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
Hospice Care Access Improvement Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to select one Medicare administrative contractor to conduct a one-year demonstration program during FY2016 in all hospice programs under the contractor's jurisdiction to test revisions to the methodology for determining hospice payment rates under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act contained in the "Fiscal Year 2016 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements," published on May 5, 2015, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. No revisions to the hospice payment methodology may be made for FY2016-FY2017, except for demonstration program purposes. HHS shall implement the proposed hospice payment methodology revisions beginning with FY2018 after: taking into account an evaluation of the demonstration program, and making any necessary changes to the revisions. HHS shall implement a process for the medical review of hospice care furnished by a hospice program identified according to certain multiple factors, such as the percentage of patients discharged after receiving hospice care for between 120 and 180 days and who were alive upon discharge. HHS shall also develop and publish guidance for hospice programs to develop interventions to reduce hospital admissions and visits to hospital emergency departments by hospice patients. Medicare shall cover pre-hospice evaluation and counseling services performed by a registered nurse employed by a hospice program. A skilled nursing facility (SNF) shall make a good faith effort to contract with more than one hospice program participating in the Medicare program that provides services in the area served by the SNF, if more than one hospice program is available to serve SNF residents. SNF residents shall have the right to be fully informed of any financial interest the SNF has in any hospice program to which a resident is referred. Any hospital discharge planning evaluation must evaluate, for an individual likely to need hospice care, the availability of such care through hospice programs that: participate in the Medicare program and serve the area in which the patient resides, and request to be listed by the hospital as available.
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
Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015 or Kate's Law This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully reenter the United States after being removed.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand telehealth coverage in three phases. Extends the term "originating site," for telehealth service payment purposes, to additional sites, including any federally qualified health center and any rural health clinic, at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished via a telecommunications system. Prohibits application of the originating site facility fee to the additional sites. Authorizes additional telehealth providers, including a certified diabetes educator or licensed respiratory therapist, audiologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech language pathologist. Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop payment methods to apply in the case of anyone who would be an eligible telehealth individual except that the telehealth services are furnished at a site other than an originating site. Extends Medicare coverage to remote patient management services for certain chronic health conditions. Authorizes home telehealth sites as additional originating sites. Requires the monthly fee or other basis of payment for physicians' services to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to allow for a patient-specific waiver process to permit a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant to request a waiver of face-to-face visit requirements for home dialysis of ESRD patients. Requires all ESRD patients receiving home dialysis to receive a face-to-face examination at least once every three consecutive months and, in the intervening months, to receive a monthly clinical assessment which may be furnished, if the patient so chooses, via remote monitoring by a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant. Directs HHS, in determining the component of a physician's fee corresponding to practice expense relative value units for diagnostic tests provided remotely, to include in direct costs of supplies and equipment the costs of the diagnostic device, clinical systems (including hardware and software), information transmission, and device delivery and installation. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of using specified telehealth services between therapy providers and patients, any associated savings, and the potential for greater use of telehealth services for other forms of therapy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act of 2015 or the TAILOR Act of 2015 This bill directs the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (federal financial institutions regulatory agencies) to: take into consideration the risk profile and business models of institutions subject to regulatory action; determine the necessity, appropriateness, and impact of applying that action to such institutions; and tailor regulatory action so as to limit the burden of regulatory compliance as befits the risk profile and business model involved. The federal financial institutions regulatory agencies shall also consider: the impact that such regulatory action has upon the ability of the institution to flexibly serve evolving and diverse customer needs, the potential unintended impact of examination manuals or other regulatory directives that work in conflict with the tailoring of such regulatory action, and the underlying policy objectives of the regulatory action and statutory scheme involved. In addition, a federal financial institutions regulatory agency must disclose in every notice of a proposed and final rulemaking for a regulatory action how it has applied this Act. The Financial Institutions Examination Council shall report to Congress on the extent to which regulatory actions tailored pursuant to this Act result in differential regulation of similarly-situated institutions of diverse charter types with respect to comparable regulations. The agencies must also apply the requirements of this Act to all regulations adopted five years before the introduction of this Act and ending on the date of its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Condemns the practice of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China. Calls on China and the Communist Party of China to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. Encourages the U.S. medical community to help raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in China. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Calls on the Department of State to: (1) conduct a more detailed analysis on state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the annual Human Rights Report, and (2) report annually to Congress on implementation of the immigration provision prohibiting visas to Chinese and other nationals engaged in coerced organ or bodily tissue transplantation.
