United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that: the atrocities committed against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities targeted specifically for religious reasons are crimes against humanity and genocide; each of the Contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly the governments of countries and their nationals who are in any way supporting these crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the Convention and these international agreements; the United Nations (U.N.) and the Secretary-General are called upon to assert leadership by calling the atrocities war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; the member states of the U.N., with an appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious freedom and justice, should collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and collaborate on the establishment of tribunals to punish those responsible for the ongoing crimes; the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other countries are commended for having undertaken to shelter and protect those fleeing extremist violence; and those who force the migration of religious communities from their ancestral homelands, including specifically the Nineveh Plain and Mount Sinjar, should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed and under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act T his bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow two or more employers to be considered joint employers for purposes of the Act only if each shares and exercises control over essential terms and conditions of employment and such control over these matters is actual, direct, and immediate.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists Act of 2015 or the REVIEW Act of 2015 Requires a federal agency to postpone the effective date of a high-impact rule pending judicial review. Permits such a rule to take effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register if no person seeks judicial review of such rule during such period. Defines a "high-impact rule" as any rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determines may impose an annual cost on the economy of at least $1 billion.
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
Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to create a private civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. Specifically, the bill authorizes a trade secret owner to file a civil action in a U.S. district court seeking relief for trade secret misappropriation related to a product or service in interstate or foreign commerce. It establishes remedies, such as an injunction and damages. The statute of limitation is set at five years from the date of discovery of the misappropriation. A trade secret owner may apply for and a court may grant a seizure order to prevent dissemination of the trade secret if the court makes specific findings, including that an immediate and irreparable injury will occur if seizure is not ordered. A court must take custody of the seized materials and hold a seizure hearing within seven days. Any party harmed by the order may move to dissolve or modify the order and may also seek relief against the applicant of the seizure order for wrongful or excessive seizure. The Department of Justice must submit to Congress and publish a biannual report on trade secret theft outside the United States. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) trade secret theft occurs in the United States and around the world, (2) trade secret theft harms owner companies and their employees, and (3) the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 applies broadly to protect trade secrets from theft.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
State Health Care Options Act of 2015 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Internal Revenue Code to modify the process for state innovation waivers. (Under current law, the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] and the Department of the Treasury may approve a state's request to waive specific provisions of PPACA if the state proposal provides health care access that is comparable to what would exist without a waiver and does not increase the federal deficit.) The bill expedites the approval process for: a health-flex waiver from requirements for qualified health plans and essential health benefits; and an exchange waiver to assume responsibility for certain functions of the exchanges, including the certification of permissible health plans. If a state submits to HHS a notice of its intent to implement one or both of the waivers, the waivers shall be deemed to be approved and effective. The notice must include the years for which the waiver shall be effective (which may be indefinite), an assurance the state will comply with reporting requirements, and other specified details. A state may not waive PPACA requirements related to coverage for preexisting conditions and the extension of coverage for adult children. States with exchange waivers may certify permissible health plans that residents may purchase outside of an exchange, if the plans meet specified requirements regarding benefits, levels of coverage, transparency of premium justifications, and information. Taxpayers in waiver states that are living at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (400% under current law) may receive health insurance subsidies under PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Prohibiting the Life-Ending Industry of Fetal Organ Exchange Act or the Pro-LIFE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for valuable consideration, including payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success or the A PLUS Act This bill allows each state to receive federal elementary and secondary education funds on a consolidated basis and manage the funds to advance the educational policy of the state. States must submit to the Department of Education a declaration of intent no less than every five years. Each declaration must be formulated by a combination of specified state officials or by referendum and must list the programs for which consolidated funding is requested. States may use such funds for any educational purpose permitted by state law, but must make certain assurances that they will use fiscal control and fund accounting procedures, abide by federal civil rights laws, advance educational opportunities for the disadvantaged, and use federal funds to supplement rather than supplant state funding. Each declaration state shall: (1) inform the public about its student achievement assessment system; (2) report annually on student progress toward the state's proficiency standards by specified student groups; and (3) provide for the equitable participation of private school children and teachers in the same manner as provided for under current law.