United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Encourages celebration of the advancement of freedom and the expansion of opportunity made possible by its enactment. Pledges continued work on a bipartisan basis to support opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and the full participation of individuals in the United States who have disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Providing Innovative Care for Complex Cases Demonstration Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a pilot program to demonstrate improvements in patient care and cost savings for the highest-cost Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries through enrollment of such beneficiaries with participating organizations. The program shall be designed to provide comprehensive and integrated care management and services through a network of health care providers to meet the specialized needs of such beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must design the program in such a manner as to preserve the operation of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. A participating organization must meet the same requirements that apply to a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization. CMS must develop quality performance standards and, using an integrated care model, care management requirements for participating organizations. For each individual enrolled under the program, CMS shall make a monthly capitated payment to the participating organization as would be made for an individual enrolled in an MA plan (excluding MA prescription drug plans), except that the amount of payment shall: (1) equal 98% of the projected cost under the Medicare FFS program for the highest-cost Medicare FFS beneficiaries; and (2) be adjusted to account for differences in costs among different geographic areas and among high-cost Medicare FFS beneficiaries, including outlier costs. CMS must report to Congress on the performance of the program within two years of initial enrollment.
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 · 28 July 2015
Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to make grants to states to establish, expand, or maintain culturally competent programs for screening and treatment of women who are pregnant, or who have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal depression. The HRSA shall make such grants to at least three states and give priority to states proposing to expand or enhance screening for maternal depression in primary care settings. Activities eligible for funding: (1) shall include providing appropriate training and relevant resources, including information on maternal depression screening, treatment, follow-up support, and linkages to community-based resources, to health care providers; and (2) may include enabling health care providers to provide or receive real-time psychiatric consultation to aid in the treatment of pregnant and postpartum women, conducting a public awareness campaign, funding start-up costs, and establishing linkages with and among community-based resources.
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 · 23 July 2015
Recovering Missing Children Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the disclosure of tax returns and return information to officers and employees of state or local law enforcement agencies who are partnering with a federal agency in investigations of missing or exploited child cases and who are personally and directly engaged in such investigations. Limits the use of such information solely for locating a missing child, in a grand jury proceeding, or in any preparation for judicial or administrative proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Equality Act Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. Defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. Expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. Prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Requires employers to recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. Provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Authorizes DOJ to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Requires protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. Prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. Prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. Amends the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
One Social Security Act This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to merge the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a new, restructured Social Security Trust Fund to consist of the employment and self-employment taxes imposed with respect to wages and self-employment income. The annual report to Congress on the operation and status of the Trust Fund shall include an actuarial analysis of the benefit cost with respect to disabled beneficiaries and their auxiliaries, to retired beneficiaries and their auxiliaries, and to survivor beneficiaries.
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 · 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.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
National Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax relief for disasters declared in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 by: allowing an election to expense qualified disaster expenses (i.e., for the abatement of hazardous substances, removal of debris, demolition, and repair of business-related property); increasing the tax deduction for charitable contributions for disaster relief for individual and corporate taxpayers; allowing through 2015 the deduction of losses and net operating losses attributable to disasters; allowing waivers of requirements relating to mortgage revenue bonds; extending through 2015 the additional allowance for depreciation of business property (bonus depreciation); allowing an increase through 2015 of the new markets tax credit limitation amount within a federally-declared disaster area; permitting the use of tax-exempt retirement plan funds in federally-declared disasters without penalty; allowing an additional tax exemption for individuals who are displaced as a result of a federally-declared disaster; allowing an exclusion from gross income of imputed income from the cancellation of indebtedness resulting from federally-declared disasters; providing a special rule to allow individuals affected by a disaster in 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015 to claim a full earned income tax credit; increasing the rehabilitation tax credit for buildings affected by a federally-declared disaster; permitting one additional advance refunding of a tax-exempt bond that is outstanding on the date on which a federally-declared disaster occurs; allowing the issuance of qualified disaster area recovery bonds; allowing an additional allocation of the low-income housing tax credit in 2016 to states affected by a federally-declared disaster occurring in 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015; allowing payments of disaster assistance to tax-exempt mutual ditch or irrigation companies without affecting their tax-exempt status; allowing an exclusion from gross income for disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments; allowing a tax deduction for payments to a tax-exempt natural disaster fund; allowing a five-year replacement period for property located in a disaster area for purposes of the exclusion of gain from an involuntary conversion; allowing employers a business-related tax credit for up to 40% of wages paid to employees in a disaster area; and allowing an enhanced tax deduction for medical expenses related to an injury occurring in a disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same sex couples.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax, beginning in calendar year 2016, on any taxable carbon substance sold by its manufacturer, producer, or importer. Defines "taxable carbon substance" as: (1) coal (including lignite and peat); (2) petroleum and any petroleum products; and (3) natural gas that is extracted, manufactured, or produced in the United States, or entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing. Establishes in the Treasury the America's Energy Security Trust Fund to assist industries negatively affected by this Act, make transfers to the Highway Trust Fund to cover shortfalls, and provide payroll tax relief. Allows individual taxpayers a tax credit equal to carbon tax rebate amounts calculated by the Department of the Treasury. Directs Treasury to study and report to Congress on the best methods to assess and collect taxes on non-carbon greenhouse gases. