United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2015
Ensuring Affordable Energy Act This bill prohibits funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from being used to implement or enforce: (1) a cap-and-trade program, or (2) any statutory or regulatory requirement pertaining to emissions of one or more greenhouse gases from stationary sources that is issued or becomes applicable or effective after the date of enactment of this bill. A cap-and-trade program is any regulatory program established after enactment of this bill that provides for the sale, auction, or other distribution of a limited amount of allowances that permit the emission of one or more greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, or any other designated anthropogenic gas (caused by human activity).
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2015
Pay Our Military Act This bill provides FY2016 and FY2017 appropriations for military pay and allowances during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations are not in effect. In the event of a government shutdown, the bill provides continuing appropriations for pay and allowances of: members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service during the period; members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who perform inactive-duty training during the period; and civilian personnel or contractors of the Department of Defense (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) that are providing support to members of the Armed Forces. The appropriations provided by this bill for a fiscal year are available until the earliest of: (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation for the fiscal year, (2) the end of the fiscal year, or (3) January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2015
Defending Our Defenders Act This bill provides appropriations for pay and allowances for the military and supporting civilian and contractor personnel during a funding gap in which interim or full-year appropriations for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces have not been enacted for the fiscal year. The bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from furloughing any employee funded by a working-capital fund unless: (1) the fund is insolvent, or (2) the fund has insufficient funds to pay the employee. DOD may waive this restriction for national security. If the public debt reaches the statutory limit, the following obligations must have equal priority over all other U.S. obligations: principal and interest on debt held by the public, pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces on active duty, salaries for DOD civilian employees, and salaries for DOD contractors. The funds and authorities provided by this bill are available until the earliest of January 1, 2016, or enactment of specified appropriations legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Eastern Band Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act This bill takes specified lands and easements in Monroe County, Tennessee, into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These lands include the Sequoyah Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial, and land to provide support for these properties and cultural programs. With the agreement of the Department of the Interior and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the United States must take into trust for the benefit of the tribe certain additional TVA lands and easements that are identified by the tribe as being of significant historical and cultural importance. The TVA maintains its right to carry out river control and development on these lands, including temporarily and intermittently flooding certain lands. The bill specifies the structures that may be constructed with the TVA's consent on certain lands subject to flooding. The TVA must be compensated for lost hydropower capacity from future development of these lands. Gaming on these lands is prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to prohibit an alien who is not in a lawful immigration status from being eligible for any postsecondary education benefit unless every citizen and national of this country is eligible to receive that benefit in no less of an amount, duration, or scope. (This replaces a prohibition against a state's offering such aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state that are more generous than those offered citizens or naturals of this country without regard to their state residence.) Allows any citizen or national who is enrolled at a postsecondary educational institution that is alleged to have violated that prohibition to bring a civil action against any state official overseeing the institution to obtain appropriate relief, attorneys' fees, and court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2015 This bill provides that federal departments, agencies, or courts must not prohibit, interfere with, regulate, or otherwise restrict the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk or milk products packaged for direct human consumption if: the action is based on a determination that, solely because the product is unpasteurized, it is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise in violation of federal law; the state of origin allows unpasteurized milk or milk products to be distributed for direct human consumption by any means; the product is produced, packaged, and moved in compliance with the laws of the state of origin; and the product is moved from the state of origin with the intent to transport it to another state which allows the distribution of unpasteurized milk or milk products for direct human consumption. The bill does not preempt any state laws.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Milk Freedom Act of 2015 This bill provides that federal departments, agencies, or courts must not prohibit, interfere with, regulate, or otherwise restrict the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk or milk products packaged for direct human consumption based on the determination that, solely because the product is unpasteurized, it is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise in violation of federal law.