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Medicare Common Access Card Act of 2015 This bill establishes a pilot program under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for the purpose of utilizing smart card technology for Medicare beneficiary identification cards. A “smart card” is a secure, electronic, machine readable, fraud-resistant, tamper-resistant card that includes an embedded integrated circuit chip with a secure micro-controller. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must conduct the pilot program in at least three areas in which there is a high risk for waste and abuse, and must give priority in the provision of cards to Medicare beneficiaries who self-identify as individuals whose personal identity and health information has previously been compromised. In designing the program, CMS must include, among other provisions: (1) regular monitoring and review of Medicare billings and records in order to identify and address inaccurate changes and instances of waste, fraud, or abuse; and (2) reporting mechanisms for measuring Medicare cost savings attributable to the pilot program. CMS must report to Congress on issues and recommendations related the pilot program within two years of program implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Timothy Nugent Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Timothy Nugent, in recognition of his pioneering work on behalf of people with disabilities, including disabled veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization Act of 2015 or the FORM Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), within 48 hours after the end of a FOMC meeting, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) a Directive Policy Rule, meeting specified criteria, accompanied by a statement identifying the FOMC members voting in its favor. A Directive Policy Rule shall describe the FOMC strategy or rule for the systematic quantitative adjustment of a Policy Instrument Target to: respond to a change in specified Intermediate Policy Inputs, and provide the basis for an Open Market Operations Directive to achieve a specified Policy Instrument Target presented by the FOMC to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to guide open-market operations. The GAO shall determine if a Directive Policy Rule has materially changed from the rule most recently submitted, and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) must testify within 7 legislative days before certain congressional committees as to why any noncompliance exists. The GAO must also, upon congressional request, audit the conduct of monetary policy by the Board and the FOMC. A blackout period shall take place starting one-week before an FOMC meeting and ending midnight of the day of its completion. During the black-out period only specified public communications are permissible by members and FOMC staff with respect to either macroeconomic or financial developments or about current or prospective monetary policy issues. FMOC membership shall increase from five to six representatives of the Federal Reserve Banks. The selection process for such representatives is revised, in part to divide elections from different Banks into odd-numbered and even-numbered calendar years. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is amended to require the Board, before adopting sets of conditions for stress tests of nonbank financial companies it supervises and bank holding companies, to: (1) first issue regulations for them, subject to public notice and comment, which shall include methodologies and models used to estimate losses on certain assets; and (2) before publishing them submit copies of such regulations to the GAO and the Panel of Economic Advisors of the Congressional Budget Office. Stress test requirements used by the Board shall apply to all stress tests performed under the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review exercise. The Federal Reserve Act is further amended to increase from semiannual to quarterly the Board Chairman’s appearances before Congress. Before issuing any regulation the Board must consider specified economic impacts. When deciding whether to regulate, the Board must: assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives, and consider a regulation's impact upon certain areas of economic activity. In its final rule the Board must: (1) explain the nature of comments that it received together with a response to them; and (2) make a postadoption impact assessment of the costs, benefits, and intended and unintended consequences of any "major rule" adopted or amended. Board members and employees shall be subject to the same ethics standards, prohibitions, and restrictions as apply to employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with respect to financial interests, transactions, and outside employment and activities. Both the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act are revised to require the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Board, respectively, in the process of setting financial standards as a part of any foreign or multinational entity, to solicit public comment and issue public reports, including a notice of agreement. The Department of the Treasury, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the SEC shall likewise be subject to these same requirements for their participation in similar processes. The authority of the Federal Reserve Board to discount notes, drafts, and bills of exchange secured to a Federal Reserve Bank's satisfaction in unusual and exigent circumstances shall be limited to only those circumstances posing a threat to U.S. financial stability. The affirmative vote of at least nine presidents of the Federal Reserve Banks shall be necessary for a discount decision, in addition to (as under current law) the affirmative vote of five Board members. Federal Reserve Banks may not accept as collateral for an emergency loan any equity securities issued by the recipient of the loan or of other financial assistance. No applicant shall be eligible to borrow from any emergency lending program or facility unless the Board and all applicable federal banking regulators certify that the applicant is not insolvent. The Board shall by rule establish a minimum interest rate on the principal amount of financial assistance to a recipient. The FOMC shall determine the interest rates on balances maintained at a Federal Reserve Bank by or on behalf of a depository institution. The GAO shall audit both the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks within 12 months after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Honors the working-class families of Illinois who lost their lives as a result of the Eastland shipwreck disaster. Recognizes the brave first responders, both volunteers and professionals, for their rapid response in their community's time of need. Reaffirms the importance of intelligent maritime safety policy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Expresses disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran on July 14, 2015. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to: (1) prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, and (2) encourage global stability and security by strongly supporting strategic regional allies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015