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should establish binding agreements with major greenhouse gas emitting nations to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Wrongful Convictions Tax Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a wrongfully incarcerated individual an exclusion from gross income for civil damages, restitution, or other monetary awards received as compensation for a wrongful incarceration. Defines "wrongfully incarcerated individual" as: (1) an individual who was convicted of a criminal offense under federal or state law, who served all or part of a sentence of imprisonment relating to such offense, and who was pardoned, granted clemency, or granted amnesty because of actual innocence of the offense; or (2) an individual for whom the conviction for such offense was reversed or vacated and for whom the indictment, information, or other accusatory instrument for such offense was dismissed or who was found not guilty at a new trial after the conviction was reversed or vacated.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Schedules That Work Act Grants an employee the right to request that his or her employer change the terms and conditions of employment relating to: the number of hours or times the employee is required to work or be on call; the location; the amount of notification he or she receives of work schedule assignments; and minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Requires the employer, if the request is made, to engage in a timely, good faith interactive process with the employee that includes a discussion of potential schedule changes that would meet his or her needs. Outlines the process for either granting or denying a change. Requires the employer to grant a request, unless there is a bona fide business reason for denying it, if the request is made because of the employee's serious health condition, his or her responsibilities as a caregiver, or enrollment in a career-related educational or training program, or if a part-time employee requests such a change for a reason related to a second job.++_ Authorizes an employer, if an employee requests a change for any other reason, to deny it for any reason that is not unlawful. Requires the employer to give the employee the reason for the denial, including whether it was a bona fide business reason. Outlines employer requirements for paying reporting time and split shift pay and for giving advance notice of work schedules to retail, food service, or cleaning employees, or the Department of Labor's (DOL) designated employees, except for those in bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacities. Makes it unlawful for any employer or other person to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right of an employee specified in this Act; (2) retaliate against an individual for exercising his or her rights, or (3) interfere with proceedings or inquiries with respect to violation of an individual's rights. Sets forth administrative enforcement procedures and civil remedies for violation of these prohibitions. Directs DOL to give information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning compliance with this Act. Directs DOL, acting through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Bureau of the Census to: (1) include in the Current Population Survey questions on, among other things, the amount of fluctuation in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis; and (2) conduct at regular intervals the Contingent Worker Supplement, the Work Schedules and Work at Home Supplement, and other relevant supplements to the Current Population Survey. Makes this Act inapplicable to any employee covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement if its terms govern work scheduling practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Restore Honor to Service Members Act Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. Directs the Department of Defense to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to remove from the offense of sodomy specified activity referred to as unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
Background Check Completion Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-free rollovers from tax-exempt retirement plans, annuities, and deferred compensation plans into a simple individual retirement account.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015
Veterans Residential Care Choice Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the request of an eligible veteran for whom the VA is required to provide domiciliary, nursing home, adult day health, or hospital care, or who is determined to be in need of such care, to place the veteran (at the expense of the United States) in a state licensed or certified residential care facility that meets VA standards if the cost of providing such care through the facility is less than the cost of providing the care through any other available option. An eligible veteran is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 70% or more disabling.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
America's College Promise Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states and Indian tribes to waive tuition and fees at community colleges. To receive a grant, states and Indian tribes must agree to waive tuition and fees at all their community colleges and for all eligible students. An eligible student is a first-time student who: (1) qualifies for resident tuition; (2) enrolls at least half-time; (3) maintains satisfactory academic progress; and (4) enrolls in an academic program with credits that are fully transferable to any public institution of higher education in the state or enrolls in a training program that leads to credentials in an in-demand industry. The bill appropriates $1.4 billion in FY2016 and $79.7 billion over FY2016-FY2025 to make grants under this community college program. This bill also authorizes ED to award grants to four-year historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for up to 60 credits for low-income students. HBCUs and MSIs that participate must: (1) enroll a student body that contains at least 35% low-income students; (2) maintain or adopt reforms and practices to improve completion rates and student outcomes; (3) set performance goals; and (4) execute an articulation agreement with community colleges, if accepting transfer students. It appropriates $55 million for FY2016 and $10.1 billion over FY2016-FY2025 to make grants under this HBCU/MSI program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Military Consumer Protection Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act to extend Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and protection to provisions under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act concerning: future financial transactions, excluding insurance; default judgments, excluding child custody proceedings; interest rates on pre-service debts; evictions; purchase or lease installment contracts; mortgages and trusts; motor vehicle leases; telephone service contracts; and waiver of rights pursuant to a written agreement, excluding bailments.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Rebuilding American Manufacturing Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers engaged in domestic manufacturing in the United States a tax deduction equal to 50.5% (43% for C corporations) of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing income or their taxable income for the taxable year (thus effectively reducing their income tax rate to approximately 20%). Limits the amount of such deduction to 25% of such taxpayer's qualifying domestic investment (defined as the sum of the taxpayer's W-2 wages and certain allowable tax deductions, excluding any amounts not properly allocable to the taxpayer's domestic manufacturing gross receipts).