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed. The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions to include: institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; certain facilities that have an active written contract with an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan or Taxon Advisory Group for breeding prohibited wildlife species; persons who do not allow the transportation and display of prohibited wildlife species off-site; current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service within 180 days; and certain traveling circuses that hold Class C licenses under the Animal Welfare Act. Entities exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions must require that current owners and circuses not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a physician from knowingly performing a dismemberment abortion. It provides a definition of the term "dismemberment abortion." A physician who performs a dismemberment abortion is subject to a criminal fine, up to two years in prison, or both, unless the dismemberment abortion was necessary to save the mother's life. A woman or a parent of a minor who undergoes a dismemberment abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this bill. The legislation bars the criminal prosecution of a woman who undergoes a dismemberment abortion for conspiracy to violate the provisions of this bill, for being a principal or an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Social Security Beneficiary 2nd Amendment Rights Protection Act This bill amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit any determination by the Commissioner of Social Security with respect to an individual, including one that OASDI and SSI benefits to which that individual is entitled shall be paid to a representative payee, from being considered to be a determination that the individual has been adjudicated as a mental defective to make it unlawful for the individual to engage in the shipment or transport of firearms or ammunition or receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Supports the designation of Special Operations Forces Appreciation Month to honor members of U.S. Special Operations Forces for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Honesty in Consumer Price Index Reporting Act This bill directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to report regularly and routinely an additional data set designed to replicate the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (or CPI-W set) reflecting a fixed market basket of goods and services, omitting consideration of substitution of goods and services due to changes in individual consumption patterns caused by price increases, utilizing the methodology that was employed by the Bureau in 1980.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Impeaches Regina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for high crimes and misdemeanors regarding testimony on the EPA's Clean Water Rule defining "waters of the United States." Sets forth the articles of impeachment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that: the atrocities committed against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities targeted specifically for religious reasons are crimes against humanity and genocide; each of the Contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly the governments of countries and their nationals who are in any way supporting these crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the Convention and these international agreements; the United Nations (U.N.) and the Secretary-General are called upon to assert leadership by calling the atrocities war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; the member states of the U.N., with an appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious freedom and justice, should collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and collaborate on the establishment of tribunals to punish those responsible for the ongoing crimes; the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other countries are commended for having undertaken to shelter and protect those fleeing extremist violence; and those who force the migration of religious communities from their ancestral homelands, including specifically the Nineveh Plain and Mount Sinjar, should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed and under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act This bill prohibits the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions against Iran under any provision of law, or refraining from applying sanctions pursuant to requirements under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (as amended by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015) for any nuclear agreement with Iran, until the President has certified to Congress that Iran has paid each judgment: that was brought against it, or against it and any other country; for which Iran was not immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts under specified terrorism exceptions to immunity under the judicial code; and that was entered during the period March 4, 2000-May 22, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2015
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend posthumous citizenship to an otherwise qualified noncitizen who enlisted, reenlisted, extended enlistment, or was inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces in the Philippines and died as a result of such active duty service during the period September 1, 1939-December 31, 1946. The executive department under which a person served shall determine whether the person satisfied the requirements for posthumous citizenship. Specified naturalization and other posthumous benefit provisions shall not apply to the surviving spouse, child, or parent of such a person.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
United States Postal Service Shipping Equity Act Authorizes the mailing of alcoholic beverages by a covered entity in accordance with the delivery requirements otherwise applicable to a privately carried shipment. Defines a "covered entity" as an entity (including a winery, brewery, or beverage distilled spirits plant, or other wholesale, distributer, or retailer of alcoholic beverages) that has registered with, obtained a permit from, or obtained approval of an application from the Department of the Treasury pursuant to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act or the Internal Revenue Code provisions regarding alcohol, tobacco, and certain other excise taxes. Directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to prescribe regulations: (1) requiring such mailing to be through a means that ensures direct delivery to a duly authorized agent at a postal facility or to the addressee, who must be at least 21 years of age and present a valid, government-issued photo identification at the time of delivery; (2) prohibiting such alcoholic beverages from being for resale or any other commercial purpose; and (3) requiring such covered entity to certify that the mailing is not in violation of applicable laws or regulations and to provide other information as directed by the USPS, including with respect to the prepayment of state alcohol beverage taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Agent Orange Extension Act of 2015 This bill extends