revise, and reauthorize grant programs for technology career training demonstration projects and reentry mentoring services, reauthorize offender reentry research and the grant program for offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration, reauthorize and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program, and repeal grant programs for the responsible reintegration of offenders and the study of Depot Naltrexone to treat heroin addiction. It amends the federal criminal code to establish partnerships between prisons and faith- or community-based nonprofit organizations to conduct activities to reduce recidivism. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General must conduct annual audits of selected grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds. The bill prohibits grants to nonprofit organizations that hold money in an offshore account to avoid tax liability. It also prohibits a grantee from using grant funds to lobby DOJ or a state, local, or tribal government regarding the award of grant funding. DOJ, in collaboration with interested persons, providers, and organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments, must coordinate and report to Congress on federal reentry programs, policies, and practices. The bill limits the use of grants for conferences that use more than $20,000 in DOJ funds.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Flexibility to Innovate for College Affordability Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish the Higher Education Regulatory Reform Task Force to review, report on, and make recommendations to reduce, federal regulatory requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs). ED must publish the Higher Education Regulatory Reform Report; the President must submit a legislative proposal to implement its recommendations; and Congress must consider legislation to enact such recommendations under expedited procedures. Additionally, this bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand ED's waiver authority under the Experimental Sites Initiative. Specifically, it authorizes ED to waive title IV statutory and regulatory requirements to allow participating IHEs to award federal student aid: (1) above the annual maximum amount to students whose academic workload exceeds a full-time academic workload; and (2) to students enrolled in remedial or competency-based programs, students or potential students who incur costs (e.g., test fees) for prior learning assessments, and high school students enrolled in a postsecondary education program. A participating IHE must demonstrate that a waiver reduces the total cost of attendance for such students.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Teach Our Teachers Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify provisions of the teacher loan forgiveness program. Specifically, the legislation reduces from five to three years the period of service a full-time teacher must complete consecutively to be eligible for forgiveness under the Federal Family Education Loan or Direct Loan program. It also increases from $5,000 to $17,500 the amount of available loan forgiveness for an elementary or secondary school teacher in any subject. (Currently, forgiveness up to $17,500 is only available for a full-time secondary school math or science teacher or for a special education teacher.) The bill eliminates the prohibition on counting the same qualifying service for both the teacher and the public service loan forgiveness programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015 This bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to revise an eligibility condition for a state to receive a grant under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program and a waiver of the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program. Specifically, it directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a four-year state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Back Check System (NICS). DOJ must reduce the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) Program funding for a state that fails to comply with benchmarks. The bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to certify whether it has provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. It amends the federal criminal code and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to define the terms "adjudicated as a mental defective" and "committed to a mental institution." The bill extends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act background check requirements to a transfer of a firearm between private parties by prohibiting such a transfer unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of submitting a background check. A gun owner must report a lost or stolen firearm to DOJ and local law enforcement authorities within 48 hours of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2015 This bill establishes the National Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Commission to: (1) study the impact of solitary confinement in correctional facilities on governments, communities, and social institutions; (2) report findings; and (3) recommend national standards to reduce the use of solitary confinement. The bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish national standards to reduce solitary confinement in correctional facilities. The Bureau of Prisons must comply with the national standards immediately. A state or local government must certify compliance with the national standards to be eligible for DOJ-administered grant program funding to construct, maintain, or operate correctional facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Efficient Space Exploration Act The Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall analyze NASA's requirements for radioisotope power system material necessary for planned, high priority robotic missions in the solar system and other surface exploration activities beyond low-Earth orbit, as well as the risk to missions because of a lack of adequate material.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2015 Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds. Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance. Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds. Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee. Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance. Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs. Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank from state or local government taxation. Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes. Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