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Bring Jobs Home Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand telehealth coverage in three phases. Extends the term "originating site," for telehealth service payment purposes, to additional sites, including any federally qualified health center and any rural health clinic, at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished via a telecommunications system. Prohibits application of the originating site facility fee to the additional sites. Authorizes additional telehealth providers, including a certified diabetes educator or licensed respiratory therapist, audiologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech language pathologist. Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop payment methods to apply in the case of anyone who would be an eligible telehealth individual except that the telehealth services are furnished at a site other than an originating site. Extends Medicare coverage to remote patient management services for certain chronic health conditions. Authorizes home telehealth sites as additional originating sites. Requires the monthly fee or other basis of payment for physicians' services to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to allow for a patient-specific waiver process to permit a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant to request a waiver of face-to-face visit requirements for home dialysis of ESRD patients. Requires all ESRD patients receiving home dialysis to receive a face-to-face examination at least once every three consecutive months and, in the intervening months, to receive a monthly clinical assessment which may be furnished, if the patient so chooses, via remote monitoring by a physician, clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant. Directs HHS, in determining the component of a physician's fee corresponding to practice expense relative value units for diagnostic tests provided remotely, to include in direct costs of supplies and equipment the costs of the diagnostic device, clinical systems (including hardware and software), information transmission, and device delivery and installation. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of using specified telehealth services between therapy providers and patients, any associated savings, and the potential for greater use of telehealth services for other forms of therapy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Condemns the practice of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China. Calls on China and the Communist Party of China to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. Encourages the U.S. medical community to help raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in China. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Calls on the Department of State to: (1) conduct a more detailed analysis on state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the annual Human Rights Report, and (2) report annually to Congress on implementation of the immigration provision prohibiting visas to Chinese and other nationals engaged in coerced organ or bodily tissue transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Small Business Healthcare Relief Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow an employer with fewer than 50 employees that does not offer group health insurance coverage to establish a health reimbursement arrangement. Under the arrangement, funds contributed by an employer are excluded from the employer's taxable income and are used to pay or reimburse employees for medical care expenses, including premiums for individual health insurance coverage or Medicare supplemental insurance. Such a reimbursement arrangement: (1) must not pay premiums for an employee covered by a family member's coverage, (2) must be offered to all eligible employees on the same terms and may only vary based on the number of individuals covered, and (3) is not required to provide continuation coverage. Employer contributions to a reimbursement arrangement are not included in an employee's gross income if the employee was covered by the reimbursement arrangement for more than nine months of the year. Employees covered for less than nine months have a percentage of employer contributions included in their gross income, with exceptions. An employee offered affordable individual health insurance coverage under a reimbursement arrangement is not eligible for a premium assistance tax credit. Employers must report contributions to a reimbursement arrangement on their employees' W-2. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to exempt reimbursement arrangements from requirements for health insurance coverage. Insurance offered under a reimbursement arrangement remains subject to the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Time Off to Vote Act Entitles an employee to two hours of paid leave on the day of any federal election in order to vote. Gives the employer the right to determine the two-hour-period, excluding any lunch break or other break. Prohibits the loss of benefits for any employee taking such leave under this Act. Makes it unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise, the right to take leave under this Act, or to discriminate against an employee in any manner for taking leave under this Act. Makes it unlawful for any employer to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any individual for: (1) opposing any practice made unlawful by this Act; (2) filing any charge, or instituting or causing to be instituted any proceeding, under or related to this Act; or (3) testifying