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
Small Business Healthcare Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow an employer with fewer than 50 employees that does not offer group health insurance coverage to establish a health reimbursement arrangement. Under the arrangement, funds contributed by an employer are excluded from the employer's taxable income and are used to pay or reimburse employees for medical care expenses, including premiums for individual health insurance coverage or Medicare supplemental insurance. Such a reimbursement arrangement: (1) must not pay premiums for an employee covered by a family member's coverage, (2) must be offered to all eligible employees on the same terms and may only vary based on the number of individuals covered, and (3) is not required to provide continuation coverage. Employer contributions to a reimbursement arrangement are not included in an employee's gross income if the employee was covered by the reimbursement arrangement for more than nine months of the year. Employees covered for less than nine months have a percentage of employer contributions included in their gross income, with exceptions. An employee offered affordable individual health insurance coverage under a reimbursement arrangement is not eligible for a premium assistance tax credit. Employers must report contributions to a reimbursement arrangement on their employees' W-2. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exempt reimbursement arrangements from requirements for health insurance coverage. Insurance offered under a reimbursement arrangement remains subject to the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Stop Catch and Release Act of 2015 This legislation amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require mandatory detention of any alien who is unlawfully present in the United States and arrested for inadmissible or deportable crimes. The bill transfers release authority from the Department of Justice to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS may release the alien to an appropriate authority for proceedings related to the arrest, but DHS must resume custody for any period that the alien is not in custody of the appropriate authority. If the alien is not convicted of crimes for which the alien was arrested, then DHS must continue to detain the alien until removal proceedings are completed. DHS must complete the removal proceedings within 90 days.
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
Caregivers Access and Responsible Expansion for All Veterans Act or the CARE for All Veterans Act Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill (or aggravated such injury or illness) on active duty before September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Establishes three monthly caregiver stipend starting dates for pre-September 11, 2001, members of the Armed Forces or veterans based upon the amount and degree of personal care services provided. Includes among program eligibility criteria a veteran's need for regular or extensive instruction or supervision in completing two or more instrumental activities of daily living.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Restoring Integrity to America's Elections Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act with respect to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to: (1) reduce the number of members of the FEC from eight to five; (2) remove the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House as ex officio members; and (3) permit no more than two members to be affiliated with the same political party. A majority of the FEC members serving at the time shall constitute a quorum, except that three shall constitute a quorum if there are only four members serving. A Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel shall recommend to the President individuals for nomination to the FEC. The President shall appoint the FEC Chair, subject to Senate confirmation as a member of the FEC. The powers of the FEC are revised and distributed between the Chair and the other FEC members. Persons who oppose requests for advisory opinions are permitted to appear at FEC hearings on such requests.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Flood Insurance Fairness Act of 2015 Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to repeal provisions that prohibit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from estimating subsidized risk premium rates for flood insurance coverage on: (1) residential property which is not the primary residence of an individual, and (2) any business property. Qualifies those properties for such rates. Requires FEMA, when developing guidance and rate tables necessary to implement this Act, to consult with Write Your Own companies, which are participating property and casualty insurance companies that write and service standard flood insurance policies in cooperation with FEMA. Directs Write Your Own companies to implement the changes required by the final guidance and rate tables within six to eight months after their issuance.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 to reauthorize the National Cord Blood Inventory program and the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program through FY2020. (These programs help match patients in need of a transplant with unrelated bone marrow and cord blood donors.)
