United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Save American Workers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from an employee who is employed on average at least 30 hours of service a week to an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015 States that it is U.S. policy: (1) to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, and (2) that the U.S. Embassy in Israel should be established in Jerusalem not later than January 1, 2017. Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to eliminate the President's authority to waive certain funding limitations for Department of State acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened. Requires any official U.S. document which lists countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Limits appropriations that may be obligated in FY2015 for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened. States that for each of FY2015-FY2016, of funds authorized to be appropriated for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad, necessary sums should be made available until expended only for construction and other costs associated with the establishment in Jerusalem of the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a prefiled project within 12 months after receiving a complete application that is ready to be processed. Defines "prefiled project" as a project for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a natural gas pipeline with respect to which a prefiling docket number has been assigned by FERC pursuant to a prefiling process established by FERC for the purpose of facilitating the formal application process for obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Requires the agency responsible for issuing any federal license, permit, or approval regarding the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a project for which a certificate is sought to approve or deny issuance of the certificate within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental document regarding the project. Requires FERC to grant an agency request for a 30-day extension of the 90-day time period if the agency demonstrates that it cannot otherwise complete the process required to approve or deny the license, permit, or approval, and therefore will be compelled to deny it. Authorizes FERC, in granting such an extension, to offer technical assistance to the agency in order to address conditions preventing completion of the application review. Declares that, if the agency fails to approve or deny issuance of a permit, license, or approval within the prescribed time-frame, the license, permit, or approval shall take effect upon expiration of 30 days after the period's end. Directs FERC to incorporate into the terms of a license, permit, or approval any conditions proffered by the agency that FERC does not find to be inconsistent with the final environmental document.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment prohibits total outlays for any fiscal year from exceeding one-fifth of the economic output of the United States, unless two-thirds of each house of Congress provides a specific increase in outlays above this amount. The amendment requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber of Congress to increase the public debt limit or to increase revenue. It also requires the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Congress is authorized to waive these requirements when a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment requires a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber of Congress to increase the public debt limit. It requires a majority roll vote of each chamber to increase revenue. It also requires the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Congress is authorized to waive these requirements when a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a house of Congress that has not agreed to a budget resolution for FY2016 by April 15, 2015, as required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Salaries are withheld from April 16, 2015, until the house of Congress agrees to a budget resolution or the last day of the 114th Congress, whichever is earlier.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Tax Code Termination Act Terminates the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 after December 31, 2019, except for self-employment taxes, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, and railroad retirement taxes. Requires a two-thirds majority vote in Congress to change such termination date. Declares that any new federal tax system should be a simple and fair system that: (1) applies a low rate to all Americans, (2) provides tax relief for working Americans, (3) protects the rights of taxpayers and reduces tax collection abuses, (4) eliminates the bias against savings and investment, (5) promotes economic growth and job creation, and (6) does not penalize marriage or families. Requires that the new federal tax system be approved by Congress in its final form by July 4, 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2014
Volunteer Emergency Responders Tax Deduction Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, ambulance services, civil air patrol, and emergency rescue services rendered by a bona fide volunteer as a charitable contribution to the organization for which such services are rendered for purposes of the tax deduction for charitable contributions. Limits to 300 the amount of hours of services which a volunteer may render to an organization in a taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2014
GI Bill STEM Extension Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay up to nine months of additional Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to a veteran who has used all of the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to which he or she was entitled and who: (1) is enrolled in a postsecondary education program that requires more than the standard 128 semester (or 192 quarter) credit hours for completion in a specified science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field; or (2) has earned a postsecondary degree in one of those fields and is enrolled in a teaching certification program.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Separation of Powers Act of 2014 - Prohibits the use of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to any federal department or agency to: parole an alien into the United States or grant deferred action on a final order of removal for any reason other than on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons; or issue to an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States any document attesting to such alien's lawful permanent resident status or U.S. employment authorization.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014 - States that no provision of the Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, or other federal law shall be interpreted or applied to authorize the executive branch of the government to exempt, by executive order, regulation, or any other means, categories of persons unlawfully present in the United States from removal under the immigration laws. Declares any action by the executive branch with the purpose of circumventing the objectives of this statute null and void and without legal effect. Makes this Act effective retroactively, applying to any such exemption made at any time.