United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now for National Service Act or the ACTION for National Service Act This bill amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to reestablish the Corporation for National and Community Service as an independent executive agency called the National and Community Service Administration. An individual who successfully completes a term of full-time national service shall be entitled to a national service educational award equal to twice the amount of tuition for the institution of higher education where the individual is enrolled, not to exceed twice the average in-state tuition. Current law limits the award's value to the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant that an individual is eligible to receive in the aggregate. Within the administration, the bill establishes an interagency working group to evaluate specified issues related to: (1) eligibility for tuition and student loan repayment assistance with regard to participation in certain national or volunteer service programs, (2) the advisability of granting federal hiring preference to certain volunteer program participants, and (3) methods for increasing the participation of seniors in national service programs. The National Service Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established by the bill, shall accept and administer gifts made in connection with the administration. The bill expresses support for the authorization of appropriations sufficient to provide, within 10 years, volunteer service opportunities for at least 1 million volunteers in full-time national service annually. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude AmeriCorps educational awards from gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
National Adoption and Foster Care Home Study Act This bill amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to direct a state receiving from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a community-based formula grant for the prevention of child abuse and neglect to establish a demonstration program through which the state: adopts a specific evidence-based, uniform, national home study program for the evaluation of prospective foster parents and adoptive parents; and furnishes HHS with data gathered through operation of the program. HHS shall establish a national registry of home study reports filed by home study practitioners using an HHS-developed methodology meeting specified criteria. This registry must be accessible to state foster care and adoption agencies, or a designated entity as determined by the lead agency in the state, to assist with the selection of prospective foster parents and adoptive parents.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016
Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil or gas exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2016
Birth Control Privacy Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit wellness programs from sharing with an employer information related to an individual's use of contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2016
Protecting Foster Youth Resources to Promote Self-Sufficiency 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 a state or local government agency serving as representative payee for an eligible individual in foster care under state responsibility from using any OASDI or SSI benefits to reimburse the state for: foster care maintenance payments, or other payments made by the state or political subdivision of the state to cover any cost or expense for such an individual. The state plan for foster care and adoption assistance shall require the state agency to: develop and implement procedures to ensure that such a child is screened to determine potential eligibility for OASDI and SSI benefits; assist a potentially eligible child in applying for, and (if necessary) appealing any decisions made regarding, such benefits; apply to become the child's representative payee if there is no other suitable candidate available; and develop and implement procedures to ensure that any child potentially eligible for, or receiving, OASDI or SSI benefits, is assisted with applying for such benefits. The state plan for foster care and adoption assistance shall require the state agency, regarding each foster child under state responsibility and on whose behalf the state receives OASDI or SSI benefits, to develop a plan for the child to achieve self-support after leaving foster care. A representative payee that is a state shall manage the OASDI or SSI benefits paid to it on behalf of an individual in foster care under state responsibility. Under the SSI program, any assets managed on behalf of an eligible foster child under state responsibility shall be excluded in determining the child's resources, and support and maintenance furnished in cash or in kind shall be disregarded in determining the child's income.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2016
Disapproves of activities by certain corporations and trade associations, foundations, and organizations funded by those corporations deliberately to: (1) mislead the public and undermine peer-reviewed scientific research about the dangers of their products, and (2) cast doubt on science in order to protect their financial interests. Urges fossil fuel companies and allied organizations to cooperate with active or future investigations into: their climate change-related activities, what they knew about climate change and when they knew of it, what they knew about the harmful effects of fossil fuels on the climate, and any activities to mislead the public about climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Promoting Readiness through Early Pell Act of 2016 or the PREP Act of 2016 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by allowing a Federal Pell Grant to be awarded to a student who is dually or concurrently enrolled at a public institution of higher education and a secondary school.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2016
Fair Employment Protection Act of 2016 This bill sets forth employer liability standards to be applied in employee harassment claims under specified provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Revised Statutes, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, employment discrimination laws relating to certain executive branch employees, and the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. The bill declares that employers under such Acts are liable for the acts of any individual whose harassment of an employee has created or continued an unlawful hostile work environment if, at the time of the harassment: (1) such individual was authorized by that employer to undertake or recommend tangible employment actions affecting the employee or to direct the employee's daily work activities, or (2) the negligence of the employer led to the creation or continuation of that hostile work environment (thus modifies the liability standards provided by the Supreme Court in Vance v. Ball State University , which limited the category of supervisors for whom an employer may be held vicariously liable to those individuals who have authority to take tangible employment actions).