National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Act This bill designates the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, as a national memorial. The Department of the Interior may award a grant of not more than $25 million each fiscal year to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., for the operation and maintenance of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015
Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act or the READ Act This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to devote specified funding to support dyslexia research with the goal of practical application. The NSF must include in its annual congressional budget justification the amount requested for its Research in Disabilities Education program, which advances the goal of broadening the participation and achievement of learners with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Merchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal to the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Urges the U.S. government to work with European governments and European law enforcement agencies encouraging them to: partner with, share information, and train Jewish community groups to strengthen preparedness and response to anti-Semitic attacks; consider formal partnerships in the United States, United Kingdom, and France between government entities and Jewish community security groups as examples of such partnering; support assessments of the environments of hate crimes and anti-Semitism, including analysis of crimes and law enforcement and community response, and cooperation between European governments and intergovernmental and interorganizational entities; help Jewish communities develop safety standards; implement a standardized pan-European information-sharing and alerting system among governments, inter-governmental agencies, and Jewish communities; ensure that law enforcement personnel are trained to monitor, prevent, and respond to anti-Semitic violence, and that senior officials with commensurate authority and resources have been appointed to combat anti-Semitism; and work with law enforcement associations and other relevant professional entities to combat anti-Semitism. Supports the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism as part of the broader policy priority of fostering international religious freedom. Urges the Department of State to continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism by the Department and the Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Calls for the designation of a Prisoners of Conscience Day. Requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing Prisoners of Conscience Day. Encourages Members of Congress to raise individual prisoner of conscience cases in Congress, with the executive branch, with their constituents, to foreign governments and multilateral organizations, and during delegation trips abroad. Encourages the U.S. government to: (1) implement policies that support human rights programs, and (2) undertake actions directed at countries that detain prisoners of conscience in violation of international standards. Urges that advocacy on behalf of prisoners of conscience be pursued at every level of U.S. foreign policy and in all bilateral and multilateral engagements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Nullifies the rule submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of "waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act and published on June 29, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act This bill amends the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 to make technical amendments to requirements for flood insurance under either the federal program or private flood insurance. "Private flood insurance" shall include, in addition to a policy issued by a company licensed, admitted, or otherwise approved by the state (as in current law), any policy issued by an insurance company eligible as a nonadmitted insurer to provide flood insurance in the state or jurisdiction where the property to be insured is located. The flood insurance program under the Act, including both private and federal flood insurance, shall extend to Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is amended to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to consider any period during which a property was continuously covered by private flood insurance to be a period of continuous insurance coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
SCOTUScare Act of 2015 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to limit the health plans the federal government may make available to Supreme Court Justices and Supreme Court employees to those that are created under PPACA or offered through a health insurance exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: allow taxpayers who are liable for not more than $50,000 per year in excise taxes on distilled spirits, wine, or beer to file and pay such taxes quarterly without the requirement of posting a bond covering the operations and withdrawals of such distilled spirits, wines, or beer; allow such taxpayers who reasonably expect to have a tax liability of not more than $1,000 per year and who were liable for not more than $1,000 in taxes in the preceding calendar year to file and pay such taxes annually rather than quarterly; exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer, wine, and distilled spirits produced in the United States; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; modify the definition of "hard cider" for excise tax purposes; and exempt home distillery establishments that produce distilled spirits solely for personal or family use from excise tax and bonding requirements. Directs the Department of the Treasury to amend applicable Treasury regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish funding levels in FY2016-FY2021 for the enforcement and compliance activities of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Modernizing American Manufacturing Bonds Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to qualified small issue bonds for manufacturing purposes, to: (1) expand the definition of "manufacturing facility" to include a facility which is used in the creation or production of intangible property and which is functionally related and subordinate to a facility located on the same site and financed with not more than 25% of bond proceeds, and (2) increase from $10 million to $30 million the maximum bond limitation.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