or preparing to testifying in any inquiry or proceeding relating to any leave provided under this Act. Specifies the penalties for any employer who violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act This bill reauthorizes the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study, the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006, the Long Island Sound Grants, and Long Island Sound Stewardship Grants through FY2020. The bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to direct the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of the Management Conference of the Long Island Sound Study to include in studies on strengthening the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound: (1) environmental impacts on the Sound watershed; and (2) planning initiatives that identify areas most suitable for various activities in order to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce adverse environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, or preserve critical ecosystem services. The Office must: (1) develop and implement strategies to increase education and awareness about the ecological health and water quality of the Sound; and (2) monitor progress toward meeting the goals, actions, and schedules of the Plan. The limit on the federal share for certain grants for projects and studies to help implement the Plan is revised by increasing the limit for grants other than citizen involvement and education grants. A federal agency that owns or occupies real property, or carries out activities, within the Sound watershed must: (1) participate in regional and subwatershed planning, protection, and restoration activities; and (2) ensure that the property and activities are consistent with the Plan to the maximum extent practicable.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Captive Primate Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce any live animal of a non-human primate species. The bill also limits any licensed or registered person from allowing direct contact between any member of the public and a live bear, tiger, lion, jaguar, cougar, African leopard, snow leopard, ape, gibbon, siamang, monkey, or loris. The Lacey Act prohibition applies to state-licensed wildlife rehabilitators.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: allow taxpayers who are liable for not more than $50,000 per year in excise taxes on distilled spirits, wine, or beer to file and pay such taxes quarterly without the requirement of posting a bond covering the operations and withdrawals of such distilled spirits, wines, or beer; allow such taxpayers who reasonably expect to have a tax liability of not more than $1,000 per year and who were liable for not more than $1,000 in taxes in the preceding calendar year to file and pay such taxes annually rather than quarterly; exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; reduce excise tax rates on beer, wine, and distilled spirits produced in the United States; permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; modify the definition of "hard cider" for excise tax purposes; and exempt home distillery establishments that produce distilled spirits solely for personal or family use from excise tax and bonding requirements. Directs the Department of the Treasury to amend applicable Treasury regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish funding levels in FY2016-FY2021 for the enforcement and compliance activities of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Caregivers Access and Responsible Expansion for All Veterans Act or the CARE for All Veterans Act Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill (or aggravated such injury or illness) on active duty before September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Establishes three monthly caregiver stipend starting dates for pre-September 11, 2001, members of the Armed Forces or veterans based upon the amount and degree of personal care services provided. Includes among program eligibility criteria a veteran's need for regular or extensive instruction or supervision in completing two or more instrumental activities of daily living.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Requirements are revised for determining which states and political subdivisions are or are not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to such requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Any specific political subdivision of a state shall also be subject to those requirements for a 10-year period if 3 or more violations occurred in it during the previous 25 calendar years. A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless new violations occur after the declaratory judgment was issued. Each state and each political subdivision shall: (1) identify any newly enacted or adopted law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a voting-related standard, practice, or procedure (covered practice); and (2) ensure that no such covered practice is implemented unless or until the state or political subdivision complies with certain preclearance requirements. This bill prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions, including authority to assign observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
This bill revises a condition for establishment of the Coltsville National Historical Park in Connecticut to require the state, the city, or the private property owner, as appropriate, to enter into a written agreement with the Department of the Interior to donate at least 10,000 square feet of space in the Colt Armory Complex (currently, the East Armory).