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Honors the life, work, and legacy of Elie Wiesel. Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the members of Wiesel's family. Reaffirms Wiesel's efforts to preserve the memory of those who perished and prevent the recurrence of another Holocaust, to combat hate and intolerance, and to never forget and also learn from the lessons of history.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Advises the International Olympic Committee that the United States would welcome the holding of the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California, the site designated by the United States Olympic Committee. Expresses the hope that the United States will be selected. Pledges cooperation and support toward the successful fulfillment of those games.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2016
Small Business Access to Capital Act of 2016 This bill amends the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 to extend for an additional eight fiscal years the State Small Business Credit Initiative to assist participating states to give collateral support and other innovative credit access and guarantee initiatives for small business concerns and manufacturers. The bill prescribes allocations of federal funds to participating states. Treasury may award, on a competitive basis, up to a total of $1 billion in two tranches, according to specified criteria, to participating states and consortiums of participating states for use: (1) for making federal contributions to, or for the account of, an approved state program; or (2) as collateral for a qualifying loan or swap funding facility. The State Small Business Credit Initiative Act of 2010 is amended to revise minimum program requirements for state capital access programs. Treasury may not approve any state capital access program that fails to include a plan that promotes a fair share of federal contributions to be used to strengthen and increase economic opportunities for small business concerns in low-and moderate-income, minority, and other underserved communities and women- and minority-owned small business concerns. In making a determination that a state other credit support program is eligible for federal contributions to, or for the account of, the state program, Treasury shall take into account the extent to which the state plans to use these contributions to provide access to capital for small business concerns in low- and moderate-income, minority, and other underserved communities and to women- and minority-owned small businesses, and the extent to which resulting small business lending will expand economic opportunities for such communities and such concerns. The bill revises the mandatory contents of each participating state's annual report to Treasury on its capital access program. Treasury shall: consult with the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) of the Departmental Offices of Treasury, among others, on the administration of the state capital access program; and ensure adequate oversight of the approved state programs to ensure efforts to expand economic opportunity for minority- and women-owned small business concerns. Treasury shall also: consult with the OMWI in issuing such regulations and other guidance to implement the Act; and in issuing these regulations, seek public input from community, civil rights, consumer advocates, small business advocates, and other interested or affected parties.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2016
Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild National Skills Act or the LEARNS Act This bill establishes, in the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor, an Office of Apprenticeship to: determine whether an apprenticeship program meets requirements for registration and maintains the standards necessary to remain registered, manage the national apprenticeship system (the collective group of registered apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs in the nation), and make grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to carry out projects that support development of pre-apprenticeship programs. The bill also establishes in Labor a National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships. Labor and the Department of Education shall establish a voluntary Registered Apprenticeship-College Collaborative consisting of the sponsors carrying out registered apprenticeship programs, two- or four-year postsecondary educational institutions, and organizations that represent such programs or institutions, that agree to meet certain criteria in order to promote stronger connections between the registered apprenticeship programs involved and participating two- and four-year postsecondary educational institutions. Labor shall make assistance payments to eligible sponsors of new registered apprenticeship programs or of existing programs that add employers as new partners, which may include joint labor-management registered apprenticeship programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 July 2016
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American major league athletics, civil rights, and the Armed Forces during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, divides career and technical education (CTE) students into CTE concentrators and CTE participants, and revises requirements for within-state funding allocations. The bill also revises requirements for core indicators of performance, including state adjusted levels of performance, to differentiate those for CTE concentrators who graduate from high school and for CTE concentrators at the postsecondary level. The Institute for Education Sciences shall act for the Department of Education (ED) to appoint the independent advisory panel on the evaluation of CTE programs. The bill revises requirements for the contents of an evaluation. ED may award grants to eligible entities, including local educational agencies and area CTE schools, to: create, develop, implement, or take to scale evidence-based, field initiated innovations, including through a pay for success initiative to improve CTE student outcomes; and evaluate such innovations rigorously. The bill reauthorizes through FY2022 grants for tribally controlled CTE institutions, and repeals the authorization for assistance for certain occupational and information activities. State plans shall be for four years instead of six years. The bill revises requirements for: such plans as well as state program improvement plans and state leadership activities; local applications for CTE programs, including a comprehensive CTE needs assessment, and local uses of funds; and state maintenance of efforts, including administrative penalties for failure to meet maintenance requirements. The bill repeals the separate mandate for tech prep education. The Government Accountability Office shall evaluate: the strategies, components, policies, and practices used by eligible agencies or eligible recipients receiving funding to assist successfully all students in pursuing and completing programs of study aligned to high-skill, high-wage occupations, as well as any specific underrepresented subgroup of students; and any challenges associated with replication of such strategies, components, policies, and practices. The Wagner-Peyser Act is amended to revise the duties of a state agency receiving federal assistance for participation in the nationwide employment statistics system of workforce and labor market information.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2016
Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 100,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the landing and settlement of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, and the role of the indigenous Wampanoag tribes in the realization of the settlement. These coins may be issued only during a two-year period beginning January 1, 2020. Sales of such coins shall include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury as follows: 50% to Plymouth 400, Inc., to support the its work to develop, implement, and provide oversight for the commemorations surrounding the events of 2020-2021 and to be distributed, at the organization's discretion, to local historical preservation and cultural organizations to support their work in educating the public about the settlement of 1620 and their continued existence for the benefit of future generations; 15% to Plimoth Plantation to support its effort to maintain the replica of the 1627 Plantation, the Mayflower II, and the replica of the Wampanoag Village; 15% to a Wampanoag tribal organization to continue programs to educate people about the life of the Wampanoag people prior to the Plymouth settlement and their interactions with the settlers; 10% to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants to support the continued restoration of the main facility in Plymouth, to provide funding for its research library at that site, and for educational purposes; and 10% to the Pilgrim Society to continue its work in displaying the story of the settlement and settlement artifacts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Coal Cleanup Taxpayer Protection Act This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act to prohibit the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) and state regulatory authorities from accepting new self-bonds for coal reclamation. Additionally, any existing self-bonds or corporate bonds utilized for coal reclamation must be converted to surety or collateral bonds. The OSMRE may approve state or federal alternative coal mining bond programs that result in no greater risk of financial liability to the federal government than a surety or collateral bond program. The bill also requires the OSMRE to issue rules establishing limitations on surety bonds to minimize the financial liability to the federal or state government.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2016
Condemns the June 12, 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Offers condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed and expresses hope for the recovery of those who were wounded. Applauds the bravery and dedication of the law enforcement officials, emergency medical responders, and others who offered their support and assistance. Declares that the House of Representatives stands together united against terrorism and hatred.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2016
Voting Access Act This bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require each state to comply with national standards established by the Election Assistance Commission for the location and operation of polling places used in elections for federal office. The Commission shall establish such standards and study instances of the misidentification by election officials of the political party registration of individuals attempting to vote in primary elections for federal office.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2016
Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016 This bill amends Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) regarding: (1) mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services and in-home parenting skill-based programs, (2) foster care maintenance payments for children with parents in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility for substance abuse, and (3) payments for evidence-based kinship navigator programs. Part B (Child and Welfare Services) of SSAct title IV is amended regarding: (1) time limits for family reunification services for children in foster care or returning home, (2) grants for the development of an electronic interstate case-processing system to expedite the interstate placement of children in foster care or guardianship or for adoption, and (3) targeted grants to increase the well-being of children affected by substance abuse. The Department of Health and Human Services shall identify reputable model standards for the licensing of foster family homes. SSAct title IV part B is amended regarding tracking and preventing child maltreatment. SSAct title IV part E is amended regarding: (1) kinship guardianship assistance and prevention services, (2) foster care maintenance payments program and limited federal financial participation, and (3) assessment and judicial documentation of the need for placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program. SSAct title IV part B is amended regarding procedures and protocols a state has established to ensure that children in foster care placements are not inappropriately diagnosed with mental illness, other emotional or behavioral disorders, medically fragile conditions, or developmental disabilities, and as a result placed in settings that are not foster family homes. SSAct title IV part E is amended regarding children in foster care who have been placed in a child care institution or other setting that is not a foster family home. SSAct title IV part B to reauthorize through FY2021: (1) the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program, (2) promotion of safe and stable families programs, (3) funding reservations for monthly caseworker visits and regional partnership grants, and (4) funding for state courts. SSAct title IV part E is amended to: (1) revise the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program and related programs, and (2) reauthorize the adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs through FY2021. SSAct title IV part B is amended to delay the adoption assistance phase-in. The Government Accountability Office shall study the extent to which states comply with certain SSAct requirements relating to the effects of phasing out the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program income eligibility requirements for adoption assistance payments.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2016
Supports the designation of U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Month in honor of the role aircraft carriers have held for almost 90 years serving the Nation's interests in times of war and peace. Pledges to celebrate aircraft carrier contributions and heritage in each district.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2016