for two years the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicides, including Agent Orange, with respect to veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. The Agent Orange Act of 1991 is amended to extend for two years the authority of the VA to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides, including the association between exposure to a herbicide used in U.S. and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era and each disease suspected to be associated with such exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Prohibiting the Life-Ending Industry of Fetal Organ Exchange Act or the Pro-LIFE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for valuable consideration, including payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt the tax deduction for charitable contributions from the limitation on itemized deductions based on taxpayer adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Resettlement Accountability National Security Act of 2015 This bill prohibits the admission of refugees into the United States until Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to resume admitting refugees. Requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on refugees who received benefits under any of the following programs: Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Calls upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives to encourage committee chairs to schedule the following legislation for immediate consideration and, if reported favorably by their respective committees, for votes on the House floor: H.R. 2802, the First Amendment Defense Act; H. Res. 359, providing that the House of Representatives disagrees with the Supreme Court's majority opinion in Obergefell v . Hodges ; H.R. 3134, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015; and H.R. 3197, the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Preserving Public Access to Public Waters Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce to obtain approval from the relevant fish and wildlife management agency of a state or territory before restricting fishing access to state or territorial marine waters that are within the jurisdiction of the National Park Service or the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, including coastal waters and estuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to jurisdiction of courts in the United States over foreign manufacturers that import products into the United States. Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (with respect to drugs, devices, cosmetics, and biological products), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (with respect to consumer products), and the Environmental Protection Agency (with respect to chemical substances, new chemical substances, and pesticides) to require foreign manufacturers and producers of such products (or components used to manufacture them), in excess of a minimum value or quantity, to establish a registered agent in the United States authorized to accept service of process on their behalf for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court. Deems a foreign manufacturer or producer of products covered under this Act that registers an agent to consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of the state in which the agent is located for the purpose of any civil or regulatory proceeding. Requires any person who imports into the United States a covered product manufactured or produced outside the United States to provide to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a declaration that to the best of the person's knowledge, with respect to the importation of each covered product, the foreign manufacturer or producer of the product has registered an agent in the United States. Directs the CBP Commissioner to prescribe related regulations. Subjects an importer who fails to provide or files a false declaration to certain penalties. Requires the Department of Agriculture and the FDA jointly to study the feasibility and advisability of requiring foreign producers of food distributed in commerce to establish a registered agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of such producers for the purpose of all civil and regulatory actions in state and federal courts. Requires the head of each agency cited in this Act similarly to study feasible and advisable methods of requiring foreign manufacturers or producers of component parts of covered products distributed in U.S. commerce to establish registered agents in the United States for purposes of such service of process.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Further Flexibility in HIT Reporting and Advancing Interoperability Act or the Flex-IT 2 Act This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify Medicare and Medicaid program requirements related to electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use programs, which establish incentives to promote EHR meaningful use and the adoption of health information technology (HIT). Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to establish and apply a linear scale to determine meaningful or "partial meaningful" EHR use. In accordance with this linear scale, eligible professionals and hospitals that are partial meaningful EHR users shall: (1) receive certain incentive payments currently available only to meaningful EHR users, and (2) be partially exempt from certain negative payment adjustments. In addition, the bill: (1) establishes three-month reporting periods for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payment programs; (2) modifies provisions regarding quality reporting on meaningful EHR use; (3) expands the hardship exception to Medicare EHR payment adjustments; and (4) limits, with respect to timing and frequency, the adoption of more stringent measures of EHR meaningful use under Medicaid and Medicare. The bill also amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to pause rulemaking related to EHR meaningful use, unless and until specified conditions are met; and (2) prohibit HHS from proposing the adoption of certain untested standards regarding HIT.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Cuba Trade Act of 2015 This bill repeals or amends current laws restricting trade with Cuba. The prohibition on assistance to Cuba, and the President's authority for the embargo on Cuba, under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 are eliminated. The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 is amended to eliminate: presidential authority to impose sanctions against Cuban trading partners, restrictions on transactions between U.S.