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act Amendments of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through FY2019 and revises the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009.
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
Do Not Track Kids Act of 2015 Amends the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to apply the prohibitions against collecting personal information from children to online applications and mobile applications directed to children. Establishes additional privacy protections against the collection of personal or geolocation information from children and minors. Revises the definition of: "operator" to include online and mobile applications (currently, only Internet websites and online services) and to make such definition apply specifically to operators and providers of such websites, services, or applications who, for commercial purposes, in interstate or foreign commerce, collect or maintain personal information from or about their users, allow another person to collect such personal information, or allow users of such websites, services, or applications to publicly disclose personal information; and "disclosure" to mean the release of personal information (currently, the release of personal information collected from a child in identifiable form). Requires verifiable parental consent, under specified circumstances, for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information of a child, including certain online contact information collected in response to a specific request from a child when such information is used to contact a different child. Prohibits, without verifiable parental consent in the case of a child or without consent of the minor in the case of a minor, an operator of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to children or minors, or an operator having actual knowledge that personal information being collected is from children or minors, from: (1) using, disclosing to third parties, or compiling personal information collected from children or minors for targeted marketing purposes; and (2) collecting geolocation information in a manner that violates the regulations prescribed under this Act. Defines a "minor" as an individual over the age of 12 and under the age of 16. Prohibits an operator from discontinuing service provided to a child or minor on the basis of a refusal, by the child's parent or the minor, to permit the further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future collection, of certain personal or geolocation information from such individuals, to the extent that the operator is capable of providing such service without such information. Requires an operator of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to children or minors to treat all users as children or minors for purposes of this Act, except as permitted by regulation. Prohibits an operator of a website, online service, or such applications directed to minors from collecting personal information from minors unless such operator has adopted, and complies with, a Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens that is consistent with the Fair Information Practices Principles established by this Act. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate regulations that require operators to implement mechanisms that permit a user to erase content submitted by such user that is publicly available through such websites, services, or applications and that contains or displays personal information of children or minors. Sets forth enforcement provisions for the FTC, other federal agencies, and states.
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
Transportation Empowerment Act This bill prescribes a limitation on funding of transportation programs and projects for FY2016-FY2020. Appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020, subject to a certain limitation, for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: emergency relief for highways and roads, the federal lands transportation program, and Federal Highway Administration administrative expenses. A state may transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Certain limits are placed on federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Beginning with FY2015, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of the project, solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2022. The Department of the Treasury shall pay from the HTF into the Treasury general fund amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2022, as well as into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund amounts equivalent to certain aviation fuel taxes received before October 1, 2022. A motor fuel tax rate schedule is prescribed for the financing of core highway programs. Treasury authority to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account shall be terminated at the end of FY2016, at which time Treasury shall transfer all amounts from the Mass Transit Account to the Highway Account. The national highway performance program is revised to repeal program requirements for specified National Highway System transportation improvement projects, including environmental mitigation projects. The surface transportation program is revised to eliminate from eligibility for program assistance: carpool projects, fringe and corridor parking facilities and programs, including electric vehicle and natural gas vehicle infrastructure, and bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways projects; transportation alternatives; and environmental mitigation projects, including environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects. Also repealed are: the obligation of a state to use a portion of program funds for replacement or rehabilitation of off-system bridges, metropolitan transportation planning requirements for federal-aid highways, and the authorization of federal assistance to states for historic bridges. Certain requirements of the highway safety improvement program are revised or repealed, eliminating eligibility for projects for pedestrian or bicyclist safety or safety of persons with disabilities. The congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program and the transportation alternatives program are repealed. Appropriations out of the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020 for the highway research and development program. Treasury shall allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2016-FY2019. Excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene, and diesel-water fuel emulsion are reduced. Credits or refunds are required for certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2020. This Act shall become effective only if the Office of Management and Budget certifies that it is deficit neutral.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 This bill creates the position of Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders to take over the responsibilities of the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mental health programs are extended and training regarding mental health is expanded. SAMHSA must establish the National Mental Health Policy Laboratory and the Interagency Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institute of Mental Health to translate evidence-based interventions and the best available science into systems of care. Certain mental health care professional volunteers are provided liability protection. Pediatric mental health subspecialists are eligible for National Health Service Corps programs. An underserved population of children or a site for training in child psychiatry can be designated as a health professional shortage area. The protected health information of an individual with a serious mental illness may be disclosed to a caregiver under certain conditions. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to conditionally expand coverage of mental health services. Part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct is amended to require coverage of antidepressants and antipsychotics. If it will not increase Medicare spending, Medicare's 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services is eliminated. Health information technology activities and incentives are expanded to include certain mental health and substance abuse professionals and facilities. This bill restricts the lobbying and counseling activities of protection and advocacy systems for individuals with mental illness. These systems must focus on safeguarding the rights of individuals with mental illness to be free from abuse and neglect.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Preserving Florida's Coastal Communities Act Amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 to extend the moratorium on oil and gas leasing and related activities in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico for five years (through June 30, 2027).