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Planning Actively for Cancer Treatment (PACT) Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of cancer care planning and coordination services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Humane Cosmetics Act This bill prohibits testing cosmetics on animals, effective on the date that is one year after enactment of this Act. No cosmetic may be sold or transported if the final product or any component was developed or manufactured using animal testing after such date, effective three years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine Act or the FAST Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) expand access to certain stroke telehealth services to any originating site at which the eligible telehealth individual is located at the time the service is furnished, regardless of where the site is located; and (2) waive the facility fee for certain such originating sites.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2015
First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations or the FRIENDS Act Directs the Department of Homeland Security to submit a report on factors that would result in first responders failing to meet expectations based upon training and planning for terrorist incidents, which: (1) may include information on first responder performance and availability before, during, or after a terrorist threat or event; and (2) shall include first responder input on how the presence of family in the impacted area, the adequacy of personal protective equipment, and training gaps may influence performance and availability.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Remote Transactions Parity Act of 2015 This bill authorizes both member states under the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement and states that have not adopted the Agreement (the multistate agreement for the administration and collection of sales and use taxes adopted on November 12, 2002) to require remote sellers (i.e., sellers who make remote sales in a state without a physical presence) to collect and remit sales and use taxes with respect to remote sales sourced to such states. States that have not adopted the Agreement must show that they have adopted and implemented minimum simplification requirements for the administration of sales and use taxes in order to collect such taxes. Such requirements include: (1) the designation of a single state entity responsible for all state and local sales and tax administration, return processing, and audits of remote sales; (2) a single audit of a remote seller for all taxing jurisdictions in the state; (3) direct contact with a certified software provider utilized by the remote seller in conducting an audit; (4) a single sales and use tax return for use by remote sellers that is filed with a single entity responsible for tax administration; (5) a uniform sales and use tax base; and (6) sourcing of all remote sales in compliance with criteria established by this Act. This bill expressly prohibits a state from requiring a remote seller to file sales and use tax returns any more frequently than is required for nonremote sellers. Additionally, remote sellers whose gross annual receipts are less than $5 million are exempt from audits unless there is a reasonable suspicion of intentional misrepresentation or fraud. For the first three years after the effective date of this Act, the requirement for remote sellers to collect and remit sales and use taxes is limited to remote sellers whose gross annual receipts exceed a certain level (i.e., $10 million in the first year, $5 million in the second year, and $1 million in the third year) and who utilize an electronic marketplace for making sales to the public. After the third year after the effective date of this Act, there is no exemption for remote sellers to collect and remit such taxes. The bill specifies limitations on the applicability of this Act, including by providing that nothing in this Act shall be construed as: (1) subjecting a remote seller to any type of tax other than sales and use taxes, or (2) enlarging or reducing the authority of a state to impose such taxes. The bill suspends the authority of a state to collect sales and use taxes in the first year after the effective date of this Act and between October 1 and December 31 of such first year. The bill also prohibits a state from exercising any authority under this Act unless it: (1) provides certification procedures for persons to be approved as certified software providers, (2) refrains from denying or revoking certification to a software provider without a reasonable basis, (3) has certified multiple national certified software providers and such certifications are in effect, and (4) provides compensation for certified software providers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Affirms that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing implemented by Serb forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 meet the terms of genocide. Urges the Atrocities Prevention Board, a U.S. interagency committee established by the Administration in 2012, to study the lessons of Srebrenica and issue guidance on how to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future. Encourages the United States to reaffirm its policy of supporting the independence and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, peace and stability in southeastern Europe, and the right of all people living in the region to return to their homes and enjoy the benefits of democratic institutions, as well as to know the fate of missing relatives and friends. Recognizes the achievement of the International Commission for Missing Persons in accounting for those missing in conflicts or natural disasters around the world. Welcomes the arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of all persons indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, particularly those of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Asserts that it is in the U.S. national interest that those individuals who are responsible for these crimes should continue to be held accountable for their actions. Honors the thousands of innocent people killed or executed at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995, along with all individuals who were victimized during the conflict and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, as well as the foreign nationals who risked and in some cases lost their lives during their defense of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2015 Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exclusion for benefits paid to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers by states and local governments, to: (1) increase the amount of benefits excludible; and (2) make such tax exclusion available for taxable years beginning in 2016, 2017, or 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, half-dollar clad, and proof silver coins in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Treasury may issue coins minted under this Act for only a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2019. All sales of coins minted under this Act shall include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, $5 per half-dollar clad coin, and $50 per proof silver coin. All of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid as follows: one-half to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's "Destination Moon" exhibit; one-quarter to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; and one-quarter to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to aid its missions by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. The Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program providing eligible households with summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in order to give children access to food during the summer months to: (1) reduce or eliminate children's food insecurity and hunger, and (2) improve their nutritional status. An "eligible household" is a household that includes one or more children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs. The amount on each summer EBT card is set at $150 per child in 2017, with adjustments thereafter reflecting changes in reimbursement rates for school meals under the school lunch program. If children are enrolled to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs, they must be enrolled in this program without further application. Summer EBT cards may be used only to purchase food from retail food stores that have been approved for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Wise Investment in our Children Act or the WIC Act This bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to increase the allowable age from five to six for children to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (3) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Medicare Secondary Payer and Workers' Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements, and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under such agreements.
![Official portrait of Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000557_200.jpg)