-owned or controlled firms and Cuba, limitations on direct shipping between Cuban and U.S. ports, and restrictions on remittances. The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 is amended to eliminate: the enforcement of an economic embargo of Cuban provisions, and the prohibition on indirect financing of Cuba. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 is amended to: remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions; eliminate the prohibition on U.S. assistance, including foreign assistance, export assistance, and any credit or guarantees being made available for exports to Cuba; eliminate the prohibition against a U.S. person's providing payment or financing terms for sales of agricultural commodities or products to Cuba; prohibit the United States from providing any foreign assistance to Cuba or any financial assistance, loans, loan guarantees, extension of credit, or other financing for exports to Cuba; and eliminate the prohibition on the U.S. entry of merchandise that is of Cuban origin, is or has been located in or transported from or through Cuba, or is made or derived in whole or in part of any article which is the growth, produce, or manufacture of Cuba. The federal government may not obligate or expend any funds to promote trade with or develop markets in Cuba, except through certain commodity promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Veterans Emergency Treatment Act or the VET Act This bill declares that, if a veteran who is enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care program requests a medical examination or treatment at an emergency department of a VA medical facility, the veteran shall be provided with: a medical screening examination to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists; and if an emergency condition exists, stabilizing medical treatment or transfer to another VA or non-VA medical facility. If a non-stabilized emergency medical condition exists the VA hospital may not transfer the veteran unless the veteran, after being made aware of the risks, makes a written transfer request, or a physician (or a qualified medical person if a physician is not present) certifies that the medical benefits of a transfer outweigh the risks. The VA may not take adverse action against a VA employee because the employee refuses to authorize the transfer of an enrolled veteran with a non-stabilized emergency medical condition or because the employee reports a violation of a requirement of this Act. A VA or non-VA medical facility may not delay provision of an appropriate medical screening examination or further medical examination and treatment required in order to inquire about the payment method or insurance status of an enrolled veteran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Protecting America's Warriors Act This bill states that any provision in any law, rule, regulation, or executive order that prohibits trained military personnel or trained civilian personnel from carrying officially-issued or personally-owned firearms (defined as handguns only) on a military installation in the United States shall have no force or effect with regard to such military personnel. The Department of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments shall not reinstate the firearm bans or enact similar restrictions prohibiting or restricting trained military personnel or trained civilian personnel from carrying officially-issued or personally-owned firearms on a military installation in the United States. The President shall not take any executive action or promulgate any rule or issue any executive order or regulation to prohibit or restrict trained military personnel or trained civilian personnel from carrying officially-issued or personally-owned firearms on a military installation in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the July 16, 2015, attack upon members of the Armed Forces at the Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center and the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, meets the criteria for the award of the Purple Heart, and (2) the Secretary of the Navy should award the Purple Heart to the members of the Marine Corps and Navy who were killed or wounded in the attack.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
End Trafficking of the Terminated Unborn Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the use of tissue from an induced abortion for research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health on the transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. Soliciting or acquiring a donation of fetal tissue from an induced abortion for a purpose other than disposal is prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to expand the exemption of custom slaughtering of animals from federal inspection requirements. Under current law, the exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered for personal, household, guest, and employee uses. The bill expands the exemption to include meat that is: slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state and restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or sell meat and food products directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility, or the sale of meat or meat food products.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill prohibits federal funding of an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of funding, the entity will not perform, and will not provide funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion, except in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers the woman's life unless an abortion is performed. This applies to a hospital only if the hospital funds a non-hospital entity that performs abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2015 Directs the Federal Trade Commission to require prescribers of animal drugs to verify prescriptions and provide copies of prescriptions to pet owners, pet owner designees, and pharmacies, without the prescriber demanding payment or establishing other conditions. Applies these requirements to medication for a domesticated household animal that consumers are not allowed to purchase without a prescription. Treats a violation of this Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Cost of Services and Translations Act or the COST Act Requires federal agency Chief Financial Officers to include multilingual services accounting information in their mandatory annual reports to the agency head and to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Defines multilingual services to include: (1) services provided by interpreters hired by an agency; (2) services resulting in additional expenses which an agency provides to assist its employees or contractors to learn a non-English language; (3) agency preparation, translation, printing, or recordation of materials in a language other than English; and (4) services provided or performed for the federal government by agency employees or contractors that require speaking a non-English language that result in wage differentials or benefits provided by the agency. Requires the annual financial management status report of the OMB to certain congressional committees to contain a Multilingual Services Expenses Report that includes: (1) a summary and analysis of the multilingual services accounting information prepared by each agency Chief Financial Officer, and (2) a description of any changes to the existing financial management structure of the federal government needed to establish an integrated individual agency accounting of all multilingual services conducted by each agency. Requires the OMB to issue guidance that an agency Chief Financial Officer must follow in compiling multilingual services accounting information.