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United States · Official source
2,571 records where Rep. Latta, Robert E. [R-OH-5] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Keeping our Promises to Veterans Act of 2015 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 regarding the veterans choice program to: reduce the 40-mile radius requirement to 20 miles, and require that the closest medical facility is able to provide a veteran with the care and services needed; reduce the 30-day wait-time goal to 15 days; and require the Veterans Administration (VA) to implement the prompt payment system by the earlier of February 1, 2016, or 180 days after the Comptroller General submits a certain report on the timeliness of VA payments for hospital care, medical services, and other health care furnished by non-VA health care providers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in action; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations (U.N.) Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 to permit an affected eligible beneficiary who was enrolled in TRICARE Prime as of September 30, 2013, and as of December 25, 2013, resided farther than 100 miles from a military medical treatment facility, to make the one-time election to continue TRICARE Prime coverage. Makes this Act effective as if included in the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act of 2015 Amends federal bankruptcy law to permit an individual debtor to exempt from the property of the estate in bankruptcy the debtor's aggregate interest, not to exceed $3,000, in a single firearm or firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Infection Reduction Labeling Act This bill amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to authorize solid antimicrobial copper alloys, and products made from such alloys, to be marketed, distributed, or sold with labels about their infection reduction and control efficacy if the antimicrobial claims made on the label are consistent with the results of federally-funded clinical trials finding: (1) greater than 25% reductions in infection rate or 50% reductions in microbial burden, or (2) statistically significant reductions in infection rate or microbial burden. Requirements to submit or review efficacy data related to the antimicrobial claims are waived for these alloys if the claims are consistent with the results of the trials. An alternative process to modify the labeling of an alloy may be used in lieu of the current process. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exclude a product that is made from the alloy and has the antimicrobial labeling from regulation and treatment as a drug or device.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act of 2015 This bill declares that funds appropriated or otherwise made available, including amounts derived from any fee or other source, are denied to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Department of Justice, or any other federal agency to carry out Operation Choke Point or any other program designed to discourage the provision or continuation of credit or the processing of payments by financial institutions for dealers and manufacturers of firearms and ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Clean Air, Strong Economies Act This bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from lowering its national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone until at least 85% of counties that are in nonattainment areas (counties that are exceeding the limit) have attained the standard. In promulgating a primary or secondary NAAQS for ozone, the EPA must: only consider a county to be a nonattainment area on the basis of direct air quality monitoring (rather than modeling); take into consideration feasibility and cost; and include in the regulatory impact analysis for the proposed and final rule at least one analysis that does not include any calculation of benefits resulting from reducing emissions of any pollutant other than ozone.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act Honors as a veteran any person who is entitled to retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service or who, but for age, would be so entitled. Provides that such person shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason of such recognition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Veterans Access to Extended Care Act of 2015 This bill modifies the treatment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agreements with service providers to furnish veterans with nursing home care, adult day health care, or other extended care services. Any such agreement shall: not be treated as a federal contract for the acquisition of goods or services and shall be not subject to any provision of law governing federal contracts for the acquisition of goods or services, and include specified requirements (such as for medical licensing and VA review of staff and facilities) to ensure the safety and quality of care furnished to veterans pursuant to such agreement. The failure of a provider to comply with a provision of the agreement may result in VA termination of the agreement. Such agreements are exempted from the application of certain public contract labor laws.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Ammunition and Firearms Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions to exclude: (1) M855 (5.56 mm x 45 mm) or SS109 type ammunition; or (2) ammunition designed, intended, and marketed for use in a rifle.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2015
Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2015 Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study and report to Congress on matters relating to the interring of veterans' unclaimed remains in national cemeteries under the control of the National Cemetery Administration, including: the scope of the issues relating to veterans' unclaimed remains, including the estimated number of such remains; the effectiveness of VA procedures for working with persons or entities having custody of unclaimed remains to facilitate the interment of such remains in such cemeteries; state and local laws that affect the Secretary's ability to inter unclaimed veterans' remains in such cemeteries; and recommendations for appropriate legislative or administrative action.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2015
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2015 Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
VA Appeals Backlog Relief Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that a Department of Veterans Affairs regional office certifies a VA Form 9, Appeal to Board of Veterans' Appeals, submitted by a veteran to appeal a decision relating to a claim, within one year after receiving such form.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2015 Requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept, for purposes of establishing a claim for veterans disability benefits, a report of a medical examination administered by a private physician without requiring confirmation by a Veterans Health Administration physician if the report is sufficiently complete. Defines "sufficiently complete" as competent, credible, probative, and containing such information as required to make a decision on the claim for which the report is provided. Requires the Secretary to submit: (1) a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations, and (2) an annual report for each VA regional office regarding claims for which private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015 Prohibits the federal government, and any state that receives federal funding for any program that provides child welfare services under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), from discriminating or taking an adverse action against a child welfare service provider that declines to provide, facilitate, or refer for a child welfare service that conflicts with the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. Bars such prohibition from applying to SSAct requirements that forbid state entities from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements on the basis of an adoptive parent's or a child's race, color, or national origin. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to withhold 15% of the federal funds that a state receives for such programs if the state violates this Act. Allows an aggrieved child welfare service provider to assert such an adverse action violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain all appropriate relief (including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs).
