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
Build America Bonds Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to build America bonds, to: (1) make permanent the issuance authority for such bonds and the authority for payments to bond issuers, (2) make phased reductions in the credit percentage to bondholders and in the percentage of payments to issuers of such bonds, (3) make federal wage rate and other grant requirements applicable to such bonds, (4) allow refundings of currently-issued bonds, and (5) allow the use of such bonds to fund capital expenditures for levees and flood control projects. Provides for an increase in payments to issuers of build America bonds to compensate for reductions in the amount of such payments due to sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Supports individuals and organizations working to encourage cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, including Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information, United Hatzalah, and Breaking the Impasse. Reiterates condemnation of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in the Palestinian Authority (PA) as antithetical to peace. Urges President Abbas and PA officials to discontinue all official incitement and exert influence to discourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in Palestinian civil society. Directs the Department of State to regularly monitor and publish information on all official PA incitement against Jews and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Expresses the strong support of the House of Representatives for the continuation of the Perkins Loan Program in order to provide educational opportunities to future generations of students who need low-cost financing to make their dreams of higher education possible.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
This bill authorizes FY2016-FY2021 appropriations for the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Anna Westin Act of 2015 This bill requires the Office on Women's Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to revise, promote, and make freely available the BodyWise Handbook and BodyWorks obesity prevention program. The handbook must include information about eating disorders relating to males as well as females. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must award grants: (1) to integrate training on eating disorders into existing curricula for health, mental health, and public health professionals; and (2) to states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and educational institutions for seminars for school personnel on eating disorders and to make resources available to individuals affected by eating disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health must make public service announcements on eating disorders. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to prohibit health insurance coverage from permanently excluding a particular condition from mental health or substance use disorder benefits. Mental health and substance use disorder benefits include residential treatment. The Federal Trade Commission must submit to Congress a report that contains a strategy and recommendations to reduce the use in advertising of images that have been altered to change the physical characteristics of the individuals depicted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to award competitive grants to educational organizations to carry out proposed or existing Holocaust education programs. Grants may not be used to supplant nonfederal funds the grantees would otherwise have used for Holocaust education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Supports the designation, and the goals and ideals, of National Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. Calls on the people of the United States, interested groups, and affected persons to: (1) promote awareness of bladder cancer and to foster understanding of the impact of the disease on patients and their families and caregivers, and (2) take an active role in the fight to end bladder cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Dispose Responsibly of your Pills Act of 2015 or the DROP Act of 2015 Authorizes the Attorney General, in coordination with the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, to make grants to eligible entities to expand or make available disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications. Defines "eligible entity" to include: a state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency; a manufacturer, distributor, or reverse distributor of prescription medications; a retail pharmacy; a registered narcotic treatment program; a hospital or clinic with an on-site pharmacy; and an eligible long-term care facility. Requires a recipient to use a grant for: expenses of a prescription drug disposal site; implementing disposal procedures and processes and community education strategies; replicating a prescription drug take back initiative throughout multiple jurisdictions; and training of law enforcement officers and other community participants. Limits grants to not more than $250,000 for not longer than two years. Directs the Attorney General to make a grant: (1) to provide technical assistance and training for a grant recipient, and (2) for evaluation of each recipient's performance. Requires recipients to report each fiscal year on: (1) the effectiveness of their prescription drug take back programs, and (2) the effect of disposal efforts on drug circulation.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies, childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Grants are allotted to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. "High-quality prekindergarten programs" are those that serve children three or four years of age and meet criteria concerning: class size; learning environments; teacher qualifications, salaries, and professional development; program monitoring; and accessibility to comprehensive health and support services. Programs supported by a state must conduct criminal history background checks on employees and applicants for employment with unsupervised access to children. States may apply to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level. ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall develop a process to: (1) provide Head Start program services to children younger than age four in states or regions that already provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs, or (2) convert programs to serve infants and toddlers. ED shall award competitive matching grants to states to increase their capacity to offer high-quality prekindergarten programs. States must provide assurances that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. The bill amends the Head Start Act to direct HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to assist them in meeting program performance standards. Such partnerships may serve children through age three. The bill reauthorizes the programs providing: (1) preschool grants for special education and related services, and (2) early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the value of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Every Child Deserves a Family Act Prohibits adoption or foster care placement service entities that receive federal assistance (or that contract with entities receiving such assistance) from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. Allows individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action seeking relief in federal court. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. Allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to states that fail to comply with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act Prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. Bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Makes this Act inapplicable to practices that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if the therapy provides: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Provides authority to Federal Trade Commission to enforce this Act and treats violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Medicaid Generic Drug Price Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to increase the amount of rebate with respect to each generic drug in the manner that the rebate for a dosage form and strength of a single source drug or an innovator multiple source drug is increased, except as provided in special application rules, including a special rule for certain noninnovator multiple source drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Global Respect Act Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Women's Preventive Health Awareness Campaign This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for a national public outreach and educational campaign, including a website, to raise awareness of women's preventive health. The campaign must describe guidelines for women's preventive services, promote well-woman visits, explain the women's preventive services that are covered by health insurance without patient cost sharing, and address health disparities. Well-woman visits that a health care provider determines a woman needs in order to obtain all necessary preventive services must be covered by health insurance without patient cost sharing. Health insurers may limit coverage of women's preventive services where guidelines do not specify the frequency, method, treatment, or setting for the services. Cost sharing for a preventive health service provided by an out-of-network provider shall not be imposed if a woman does not have an in-network provider with the capacity to provide the service. For a preventive health service that varies based on the patient's risk of disease, a woman must be treated as being at high risk for a disease if she has a family history of the disease or if a health care provider determines she is at high risk. Requirements are described for women's preventive services coverage of breast cancer susceptibility screening, HIV testing, breastfeeding support, and contraception. HHS must enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine (or another entity) to study and recommend the appropriate billing codes for a well-woman visit.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Recognizes the significance of the establishment of Fort Michilimackinac and its importance to the people of Michigan and the United States on the occasion of its tricentennial.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2015 Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the Department of Education (ED) from providing education funding to any educational agency or institution that allows school personnel to inflict corporal punishment upon a student as a form of punishment or to modify undesirable behavior. Requires each state to submit a plan to ED, within 18 months of this Act's enactment and every third year thereafter, that describes how the state eliminates the use of corporal punishment in schools and makes school personnel and parents aware of its policies and procedures for doing so. Authorizes ED to award three-year grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist them in improving school climate and culture by implementing school-wide positive behavior supports. Requires grant and subgrant funds to be used for professional training, technical assistance, research, and outreach regarding positive behavior supports. Requires LEAs to ensure that private school personnel can participate, on an equitable basis, in activities supported by such funds. Authorizes ED to allocate funds to the Department of the Interior to carry out such activities with regard to schools operated or funded by such Department. Directs ED to conduct a national assessment to determine compliance with this Act's requirements and identify best practices regarding positive behavior support professional training programs. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Directs the Department of Defense to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rated as total on the same basis as such transportation is provided to members of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to require the licensing of ammunition dealers. Prohibits any person except a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) selling ammunition, with an exception for a sale of ammunition to a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer; or (2) engaging in the business of importing or manufacturing ammunition, or in the course of such business, from shipping, transporting, or receiving ammunition. Prohibits a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer from: (1) transferring ammunition to a person unless the licensee, in the physical presence of the person, has verified the person's identity by examining a valid identification document containing a photograph of such person; or (2) selling or delivering any ammunition (currently, any armor-piercing ammunition) to any person unless the licensee notes in his records the person's name, age, and place of residence, if the person is an individual, or the person's identity and principal and local places of business, if the person is a business entity. Applies prohibitions applicable to the shipping or transport of firearms, and record-keeping requirements applicable to the importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms, to ammunition. Requires each licensee to: (1) prepare a report of multiple sales or other dispositions whenever the licensee sells or otherwise disposes of more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition to an unlicensed person at