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Veterans Health Care Freedom Act This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Choice Program permanent. Eligibility requirements under the Program are revised. The VA shall submit an annual report to Congress that includes the following: (1) any increase or decrease in the number of veterans seeking hospital care or medical services at each VA medical facility, and (2) facility budget recommendations based upon such increase or decrease.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Tax Administration Integrity Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from hiring any contractors or designating other non-IRS employees to receive summoned books, papers, records, or other data and to take summoned testimony under oath.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Reaffirms the trust status of land taken into trust by the United States pursuant to the Indian Reorganization Act before the date of enactment of this Act for the benefit of an Indian tribe that was federally recognized on the date the land was taken into trust. Ratifies and confirms any action taken by the Department of the Interior for the purpose of acquiring and taking land into trust under such Act as if such action had been taken under a federal law specifically authorizing or directing it. Makes this Act applicable to all claims pending on, or filed on or after, the date of enactment of this Act. Requires any land taken into trust that has been ratified and confirmed pursuant to this Act to remain Indian country.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These Centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to support the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
This bill prohibits the Social Security Administration from providing to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) the name of any individual entitled to benefits, including any individual whose benefits are paid to a representative payee, unless a federal court has determined the individual to be mentally defective. (Current law prohibits the sale or transfer of a firearm to and the purchase or possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act or the FUELS Act This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ease the application of the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule on certain farms. The rule requires certain non-transportation-related facilities to prevent, prepare, and respond to oil discharges that may reach navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. Among other requirements, the rule requires those facilities to: (1) certify compliance with their SPCC plans; and (2) based on the plan, construct containment facilities that would hold the contents of aboveground oil storage tanks if they should spill. The bill increases the oil storage thresholds that necessitate compliance with those requirements by raising the aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity thresholds for: (1) farms required to have an SPCC plan, (2) farms that self-certify their SPCC plan, and (3) farms that require a certification of their SPCC plan from a professional engineer. The bill also raises the aboveground oil storage capacity of containers that must be included in calculating the aggregate aboveground storage capacity.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Securing Military Personnel Response Firearm Initiative Act or SEMPER FI Act This bill directs the Secretary concerned to authorize an eligible member of the Armed Forces assigned to an Armed Forces recruitment center to carry a service-issue sidearm as a personal- or force-protection measure while on duty at the recruiting center, notwithstanding any federal, state, or local law or Department of Defense policy to the contrary. In lieu of authorizing eligible members of the Armed Forces to carry a service-issue sidearm, or in addition, the Secretary concerned may implement additional security measures for Armed Forces recruitment centers, including improved structural security measures. This Act shall not be interpreted to grant any member of the Armed Forces the authority to conduct civilian law enforcement functions within U.S. territory.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2015
Directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a Veterans' Curation Program to hire veterans and members of the Armed Forces to assist in carrying out curation and historic preservation activities.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2015
Enhancing Safety at Military Installations Act This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to issue a new directive authorizing trained military personnel to carry military-issued firearms on military bases and Armed Forces recruitment facilities. Army Regulation 190-14, entitled "Carrying of Firearms and Use of Force for Law Enforcement and Security Duties," and DOD Directive Number 5210.56, entitled "Use of Deadly Force and the Carrying of Firearms by DOD Personnel Engaged in Law Enforcement and Security Duties" are repealed. Any provision in any other law, rule, regulation, or executive order that prohibits trained military personnel from carrying officially issued firearms on military bases and Armed Forces recruitment facilities shall have no force or effect. Trained military personnel shall not be prohibited from carrying officially issued firearms on military bases or Armed Forces recruitment facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2015 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and periodically update a National Family Caregiving Strategy. HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise it on recognizing and supporting family caregivers. Federal departments and agencies must share with HHS any data they maintain that HHS needs to prepare the initial and updated Strategies.
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