United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015
Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit Border Security Verification Commission (BSVC) and Government Accountability Office reports, at specified intervals, that assess the state of situational awareness and operational control along the northern and southern U.S. borders. Defines "situational awareness" as knowledge and an understanding of current unlawful cross-border activity, the ability to forecast future shifts in such threats and trends, and the operational capability to conduct continuous and integrated surveillance of such borders. Directs DHS to: (1) submit and implement an operational plan to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas within two years after enactment of this Act and operational control and situational awareness along the southern land border of the United States within five years; and (2) notify Congress that such objectives have been obtained and maintained, which notification shall be certified by the BSVC. Specifies: (1) additional capabilities to be deployed to the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors and the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean and Gulf Maritime regions to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the southern border; (2) fencing to be constructed or replaced in the Border Patrol's San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Rio Grande Valley, El Centro, Yuma, El Paso, and Big Bend sectors; (3) road construction or maintenance projects to be completed in the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Big Bend, El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (4) boat ramps to be constructed in the Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (5) access gates to be constructed in the Rio Grande Valley sector; and (6) forward operating bases to be constructed in the El Paso, Tucson, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande sectors. Directs the Border Patrol to coordinate with the heads of each relevant federal and state agency to eradicate the Carrizo cane plant along the Rio Grande River. Requires: (1) the Border Patrol to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security between ports of entry, (2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at ports of entry, (3) the Coast Guard and the CBP to jointly implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the maritime environment, and (4) the CBP to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the aviation environment. Requires the BSVC to assess and the Comptroller General to report on the statistical validity of the data and methodology used to develop such metrics. Establishes the BSVC and a special congressional commission on border security to determine the criteria for recommending the three presidential appointees to the BSVC. Terminates the BSVC after determining the accuracy of the seventh annual metrics submission required under this Act. Directs the Border Patrol to impose a consequence for each alien apprehended pursuant to the Border Patrol's Consequence Delivery System. Authorizes the Border Patrol to alter the capability deployment requirements of this Act upon determining that the principal border security threats require alteration. Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to allocate additional DOD aviation assets to the southern border to assist DHS in achieving situational awareness and operational control. Sets personnel levels for Border Patrol active duty agents, CBP's Office of Field Operations officers, and CBP's Office of Air and Marine agents. Requires: (1) DHS to ensure not fewer than 130,000 annual flight hours of the Office of Air and Marine, and (2) the Office of Air and Marine to operate unmanned aerial systems not less than 16 hours per day, seven days per week. Requires the Office of Air and Marine to assign the greatest prioritization to support Border Patrol requests to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas and operational control and situational awareness along the southern border. Authorizes the Border Patrol to transfer its agents, on a voluntary basis, to high traffic areas and to provide an incentive bonus for any such transfer. Prohibits the Departments of the Interior or Agriculture from impeding, prohibiting, or restricting CBP activities on federal land located within 100 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico to execute search and rescue operations and to prevent all unlawful entries into the United States. Directs DHS: (1) to submit an implementation plan to establish a biometric exit data system to complete the integrated biometric entry and exit data system; (2) within two years after enactment of this Act, to establish a biometric exit data system at the 15 U.S. airports and the 15 U.S. seaports that support the highest volume of international air and sea travel and the 15 U.S. land ports of entry that support the highest volume of pedestrian crossings; and (3) within five years, to expand such system to all land, air, and sea ports of entry. Prohibits travel, training, bonuses, or salary increases for DHS political appointees if the metrics requirements, the objectives relating to the achievement of situational awareness and operational control, or the biometric exit data system requirements are not met. Directs DHS to submit a northern border threat analysis. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS a program known as Operation Stonegarden, under which DHS shall make grants to eligible law enforcement agencies to enhance border security. Authorizes the sale or donation of certain excess personal property of DOD for border security activities. Directs DOD to reimburse states for the cost of the deployment of any National Guard units or personnel to perform operations and missions under State Active Duty status in support of a southern border mission, subject to a specified cap.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act Amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, which is made available for the lifetime of the passholder without charge to any U.S. citizen or person domiciled in the United States who has been medically determined to be permanently disabled, to be made available to any veteran with a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015
Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015 Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to conduct a review that: (1) surveys federal and state activities to deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent children from becoming trafficking victims; (2) surveys academic literature on deterring individuals from committing trafficking offenses, preventing children from becoming trafficking victims, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; and (3) identifies best practices and strategies to deter such actions. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding: (1) federal and state law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States, and (2) information on each relevant federal grant program. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize grants for programs that provide housing assistance to victims of trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015