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to authorize the Financial Stability Oversight Council to subject a bank holding company to enhanced supervision and prudential standards by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, if the Council makes a final determination that either material financial distress at the bank holding company, or the nature, scope, size, scale, concentration, interconnectedness, or mix of its activities, could threaten the financial stability of the United States. Requires that final determination to be based upon specified factors, using an indicator-based measurement approach established by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to determine systemic importance. Deems any bank holding company designated as a Global Systemically Important Bank by the Financial Stability Board, as of the date of enactment of this Act, to have been the subject of a final determination that it could pose a threat to U.S. financial stability for any of those reasons. Prohibits the Council from making a final determination concerning a bank holding company under this Act before one year after its enactment. Deems a bank holding company to have been the subject of such a final determination during this one-year period, however, if its total consolidated assets are $50 billion or more.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept additional documentation for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a coastwise merchant seaman during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such documentation to include Social Security Administration records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, documents, or other official employment records. Requires the Secretary, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period, to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for or discharging from the merchant marine. Considers any service so recognized as active-duty service for purposes of veterans' burial benefits. Makes such veterans eligible for any appropriate military medals, ribbons, and decorations. Requires the Secretary to verify that an individual performed such service under honorable conditions without regard to their sex, age, or disability during the service period.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the three civil rights marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to exempt from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material endorsement all class A commercial driver's license holders who are custom harvesters, agricultural retailers, agricultural business employees, agricultural cooperative employees, or agricultural producers who operate a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000) gallons or less of diesel fuel if the tank is clearly marked with a placard reading "Diesel Fuel."
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Amends federal shipping law to extend through October 31, 2028, the exemption of certain vessels from the requirement that U.S. passenger vessels having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 50 passengers be constructed of fire-retardant materials in order to be granted a certificate of inspection. Continues to apply this exemption only to vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, which operate only within the Boundary Line (the dividing point between inland waters and high seas). Requires the owner or managing operator of an exempt vessel to: notify crew members that the vessel does not comply with applicable fire safety standards due primarily to the wooden construction of passenger berthing areas, and make annual structural alterations to at least 10% of vessel areas that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials. Requires any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard (with which an exempt vessel is still required to comply) to be consistent with the preservation of a vessel's historic integrity in areas carrying or accessible to passengers or generally visible to the public.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2015 or the CLEARR Act of 2015 This bill amends the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to exempt from its annual privacy policy notice requirement any financial institution which: (1) provides nonpublic personal information only in accordance with specified requirements, and (2) has not changed its policies and practices regarding disclosures of nonpublic personal information from those disclosed in the most recent disclosure sent to consumers. The federal banking agencies are directed to study jointly the appropriate capital requirements for mortgage servicing assets for nonsystemic banking institutions. Mortgage servicing assets are those resulting from contracts to service loans secured by real estate, where such loans are owned by third parties. A nonsystemic banking institution is any banking institution other than one identified by the Financial Stability Board as a global systemically important bank. Any regulatory implementation of either Basel III or National Credit Union Administration capital requirements about mortgage servicing assets for nonsystemic banking institutions is prohibited until six months after a report to Congress on the study. The Truth in Lending Act (TILA) is amended to direct the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) to exempt from certain escrow or impound requirements a loan secured by a first lien on a consumer's principal dwelling if the loan is held by a creditor with assets of $10 billion or less. