United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Encourages the adoption of a comprehensive state-level Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights that upholds core U.S. values. Urges such a Bill of Rights to include specified rights concerning legal and criminal procedures and victim services. Recognizes and applauds those state legislative bodies that have already taken steps toward the adoption of a Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Common Sense in Species Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce to exclude an area from designation as a critical habitat to conserve an endangered or threatened species if the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the area, unless the failure to designate the area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species. At the time a proposed rule to designate a critical habitat is published, the appropriate department must make available for public comment a draft analysis that: (1) examines the incremental and cumulative economic effects of all actions to protect the species and its habitat upon each state and locality that is affected by the proposed designation; (2) includes consideration of economic effects on possible uses of land and property values, employment, revenues available for state and local governments, and the provision of water, power, or other public services; and (3) assesses those effects on a quantitative and qualitative basis. The bill applies to any designation of critical habitat on or after August 28, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Edwin Cole "Ed" Bearss in recognition of his contributions to the preservation of American Civil War history and his continued efforts to bring our nation's history alive for new generations through his interpretive storytelling.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
VA Accountability Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The VA may also remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. An employee shall have the right to an appeal before the Merit Systems Protection Board within seven days of removal or demotion. An administrative judge shall have to make a final decision within 45 days of such appeal or the original decision becomes final. The VA may not remove or demote an employee without the approval of the Special Counsel if the individual seeks corrective action from the Office of Special Counsel based on an alleged prohibited personnel practice. The appointment of an individual to a permanent position within the competitive service or as a career appointee within the Senior Executive Service shall become final after an 18-month probationary period, which the Secretary may extend. Final appointment to a permanent hire shall be made by the employee's supervisor. The Government Accountability Office shall study the amount of time spent by VA employees carrying out labor organizing activities and the amount of Department space used for such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to require a federal financial institutions regulatory agency to make a final examination report to a financial institution within 60 days after the later of: (1) the exit interview for an examination of the institution, or (2) the provision of additional information by the institution relating to the examination. Sets a deadline for the exit interview if a financial institution is not subject to a resident examiner program. Prescribes examination standards for financial institutions that: prescribe requirements and prohibitions for the treatment of certain commercial loans, prohibit a federal financial institution regulatory agency from requiring a well-capitalized financial institution to raise additional capital in lieu of certain actions prohibited with respect to such commercial loans, and require federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to develop and apply identical definitions and reporting requirements for non-accrual loans. Establishes in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (Council) the Office of Independent Examination Review, headed by a Director appointed by the Council, but independent from any member agency of the Council. Entitles a financial institution to appeal a material supervisory determination contained in a final report of examination. Requires the Director to determine the merits of the appeal either on the record, or, at the election of the financial institution, refer the appeal to an administrative law judge. Declares the decision by the Director on an appeal to: (1) be the final agency action, and (2) bind the agency whose supervisory determination was the subject of the appeal and the financial institution making the appeal. Grants a financial institution the right to petition for judicial review of the Director's decision. Prohibits a federal financial institutions regulatory agency from: retaliating against a financial institution, including service providers, or any institution-affiliated party, for exercising appellate rights under this Act; or delaying or denying any agency action that would benefit a financial institution or any institution-affiliated party on the basis that an appeal under this Act is pending. Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process, and safeguards to protect an insured depository institution or insured credit union from retaliation by any federal banking agency for exercising its rights.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to select a VA medical center to serve as the national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the biological children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to such exposure. Requires: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the head of a federal agency to make available to the VA for review records held by DOD, an Armed Force, or that federal agency that might assist the VA in making determinations regarding individuals and descendents afflicted with a health condition as a result of such exposure; (2) the VA and DOD or such agency head to jointly establish a mechanism for the availability and review of records by the VA; and (3) the national center to employ at least one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate access of individuals to appropriate social and health care programs and to handle case management. Establishes an Advisory Board to oversee and assess the national center and to advise the VA regarding the center's work. Directs DOD to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which at least 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of an associated disability. Directs the VA to conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed toward members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on: (1) incidents of exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, health