SNAP Healthy Incentives Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide a financial incentive for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) participants to purchase fruits and vegetables.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 7 June 2016
Presidential Tax Transparency Act This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require any candidate of a major party for the office of President to file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a copy of the candidate's income tax returns for the three most recent taxable years for which such a return has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service as of the date of the nomination. In any case in which such a candidate has not filed with the FEC such income tax returns within 30 days after the nomination date, the FEC shall request the Department of the Treasury to furnish the returns. A tax return furnished to the FEC by a candidate or by Treasury shall be treated in the same manner as a report filed by the candidate and, except for the appropriate redaction of certain information, shall be made publicly available at the same time and in the same manner as other reports and statements. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the FEC to disclose to the public the applicable tax returns of any person who has been nominated as a candidate of a major party. Treasury shall furnish the FEC with copies of any requested returns.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2016
LGBT Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to establish data standards that require: a determination of which existing data sets exclude information about sexual orientation and gender identity; an identification, and a use, of appropriate methods to include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys that facilitate categorization and voluntary participation and that preserve privacy and confidentiality; and a routine assessment of needed changes in survey methods related to asking such questions. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals shall not be: (1) required by this bill to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to an agency; or (2) subjected to fines or penalties for refusing to answer, or providing a false answer to, any survey question regarding gender identity or sexual orientation. Nothing in this bill shall be construed to permit the use of such collected information in a manner that would adversely affect an individual.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
All Kids Matter Act This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to revise state plan requirements to require: the state to identify and provide appropriate prevention, intervention, and support services before placing a child in foster care as part of its reasonable efforts to preserve and reunify families; that all at-risk children, children in foster care, and children who have left foster care to return home through reunification or reinstatement of parental rights, or for kinship guardianship or adoption, be provided with a standard array of child welfare services; the state to submit, update, and revise as necessary a description of its activities and delivery mechanisms for achieving increased permanency for all infants, children, and youth. Payments to states shall incorporate: (1) an amount equal to the federal medical assistance percentage for the state under SSAct title XIX (Medicaid), and (2) a performance achievement payment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall establish criteria for assessing state performance in order to award performance achievement payments to the states. States may elect an alternative allotment for specified administrative costs. Aid to Families with Dependent Children eligibility under SSAct title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) is removed from eligibility requirements under the Foster Care Maintenance Program. States may provide services to an individual age 18-21 who is pursing legal permanency through family reunification, permanent placement with a planned permanent living arrangement, or such other pathways to permanency as the state, in consultation with HHS, may specify. Eligibility for John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program services and education and training vouchers shall extend to youth who return home after attaining age 16. HHS, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Education shall jointly develop and disseminate to states permanency-supportive housing options.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2016
Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start for Infants program for FY2017-FY2022. (The purpose of this program is to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2016
Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, because it: (1) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty, (2) is a commercial activity not grounded in Chinese history, (3) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people, and (4) threatens global public health. Urges: the government of China and the Yulin authorities to ban the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival and to enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products and the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin requiring one certificate for one dog on trans-provincial transport trucks, and the National People's Congress of China to enact an animal anticruelty law that bans the dog meat trade. Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2016
Urges the United States Soccer Federation to immediately end gender pay inequity and to treat all athletes with respect and dignity. Expresses support for an end to pay discrimination based on gender and the strengthening of equal pay protections.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2016
Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically Act or the Middle Class CHANCE Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify provisions related to the Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, it increases the maximum Federal Pell Grant award for academic year 2017-2018 and adjusts it in subsequent award years to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index. Additionally, the bill increases from one to two the number of Pell Grants an eligible student may receive in a single award year (i.e., it restores year-round Pell Grants). An eligible student is a student who: (1) has already received one Pell Grant for an award year, (2) is enrolled in an eligible program for an additional payment period (e.g., a summer term) during the same award year, (3) is enrolled on at least a part-time basis, and (4) has completed a full-time course load prior to receiving an additional Pell Grant. A student's total amount of Pell Grants must not exceed 150% of the maximum Pell Grant for that award year. Also, any period during which a student receives an additional Pell Grant counts toward that student's lifetime Pell Grant eligibility period. Finally, the bill increases from 12 to 15 semesters a student's lifetime Federal Pell Grant eligibility period.