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must provide either exemptions to or adjustments from the mortgage loan servicing and escrow account administration requirements of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 for servicers of 20,000 or fewer mortgage loans. The TILA is also amended to exempt from property appraisal requirements a higher-risk mortgage loan of $250,000 or less if it appears on the loan creditor's balance sheet for at least three years. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is revised to direct federal banking agencies to issue regulations that allow a reduced reporting requirement for depository institutions meeting certain criteria when making the first and third report of condition for a year. If a depository financial institution receives an order to request a funds transfer (entry) via an automated clearing house, it shall not be required to verify that the entry is not a prohibited monetary transaction if the originating depository financial institution has warranted its compliance with the sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The Federal Reserve Board must revise the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement on the Assessment of Financial and Managerial Factors to raise its consolidated asset threshold from $1 billion to $5 billion. The TILA is again amended to create a safe harbor from lawsuit for creditors that are depository institutions for any failure to comply with certain requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan, and the banking regulators are required to treat such a loan as a qualified mortgage, if the creditor has, since the loan's origination, held it on its balance sheet and all prepayment penalties with respect to the loan comply with specified limitations. A safe harbor from lawsuit is also created for mortgage originators for steering a consumer to a residential mortgage loan if: the creditor is a depository institution and has informed the mortgage originator that it intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan, and the mortgage originator informs the consumer that the creditor intends to do so.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Improving Access to Maternity Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Health Resources and Services Administration to designate maternity care health professional shortage areas and review these designations at least annually. The Department of Health and Human Services must collect and publish data on health professional shortage areas so availability of maternal health professionals can be compared by professional category and geographic region. A maternity care health professional shortage area is: (1) an area determined to have a shortage of providers of full scope maternity care health services or of hospital or birth center labor and delivery units, or (2) a population group determined to have a shortage of such providers or facilities. Full scope maternity care health services include care during labor, birthing, prenatal care, and postpartum care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Condemns violence against religious minorities in the Middle East and actions that limit their practice of faith. Reaffirms the commitment of the United States to promoting religious freedom around the world and protecting religious minorities facing persecution. Calls on the governments of the Middle East to uphold the internationally recognized human right to freedom from religious persecution and to end violence and discrimination against religious minorities. Urges the Obama Administration to appoint a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Internet Freedom Act Nullifies the rule adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 26, 2015, relating to the reclassification of broadband Internet access service as a telecommunications service. Prohibits the FCC from reissuing such rule in substantially the same form, or from issuing a new rule that is substantially the same, unless the rule is specifically authorized by a law enacted after enactment of this Act. Exempts any rule that the FCC determines is necessary for national security, public safety, or assistance to law enforcement.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2015
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and recommend solutions regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes, diabetes, and the chronic diseases and conditions that are complications of or caused by diabetes. The duties of the Commission include: evaluating HHS programs regarding the utilization of preventive health benefits, identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing integrated care, making recommendations regarding the development and coordination of federally funded clinical practice support tools, recommending clinical pathways for new technologies and treatments, evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding prevention of diabetes, and reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources. The Commission must submit an operating plan to HHS and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2015