conditions resulting from such exposure, and the potential long-term effects; and (2) the national center. Requires DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the VA in implementing such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund indefinitely and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 anytime after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Congress disapproves the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving Section 3(a) of the Human Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-605), signed by the Mayor of the District on January 25, 2015, and transmitted on March 6, 2015, to Congress pursuant to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. Section 3(a) repeals the exemption allowing religiously-affiliated educational institutions to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. D.C. Act 20-605: amends the Office of Human Rights Establishment Act of 1999 to require the Director of the Office of Human Rights to have a demonstrated professional background in human rights law, amends the Human Rights Act of 1977 (HRA of 1977) to require the annual report by the Mayor to the District Council to include information on investigations and inquiries undertaken by the Director or the Office, repeals the exemption allowing religiously-affiliated educational institutions to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and makes inapplicable to HRA of 1977 claims that required specified written notice to the Mayor regarding claims against the District for unliquidated damages.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice; and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Congress disapproves the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014 (D.C. Act 20-593), signed by the Mayor of the District on January 25, 2015, and transmitted on March 6, 2015, to Congress pursuant to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. D.C. Act 20-593: amends the Human Rights Act of 1977 to protect individuals from discrimination by an employer, employment agency, or labor organization, based on an individual's or dependent's reproductive health decisions; and defines reproductive health decisions to include a decision by an employee, his or her dependent, or the employee's spouse related to the use or intended use of a particular drug, device, or medical service, including the use or intended use of contraception or fertility control or the planned or intended initiation or termination of a pregnancy.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Government Neutrality in Contracting Act This bill directs the head of any federal agency that awards or obligates funds for any construction contract, or that awards grants, provides financial assistance, or enters into cooperative agreements for construction projects, to ensure that bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents do not: (1) require or prohibit a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor from entering into, or adhering to, agreements with a labor organization, with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against or give preference to such a party because it did or did not become a signatory or otherwise adhere to such an agreement. The bill also allows exemptions to this rule to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve national security, as well as additional exemptions for certain projects meeting specified criteria. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act with respect to the applicable federal contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Federal Employee Accountability Act of 2015 Repeals provisions: (1) authorizing a federal employee representing an exclusive representative in the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement official time for such purpose during the time such employee otherwise would be in a duty status; and (2) requiring the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether any employee participating for, or on behalf of, a labor organization in any phase of proceedings before it shall be authorized official time for that purpose.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2015 This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Congressional Budget Impoundment and Control Act of 1974, and the Rules of the House of Representatives to change the process for the President's budget submission, congressional budget resolutions, appropriations bills, and government strategic and performance plans from the current annual process to a biennial process, in which a biennium is the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. The House Budget Committee must use the second session of each Congress to study issues with long-term budgetary and economic implications. The bill creates a point of order in the House and Senate against authorizations of appropriations that do not include specific authorizations covering at least each fiscal year in one or more bienniums.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require the Financial Stability Oversight Council, when determining whether to subject a U.S. or a foreign nonbank financial company to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), including prudential standards, to consider the appropriateness of imposing such standards as opposed to other forms of regulation to mitigate identified risks to U.S. financial stability. Directs the Council to: (1) reevaluate annually its determinations regarding a nonbank financial company under Board supervision, and (2) provide the company written notice and opportunity to submit written materials contesting a determination Permits a nonbank financial company, every five years after the Council's final determination, to request a reevaluation of it. Prescribes procedural requirements for proposed Council determinations and final decisionmaking. Directs the Council every five years to study: (1) the impact of its determinations to subject nonbank financial companies to Board supervision and prudential standards, and (2) whether such determinations have the intended result of improving domestic financial stability.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in action; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations (U.N.) Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) items designed or individually configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, or functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) designate CRT items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics); and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a formal process to allow submission of CRT code set modification requests by stakeholder groups for comprehensive coding changes related to entire policy groups. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment, if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2015 Revises regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol. Allows motor carriers to use hair testing as an acceptable alternative to urinalysis for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing (but the latter only if the motor carrier tested the operator at preemployment using the same method). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to develop requirements for laboratories and testing procedures for controlled substances that include mandatory guidelines that establish, among other things, laboratory protocols and cut-off levels for hair testing to detect the use of such substances. Allows a motor carrier that demonstrates it can carry out a hair testing program consistent with generally accepted industry standards to apply to the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for exemption from mandatory urinalysis testing. Requires a motor carrier's testing program, in order to be eligible for such exemption, to employ procedures and protections similar to a fleet that has carried out a hair testing program for at least 12 months. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing as a method for detecting the use of controlled substances.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Mortgage Servicing Asset Capital Requirements Act of 2015 Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration (federal banking agencies) to study jointly the appropriate capital requirements for mortgage servicing assets for any banking institution other than an institution identified by the Financial Stability Board as a global systemically important bank. Prohibits regulations to implement the Global Regulatory Framework for More Resilient Banks and Banking Systems issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision on December 16, 2010, as revised on June 1, 2011 (Basel III capital requirements), or the proposed rule of the National Credit Union Administration titled "Risk-Based Capital" with respect to mortgage servicing assets for nonsystemic banking institutions from taking effect until three months after the report on the study is issued to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Jobs Originated through Launching Travel Act of 2015 or the JOLT Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to admit into the United States a qualifying Canadian citizen over 50 years old and spouse for a period not to exceed 240 days (in a single 365-day period) if the person maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay. Revises the secure travel partnership program (the visa waiver program as renamed by this Act) to: (1) authorize DHS to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions. Expresses the sense of Congress that DHS should, in evaluating countries participating in the secure travel partnership program, give review priority to countries where circumstances indicate that such a review is necessary or desirable. Directs the Department of State to require U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to: (1) conduct nonimmigrant visa application interviews expeditiously, consistent with national security requirements and in recognition of resource allocation considerations; and (2) set a goal of interviewing 90% of all nonimmigrant visa applicants, worldwide, within 10 days of application receipt. Directs the State Department to: (1) develop and conduct a pilot program for processing visas using secure remote videoconferencing technology, and (2) seek to coordinate enrollment and interview processes for individuals eligible for both a U.S. visa and enrollment in the Global Entry program. Requires an alien at the time of application for U.S. entry under the secure travel partnership program to have a valid, unexpired electronic passport that incorporates biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with internationally accepted practices.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
American Jobs and Community Revitalization Act of 2015 Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process under which a person who lives or does business in a state may apply to have an area in the state identified as a rural area if it has not yet been so designated by the CFPB for purposes of federal consumer financial law. Prescribes criteria for the CFPB to consider when evaluating the application. Requires the CFPB to: (1) grant or deny the application within 90 days after the public comment period ends; and (2) publish the grant or denial in the Federal Register, including an explanation of the factors upon which the CFPB relied in making its determination. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to create a safe harbor from lawsuit for creditors that are depository institutions for any failure to comply with certain requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan, and the banking regulators are required to treat such a loan as a qualified mortgage, if the creditor has, since the loan's origination, held it on its balance sheet and all prepayment penalties with respect to the loan comply with specified limitations. A safe harbor from lawsuit is also created for mortgage originators for steering a consumer to a residential mortgage loan if: (1) the creditor is a depository institution and has informed the mortgage originator that it intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan, and (2) the mortgage originator informs the consumer that the creditor intends to do so. Requires the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, CFPB, the National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, before issuing a regulation or order, to assess other federal regulations and orders to determine whether the agency's proposal is in conflict with, is inconsistent with, or is duplicative of such other regulations or orders and whether such other federal regulations or orders are outdated. Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to double the maximum asset size of certain small insured depository institutions that qualify for an onsite examination by the appropriate federal banking agency every 18 months instead of every 12 months. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue final rules to exempt depository institutions from reporting requirements with respect to a monetary instrument transaction involving a qualified customer. Requires the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report annually to Congress on how the FinCEN data access service and the information it collects are used to detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. Directs the Secretary to establish operating procedures with respect to the government-wide data access service and the FinCEN financial crimes communications center which provide for appropriate metrics to monitor, track, assess, and report on access to information in the FinCEN data access service. Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act to direct the appropriate federal banking agencies to issue final regulations authorizing S corporation banks to make dividend distributions under their capital conservation buffer for payment of taxes arising from bank activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act Honors as a veteran any person who is entitled to retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service or who, but for age, would be so entitled. Provides that such person shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason of such recognition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Ammunition and Firearms Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to exclude: (1) M855 (5.56 mm x 45 mm) or SS109 type ammunition; or (2) ammunition designed, intended, and marketed for use in a rifle.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them. Requires the VA to: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician or gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetricians and gynecologists at VA medical facilities in not less than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Directs the VA to develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. Allows a veteran to elect to prevent their information from being shared. Directs the Government Accountability Office to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2015 Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Financial Product Safety Commission Act of 2015 Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to replace the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an independent bureau within the Federal Reserve System, with an independent Financial Product Safety Commission that is to regulate the offering and provision of consumer financial products or services. States that the Commission shall be composed of five members with strong competencies and experiences regarding consumer financial products and services, each to serve for a term of five years, and appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Prohibits the Chair of the Commission from submitting requests for estimates related to appropriations without prior Commission approval.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to authorize the Financial Stability Oversight Council to subject a bank holding company to enhanced supervision and prudential standards by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, if the Council makes a final determination that either material financial distress at the bank holding company, or the nature, scope, size, scale, concentration, interconnectedness, or mix of its activities, could threaten the financial stability of the United States. Requires that final determination to be based upon specified factors, using an indicator-based measurement approach established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to determine systemic importance. Deems any bank holding company designated as a Global Systemically Important Bank by the Financial Stability Board, as of the date of enactment of this Act, to have been the subject of a final determination that it could pose a threat to U.S. financial stability for any of those reasons. Prohibits the Council from making a final determination concerning a bank holding company under this Act before one year after its enactment. Deems a bank holding company to have been the subject of such a final determination during this one-year period, however, if its total consolidated assets are $50 billion or more.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Helping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process under which a person who lives or does business in a state may apply to have an area in the state identified as a rural area if it has not yet been so designated by the CFPB for purposes of federal consumer financial law. Prescribes criteria for the CFPB to consider when evaluating the application. Requires the CFPB to: (1) grant or deny the application within 90 days after the public comment period ends; and (3) publish the grant or denial in the Federal Register, including an explanation of the factors upon which the CFPB relied in making its determination. Sunsets this Act two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2015 or the CLEARR Act of 2015 This bill amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exempt from its annual privacy policy notice requirement any financial institution which: (1) provides nonpublic personal information only in accordance with specified requirements, and (2) has not changed its policies and practices regarding disclosures of nonpublic personal information from those disclosed in the most recent disclosure sent to consumers. The federal banking agencies are directed to study jointly the appropriate capital requirements for mortgage servicing assets for nonsystemic banking institutions. Mortgage servicing assets are those resulting from contracts to service loans secured by real estate, where such loans are owned by third parties. A nonsystemic banking institution is any banking institution other than one identified by the Financial Stability Board as a global systemically important bank. Any regulatory implementation of either Basel III or National Credit Union Administration capital requirements about mortgage servicing assets for nonsystemic banking institutions is prohibited until six months after a report to Congress on the study. The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) is amended to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) to exempt from certain escrow or impound requirements a loan secured by a first lien on a consumer's principal dwelling if the loan is held by a creditor with assets of $10 billion or less. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must provide either exemptions to or adjustments from the mortgage loan servicing and escrow account administration requirements of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 for servicers of 20,000 or fewer mortgage loans. The TILA is also amended to exempt from property appraisal requirements a higher-risk mortgage loan of $250,000 or less if it appears on the loan creditor's balance sheet for at least three years. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is revised to direct federal banking agencies to issue regulations that allow a reduced reporting requirement for depository institutions meeting certain criteria when making the first and third report of condition for a year. If a depository financial institution receives an order to request a funds transfer (entry) via an automated clearing house, it shall not be required to verify that the entry is not a prohibited monetary transaction if the originating depository financial institution has warranted its compliance with the sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The Federal Reserve Board must revise the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement on the Assessment of Financial and Managerial Factors to raise its consolidated asset threshold from $1 billion to $5 billion. The TILA is again amended to create a safe harbor from lawsuit for creditors that are depository institutions for any failure to comply with certain requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan, and the banking regulators are required to treat such a loan as a qualified mortgage, if the creditor has, since the loan's origination, held it on its balance sheet and all prepayment penalties with respect to the loan comply with specified limitations. A safe harbor from lawsuit is also created for mortgage originators for steering a consumer to a residential mortgage loan if: the creditor is a depository institution and has informed the mortgage originator that it intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan, and the mortgage originator informs the consumer that the creditor intends to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to create a safe harbor from lawsuit for creditors that are depository institutions for any failure to comply with certain requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan, and the banking regulators are required to treat such a loan as a qualified mortgage, if the creditor has, since the loan's origination, held it on its balance sheet and all prepayment penalties with respect to the loan comply with specified limitations. A safe harbor from lawsuit is also created for mortgage originators for steering a consumer to a residential mortgage loan if: the creditor is a depository institution and has informed the mortgage originator that it intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan, and the mortgage originator informs the consumer that the creditor intends to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (in order to cover 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]), regardless of the code billed for a diagnosis as a result of a test, or for the removal of tissue or other procedure furnished in connection with, as a result of, and in the same clinical encounter as the screening test.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2015
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Repeals sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (and restores provisions of law amended by those sections) related to the establishment of an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in spending under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2015 Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) to locate the Office on International Religious Freedom in the Office of the Secretary of State. Directs the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to seek to coordinate religious freedom policies and religious engagement strategies across all U.S. programs, projects, and activities. Specifies additional foreign government actions violating religious freedom for the Ambassador's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, including a Special Watch List of countries or violent nonstate actors that have engaged in or tolerated such violations but do not yet meet the criteria for designation as countries of particular concern for religious freedom. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary to develop a curriculum for, and the Director of the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center to begin, mandatory training on religious freedom for all Foreign Service officers. Amends IRFA to require the Commission on International Religious Freedom to compile and make publicly available regularly updated lists of persons imprisoned, detained, disappeared, placed under house arrest, tortured, or subject to forced renunciations of faith by: (1) a foreign government recommended for designation as a country of particular concern for religions freedom, or (2) a violent nonstate actor. Extends the Commission's termination date. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to direct the President to appoint in the National Security Council a Special Adviser for Global Religion Engagement and International Religious Freedom (in lieu of the Special Adviser to the President on International Religious Freedom) who shall assist the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to coordinate executive branch international religious freedom policies and global religion engagement strategies. Establishes within the National Security Council: (1) the Interagency Policy Committee on Religious Freedom and Engagement; and (2) the Interagency Policy Committee on Religion, International Religious Freedom, and National Security. Amends IRFA to revise requirements, including reporting requirements, for presidential actions with respect to country and violent nonstate actor designations, in particular those countries on the Special Watch List. Declares the sense of Congress that: ongoing and persistent waivers for designated countries, especially those engaging in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, do not fulfill IRFA purposes; and the President, the Secretary, and other executive branch officials, in consultation with Congress, should seek to find ways to address existing violations, on a country-by-country basis, through specified actions. Repeals the automatic termination of a presidential designation after two years. States that it should be U.S. policy that violent nonstate actors should be eligible for designation as countries of particular concern and that specified presidential actions should apply to them or individual members of such groups. Makes funds available for FY2016-FY2021 for the Human Rights and Democracy Fund. Establishes in the State Department the Religious Freedom Defense Fund, to be administered by the Ambassador at Large. Authorizes the President to take specified actions against foreign persons: (1) responsible for committing or supporting systemic violations of religious freedom, or (2) supporting violence or terrorist acts targeting members of religious groups. Declares the sense of Congress about: (1) adoption of codes of conduct by U.S. institutions of higher education outside the United States, and (2) national security strategy to promote religious freedom through U.S. foreign policy.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the government from bearing any expense of counsel for any person in a removal or related appeal proceedings. Adds an additional requirement in order to establish a credible fear of persecution claim in an asylum interview. Limits humanitarian and public interest parole authority. Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from using parole authority for an alien who is ineligible for refugee status. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to revise the definition of "unaccompanied alien child" (UAC). Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to extend the period of time for a federal department or agency to: (1) notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that it has apprehended or discovered a UAC or an alien who is under 18 years old, and (2) transfer a UAC to HHS custody. Provides for HHS-DHS information sharing concerning UACs. Prohibits aUAC from applying for asylum if such child may be removed to a safe third country. Provides for additional immigration judges and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys. Directs the Secretary of State to suspend all foreign assistance to certain countries that refuse to: (1) negotiate a child repatriation agreement, or (2) accept from the United States repatriated UACs who are nationals or residents of the sending country. Directs the Secretary of State to provide certain foreign assistance for repatriation and reintegration purposes. Places the burden of proof on an an alien to establish that: (1) the alien's life or freedom would be threatened in a country to which he or she is scheduled to be removed to from the United States; and (2) that race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion would be at least one central reason for such threat. Makes inadmissible an alien who has committed acts of torture, extrajudicial killings, war crimes, systematic attacks on civilians, persecution, or enforced disappearance of persons. Authorizes the President to make such alien's visa records public. Terminates the refugee or asylee status of an alien who: without a compelling reason returns to the country of such alien's nationality or, in the case of an alien having no nationality, returns to the country in which such alien last habitually resided; and applied for such status because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Makes such provision inapplicable to an alien who is eligible for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status pursuant to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. Allows up to 500 grants of asylum per fiscal year to families fleeing home school persecution. Requires that a written warning be included in an asylum application advising the alien of the consequences of filing a frivolous application. States that if an alien's asylum status is subject to termination the immigration judge shall first determine whether the termination conditions have been met, and if so, terminate the alien's asylum status before considering whether the alien is eligible for adjustment of status.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. Provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Hunter and Farmer Protection Act This bill amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to revise standards for determining what constitutes baiting for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds. A baited area, in the case of waterfowl, cranes, and coots, includes a standing, unharvested crop that has been manipulated through activities such as mowing, discing, or rolling, unless the activities are normal agricultural practices. An area is not considered to be a baited area if it: (1) has been treated with a normal agricultural practice, (2) has standing crops that have not been manipulated, or (3) has standing crops that have been or are flooded. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must submit to the Department of the Interior a report on changes to normal agricultural practices across the range of crops grown by agricultural producers in each region of the United States in which USDA harvest practice recommendations are provided to agricultural producers.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to create a safe harbor from lawsuit for creditors that are insured depository institutions for any failure to comply with certain requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan, and the banking regulators are required to treat such a loan as a qualified mortgage, if the creditor has, since the loan's origination, held it on its balance sheet and all prepayment penalties with respect to the loan comply with specified limitations. A safe harbor from lawsuit is also created for mortgage originators for steering a consumer to a residential mortgage loan if: the creditor is an insured depository institution and has informed the mortgage originator that it intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan, and the mortgage originator informs the consumer that the creditor intends to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Retail Investor Protection Act Prohibits the Secretary of Labor from prescribing any regulation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) defining the circumstances under which an individual is considered a fiduciary until 60 days after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues a final rule governing standards of conduct for brokers and dealers under specified law. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit the SEC from promulgating a rule establishing an investment advisor standard of conduct as the standard of conduct of brokers and dealers before it reports to certain congressional committees whether: retail investors and other customers are being harmed due to brokers or dealers operating under different standards of conduct than those applicable to investment advisors under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940; alternative remedies will reduce any confusion or harm to retail investors due to brokers or dealers operating under such different standards of conduct; adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for brokers or dealers and investment advisors would adversely impact their commissions and the availability of proprietary products offered by brokers and dealers, as well as the ability of brokers and dealers to engage in principal transactions with customers; and adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for brokers or dealers and investment advisors would adversely impact retail investor access to personalized, cost-effective investment advice and recommendations. Requires the SEC: (1) to publish in the Federal Register formal findings that such rule would reduce retail customer confusion or harm due to standards of conduct applicable to brokers, dealers, and investment advisors; and (2) in proposing rules to consider the differences in the registration, supervision, and examination requirements applicable to brokers, dealers, and investment advisors.