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Consortia-Led Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Networks Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to carry out a grant program for establishing consortia to enhance U.S. economic, environmental, and energy security by promoting domestic research, development, manufacture, and deployment of clean technologies and advanced manufacturing processes. Clean technology means technologies, production processes, or methodologies that: produce energy from renewable energy sources; transmit, distribute, or store energy more efficiently; enhance energy efficiency for buildings and industry; enable the development of a Smart Grid (an evolving electric power network that utilizes new information technology systems, including those that enable customers to reduce or shift their power use during peak demand periods); produce an advanced or sustainable material with energy or energy efficiency applications; improve energy efficiency for transportation; or enhance water security through improved water management, conservation, distribution, or end use applications.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2016
Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing air traffic controllers, to give preferential consideration to qualified individuals maintaining 52 consecutive weeks of experience involving the active separation of air traffic after receipt of an air traffic certification or facility rating within 5 years of application while serving at an FAA air traffic control facility, a civilian or military air traffic control facility of the Department of Defense, or a tower operating under contract with the FAA. The FAA shall consider additional applicants by referring an approximately equal number of employees for appointment among two applicant pools. The number referred from each group shall not differ by more than 10%. Pool one shall consist of applicants who: have successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program and have received an appropriate recommendation or endorsement from such institution, are eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment and provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing, are veterans eligible for veterans' benefits who maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience, or are preference eligible veterans. Pool two shall consist of applicants who apply under a vacancy announcement recruiting from all U.S. citizens. The FAA: (1) may not use a biographical assessment when hiring, (2) must provide an individual who applied in response to a specified 2014 vacancy announcement and was disqualified as the result of a biographical assessment an opportunity to reapply under the revised hiring practices, and (3) must waive any maximum age limit for such reapplying applicants who met such requirement when they applied under such announcement. Otherwise, the maximum age limit for an original appointment as an air traffic controller under this bill shall be 35 years of age. The FAA shall consider directly notifying secondary schools and institutes of higher learning of a vacancy announcement for pool one applicants.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Expanding DHS Overseas Passenger Security Screening and Vetting Operations Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report to Congress: a comprehensive five-year strategy for international programs or operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that are targeted at vetting and screening persons seeking to enter the United States and in which DHS personnel and resources are deployed abroad; annually with the President's budget request for each fiscal year through FY2022, an implementation plan based on such strategy; a plan for expanding, within five years, the Visa Security Program in a risk-based manner, and a plan for deploying the Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team program, to at least 50 U.S. diplomatic and consular posts that issue visas; and a plan for expanding participation in trusted traveler programs. CBP shall increase the numbers of CBP officers and Agriculture Specialists for each of FY2017-FY2018. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within CBP the Immigration Cooperation Program, under which CBP may cooperate with foreign authorities, air carriers, and security employees at foreign airports to identify persons who may be inadmissible to the United States or otherwise pose a risk to U.S. security. The Government Accountability Office shall review and report on the adequacy and appropriateness of the security screening process for each U.S. nonimmigrant visa category.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2016
Supports designation of National Foster Care Month, and recognizes it as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2016
Reaffirms: that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner, that it is U.S. policy and law to ensure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge and self-defense capacity, and support of an Israeli tiered missile defense program. Urges finalization of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel. Supports a long-term Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel that increases the amount of aid from previous agreements and enhances Israel's military capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 or the PADME Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2016
Expresses support for the purposes and goals of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Declares that the House of Representatives will work closely with the Commission to identify bold new approaches to enable a thriving, secure, and reliable U.S. digital economy and will recommend Commission members.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
Fairness in Forgiveness Act of 2016 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include as a public service job for purposes of the public service loan forgiveness program a full-time job as an employee of a management and operating contractor of a national laboratory owned by the Department of Energy. This Act and the amendments made by this Act take effect as if enacted on October 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2016
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2016 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group or individual health plan that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Such a plan may not: (1) restrict benefits for any medically necessary hospital stay to less than 48 hours for a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or less than 24 hours for a lymph node dissection, or (2) require that a provider obtain authorization from the plan for prescribing any such hospital stay. Such a plan must: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this bill, and (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations. Health plans are prohibited from taking specified actions to avoid the requirements of this bill. Health insurers that provide individual health insurance coverage may discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to a condition for which coverage is being claimed.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2016
Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act This bill amends title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Department of the Treasury to publish in the Federal Register a request for proposals from states or local governments for social impact partnership projects which produce one or more measurable, clearly defined outcomes that result in social benefit, such as employment for the unemployed between ages 16 and 24, high school graduation, and reduction of teen and unplanned pregnancies as well as incidences and adverse consequences of child abuse and neglect. Treasury shall decide whether to enter into an agreement for such a social impact partnership project within six months after receiving an application. The bill requires an independent evaluation to determine whether the state or local government project has met an outcome specified in the agreement in order for such governments to receive outcome payments. The bill establishes the Federal Interagency Council on Social Impact Partnerships and a Commission on Social Impact Partnerships.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2016
Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation (BABIES) Act This bill requires male and female restrooms in a public building to be equipped with baby changing facilities that the General Services Administration determines are physically safe, sanitary, and appropriate. Such requirement shall be subject to any reasonable accommodations that may be made for individuals in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Such requirement shall be inapplicable to a restroom in a public building that: (1) is not available for public use, or (2) contains clear and conspicuous signage indicating where a male or female restroom is located within the same section or corridor of such building.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
This bill bars the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit, or an exemption from certain economic regulations, to furnish foreign air transportation under the United States-European Union-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement of June 21, 2011, unless DOT: finds that issuing the permit or exemption would be consistent with the intent of the parties, set forth in article 17 bis of the agreement, that opportunities created by the agreement do not undermine labor standards or the labor-related rights and principles contained in the parties' respective laws; and imposes conditions on the permit or exemption necessary to ensure that the foreign air transportation furnished complies with the intent of article 17 bis .
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
This bill provides FY2016 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. The bill specifies permissible uses for the funds and designates the funds as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides appropriations to HHS for: the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit Project BioShield to be used to support the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any infectious disease that may pose a threat to the public health. (Under current law, Project BioShield supports only countermeasures against specific chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorist threats.) The bill temporarily increases from 55% to 65% the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage in the territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The bill provides appropriations to the Department of State for: the Administration of Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bilateral Economic Assistance, International Security Assistance, and Multilateral Assistance. Unobligated balances of specified funds provided for the Ebola virus may be used to respond to the Zika virus and other infectious diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act This bill amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Administration on Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) ensure that all programs funded under such Act include appropriate training in elder abuse prevention and services addressing elder justice and exploitation; and (2) update periodically the need for such training related to prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation (including financial exploitation) of older adults. The Administration has a duty and function to: (1) establish priority information and assistance services for older individuals; and (2) develop a National Eldercare Locator Service, with a nationwide toll free number. The Administration shall establish a National Adult Protective Services Resources Center. Each area plan shall provide that the area agency on aging: (1) increases public awareness of elder abuse and financial exploitation, and removes barriers to elder abuse education, prevention, investigation, and treatment; and (2) reports instances of elder abuse. The Administration shall make grants to states with approved plans for elder abuse and neglect screening. A state operating a nutrition project shall encourage distributors of nutrition services to distribute information on diabetes, elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and the annual Medicare wellness exam. A state, an area agency on aging, a nonprofit organization, or a tribal organization shall use a grant for an older individuals' protection from violence project to replicate successful prevention and training models. The Administration shall award grants to and contract with eligible organizations for projects to engage volunteers over age 50 in supporting older adults (and their families or caretakers) who have experienced or are at risk of elder abuse. A state may use funds under the National Family Caregiver Support Program to support the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Declares that, whenever a moment of silence related to a tragedy involving gun violence occurs on the floor of the House, the Speaker shall announce on the next legislative day the standing committee (or subcommittee) designated to hold a hearing on the event.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2016
Cranial Prosthetic Medicaid Coverage Enhancement Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to alter coverage requirements under a state plan for medical assistance. Specifically, a state plan that provides medical assistance for an individual's inpatient hospital services shall also provide biennial medical assistance to the individual for one cranial prosthesis, as specified by the bill. (A cranial prosthesis is a custom-made wig designed for a patient who has suffered hair loss as a result of a medical condition or treatment.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Langevin, James R. [D-RI-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ri_2_langevin_james_200.jpg)