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Repeals sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (and restores provisions of law amended by those sections) related to the establishment of an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in spending under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2015 Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) to locate the Office on International Religious Freedom in the Office of the Secretary of State. Directs the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to seek to coordinate religious freedom policies and religious engagement strategies across all U.S. programs, projects, and activities. Specifies additional foreign government actions violating religious freedom for the Ambassador's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, including a Special Watch List of countries or violent nonstate actors that have engaged in or tolerated such violations but do not yet meet the criteria for designation as countries of particular concern for religious freedom. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary to develop a curriculum for, and the Director of the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center to begin, mandatory training on religious freedom for all Foreign Service officers. Amends IRFA to require the Commission on International Religious Freedom to compile and make publicly available regularly updated lists of persons imprisoned, detained, disappeared, placed under house arrest, tortured, or subject to forced renunciations of faith by: (1) a foreign government recommended for designation as a country of particular concern for religions freedom, or (2) a violent nonstate actor. Extends the Commission's termination date. Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to direct the President to appoint in the National Security Council a Special Adviser for Global Religion Engagement and International Religious Freedom (in lieu of the Special Adviser to the President on International Religious Freedom) who shall assist the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom to coordinate executive branch international religious freedom policies and global religion engagement strategies. Establishes within the National Security Council: (1) the Interagency Policy Committee on Religious Freedom and Engagement; and (2) the Interagency Policy Committee on Religion, International Religious Freedom, and National Security. Amends IRFA to revise requirements, including reporting requirements, for presidential actions with respect to country and violent nonstate actor designations, in particular those countries on the Special Watch List. Declares the sense of Congress that: ongoing and persistent waivers for designated countries, especially those engaging in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, do not fulfill IRFA purposes; and the President, the Secretary, and other executive branch officials, in consultation with Congress, should seek to find ways to address existing violations, on a country-by-country basis, through specified actions. Repeals the automatic termination of a presidential designation after two years. States that it should be U.S. policy that violent nonstate actors should be eligible for designation as countries of particular concern and that specified presidential actions should apply to them or individual members of such groups. Makes funds available for FY2016-FY2021 for the Human Rights and Democracy Fund. Establishes in the State Department the Religious Freedom Defense Fund, to be administered by the Ambassador at Large. Authorizes the President to take specified actions against foreign persons: (1) responsible for committing or supporting systemic violations of religious freedom, or (2) supporting violence or terrorist acts targeting members of religious groups. Declares the sense of Congress about: (1) adoption of codes of conduct by U.S. institutions of higher education outside the United States, and (2) national security strategy to promote religious freedom through U.S. foreign policy.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the scope and responsibilities of the United States Preventive Services Task Force to require it to: (1) publish research plans to guide its review of scientific evidence relating to the effectiveness of preventive services; (2) make evidence reports and recommendations available for public comment; (3) establish a system for grading preventive care (Grades A, B, C, and D and a Grade I for insufficient information); and (4) convene a preventive services stakeholders board to provide feedback on Task Force activities and recommend preventive services and scientific evidence for the Task Force to review. Members of the Task Force and the preventive services stakeholders board are considered federal employees for purposes of disclosure and management of conflicts of interest. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report that: (1) lists current recommendations of the Task Force; (2) compares Task Force recommendations and recommendations of other federal health agencies, national medical professional societies, and patient and disease advocacy organizations; and (3) analyzes the impact of Task Force recommendations on public and private insurance coverage, access, and outcomes, including the impact on morbidity and mortality. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the authority of HHS to make no payment for a preventive service that has not been graded by the Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Urges the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and other relevant U.S. government agencies and officials to work with the European Union and European governments to encourage further efforts to address anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Chris Kyle Medal of Honor Act Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Navy Seal Christopher Scott Kyle for acts of valor during Operation Iraqi Freedom, notwithstanding otherwise applicable time limitations.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. Provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Modifies the definition of "antique firearm" under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code to cover any firearm manufactured in or before the calendar year that is 100 years before the year in which a determination is made as to whether the firearm is an antique firearm (currently, any firearm manufactured in or before 1898).