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: possesses a valid state driver's license, complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, is transporting five or fewer passengers, and is operating under visual or instrument flight rules. "Covered aircraft" is one that: is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds. The FAA may not take enforcement action against a pilot of a covered aircraft for not holding a valid third-class medical certificate if the pilot and the flight meet such requirements, unless the FAA has published final regulations under this Act in the Federal Register. The Pilot's Bill of Rights is amended to authorize any persons adversely affected by an FAA decision to deny, suspend, or revoke a covered certificate or impose a civil penalty to file an appeal with the National Transportation Safety Board or, without further administrative review, in the U.S. district court or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. This subjects all FAA-issued certificates involving an adverse action to review. "Covered certificate" means, in addition to an airman certificate (as under current law), a design organization certificate, holder of type certificate, production certificate, airworthiness certificate, air carrier operating certificate, airport operating certificate, air agency certificate, air navigation facility certificate, or medical certificate. Requirements are prescribed or revised for FAA: failure to notify an individual who is the subject of an investigation regarding the approval, denial, suspension, modification, or revocation of a covered certificate; provision to persons holding a covered certificate of the releasable portion of an investigative report before issuing an emergency order relating to the investigation; response to a written request by a certificate-holding repair station subject to an investigation to withdraw from or settle a proceeding relating to the investigation within 30 days after receiving the request; and reexamination of airmen certificates where there are reasonable grounds to question an airman's lack of competence or believe a certificate was obtained through fraud. The FAA may not take enforcement action against an individual for violation of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding airspace system information until the FAA certifies its compliance with certain NOTAM Improvement program requirements, as amended by this Act. The FAA, upon receiving a request for a covered flight record not in its possession, shall request the record from a FAA contract tower or other FAA contractor possessing it. Any individual designated by the FAA to act as an FAA representative shall be shielded from liability in a civil action for actions performed with reasonable care in connection with related duties. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 is amended to shield from liability a volunteer pilot that flies for a volunteer pilot nonprofit organization for public benefit an aircraft for which the volunteer was properly licensed and insured. The staff, mission coordinators, officers, and directors of the nonprofit organization shall also be shielded from liability, provided certain conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, and who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit issued by any state to carry a concealed firearm, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any other state that permits residents to carry a concealed firearm, in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Makes presentation of facially valid documents prima facie evidence that the individual has a license or permit as required.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Patient Access to Higher Quality Health Care Act of 2015 Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to repeal the prohibition against Medicare participation by physician-owned hospitals that do not have a provider agreement by August 1, 2010, which nonetheless allows their Medicare participation under a rural provider and hospital exception to a specified ownership or investment prohibition if they meet certain requirements. Amends the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA) to repeal provisions: (1) postponing from August 1, 2010, to December 31, 2010, the date by which physician-owned hospitals must have a provider agreement in order to participate in Medicare under a rural provider and hospital exception to the physician-ownership or -investment prohibition if they also meet certain requirements addressing conflicts of interest, bona fide investments, patient safety issues, and expansion limitations; and (2) modifying the expansion limitation imposed on such a rural hospital Restores related previous law amended or repealed by PPACA and HCERA as if PPACA or HCERA had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act Repeals certain Department of Education (ED) regulations that for purposes of determining whether a school is eligible to participate in programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA): (1) require institutions of higher education (IHEs) and postsecondary vocational institutions (except religious schools) to be legally authorized by the state in which they are situated, (2) delineate what such legal authorization requires of states and schools, (3) impose standards and disclosure requirements on programs that prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation, and (4) define "credit hour." Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule not in effect on the date of this Act's enactment regarding: (1) the state authorization for IHEs to operate within a state, (2) the definition or application of the term "gainful employment," or (3) a teacher preparation program accountability system. Ends that prohibition when a law is enacted that extends by at least two fiscal years the authorization or duration of one or more programs under the HEA. Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule that defines "credit hour" for any purpose under the HEA. Prohibits ED from carrying out, developing, refining, promulgating, publishing, implementing, administering, or enforcing a postsecondary institution ratings system or any other performance system to rate IHEs. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA to authorize nonprofit IHEs to make payments to third-party entities for services that include student recruitment and are based on the amount of tuition that the IHE generates from student enrollment if the third-party entity: (1) is not affiliated with the IHE, (2) does not provide incentive payments to its employees for their success in enrolling students or securing financial aid for them, (3) is not paid by the IHE solely or separately for student recruitment services, and (4) will not make student recruitment information available to any other person or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Reform Act of 2015 or the CFPB-IG Act of 2015 Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to repeal the authority of the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to appoint the Inspector General of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to create an Inspector General for the CFPB. Requires the President, within 60 days after enactment of this Act, to appoint a CFPB Inspector General.