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Fort McClellan Health Registry Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Fort McClellan Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, during the period beginning on January 1, 1935, and ending on May 20, 1999, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability which may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such health examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide such health examination, as well as consultation and counseling with respect to examination results. Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Fort McClellan; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.
United States · United States Congress · 29 May 2015
Securing Senior's Health Care Act of 2015 This bill amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (in effect, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS]) to revise for 2017, and periodically afterwards, the system for risk adjustments to payments to Medicare+Choice organizations so that an individual's risk score takes into account the number of chronic conditions with which the individual has been diagnosed. HHS must, including an actuarial opinion of the CMS Chief Actuary, evaluate the impacts of: including two years of data to compare the models used to determine the risk scores for 2013 and 2014, removing the diagnosis codes related to chronic kidney disease in the 2014 risk adjustment model, and including 10% of encounter data in computing payment for 2016 and CMS readiness to incorporate encounter data in risk scores. HHS shall also analyze the best practices of MedicareAdvantage (MA) plans to slow disease progression related to chronic kidney disease. HHS shall then, if appropriate, make revisions to the risk adjustment system, based on such an evaluation or analysis, to better reflect and appropriately weight for the population served. Congress declares that the five-star quality rating system for MA plans lacks proper accounting for the socioeconomic status of plan enrollees and the extent to which those plans serve individuals also eligible for medical assistance under SSAct title XIX (Medicaid). It is the intent of Congress to: (1) continue to study and request input on the effects of socioeconomic status and dual-eligible populations on the five-star quality rating system for MA plans before reforming it, and, pending study and input results, (2) delay CMS authority to terminate MA plan contracts solely on the basis of performance under the five-star quality rating system. HHS may not, through the end of plan year 2018, terminate a contract with respect to the offering of an MA plan by an MA organization solely because the plan has failed to achieve a minimum quality rating under the five-star rating system.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2015
Honors American veterans disabled for life. Expresses appreciation to the men and women left permanently wounded, ill, or injured as a result of service in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Anna Westin Act of 2015 This bill requires the Office on Women's Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to revise, promote, and make freely available the BodyWise Handbook and BodyWorks obesity prevention program. The handbook must include information about eating disorders relating to males as well as females. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants: (1) to integrate training on eating disorders into existing curricula for health, mental health, and public health professionals; and (2) to states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and educational institutions for seminars for school personnel on eating disorders and to make resources available to individuals affected by eating disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health must make public service announcements on eating disorders. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health insurance coverage from permanently excluding a particular condition from mental health or substance use disorder benefits. Mental health and substance use disorder benefits include residential treatment. The Federal Trade Commission must submit to Congress a report that contains a strategy and recommendations to reduce the use in advertising of images that have been altered to change the physical characteristics of the individuals depicted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct and update at least once every seven years an ocean acidification coastal community vulnerability assessment with a corresponding public report. The assessment must identify: (1) U.S. coastal communities that are most dependent on coastal and ocean resources that may be impacted by ocean acidification; (2) the nature of those communities' social and economic vulnerabilities; (3) impacts from changes in ocean and coastal marine resources that are not managed by the federal government; and (4) key knowledge gaps where research could be devoted to better understand the possible ocean acidification impacts, risks, threats, and possible adaptation strategies for the communities. NOAA's ocean acidification program is expanded to include an ongoing mechanism that allows affected industry members, coastal stakeholders, non-federal resource managers, and outside scientific experts not employed by the federal government to provide input on research, data, and monitoring necessary to support on-the-ground management, decision making, and adaptation related to ocean acidification and its impacts. The strategic plan for ocean acidification research and monitoring developed by the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology of the National Science and Technology Council must make recommendations for research to address the key knowledge gaps identified in the community vulnerability assessment report.