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Defending Our Great Lakes Act of 2015 This bill requires federal agencies to take immediate actions to prevent the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species from the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes basin through the Brandon Road Lock and Dam site. The actions must place a special focus on Asian carp species and other aquatic nuisance species of concern to the Great Lakes referred to in the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps must implement measures to improve the site to prevent the upstream transfer of Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species swimming through the lock and dam, including by constructing an engineered channel in the approach to the site from the Mississippi River direction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must implement all appropriate measures around the site on the Illinois River to prevent the upstream transfer of swimming and floating aquatic nuisance species, with a focus on Asian carp species. Federal entities must take actions for the long-term prevention of the transfer of aquatic nuisance species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins, including through the Chicago Area Waterway System. The Army Corps must design, engineer, and construct flood mitigation and water quality measures on the Chicago Area Waterway System related to preventing such transfer.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: possesses a valid state driver's license, complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, is transporting five or fewer passengers, and is operating under visual or instrument flight rules. "Covered aircraft" is one that: is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds. The FAA may not take enforcement action against a pilot of a covered aircraft for not holding a valid third-class medical certificate if the pilot and the flight meet such requirements, unless the FAA has published final regulations under this Act in the Federal Register. The Pilot's Bill of Rights is amended to authorize any persons adversely affected by an FAA decision to deny, suspend, or revoke a covered certificate or impose a civil penalty to file an appeal with the National Transportation Safety Board or, without further administrative review, in the U.S. district court or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. This subjects all FAA-issued certificates involving an adverse action to review. "Covered certificate" means, in addition to an airman certificate (as under current law), a design organization certificate, holder of type certificate, production certificate, airworthiness certificate, air carrier operating certificate, airport operating certificate, air agency certificate, air navigation facility certificate, or medical certificate. Requirements are prescribed or revised for FAA: failure to notify an individual who is the subject of an investigation regarding the approval, denial, suspension, modification, or revocation of a covered certificate; provision to persons holding a covered certificate of the releasable portion of an investigative report before issuing an emergency order relating to the investigation; response to a written request by a certificate-holding repair station subject to an investigation to withdraw from or settle a proceeding relating to the investigation within 30 days after receiving the request; and reexamination of airmen certificates where there are reasonable grounds to question an airman's lack of competence or believe a certificate was obtained through fraud. The FAA may not take enforcement action against an individual for violation of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding airspace system information until the FAA certifies its compliance with certain NOTAM Improvement program requirements, as amended by this Act. The FAA, upon receiving a request for a covered flight record not in its possession, shall request the record from a FAA contract tower or other FAA contractor possessing it. Any individual designated by the FAA to act as an FAA representative shall be shielded from liability in a civil action for actions performed with reasonable care in connection with related duties. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 is amended to shield from liability a volunteer pilot that flies for a volunteer pilot nonprofit organization for public benefit an aircraft for which the volunteer was properly licensed and insured. The staff, mission coordinators, officers, and directors of the nonprofit organization shall also be shielded from liability, provided certain conditions are met.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2015 Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue or revise FAA medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as a pilot of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under federal law if the flight meets certain criteria and the individual: (1) possesses a valid state driver's license, (2) complies with applicable medical requirements associated with that license, (3) is transporting five or fewer passengers, and (4) is operating under visual or instrument flight rules. Defines "covered aircraft" as an aircraft that: (1) is not authorized under federal law to carry more than six occupants, and (2) has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds. Prohibits the Administrator from taking enforcement action against a pilot of a covered aircraft for not holding a valid third-class medical certificate if the pilot and the flight meets such requirements, unless the Administrator has published final regulations in the Federal Register.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Children of Military Service Members Commemorative Lapel Pin Act Requires a lapel button, to be known as the children of military service members commemorative lapel button, to be designed, as approved by the Department of Defense (DOD), to identify and recognize child dependents of members of the Armed Forces who serve on active duty for more than 30 days. Expresses the sense of Congress that DOD should expedite the design and manufacture of the button, as well as mechanisms to facilitate its issuance. Makes such button available retroactively to the child of any member satisfying such eligibility conditions before the enactment of this Act. Requires DOD to notify members with qualifying service since September 11, 2001, of the availability of the button.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