National Nurse Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service as the National Nurse for Public Health within the Office of the Surgeon General. Includes among the duties of this position: (1) providing leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Public Health Service, (2) conducting outreach and education, and (3) providing guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. Requires the National Nurse for Public Health to: (1) participate in identification of national health priorities, (2) encourage volunteerism of nurses and strengthen the relationship between government agencies and health-related national organizations, and (3) promote the dissemination of evidence-based practice in educating the public on health promotion and disease prevention activities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015 Entitles any federal employee who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30% or more, during the 12-month period beginning on the first day of employment, to up to 104 hours of leave, without loss or reduction in pay, for purposes of undergoing medical treatment for such disability for which sick leave could regularly be used. Requires the forfeiture of any such leave that is not used during such 12-month period. Requires such employee to submit to the head of the employing agency certification that such employee used such leave for purposes of being furnished treatment for such disability by a health care provider.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act Amends federal military retired pay provisions to: (1) permit veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation; (2) eliminate provisions requiring a phase-in between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation; (3) eliminate a phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans determined to be individually unemployable; and (4) require a limited reduction in retired pay for qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Improvement Act of 2015 Authorizes the Administrator of the Maritime Administration to: (1) accept a gift of money from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc. in order to renovate Melville Hall on the campus of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and (2) enter into a contract with the Foundation for the Hall's operation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Retired Pay Restoration Act Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Veterans Medical Access Act Authorizes payment under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiary travel program of travel expenses in connection with medical examination, treatment, or care of a veteran with vision impairment, a spinal cord injury or disorder, or double or multiple amputations whose travel is in connection with care provided through a VA special disabilities rehabilitation program, if such care is provided: (1) on an inpatient basis, or (2) while a veteran is provided temporary lodging at a VA facility in order to make such care more accessible. Requires a report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans committees on the travel program.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) enhance and expand infrastructure and activities to track the epidemiology of neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease; and (2) incorporate information obtained through those activities into a National Neurological Diseases Surveillance System. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the System facilitates further research on neurological diseases. Requires HHS to provide for the collection and storage of information on neurological diseases, including the incidence, prevalence, and other information, to the extent practicable. Requires HHS to: (1) make information and analysis in the System available to federal agencies and to the public, including researchers; and (2) ensure that privacy and security protections applicable to the System are at least as stringent as the protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Creating Options for Veterans Expedited Recovery Act or the COVER Act Establishes the Veterans Expedited Recovery Commission to examine the evidence-based therapy treatment model used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for treating mental health conditions of veterans and the potential benefits of incorporating complementary alternative treatments available in non-VA facilities and study the potential increase in claims relating to mental health issues submitted by veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. Directs the VA, upon a report by the Commission, to submit: (1) an action plan for implementing recommendations and a time frame for implementing complementary alternative treatments, or (2) a justification for any determination that a recommendation is not appropriate and an alternative solution to improve the efficacy of the therapy model.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2015 or the SAVE Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly: (1) advertising commercial sex acts involving a minor or an individual engaged in such an act through force, fraud, or coercion; or (2) benefitting financially or otherwise from such advertising knowing that the individual involved was a minor or victim of force, fraud, or coercion.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in specifying the electronic health record (EHR) reporting period under EHR electronic health record technology incentive payment programs under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, to continue through 2015 (in the case of eligible professionals) and FY2015 (in the case of eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals) to permit the use of a three-month quarter EHR reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use without regard to the payment year or the stage of meaningful use criteria involved.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2015
Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to make permanent the ban on state and local taxation of Internet access and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Student Worker Exemption Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude students who are employed by an institution of higher education (IHE) and carrying a full-time academic workload at the IHE from being counted as full-time employees in calculating the IHE's shared responsibility regarding health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2015 Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2018 the grant program for armor vests for law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) from providing federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion. Excludes an abortion where: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest; or (2) a physician certifies that the woman suffered from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy. Excludes hospitals that do not provide funds to non-hospital entities that perform abortions. Requires HHS to provide Congress annually: (1) information on grantees who performed abortions under the exceptions, and (2) a list of entities to which grant funds are made available.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to deauthorize the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area Critical Restoration Project upon execution of a transfer agreement between the Secretary of the Army and the South Florida Water Management District, under which the District shall operate the transferred project as an environmental restoration project to provide water storage and water treatment options.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Army to carry out the project for environmental restoration, CERP, Central Everglades Planning Project, Florida, in accordance with the plans and subject to the conditions recommended in the final report of the Chief of Engineers signed on December 23, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act or the Small BREW Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to eligible state and local governments to develop, improve, or expand comprehensive domestic child trafficking deterrence programs that assist law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judicial officials, and qualified victims' services organizations in collaborating to rescue and restore the lives of trafficking victims, while investigating and prosecuting offenses involving child human trafficking. Authorizes such grants to be used for the establishment or enhancement of specialized training programs, dedicated anti-child human trafficking law enforcement units and task forces, problem solving court programs for child human trafficking victims, and victims' services programs. Amends the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 to: (1) include human trafficking and the production of child pornography within the definition of "child abuse" for purposes of such Act; and (2) authorize grants to develop and implement specialized programs to identify and provide direct services to victims of child pornography. Amends the federal criminal code to allow state and local prosecutors to obtain wiretap warrants in state courts for investigations into human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and child pornography production. Amends the Crime Control Act of 1990 to require the law enforcement agency that enters a missing children report with the National Crime Information Center to: (1) include a photograph of the child taken within the previous 180 days, and (2) notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of each child reported missing from a foster care family home or childcare institution. Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) apply the prohibition against sex trafficking of minors or of other persons by force, fraud, or coercion to patronizing or soliciting such a person for a commercial sex act, and (2) provide that the government need not prove that the defendant recklessly disregarded the fact that the victim had not yet attained 18 years of age if the defendant had a reasonable opportunity to observe the victim. Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Violent Crimes Against Children Program engage in activities to increase the investigative capabilities of law enforcement personnel in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex. Modifies the standard for defense to a prosecution for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity to require the defendant to show by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant reasonably believed that the person with whom he or she engaged in the commercial sex act had attained 18 years of age. Amends the federal criminal code to include among the rights of crime victims: (1) the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement, and (2) the right to be informed about all such rights and about victims' services required under the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 and to be provided contact information for the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States, as a leader in monitoring and combating human trafficking throughout the world, must hold all nations to U.S. standards.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015 This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to: (1) complete, within 12 months of enactment, the required audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) and of the Federal Reserve Banks; and (2) submit to Congress, within 90 days of audit completion, a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions. The bill repeals certain limitations placed upon audits of the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve banks.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to add a provision to exempt any employee with coverage under a health care program administered by the Department of Defense, including the TRICARE program, or by the Veterans Administration, from classification as an eligible employee of an applicable large employer for purposes of the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide such employees with minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child, or reasonably rely upon such a determination made by another physician, by making inquiries of the pregnant woman and performing such medical examinations and tests as a reasonably prudent physician would consider necessary. Prohibits the abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, except: (1) where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury, excluding psychological or emotional conditions; or (2) where the pregnancy is the result of rape, or the result of incest against a minor, if the rape has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency, or if the incest has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to an appropriate law enforcement agency or to a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse or neglect. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such an exception only in the manner that provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, unless that manner would pose a greater risk than other available methods would pose of the death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, excluding psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman. Subjects individuals who violate this Act to a fine, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act for violating or conspiring to violate this Act. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device to intentionally kill an unborn child or to intentionally terminate a pregnancy with an intention other than: (1) after viability, to produce a live birth and preserve the life and health of the child; or (2) to remove a dead unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Veteran's I.D. Card Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a veteran's identification card to any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment. Requires such card, among other things, to: (1) display their name and photograph, and (2) serve as proof that the veteran honorably served in the Armed Forces and has a DD-214 form or other official document in their personnel file that describes their military service. Directs the Secretary to charge a card fee. States that such card shall not serve as proof of entitlement to any benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Directs the Secretary of Defense to require state or local law enforcement, firefighting, homeland security, or emergency management agencies that purchase surplus military equipment to demonstrate, as a condition of the sale, that agency personnel have been certified, trained, or licensed in the proper operation of such equipment. Prohibits the Secretary from transferring or donating excess Department of Defense personal property to law enforcement or firefighting agencies unless the recipient agency demonstrates that personnel have received such certification, training, or licensing.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
ObamaCare Repeal Act Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of their enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Save American Workers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from an employee who is employed on average at least 30 hours of service a week to an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Patient Freedom Act of 2014 [ sic ] Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, after 2013, the requirement that individuals maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a prefiled project within 12 months after receiving a complete application that is ready to be processed. Defines "prefiled project" as a project for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a natural gas pipeline with respect to which a prefiling docket number has been assigned by FERC pursuant to a prefiling process established by FERC for the purpose of facilitating the formal application process for obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Requires the agency responsible for issuing any federal license, permit, or approval regarding the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a project for which a certificate is sought to approve or deny issuance of the certificate within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental document regarding the project. Requires FERC to grant an agency request for a 30-day extension of the 90-day time period if the agency demonstrates that it cannot otherwise complete the process required to approve or deny the license, permit, or approval, and therefore will be compelled to deny it. Authorizes FERC, in granting such an extension, to offer technical assistance to the agency in order to address conditions preventing completion of the application review. Declares that, if the agency fails to approve or deny issuance of a permit, license, or approval within the prescribed time-frame, the license, permit, or approval shall take effect upon expiration of 30 days after the period's end. Directs FERC to incorporate into the terms of a license, permit, or approval any conditions proffered by the agency that FERC does not find to be inconsistent with the final environmental document.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2015 Prohibits the executive branch of the government from: exempting or deferring from removal, by executive order, regulation, or any other means, categories of aliens considered under the immigration laws to be unlawfully present in the United States; treating such aliens as if they were lawfully present or had a lawful immigration status; or treating them other than as unauthorized aliens. States that such prohibition shall not apply: to the extent prohibited by the Constitution; upon the request of federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies for purposes of maintaining aliens in the United States to be tried for crimes or to be trial witnesses; or for humanitarian purposes where the aliens are at imminent risk of serious bodily harm or death. Declares that any executive branch action intending to circumvent the objectives of this Act shall be null and void and without legal effect. States that this Act shall take effect as if enacted on November 20, 2014, and shall apply to requests submitted on or after that date for: (1) work authorization; or (2) exemption from, or deferral of, removal.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber of Congress to increase the public debt limit. It requires a majority roll vote of each chamber to increase revenue. It also requires the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Congress is authorized to waive these requirements when a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
This bill amends the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1989 to expand the Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officers Training Program Pilot Program by authorizing the Coast Guard to establish and maintain a junior reserve officers training program in cooperation with the Pinellas County School District of Pinellas County, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the work opportunity tax credit, to: (1) make such credit permanent, and (2) allow the transfer of credit amounts to an individual other than the employer for computer services performed by a qualified veteran (i.e. an unemployed veteran with a service-connected disability).