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Black Box Privacy Protection Act Amends the Automobile Information Disclosure Act to require manufacturers of new automobiles to disclose on the information label affixed to the window of the automobile: (1) the presence and location of an event data recorder (commonly referred to as a "black box"), (2) the type of information recorded and how such information is recorded, and (3) that the recording may be used in a law enforcement proceeding. Sets forth similar requirements for motorcycle manufacturers. Defines "event data recorder" as any device or means of technology installed in an automobile that records information such as automobile or motorcycle speed, seatbelt use, application of brakes, or other information pertinent to the operation of the automobile or motorcycle. Prohibits the manufacture, sale, offering for sale, or import into the United States of an automobile manufactured after 2015 (bearing a model year of 2016 or later) that is equipped with an event data recorder, unless the consumer can control the recording of information. Makes violators liable to the U.S. government for a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation with a maximum penalty of $35 million for a related series of violations. Requires the event data recorder in an automobile or motorcycle, and any data recorded, to be considered the property of the owner of the automobile or motorcycle. Makes the retrieval or downloading of recorded data by any other person unlawful, except: (1) with the owner's consent, (2) in response to a court order, or (3) by a dealer or automotive technician to service the vehicle. Requires certain violations to be treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Distillery Innovation and Excise Tax Reform Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the excise tax rate on distilled spirits produced in or imported into the United States from $13.50 to $9.00 per proof gallon and to $2.70 on the first 100,000 proof gallons. Makes the $2.70 per proof gallon rate applicable to a specified controlled group of corporations that is a distilled spirits operation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act of 2015 Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Companion Corps program for the awarding of grants to assist nonprofit organizations in establishing, planning, designing, and/or operating programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities. Defines "assistance dog" to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.
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 · 21 May 2015
Directs the Department of the Army to operate the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint federal water resources projects on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in a manner that ensures the maintenance of freshwater flows. Defines "freshwater flows" to mean the quality, quantity, timing, and variability of freshwater flows required to: (1) support and reestablish the ecological integrity of the rivers, commercial and recreational fisheries dependent on freshwater flows into Apalachicola Bay and adjacent waters, and thriving and diverse fish, wildlife, and plant populations having species composition, diversity, adaptability, and functional organization similar to those found prior to construction of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint projects; (2) restore and recover species that are endangered, threatened, or at risk; and (3) prevent significantly harmful adverse impacts to the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola River ecosystems. Requires the Army to: (1) complete the ongoing revision of the water control manuals for such projects and issue revised manuals that ensure the maintenance of freshwater flows; (2) ensure that operational modifications needed to maintain freshwater flows are achieved while providing system-wide balance in conservation storage through the maintenance of water levels within the same action zone for each of the project reservoirs; (3) enter into an arrangement for the National Academy of Sciences to carry out an independent peer review of each revised manual; and (4) obtain written approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey of each manual developed before a final manual may be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Student Veterans Housing Support Act This bill provides a full monthly housing stipend, eliminating the current 50% stipend, for a veteran pursuing a program of education on a more than half-time basis solely through distance learning. An individual pursuing a degree program on a more than half-time basis shall receive a monthly housing stipend for the month immediately preceding the first month of the program, and in an amount equal to one for a month during which the individual pursues the program. Housing allowances paid to veterans and eligible persons enrolled in courses may continue during periods: when the schools are temporarily closed; between consecutive school terms where such veterans or persons transfer from one approved educational institution to another approved educational institution if the period between such consecutive terms does not exceed 30 days; or between school terms if the period between them does not exceed 8 weeks, and both the preceding and following terms are not shorter than such period, or if the period falls between consecutive spring and fall semesters and the eligible veteran or person resides during such