English Language Unity Act of 2015 Establishes English as the official language of the United States. Requires naturalization ceremonies and official functions of the U.S. government, subject to exceptions, to be conducted in English. Declares that all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of U.S. laws. Allows a person injured by a violation of this Act to obtain relief, including a declaratory judgment, in a civil action. Declares that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws. Requires any ambiguity in U.S. laws to be resolved in accordance with the rights retained by the people and the powers reserved to states under the Bill of Rights. Directs the Department of Homeland Security to issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, and who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit issued by any state to carry a concealed firearm, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any other state that permits residents to carry a concealed firearm, in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Makes presentation of facially valid documents prima facie evidence that the individual has a license or permit as required.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Veterans Air Travel Streamlining Act of 2015 Requires: (1) the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to waive the application fee for veterans with a service-connected disability rated at 50% or more who apply to participate in TSA's Pre-check program, and (2) the Administrator and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a system to verify such a veteran's disability rating and whether such veteran's disability is service-connected.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act Repeals certain Department of Education (ED) regulations that for purposes of determining whether a school is eligible to participate in programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA): (1) require institutions of higher education (IHEs) and postsecondary vocational institutions (except religious schools) to be legally authorized by the state in which they are situated, (2) delineate what such legal authorization requires of states and schools, (3) impose standards and disclosure requirements on programs that prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation, and (4) define "credit hour." Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule not in effect on the date of this Act's enactment regarding: (1) the state authorization for IHEs to operate within a state, (2) the definition or application of the term "gainful employment," or (3) a teacher preparation program accountability system. Ends that prohibition when a law is enacted that extends by at least two fiscal years the authorization or duration of one or more programs under the HEA. Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule that defines "credit hour" for any purpose under the HEA. Prohibits ED from carrying out, developing, refining, promulgating, publishing, implementing, administering, or enforcing a postsecondary institution ratings system or any other performance system to rate IHEs. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA to authorize nonprofit IHEs to make payments to third-party entities for services that include student recruitment and are based on the amount of tuition that the IHE generates from student enrollment if the third-party entity: (1) is not affiliated with the IHE, (2) does not provide incentive payments to its employees for their success in enrolling students or securing financial aid for them, (3) is not paid by the IHE solely or separately for student recruitment services, and (4) will not make student recruitment information available to any other person or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that in order to continue aggressive growth in the nation's telecommunications and technology industries the U.S. government should "Get Out of the Way and Stay Out of the Way" by: (1) promoting investment through deregulation and free-market competition; (2) making additional spectrum available for commercial use through unencumbered auctions, reallocation of federal spectrum, and efficient spectrum sharing; (3) establishing a national goal of transmitting high-quality, real-time voice, data, graphics, and video at increasingly higher speeds to all people in the United States, especially in rural and underserved areas; (4) ensuring individual privacy without compromising market efficiencies; and (5) promoting cyber threat sharing for allowing the private sector to actively defend communications networks.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs community based outpatient clinic in Newark, Ohio, as the "Daniel L. Kinnard Department of Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act of 2015 Provides that for purposes of medical professional liability insurance or civil and criminal malpractice liability determinations, a physician or athletic trainer (covered sports medicine professional) who is authorized to practice medicine in a state (primary state) and who provides medical services to an athlete or athletic team in a state where such professional is not authorized to practice (secondary state) shall be deemed to have provided such medical services in the primary state, provided that prior to providing the covered medical services such professional has disclosed the nature and extent of such services to the entity that provides such professional with medical professional liability insurance in the primary state.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Responsibility in Federal Contracting Act Requires that the locally prevailing wage paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics working under federally-financed or federally-assisted contracts for construction, alteration, and repair of public buildings or public works (Davis-Bacon Act) be determined by the Secretary of Labor (as under current law), but acting through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), using surveys carried out by BLS that use proper random statistical sampling techniques.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, who is entitled and not prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence or who is carrying a valid state license or permit to carry a concealed weapon, and who is carrying a government-issued photographic identification document, to carry a concealed handgun (which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, other than a machine gun or destructive device) in any state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. Provides that in a state that allows the issuing authority for licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms to impose restrictions on the carrying of firearms by individual license or permit holders, an individual carrying a concealed handgun under this Act shall be permitted to carry it according to the same terms authorized by an unrestricted license or permit issued by such state.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to declare that for any week in whole or in part within a month that an individual is paid or determined to be eligible for unemployment compensation he or she shall be deemed to have engaged in substantial gainful activity and so be disqualified from receiving Social Security disability benefits after a certain period has elapsed. States that, for purposes of determining services rendered by an individual during a period of trial work which will not disqualify the individual for disability benefits, the individual shall be deemed to have rendered services in a month if he or she is entitled to unemployment compensation or trade adjustment assistance for that month.