America Votes Act of 2015 This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to permit an individual required to present identification as a condition for voting in a federal election to meet the requirement by presenting the appropriate state or local election official with a sworn written statement, signed by the individual under penalty of perjury, attesting to the individual's identification and that he or she is registered to vote in the election. Allows an individual desiring to vote by mail to submit such a statement with the ballot. Requires any state subject to this identification requirement to: (1) prepare a pre-printed version of the statement which includes a blank space for an individual to provide a name and signature, (2) make copies of the pre-printed version available at polling places for election officials to distribute to individuals who desire to vote in person, and (3) include a copy of the pre-printed version with each blank absentee or other ballot transmitted to an individual who desires to vote by mail. Prohibits a state from requiring an individual who presents or submits such a sworn written statement to cast a provisional ballot in the election. Excepts first-time voters registering by mail from application of this Act. Requires states requiring an individual to present identification as a condition of receiving and casting a ballot in a federal election to include the use of a sworn written statement in voting information posted at polling places.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
School Food Modernization Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue loan guarantees to local educational agencies (LEAs), school food authorities, and other eligible entities to finance infrastructure improvements or equipment purchases to facilitate their provision of healthy meals through the school lunch program. USDA must give preference to applicants that demonstrate a substantial or disproportionate need for food service infrastructure or durable equipment, and shall establish fees for the loan guarantee program that are sufficient to cover the federal government's administrative costs in operating the program. USDA must also award competitive matching grants to assist LEAs, school food authorities, and other eligible entities in purchasing the durable equipment and infrastructure they need to serve healthier meals and improve food safety. In doing so, USDA must give grant priority to applicants that: (1) have identified and are reasonably expected to meet an unmet local or community need, and (2) are located in states that have enacted funding measures to assist them with such purchases. In addition, USDA must award competitive matching grants to experienced third-party training institutions to provide school food service personnel with the training and technical assistance they need to: (1) meet school lunch program nutrition standards, and (2) improve the efficacy and efficiency of the school lunch and breakfast programs. The bill authorizes these grant and loan programs through FY2021 and, as an offset, rescinds $35 million of the Department of Education's unobligated balance available for administrative expenses. USDA must complete a study on the use of state administrative expense funds.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicare coverage to include eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: all efforts to improve Medicare and Medicaid under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act must support and build upon President Johnson's vision "to assure the availability of and accessibility to the best health care to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status"; Medicare should not be transformed into a voucher program, leaving seniors and people with disabilities vulnerable to higher out-of-pocket costs; and Medicaid should not be dismantled by policies that slash funding, shift costs to states, reduce benefits, and erode the safety net relied on by over millions of individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Supports policies to protect and expand Social Security and secure its long-term future in a fair and responsible manner.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that the 2015 Trafficking in Persons report should have placed Malaysia in Tier 3.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify loan counseling requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. Currently, an IHE must provide entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill replaces required entrance counseling with required annual counseling. Also, it expands the required recipients of such annual counseling to include, in addition to student borrowers, Federal Pell Grant recipients and parent PLUS Loan borrowers. Each annual counseling recipient must receive comprehensive information on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities with respect to a grant or loan and general information on a typical student budget, the right to request an annual credit report, average income and employment data, and financial management resources. Additionally, the bill revises, expands, or establishes specific annual counseling information requirements for student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients, or parent PLUS Loan borrowers. The legislation revises and expands exit counseling information requirements to include an outstanding loan balance summary, the anticipated monthly payments under standard and income-based repayment plans, an explanation of the grace period preceding repayment, the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes, the right to request an annual credit report, and loan servicer contact information. It directs ED to maintain a consumer-tested online counseling tool that provides annual and exit counseling. The Institute of Education Sciences must study the impact and effectiveness of exit counseling, annual counseling, and the online counseling tool.