period within the educational institution's ZIP code area. Benefits provided under this Act shall be in addition to any other veterans' educational benefits provided to an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Fuel Choice for American Prosperity and Security Act of 2015 Revises requirements for calculating the average fuel economy for automobile manufacturers. Prescribes requirements to calculate the average fuel economy for a manufacturer of a fuel choice enabling vehicle to be the average fuel economy determined for an automobile manufacturer, plus 4 miles per gallon. Defines "fuel choice enabling vehicle" to mean an automobile that: operates on natural gas, hydrogen, propane, or biodiesel; is a flexible fuel vehicle; is a plug-in electric drive vehicle; is propelled solely by a fuel cell that produces power without the use of petroleum or petroleum-based fuel; or is propelled solely by something other than an internal combustion engine that operates on something other than petroleum-based fuel.
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 · 13 May 2015
Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress annually identifying: (1) satellite, broadcast, Internet, or other providers that knowingly transmit the content of al-Manar TV and its affiliates; and (2) the identity of those providers that have or have not been sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: facilitates a transaction or transactions for Hezbollah, or for a person acting on behalf of, or owned or controlled by Hezbollah; engages in money laundering to carry out such an activity; facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services to carry out such an activity; or facilitates any of these activities, conspires to facilitate or participate in such an activity, or is owned or controlled by a foreign financial institution that knowingly engages in such an activity. Applies specified penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for violations of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to waive the application of a prohibition for up to 180 days (with renewable 180-day waivers) if in U.S. national security interests, and with congressional notification. Directs the Secretary to identify to Congress every 180 days each foreign central bank that carries out a prohibited activity. Exempts from sanctions a foreign financial institution that is no longer engaging in a prohibited activity or is taking significant steps toward terminating such activity. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Hezbollah meets the criteria for designation as a significant transnational criminal organization, and (2) the President should designate Hezbollah as a significant transnational criminal organization. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress regarding actions taken through the Department's rewards program to obtain information on Hezbollah's fund raising, financing, and money laundering activities. Directs the President to report to Congress regarding: countries that support Hezbollah, in which Hezbollah maintains important portions of its global logistics networks, or in which Hezbollah conducts significant fund raising, financing, or money laundering activities; an assessment of whether a country is taking adequate measures to disrupt Hezbollah's networks and activities within that country; and whether Hezbollah meets the criteria for designation as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker, and as a significant transnational criminal organization. Declares that nothing in this Act shall apply to authorized U.S. intelligence activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Directs the Department of Defense to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rated as total on the same basis as such transportation is provided to members of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2015
Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) allow licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors (licensees) to sell or deliver any firearm (currently, rifles or shotguns) to a resident of a state other than the state in which the licensee is located or temporarily located if the licensee meets with the purchaser to complete the sale or delivery and the transaction complies with the laws of the state in which the transfer is conducted and the purchaser's state of residence; and (2) eliminate the requirement that a licensee must conduct business at a gun show only in the state that is specified on the licensee's license. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition: (1) between licensed firearms dealers at any location in any state; or (2) by a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to an unlicensed person at a temporary location in any state. Amends definitions for federal firearms provisions to: (1) revise the definition of a "member of the Armed Forces on active duty" to include a member (or member's spouse) who is a resident of the state in which such person maintains legal residence or in which the member maintains a place of abode from which the member commutes each day to the permanent duty station; and (2) provide that an officer or employee of the United States (other than a member of the Armed Forces) stationed outside the United States for a period exceeding one year, or a spouse residing with such an officer or employee, is a resident of the state in which the person maintains legal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Enhancing Veterans' Access to Treatment Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish to a veteran enrolled in the VA's patient enrollment system a drug or medicine that a duly licensed physician has determined such veteran is taking or has taken during the preceding 90 days and that has been effective in treating a mental health disorder with which the veteran has been diagnosed, if the prescription is ordered by a duly licensed physician, regardless of whether such drug or medicine is available under the formulary in use by the VA. Directs the VA to revise its prescription medication formulary to ensure that all medications within the classes of antipsychotics and antidepressants that are prescribed by DOD physicians, including such medications prescribed for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder, are available at all VA pharmacies.