Tax Free Health Insurance Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer a deduction from gross income of insurance premiums paid for the health care coverage of the taxpayer and the taxpayer's spouse and dependents. Makes such deduction available to taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize their deductions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
First Amendment Defense Act Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Defines "discriminatory action" as any federal government action to discriminate against a person with such beliefs or convictions, including a federal government action to: alter the federal tax treatment of, cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke certain tax exemptions of any such person; disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status from or to such person; or withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a federal benefit program. Requires the federal government to consider to be accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of federal law any person who would be accredited, licensed, or certified for such purposes but for a determination that the person believes or acts in accordance with such a religious belief or moral conviction. Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce this Act against the Government Accountability Office or an establishment in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, that is not an executive department, military department, or government corporation. Defines "person" as any person regardless of religious affiliation, including corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Affirms that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing implemented by Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 meet the terms of genocide. Urges the Atrocities Prevention Board, a U.S. interagency committee established by the Administration in 2012, to study the lessons of Srebrenica and issue guidance on how to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future. Encourages the United States to reaffirm its policy of supporting the independence and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, peace and stability in southeastern Europe, and the right of all people living in the region to return to their homes and enjoy the benefits of democratic institutions, as well as to know the fate of missing relatives and friends. Recognizes the achievement of the International Commission for Missing Persons in accounting for those missing in conflicts or natural disasters around the world. Welcomes the arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of all persons indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, particularly those of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Asserts that it is in the U.S. national interest that those individuals who are responsible for these crimes should continue to be held accountable for their actions. Honors the thousands of innocent people killed or executed at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995, along with all individuals who were victimized during the conflict and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, as well as the foreign nationals who risked and in some cases lost their lives during their defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2015 Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the amount of benefits excludible; and (2) make such tax exclusion available for taxable years beginning in 2016, 2017, or 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require a group or individual health plan that covers anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable coverage for anticancer medications administered by a patient. A plan may apply to patient-administered anticancer medications only the cost-sharing and limitations that apply to anticancer medications administered by a health care provider. These requirements apply to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with these requirements, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, half-dollar clad, and proof silver coins in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Treasury may issue coins minted under this Act for only a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2019. All sales of coins minted under this Act shall include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, $5 per half-dollar clad coin, and $50 per proof silver coin. All of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid as follows: one-half to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's "Destination Moon" exhibit; one-quarter to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; and one-quarter to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to aid its missions by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that all trade agreements the United States enters into with a foreign country should provide reasonable collaboration with that country for the purpose of search and recovery activities for Armed Forces members missing in action from prior wars or military conflicts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Restoring Equity, Saving Coverage, and Undoing Errors Act of 2015 or the RESCUE America's Health Care Act of 2015 This bill applies only: (1) if the Supreme Court determines that the premium tax credit under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is not applicable to health plans purchased through the federal health insurance exchange, and (2) in states without a state health insurance exchange. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for individuals with health insurance who are ineligible for federal health care and not enrolled in an employer-subsidized group health plan. The Department of the Treasury must make payments to health insurers on behalf of taxpayers eligible for the tax credit. This bill repeals certain provisions of PPACA and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 relating to health insurance, health savings accounts, and health flexible spending accounts. Provisions amended by the repealed provisions are restored. Any health plan fulfills an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage. Dental plans no longer need to provide pediatric dental benefits to be offered on a health insurance exchange. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to define individual health pools (IHPs) as nonprofit entities that form health insurance risk pools. IHPs are prohibited from conditioning membership on an individual's health status and must offer the same coverage to all members. State benefit requirements and restrictions on premium variation do not apply to IHPs. Health insurers in the individual market must offer coverage to all individuals. A health insurer may exclude coverage for a preexisting condition or vary premiums based on health status only for individuals who have not had continuous coverage for the last 18 months.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Recognizes that blasphemy laws position governments as arbiters of truth or religious rightness as they empower officials to enforce particular religious views against individuals and minorities. Calls on the President and the Department of State (Department) to make the repeal of blasphemy laws a priority in their relationships with countries that have such laws. Encourages the President and the Department to oppose any efforts at the United Nations (U.N.) or other international or multilateral fora to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, or attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions. Supports efforts at the U.N. to combat intolerance or violence against persons based on religion or belief without restricting expression. Reaffirms the decision to designate Saudi Arabia as a "country of particular concern" for detaining and imprisoning people for blasphemy and for imposing torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, and limit the waiver on this designation to no more than 180 days. Calls on the President and the Department to designate Pakistan and Egypt each as a "country of particular concern" for perpetrating and tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom, including abuses flowing from the enforcement of blasphemy laws and from vigilante violence around blasphemy allegations that takes place with impunity. Urges the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other countries to amend or repeal their blasphemy laws as they provide a pretext for violence against religious minorities. Urges those countries that have imprisoned people on charges of blasphemy to release them and ensure their safety and that of their families.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Hero Street USA Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins emblematic of Hero Street (in Silvis, Illinois) in the following amounts in commemoration of the semi-centennial of the naming of Hero Street: (1) 50,000 $5 gold coins, (2) 400,000 $1 silver coins, and (3) 750,000 half-dollar clad coins. Coins may be issued only between January 1 and December 31, 2018. There must be surcharges of: (1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin, (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin, and (3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin, all to be paid to implement the Wounded Warrior Project. The Treasury must act to ensure that coin minting and issuance do not result in any net cost to the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Honors military caregivers of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to show support to military families and the sacrifices endured by those families in service to the United States. Recognizes the daisy as the flower for military caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Financial Transparency Act of 2015 This bill directs the Office of Financial Research of the Department of the Treasury and the following financial regulatory agencies to adopt data standards for all information collected or received by them, including corporate financial data: the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Financial Stability Act of 2010 is amended to direct the Office of Financial Research (OFR) to promulgate data standards, including common identifiers and data formats, for the information reported to member agencies or collected on behalf of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. The OFR must publish any public information (with specified exceptions) as open data, freely available for download in bulk, accessible via application programming interface where appropriate, and offered without any registration requirement or reuse restriction (open data publication). The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 is amended to require the SEC to adopt data standards incorporating those promulgated by the OFR and apply them to: investment advisers reports and registration statements, information submitted by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, asset-backed securities disclosures, corporate disclosures in registration statements and prospectuses, periodic and current corporate disclosures, corporate proxy and consent solicitation materials, and security-based swap reporting. The SEC, like the OFR, must publish all public information as open data. The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and national securities associations must likewise adopt OFR-promulgated data transparency standards. The SEC must, by rule, adopt a data standard that is both human-readable and machine-readable, and that complies with this Act regarding corporate financial data for which it was using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language standard. The SEC shall also establish a program to improve the quality of corporate financial data furnished by issuers. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to adopt the data standards and open data publication requirements prescribed in this Act and apply them to all information received from a depository institution or financial company. The Revised Statutes of the United States, the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Federal Credit Union Act, and the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 are amended to direct the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Credit Union Administration Board, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, respectively, to adopt, for all information regularly submitted to them, the data standards and open data publication requirements prescribed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