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Flood Insurance Premium Parity Act of 2015 Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to prohibit the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from estimating reduced (subsidized) risk premium rates for flood insurance for residential property that is neither the primary residence of an individual (as under current law) nor the secondary residence of the property owner. Directs FEMA to establish standards for a residential property to qualify as a secondary residence eligible for subsidized risk flood insurance premium rates that: (1) require the owner to occupy the property for an appropriate minimum period of time each year, and (2) limit subsidized risk premium rates to but a single property of the owner. Repeals the prohibition against estimating subsidized risk premium rates for business property (thus qualifying business property 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. Write Your Own companies shall have between six and eight months following issuance of final guidance and rate tables to implement the changes required by them. Directs FEMA to refund directly to insureds any flood insurance premiums collected in excess of the rates required under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Alternative Maximum Tax Act or the Max Tax Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for an alternative maximum tax for a taxpayer other than a corporate taxpayer. Limits the tax to 50% of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income, calculated by adding all federal, state, and local taxes paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year and dividing that amount by the taxpayer's adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014 - States that no provision of the Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, or other federal law shall be interpreted or applied to authorize the executive branch of the government to exempt, by executive order, regulation, or any other means, categories of persons unlawfully present in the United States from removal under the immigration laws. Declares any action by the executive branch with the purpose of circumventing the objectives of this statute null and void and without legal effect. Makes this Act effective retroactively, applying to any such exemption made at any time.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2014
Patient Freedom Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, after 2013, the requirement that individuals maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Veteran Education Empowerment Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award four-year grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish, maintain, and improve a veteran student center. Requires grantees to be IHEs that: have a population of at least 15,000 students, of which at least 1% are veterans or members of the Armed Forces; are located in a region or community that has a significant veteran population; carry out programs or activities that assist veterans in the local community; and present a sustainability plan demonstrating that their veteran student center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant ends. Defines a "veteran student center" as a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for such students and veterans in the community, and (2) a centralized office for veteran services that is staffed by trained employees and volunteers. Requires that office to provide such students with assistance in: transitioning from the military to student life, transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, networking with other students, understanding and obtaining the federal and state benefits for which they may be eligible, and understanding how to succeed in the IHE.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Honoring the Hiring of Heroes Act - Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) jointly establish a program to award nonmonetary Employment Salute Awards to employers for veteran-friendly employment practices; and (2) establish criteria, in coordination with the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Commerce, for determining award recipients. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) establish different categories of employers eligible for the awards based on the number of employees they have, and (2) publicize the award recipients by listing them in a separate section of the Department of Labor's website. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to assess a reasonable application fee on employers seeking such an award. Establishes an Employment Salute Award Fund into which those fees are to be deposited for use in carrying out the award program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Medicare CGM Access Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices furnished to a CGM qualified individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a fee schedule and ensure that CGM qualified individuals are furnished with appropriate device components.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Authorizes funding for environmental restoration activities of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in Florida as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan if the Army Corps of Engineers gives approval by December 30, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act - Sets forth provisions concerning standards for waste water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, including discharges of ballast water (water taken into the ship's ballast to maintain stability). Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish and implement enforceable uniform national standards for the regulation of discharges from vessels into navigable waters and best management practices for discharges other than ballast water. Sets as the national standard the Coast Guard's 2012 "Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters." Requires DHS to revise the ballast water performance standard so that those discharges will contain less than specified concentrations of living organisms, indicator microbes, and viruses if DHS finds that the standard would be feasible. Requires ballast water treatment technology to be certified by DHS. Prohibits DHS from certifying a technology that uses certain biocides (substances or organisms introduced into or produced by the technology to reduce or eliminate aquatic nuisance species). Sets forth exemptions from permit requirements, prohibitions of any other law, and discharge standards under this Act for specified discharges and vessels. Authorizes DHS to establish alternative programs for compliance with ballast water discharge regulations for specified vessels. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate standards for the reception of ballast water from a vessel into a reception facility and the disposal or treatment of the ballast water. Establishes this Act as the exclusive statutory authority for federal regulation of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel to which this Act applies.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to implement security measures in the electronic tax return filing process designed to prevent tax refund fraud from being perpetrated through electronic identity theft, including the use of security questions that allow for electronic matching of the answers to establish the taxpayer's identity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Inspector General Vacancy Act of 2014 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide that if the President does not nominate an Inspector General within 180 days after a vacancy occurs in that position, the individual serving as interim Inspector General shall be deemed to be appointed, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jolly, David W. [R-FL-13]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/114_rp_fl_13_jolly_david_200.jpg)