one time or during any five consecutive business days; and (2) forward such report to the specified office and to the department of state police, the state law enforcement agency, or the local law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction in which the sale took place by the close of business on the day the multiple sale occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Recognizes the National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system and supports the designation of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person who: (1) is subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student, or from intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court; or (2) has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of stalking under federal, state, territorial, or tribal law or of a crime that involves conduct that would be proscribed by prohibitions against stalking if committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Supports the designation of Mental Health Month to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and to place emphasis on scientific findings regarding mental health recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based and promising practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities and Indian tribes. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention or intervention. Directs the Office to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2016, or, if later, on the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act; (2) $9.00 an hour after one year; (3) $10.00 an hour after two years; (4) $11.00 an hour after three years; (5) $12.00 an hour after four years; and (6) the amount the Department of Labor determines (based on increases in the median hourly wage of all employees) after five years, and annually thereafter. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees shall increase to $3.15 an hour for one year on January 1, 2016, or the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase, according to a specified formula, shall ensure that it remains equal to the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Employers must notify their employees of the right to retain any received tips. The separate minimum wage requirements for tipped employees shall end, effective one day after the hourly wage established for them under this Act takes effect. The Department must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2019, provisions requiring the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that costs more than the regular first-class stamp to raise funds for breast cancer research. Agencies receiving these funds from the Postal Service must use them on breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of Alcohol Responsibility Month. Encourages parents to be responsible role models and to have ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of alcohol abuse. Condemns the pervasiveness of alcohol-impaired driving and resulting tragedies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known collectively as the "Ghost Army," in recognition of its service during World War II. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the Ghost Army, and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses deepest condolences to and solidarity with the people of Nepal following the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015. Supports the Administration's efforts to coordinate an immediate U.S. humanitarian response. Commends the efforts and honors the sacrifice of the men and women engaged in the response, including the citizens and government of Nepal, the United States, and international humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations. Urges the Administration, in coordination with the government of Nepal and other donors, to provide emergency relief and reconstruction efforts in Nepal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Condemns the murder of Boris Nemtsov and the climate of fear, hatred, and impunity that surrounds this and other political murders in Russia. Offers condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Boris Nemtsov. Expresses solidarity with the people of Russia who are struggling against great odds to build a freer, more just, and prosperous future. Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to support Russia's democratic opposition. Calls on: the President to make greater use of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to invoke the Moscow Mechanism and conduct an international investigation into Boris Nemtsov's murder, and the government of Russia to establish a Commission of Inquiry consistent with U.N. guidelines and to cooperate with any international investigation or assessment of Boris Nemtsov's murder.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Condemns the government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on the government of Iran to release the 7 imprisoned Baha'i leaders, the 12 imprisoned Baha'i educators, and all other prisoners held on account of their religion. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on officials of the government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require drug manufacturers to pay the Secretary of Health and Human Services drug rebates for rebate eligible (low-income) individuals. Excludes from Medicare coverage as a part D drug any drug or biological manufactured by a manufacturer that has not entered into and have in effect a rebate agreement with the Secretary. Requires a rebate agreement to require a drug or biological manufacturer to provide to the Secretary a rebate, determined according to a specified formula, for each rebate period ending after December 31, 2015, for any covered Medicare part D drug dispensed after that date to any rebate eligible individual for which payment was made by a prescription drug plan sponsor or MedicareAdvantage organization for such period. Specifies a formula for determination of Medicaid rebate amounts for such drugs or biologicals. Amends SSAct title XIX (Medicaid) to exclude any amounts paid under a rebate agreement from the determination of best price and average manufacturer price under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Social Security and Medicare Parity Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the determination of a valid marriage to account for marriages in jurisdictions other than a state. Authorizes the courts of any state to find that an OASDI benefit applicant and an insured individual were validly married in a jurisdiction other than a state at the time the applicant files a benefit application or, if the insured individual is dead, at the time the individual died. Waives the nine-month marriage requirement to make eligible for widow or widower benefits certain widows or widowers whose marriage to a deceased individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the deceased individual as a result of such a marriage. Waives the one-year marriage requirement to make eligible for husband's or wife's OASDI benefits certain husbands and wives whose marriage to an individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the individual as a result of such a marriage. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to conduct a comprehensive and effective three-year outreach campaign to encourage benefit applications by individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits as a result of changes in law relating to same-sex marriage and occurring on or after June 26, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2015 Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. Prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Veterans' Access to Child Care Act Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide child care assistance to an eligible veteran for any period that the veteran: (1) receives covered health care services at a VA facility, and (2) is required to travel to and return from such facility for the receipt of such services. Defines: (1) "covered health care services" to mean regular mental health care services, intensive mental health care services, or such other intensive health care services to which the VA determines that provision of child care assistance would improve the veteran's access; and (2) "eligible veteran" as a veteran who is the primary caretaker of a child and who is receiving covered health care services from the VA or who is in need of, and who would receive, such services from the VA but for lack of child care. Includes among child care assistance to be provided under this Act: a stipend for the payment of the full cost of child care offered by a licensed child care center, which shall be modeled after the VA's Child Care Subsidy Program; direct provision of child care at an on-site VA facility; a payment made directly to a private child care agency; and collaboration with a facility or program of another federal department or agency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program to provide grants to states in the Great Lakes System (i.e., Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) and municipalities in those states to install nutrient removal technologies at a municipal wastewater treatment facility that has a permitted design capacity to treat an annual average of at least 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The EPA must give priority to facilities at which nutrient removal technology installations would: (1) produce the greatest nutrient load reductions at points of discharge, (2) result in the greatest environmental benefits to the Great Lakes System, and (3) help meet the objectives related to nutrients outlined in Annex 4 of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Encourages North Korea to allow Korean Americans to meet with their family members from North Korea. Calls on North Korea to take steps to build goodwill that is conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's or doctoral degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. Requires a grant priority for institutions in partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. Provides grant amounts of at least $1 million and up to $1.5 million. Defines as eligible institutions those either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or demonstrating an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if receiving a grant. Requires the Secretary to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic-based research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act Directs the Secretary of Defense to award grants to carry out research for the advancement of orthotic and prosthetic clinical care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other serious physical injury as a result of combat or military experience. Includes under such research the prevention of amputations, orthotic and prosthetic intervention, and orthotics and prosthetic materials and technology research.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2015 This bill amends the National Sea Grant College Program Act to reauthorize through FY2021 the National Sea Grant College Program. The bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to award Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships. Currently, NOAA may give fellowships. Those fellowships support graduate students in fields related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources in positions with the executive and legislative branches. NOAA must give priority placement of those fellows placed in the legislative branch in: (1) offices or committees of Congress that have jurisdiction over NOAA; and (2) offices of Members of Congress that have a demonstrated interest in ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes resources. NOAA must attempt to ensure that placements are equitably distributed among political parties. NOAA must establish priorities for the use of donations given for the National Sea Grant College Program. The bill authorizes through FY2020 grants for university research on: (1) the biology, prevention, and control of aquatic nonnative species; (2) oyster diseases, oyster restoration, and oyster-related human health risks; (3) the biology, prevention, and forecasting of harmful algal blooms; and (4) sustainable aquaculture techniques and technologies. The bill also authorizes through FY2020 grants for: (1) fishery extension activities conducted by sea grant colleges or sea grant institutes to enhance existing core program funding, and (2) priority issues identified in the National Sea Grant College Program's strategic plan.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 This bill directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure that CBP partnership programs, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, provide trade benefits to importers, exporters, and certain other private sector entities that meet program requirements. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the effectiveness of CBP enforcement of U.S. customs and trade laws (trade enforcement). The CBP shall establish priorities and performance standards to measure levels of achievement of customs modernization, the movement of merchandise into and out of the United States (trade facilitation), and trade enforcement functions and programs. The CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shall: establish educational seminars to improve CBP classification and appraisal of imported articles, trade enforcement, and facilitation of international trade; and develop biennially a joint strategic plan for improving trade enforcement and trade facilitation. This bill amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to authorize appropriations for FY2016-FY2018 to complete the development and implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment computer system. This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to work with the head of each agency participating in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) and the Interagency Steering Committee to ensure that, among other duties, it: develops and maintains the necessary information technology infrastructure to support the operation of the ITDS, submit all data to the ITDS electronically, and arrange to share information between each agency and the CBP. Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall jointly establish a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. The CBP shall develop and implement CBP-wide Centers of Excellence and Expertise. DHS shall establish within the CBP Office of International Trade a Commercial Targeting Division (including National Targeting and Analysis Groups) to conduct commercial risk assessment targeting and, when needed, issue trade alerts with respect to cargo destined for the United States. The Treasury Inspector General shall report to Congress on oversight of revenue protection and enforcement measures. DHS and Treasury shall report jointly to Congress on security and revenue measures with respect to merchandise transported in bond. DHS shall establish a program to assign importer of record numbers. The Department of the Treasury shall prescribe minimum standards to require customs brokers to implement, and importers (including nonresident importers) to comply with, reasonable procedures for collecting information to identify U.S. and non-resident importers seeking to import merchandise into the United States. The CBP shall report to Congress recommendations for: determining the most effective way to require foreign nationals to provide customs brokers with accurate information, comparable to that required of U.S. nationals, on the identity of foreign nationals seeking to import merchandise into the United States; and establishing a system for such brokers and agencies to review information maintained by relevant federal agencies to verify the identity of importers, including nonresident importers, seeking to import merchandise into the United States. The CBP shall establish a new importer program that adjusts bond amounts for new importers based on the level of risk assessed for protection of federal revenue. Treasury shall require a single entry bond, in addition to any continuous bond, in any case in which there is a reasonable belief, based on evidence, that merchandise which may be subject to a countervailing duty (CVD) order or antidumping duty (AD) order is being entered into the United States by means of evasion. An interagency Import Safety Working Group is established. DHS shall develop a joint import safety rapid response plan that sets forth protocols for the CBP to: coordinate federal responses to cargo entering the United States that poses a threat to the health or safety of U.S. consumers, and use in recovering from or mitigating the effects of actions and responses to such an incident. Upon suspicion that merchandise is being imported into the United States in violation of U.S. trademark or copyright infringement laws, CBP shall provide the trademark or copyright owner any information appearing on the merchandise and its packaging and labels, including any unredacted images of them, if testing by the owner would assist in determining a violation. DHS shall establish within ICE a National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center to coordinate U.S. activities to prevent the import and export of goods that infringe intellectual property rights. CBP, ICE, and DHS shall take specified actions for enforcement of intellectual property rights. The general de minimis aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipment of duty-free articles imported by one person on one day increases from $200 to $800. This bill also prescribes or revises requirements for: certain penalties for customs brokers convicted of an act of terrorism, duty-free treatment of certain federal property exported and reimported without having been advanced in value or improved in condition while abroad, duties on warranty repairs or alterations of articles exported from and then returned to the United States, exemption from duty treatment of the residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of international traffic previously exported from the United States, drawback (refund of paid customs duties) on eligible merchandise imported into the United States and later exported or destroyed, and elimination of the consumptive demand exception to the prohibition on the importation of goods made with convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor. DHS shall establish within the CBP Office of International Trade a Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Division (including a National Targeting and Analysis Group) to prevent and counter evasion of AD or CVD orders with respect to covered merchandise entered into the United States. The Group shall establish targeted risk assessment methodologies and standards for: evaluating the risk that cargo destined for the United States may constitute evading covered merchandise, and issuing Trade Alerts to U.S. ports of entry directing further inspection of specific merchandise to ensure compliance with U.S. trade remedy laws. This bill prescribes procedures for the CBP to initiate an investigation into whether covered merchandise is being entered into the United States through evasion upon the filing of a petition by interested parties or referral by other federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce or the United States International Trade Commission. The CBP, in cases of an affirmative final determination, shall: suspend the liquidation of each entry of covered merchandise; notify the administering authority of the determination and request identification of the AD or CVD assessment rate for the entries in which liquidation was suspended, or if no assessment rates are available, the cash deposit rate to be applied to such entries; require the posting of cash deposits and assess duties on the merchandise; and reassess the importer's bond or other security. These requirements for investigating claims of evasion of AD and CVD orders apply to goods from Mexico and Canada as well as goods from elsewhere.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to eliminate the consumptive demand exception to the prohibition on the importation of goods made with convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor.
![Official portrait of Rep. Levin, Sander M. [D-MI-12]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/l000263_200.jpg)