21st Century Cures Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through FY2018. The NIH Innovation Fund is established to fund a strategic plan, early stage investigators, and high-risk, high-reward research. The NIH may require scientific data to be shared if the research is fully funded by the NIH. The NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must implement a system that allows further research on clinical trial data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must expand surveillance of neurological diseases. The Council for 21st Century Cures is established to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative cures, treatments, and preventive measures. The Department of Health and Human Services must monitor the use of antibacterial and antifungal drugs and resistance to these drugs. Requirements are established for interoperability and certification of health information technology. Practices that discourage the exchange of electronic health information are prohibited. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the drug approval process, including by: (1) allowing patient experience data to be considered in the risk-benefit assessment of a new drug, (2) requiring the FDA to qualify drug development tools, (3) allowing the FDA to rely upon data previously submitted for a different purpose to expedite the development of certain drugs, and (4) establishing a streamlined data review program for approval of a drug for an additional indication. Manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs for serious conditions must publish their policies on compassionate use requests. The marketing exclusivity period is extended by six months for a drug approved for a new indication that is a rare disease or condition. The priority review voucher program for rare pediatric diseases is revised and extended. The FDA must: (1) establish a program for priority review of breakthrough medical devices, (2) identify types of devices that do not require a report preceding introduction, and (3) rely on a third-party to determine the safety and effectiveness of changes to medical devices. Regarding medical devices, this bill defines “valid scientific evidence” and makes changes to classification panels and the humanitarian device exemption. “Health software” is defined and, with certain exceptions, exempted from FDA regulations. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to: (1) increase certain payments for new antimicrobial drugs, (2) establish a payment methodology for certain medical devices, and (3) publish online estimated payments for certain outpatient items and services. A pharmaceutical and technology ombudsman within the CMS must respond to complaints from manufacturers of medical products. Medicare prescription drug plan sponsors may limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. This bill amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to allow exported controlled substances to be re-exported within the European Economic Area.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Special Inspector General for Monitoring the ACA Act of 2015 or the SIGMA Act of 2015 Establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Monitoring the Affordable Care Act to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the implementation and administration of programs and activities established under, and payment system changes made by, the Affordable Care Act (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010). Requires the Special Inspector General to be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Requires the Special Inspector General to appoint an Assistant Inspector General for Auditing and an Assistant Inspector General for Investigations. Places the Special Inspector General under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services, but prohibits federal agencies involved in implementing or administering the Affordable Care Act from preventing or prohibiting the Special Inspector General from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-approved lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional). Allows coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by another appropriate health care provider or program only if it is furnished: (1) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in a primary care or other HHS-specified setting; and (2) in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, a community-based site that complies with the federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information, or another HHS-specified setting. Authorizes HHS to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more related comorbidities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
National Credit Union Administration Budget Transparency Act This bill amends the Federal Credit Union Act to require the National Credit Union Administration Board, before the annual submission of its required detailed business-type budget, to: (1) print a draft of the budget in the Federal Register; (2) hold a public hearing to receive comments from the public on the draft; and (3) include in the required integral set of accounts statements in which the budget will address any of such comments.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Empowering Patients First Act of 2015 This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. This bill replaces those provisions with amendments to the Internal Revenue Code, the Public Health Service Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to address health care coverage. The bill provides for refundable tax credits for health insurance coverage and health savings account (HSA) contributions. The bill raises the annual HSA contribution limit, expands eligibility for tax-deductible HSA contributions, and allows HSAs to be used to pay periodic or capitated primary care fees. A limit is placed on the amount of an employer's contribution to health coverage that can be excluded from the employee's taxable income. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide a grant to each state for high-risk pools or reinsurance pools to subsidize health insurance for high-risk populations and individuals. Funds authorized, tax credits, and tax deductions under this Act may not be used to pay for an abortion or health coverage that includes abortion, with exceptions. This bill provides for the establishment and governance of independent health pools, entities that form risk pools to offer health insurance coverage to their members. Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2015 This bill provides for the establishment and governance of association health plans, which are group health plans sponsored by business associations that meet certain ERISA certification requirements. Health insurers offering individual coverage may deny coverage to an individual, outside of open enrollment periods. Preexisting conditions may be excluded from coverage under certain conditions. Individual health insurance coverage is governed by the laws of a state designated by the health insurance issuer. HHS must issue clinical practice guidelines. The bill specifies how these guidelines may be used in a health care lawsuit. HHS may not use comparative effectiveness research or patient-centered outcomes research to deny coverage of an item or service under a federal health care program. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit Medicare beneficiaries to contract with a physician or practitioner for covered health care and submit a claim for payment under Medicare. Health care professionals are exempted from federal and state antitrust laws in connection with negotiations with a health plan to provide health care items or services.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 or the SPACE Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the progress of the commercial space transportation industry in developing voluntary consensus standards or any other construction that promotes best practices, and (2) the status of the knowledge and operational experience acquired by the industry while providing flight services for compensation or hire to support the development of a safety framework. An independent, private systems engineering and technical assistance organization or standards development organization shall assess the readiness of the industry and the federal government to transition to a safety framework that may include regulations. DOT shall provide the committees a plan to update the methodology used to calculate maximum probable loss from claims with respect to commercially licensed space launch liability insurance and financial responsibility requirements through the use of a validated risk profile approach. The Government Accountability Office shall assess the plan. The liability coverage of licensees subject to third-party claims exceeding the amount of insurance or demonstration of financial responsibility is extended through December 31, 2023. Certain time constraints of commercial space launch and reentry experimental permit requirements are repealed and rockets as well as rocket designs are covered. DOT may issue an experimental launch or reentry permit notwithstanding the issuance of any launch or reentry license. Commercial space launch requirements apply to newly defined government astronauts. Liability insurance and financial responsibility and reciprocal waiver of claims requirements shall now cover space flight participants. Federal courts shall have sole jurisdiction of any action or tort arising from a licensed launch or reentry, which shall be decided under federal law. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall arrange with an independent, private systems engineering and technical assistance organization to study frameworks for the management of space traffic and orbital activities. The sense of Congress is expressed about state commercial launch facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to the treatment of certain municipal obligations to direct the federal banking agencies to treat as a high-quality level 2A liquid asset any municipal obligation that is liquid, readily marketable, and investment grade as of the calculation date. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Comptroller of the Currency are directed to amend the rule titled "Liquidity Coverage Ratio: Liquidity Risk Measurement Standards; Final Rule" to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Municipal Bond Market Support Act of 2015 Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the small issuer exemption from interest expense allocation rules for financial institutions to: (1) permanently increase from $10 million to $30 million the annual limit on the amount of tax-exempt obligations that a small issuer may issue, and (2) allow an inflation adjustment to such increased limit amount after 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2015 Amends the Small Business Act to require the interagency task force that is responsible for coordinating federal efforts to improve the business development and federal contracting opportunities available to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans to coordinate administrative and regulatory activities and develop proposals to provide access to, and manage the distribution of, excess or surplus U.S. property to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the appropriate state agency for surplus property.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) with respect to the practices of recovery audit contractors (RACs) under the Medicare program fin identifying underpayments and overpayments and recouping overpayments. Incentive payments to a RAC for recovery activities are prohibited for FY2015 and subsequent fiscal years. Payments for recovery activities shall be reduced, according to a sliding scale established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to any RAC with a complex audit denial rate at the end of a fiscal year, determined pursuant to a specified formula, that is .1% or greater. The one-year timely filing limit for certain rebilled SSAct title XVIII part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) claims is eliminated, extending the deadline for the rebill to 180 days after final denial of the claim. A determination of whether inpatient hospital services or inpatient critical access hospital services furnished to an individual are reasonable and necessary shall now be based solely on information available to the admitting physician at the time of the inpatient admission of the individual for such services, as documented in the medical record.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
International Insurance Standards Transparency and Policyholder Protection Act of 2015 This bill prescribes negotiating objectives for international insurance regulatory frameworks, including: (1) standards, requirements, and rules focused solely upon protection of policy holders, as reflected in the U.S. solvency regime; and (2) a negotiated international insurance regulatory framework that recognizes U.S. prudential measures as equivalent to foreign measures. U.S. representatives are prohibited from agreeing to, accepting or establishing , any international standard applicable to: insurers, capital standards, and rules designed for banks; any insurer that has not been designated a systemically important financial institution under U.S. law or a global systemically important insurer by the Financial Stability Oversight Council, capital standards and rules designed for systemically important bank or non-bank financial institutions, and any capital standard or rule governing U.S. insurance entities (except entities designated under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) unless it is designed solely to help ensure that sufficient funds are available to pay claims to an insurer's policyholders in the event of the entity's liquidation. The President must fulfill specified congressional consultation and public notice requirements with respect to any international insurance regulatory framework.
![Official portrait of Rep. Hultgren, Randy [R-IL-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/h001059_200.jpg)