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses deepest condolences to and solidarity with the people of Nepal following the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015. Supports the Administration's efforts to coordinate an immediate U.S. humanitarian response. Commends the efforts and honors the sacrifice of the men and women engaged in the response, including the citizens and government of Nepal, the United States, and international humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations. Urges the Administration, in coordination with the government of Nepal and other donors, to provide emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in Nepal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Medicare Diabetes Prevention Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to provide coverage of diabetes prevention program services to an eligible diabetes prevention program individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the criteria for a diabetes prevention program in accordance with the standards under the National Diabetes Prevention Program established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Excludes items and services under a diabetes prevention program from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system. Includes: (1) items and services under a diabetes prevention programs among federally qualified health center services, (2) rates of referrals of eligible individuals to diabetes prevention programs among the quality measures for covered professional services in the Medicare physician quality reporting system, and (3) an individual's diabetes risk assessment in the individual's Medicare personalized prevention plan. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the National Diabetes Prevention Program presents an opportunity for states to reduce the incidence of diabetes among individuals enrolled in their Medicaid programs under SSAct title XIX.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015 This bill extends the deadline for mandatory compliance with final rules that target carbon dioxide emissions from existing sources that are fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units under the Clean Air Act, including any final rule that succeeds either: the proposed rule entitled "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units," or the supplemental proposed rule entitled "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: EGUs in Indian Country and U.S. Territories; Multi-Jurisdictional Partnerships". The extension period begins 60 days after the notice of promulgation of a final rule appears in the Federal Register and ends following any judicial review, on the date a judgment becomes final, and no longer subject to further appeal or review, in all actions (including those under the Clean Air Act) that are filed during that 60-day period. A state is also shielded under the bill from: being required to adopt or submit a state plan, and being subject to a federal plan under any federal final rule if the governor notifies the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency that implementation of either plan would have a significant adverse effect upon: (1) the state's residential, commercial, or industrial ratepayers; or (2) upon the reliability of the state's electricity system.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Cold War Service Medal Act of 2015 Authorizes the military department concerned to issue the Cold War Service Medal to members of the Armed Forces who: (1) served on active duty for at least 24 consecutive months during the Cold War (September 2, 1945, through December 26, 1991); (2) were deployed outside the continental United States for at least 30 days during such period; (3) were members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and were called or ordered to active duty to participate in exercises or operations directly related to the Cold War; or (4) performed other Cold War service as DOD may prescribe. Disqualifies any such person who was not discharged or released from the Armed Forces under under honorable conditions. Expresses the sense of Congress that DOD should expedite the design and issuance of the Medal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Condemns the government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on the government of Iran to release the 7 imprisoned Baha'i leaders, the 12 imprisoned Baha'i educators, and all other prisoners held on account of their religion. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on officials of the government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community.
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 · 22 April 2015
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015 Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, such compensation paid to injured or ill veterans. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jolly, David W. [R-FL-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/114_rp_fl_13_jolly_david_200.jpg)