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act of 2015 Provides that for purposes of medical professional liability insurance or civil and criminal malpractice liability determinations, a physician or athletic trainer (covered sports medicine professional) who is authorized to practice medicine in a state (primary state) and who provides medical services to an athlete or athletic team in a state where such professional is not authorized to practice (secondary state) shall be deemed to have provided such medical services in the primary state, provided that prior to providing the covered medical services such professional has disclosed the nature and extent of such services to the entity that provides such professional with medical professional liability insurance in the primary state.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force to develop: (1) best practices for pain management and prescribing pain medication, and (2) a strategy for disseminating such best practices. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to: states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for first responders, health professionals, and family members administering naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses), local governments, and nonprofit organizations to expand educational efforts to prevent abuse of opioids, heroin, and other substances of abuse, understand addiction as a chronic disease, and promote treatment and recovery; organizations that have received a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies that address local drug crises; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for treatment alternative to incarceration programs for individuals who have come into contact with the juvenile or criminal justice system or have been arrested or charged with an offense, who have a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both, and who have been approved for participation in such a program; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies to create a demonstration law enforcement program to prevent opioid and heroin overdose death; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributor of prescription medications, retail pharmacies, registered narcotic treatment programs, hospitals or clinics with an on-site pharmacy, eligible long-term care facilities, or any other entity authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispose of prescription medications to expand or make available disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, and Indian tribes to implement medication assisted treatment programs through their criminal justice agencies; states, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes for educational programs for incarcerated offenders; state substance abuse and criminal justice agencies, jointly, to address the use of opioids and heroin among pregnant and parenting female offenders in a state to promote public safety, public health, family permanence, and well-being; establish or expand veterans treatment court programs, peer to peer services or programs for qualified veterans, practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, and transitional services to incarcerated veterans, and training programs to teach criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and appropriately respond to incidents involving veterans; and states to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an integrated opioid abuse response initiative. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to award grants to enable state substance abuse agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations that have a high rate of, or have had a rapid increase in, the use of heroin or other opioids to expand activities, including medication assisted treatment, for the treatment of addiction in the geographical areas affected. Authorizes the Recovery Branch of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to: (1) enable high schools and colleges with substance abuse recovery programs and nonprofit organizations to provide substance abuse recovery support services to high school and college students, to help build communities of support for young people in recovery, and to encourage initiatives designed to help young people achieve and sustain recovery; and (2) enable recovery community organizations to develop, expand, and enhance recovery services. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the Department of Education from including any question about the conviction of an applicant for the possession or sale of illegal drugs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Directs HHS to establish a bipartisan Task Force on Recovery and Collateral Consequences to: (1) identify collateral consequences for individuals with drug convictions who are in recovery for a substance use disorder, and (2) determine whether such consequences unnecessarily delay such individuals from resuming their personal and professional activities. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to direct the Attorney General to report annually on how grants awarded under such Act are used for family-based substance abuse treatment programs that serve as alternatives to incarceration for custodial parents to receive treatment and services as a family. Expresses the sense of Congress that the amounts expended to carry out this Act should be offset by a corresponding reduction in federal non-defense discretionary spending. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the impact that the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion (defined as the prohibition on federal matching payments under Medicaid for patients who have attained age 22, but have not attained age 65, in an institution for mental diseases) has on access to treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to declare that for any week in whole or in part within a month that an individual is paid or determined to be eligible for unemployment compensation he or she shall be deemed to have engaged in substantial gainful activity and so be disqualified from receiving Social Security disability benefits after a certain period has elapsed. States that, for purposes of determining services rendered by an individual during a period of trial work which will not disqualify the individual for disability benefits, the individual shall be deemed to have rendered services in a month if he or she is entitled to unemployment compensation or trade adjustment assistance for that month.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hill, J. French [R-AR-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001072_200.jpg)