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act This bill amends title I (General Provisions) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify consumer information disclosure requirements related to college costs and student characteristics. Specifically, it eliminates the existing restriction that limits calculations of cost of attendance, net price, and tuition and fees to first time students only. Additionally, it eliminates provisions that require the Department of Education (ED) to make publicly available the following: (1) college affordability and transparency lists, (2) annual summaries of institutional reports, (3) state higher education spending charts; and (4) a multi-year tuition and fees calculator. The bill directs ED to develop, annually update, and make publicly available a College Dashboard website to replace the College Navigator website. It revises the consumer information ED must make publicly available regarding an institution that participates in title IV federal student aid programs. ED must also publish and link to the College Dashboard website additional information regarding student enrollment, completion rates, costs, use of financial aid, and faculty. The bill establishes certain minimum requirements for an institution's net price calculator, including website location and information provided. Sale or distribution of personally identifiable information collected by a net price calculator is prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
One Social Security Act This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to merge the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a new, restructured Social Security Trust Fund to consist of the employment and self-employment taxes imposed with respect to wages and self-employment income. The annual report to Congress on the operation and status of the Trust Fund shall include an actuarial analysis of the benefit cost with respect to disabled beneficiaries and their auxiliaries, to retired beneficiaries and their auxiliaries, and to survivor beneficiaries.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Student Privacy Protection Act Amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) to require educational agencies or institutions and state educational authorities to establish: (1) information security practices to protect students' education records and personally identifiable information, and (2) breach notification policies to notify parents of breaches or security violations. Expands the definition of "education records" to include student records that are: (1) maintained electronically or digitally; (2) accessible or collected by service providers, contractors, or other parties; or (3) created by or for a state educational authority, without regard to whether the student attends a school under the jurisdiction of such state educational authority. Allows educational agencies or institutions to disclose education records without parental consent to education service providers, contractors, or other parties to whom institutional services have been outsourced, provided that the party agrees to secure information from unauthorized access and be subject to penalties for violations. Permits disclosure of education records without parental consent to authorized representatives of the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Education (ED), state or local educational authorities, or the Department of Justice (DOJ) for: (1) audits, evaluations, or enforcement of local, state, or federal laws; (2) audits or evaluations of locally supported, state supported, or federally supported education programs pursuant to local, state, or federal laws; or (3) enforcement of federal or state legal requirements related to such programs. Removes restrictions on disclosures to state and local authorities to whom information is specifically allowed to be reported or disclosed pursuant to a state statute regarding the juvenile justice system. Limits the types of studies that organizations may conduct with student records disclosed without parental consent to studies used to improve academic outcomes of students attending the educational agency or institution. Establishes conditions under which college exam developers may release information collected during or based on the administration of an exam for college admissions, placements, credits, or scholarships. Updates existing provisions concerning disclosures of: (1) disciplinary proceedings regarding crimes of violence or nonforcible sex offenses to specify that the provisions apply to institutions of higher education, and (2) registered sex offender information to make the provisions apply to educational agencies or institutions provided information under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Prohibits information gained through access to student education records from being used to market or advertise directly to students, but allows educational agencies or institutions or state educational authorities to contract with education service providers to use student information to market, advertise, or develop services for: (1) traditional school-sanctioned commemorative activities, such as official school pictures or class rings; (2) services to improve student academic outcomes; (3) sharing educational opportunities offered by the educational agency or institution or state educational authority; or (4) activities with parental consent. Establishes fines that ED may impose on educational agencies or institutions or state educational authorities that fail to voluntarily comply with, or that substantially violate, education record requirements under FERPA. Requires ED, for violations by other parties, to: (1) refer the matter to the Federal Trade Commission or DOJ, and (2) prohibit such information from being accessed by those parties for a period of at least 5 but not more than 12 years. Prohibits ED or education agencies from conducting surveys or data-gathering activities unless authorized by federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Urges the establishment of a National African Immigrant Heritage Month to celebrate the significant contributions of Americans of recent African immigrant heritage to the history of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
This bill amends the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 to increase the limit from $18.75 billion to $23.5 billion for FY2015 commitments for general business loans authorized under the Small Business Act for a combination of amortizing term loans and the aggregated maximum line of credit provided by revolving loans.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Schedules That Work Act Grants an employee the right to request that his or her employer change the terms and conditions of employment relating to: the number of hours or times the employee is required to work or be on call; the location; the amount of notification he or she receives of work schedule assignments; and minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Requires the employer, if the request is made, to engage in a timely, good faith interactive process with the employee that includes a discussion of potential schedule changes that would meet his or her needs. Outlines the process for either granting or denying a change. Requires the employer to grant a request, unless there is a bona fide business reason for denying it, if the request is made because of the employee's serious health condition, his or her responsibilities as a caregiver, or enrollment in a career-related educational or training program, or if a part-time employee requests such a change for a reason related to a second job.++_ Authorizes an employer, if an employee requests a change for any other reason, to deny it for any reason that is not unlawful. Requires the employer to give the employee the reason for the denial, including whether it was a bona fide business reason. Outlines employer requirements for paying reporting time and split shift pay and for giving advance notice of work schedules to retail, food service, or cleaning employees, or the Department of Labor's (DOL) designated employees, except for those in bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacities. Makes it unlawful for any employer or other person to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right of an employee specified in this Act; (2) retaliate against an individual for exercising his or her rights, or (3) interfere with proceedings or inquiries with respect to violation of an individual's rights. Sets forth administrative enforcement procedures and civil remedies for violation of these prohibitions. Directs DOL to give information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning compliance with this Act. Directs DOL, acting through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Bureau of the Census to: (1) include in the Current Population Survey questions on, among other things, the amount of fluctuation in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis; and (2) conduct at regular intervals the Contingent Worker Supplement, the Work Schedules and Work at Home Supplement, and other relevant supplements to the Current Population Survey. Makes this Act inapplicable to any employee covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement if its terms govern work scheduling practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Notario Victim Relief Act Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the time limit on the filing of a motion to reopen a removal proceeding if the basis of the motion is fraud, negligence, misrepresentation, or extortion by, or the attempted, promised, or actual practice of law without authorization on the part of, a representative.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
Background Check Completion Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
America's College Promise Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states and Indian tribes to waive tuition and fees at community colleges. To receive a grant, states and Indian tribes must agree to waive tuition and fees at all their community colleges and for all eligible students. An eligible student is a first-time student who: (1) qualifies for resident tuition; (2) enrolls at least half-time; (3) maintains satisfactory academic progress; and (4) enrolls in an academic program with credits that are fully transferable to any public institution of higher education in the state or enrolls in a training program that leads to credentials in an in-demand industry. The bill appropriates $1.4 billion in FY2016 and $79.7 billion over FY2016-FY2025 to make grants under this community college program. This bill also authorizes ED to award grants to four-year historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for up to 60 credits for low-income students. HBCUs and MSIs that participate must: (1) enroll a student body that contains at least 35% low-income students; (2) maintain or adopt reforms and practices to improve completion rates and student outcomes; (3) set performance goals; and (4) execute an articulation agreement with community colleges, if accepting transfer students. It appropriates $55 million for FY2016 and $10.1 billion over FY2016-FY2025 to make grants under this HBCU/MSI program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Community Bank Capital Clarification Act This bill amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 with respect to: minimum leverage capital requirements and minimum risk-based capital requirements for depository institution holding companies; mandatory deductions from actual capital in the calculation of such minimum capital requirements for certain investments by such institutions, especially in financial subsidiaries; and the exemption from such capital deductions for the debt or equity instruments issued by certain smaller institutions. A depository institution holding company exempted from capital deductions because it had less than $15 billion of total consolidated assets at the end of a quarterly financial reporting period after December 31, 2009, shall continue to be treated as an exempt institution as long it has total consolidated assets of less than $15 billion.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act of 2015 This bill requires the federal government: (1) to ensure coverage for abortion care in public health insurance programs including Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children's Health Insurance Program; (2) as an employer or health plan sponsor, to ensure coverage for abortion care for participants and beneficiaries; and (3) as a provider of health services, to ensure that abortion care is made available to individuals who are eligible to receive services in its own facilities or in facilities with which it contracts to provide medical care. The federal government may not prohibit, restrict, or otherwise inhibit insurance coverage of abortion care by state or local governments or by private health plans. State and local governments may not prohibit, restrict, or otherwise inhibit insurance coverage of abortion care by private health plans. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the federal government, acting in its capacity as an insurer, employer, or health care provider, should serve as a model for the nation to ensure coverage of abortion care; and (2) restrictions on coverage of abortion care in the private insurance market must end.