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Veteran Education Empowerment Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award four-year grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish, maintain, and improve a veteran student center. Requires grantees to be IHEs that: have a population of at least 15,000 students, of which at least 1% are veterans or members of the Armed Forces; are located in a region or community that has a significant veteran population; carry out programs or activities that assist veterans in the local community; and present a sustainability plan demonstrating that their veteran student center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant ends. Defines a "veteran student center" as a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for such students and veterans in the community, and (2) a centralized office for veteran services that is staffed by trained employees and volunteers. Requires that office to provide such students with assistance in: transitioning from the military to student life, transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, networking with other students, understanding and obtaining the federal and state benefits for which they may be eligible, and understanding how to succeed in the IHE.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Healthy Employee Loss Prevention Act of 2014 or the HELP Act - Authorizes the following groups to petition for eligibility to apply for adjustment assistance to the Critical Employment Advisory Commission (established by this Act) and the governor of a state: a group of adversely affected workers; the certified or recognized union or other duly authorized representative of such workers; or employers of such workers, one-stop operators or one-stop partners, including state employment security agencies, or the state dislocated worker unit, on their behalf. Defines "adversely affected worker" to mean an individual who, because of lack of work in adversely affected employment, has been been totally or partially separated from such employment, or has been totally separated from employment with the company in a subdivision of which adversely affected employment exists. Directs the Commission to certify a group of adversely affected workers as eligible for adjustment assistance if: they were coal miners, coal utility workers, or other workers in the coal industry or a coal-dependent industry; a significant number of the company's workers have become, or are threatened to become, totally or partially separated or have experienced, or are threatened to experience, a significant reduction in wages; and the company's sales or production, or both, have caused a shift contributing to the worker's separation or threat of separation. Requires any complete or partial separation or reduction in wages to be directly attributable to: actions by the federal government, the low-cost of other forms of energy, the existence of state-to-state electricity market competition, or other reasons the Commission determines. Requires the payment of a readjustment allowance to an adversely affected worker covered by an eligibility certification who files an application for any week of unemployment, provided certain conditions have been met. Requires the Commission to: make available employment and case management services, directly or through state agreements, to adversely affected workers as well as adversely affected incumbent workers; and approve training for such workers in cases where suitable employment is not available. Authorizes states to use certain funds for adversely affected workers for payment of job search and relocation allowances. Establishes the Commission and the Transition Adjustment Assistance Fund to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study and report on the interoperability of computer systems used by hospitals to store and access electronic health records. Requires the study to explore the ability of hospital computer systems to allow more than one hospital to access and update the electronic health records of the same patient, including: (1) the identity of hospitals that use computer systems with this ability, (2) reasons hospitals do not have computer systems with this ability, and (3) whether this ability allows hospitals to more effectively coordinate patient care.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that legislation regarding Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts or that may lead to their use by the federal government should receive congressional scoring treatment making it more likely that the legislation will be scored as budget neutral. Supports allowing future discretionary spending savings to be counted against the mandatory spending attributed to entering into the contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Clean Air, Strong Economies Act - 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. Requires the EPA, in promulgating a primary or secondary NAAQS for ozone, to: 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 · 15 September 2014
American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act - Division A: Energy and Commerce - Northern Route Approval Act - Declares that a presidential permit shall not be required for a certain pipeline application filed by TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. to the Department of State for the Keystone XL pipeline (including the Nebraska reroute evaluated in the Final Evaluation Report issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and approved by the Nebraska governor). Deems a certain final environmental impact statement issued by the Secretary of State, coupled with such Final Evaluation Report, to satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act. Deems the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary in this Act, unless otherwise indicated) to have issued a written opinion that the Keystone XL pipeline project will neither jeopardize the American burying beetle, nor destroy or adversely modify its critical habitat. Requires the Secretary of the Army to issue by a specified deadline certain permits under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899 for pipeline construction, operation, and maintenance. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from prohibiting or restricting any activity or use of an area authorized under this Act. Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act - Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve or deny a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a prefiled project within 12 months after receiving a complete application that is ready to be processed. Requires the agency responsible for issuing any federal license, permit, or approval regarding the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a project to approve or deny the certificate within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental document. Declares that, if the agency fails to approve or deny a permit, license, or approval within the prescribed time-frame, the license, permit, or approval shall take effect upon expiration of 30 days after the period's end. North American Energy Infrastructure Act - Declares a certificate of crossing under this Act to be a prerequisite for construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the U.S. for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico. Amends the Natural Gas Act to declare that a FERC order is not required for the export or import of natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico. Amends the Federal Power Act to repeal the requirement that the transmission of electric energy to a foreign country necessitates prior FERC authorization. Declares that no Presidential permit shall be necessary for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility, including any cross-border segment. Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2014 - Prohibits EPA from promulgating a final rule governing production, supply, distribution, or use of energy that is estimated to impose aggregate costs of more than $1 billion if the Department of Energy (DOE) determines that it will cause significant adverse effects to the economy. Requires EPA, before promulgating such a final rule, to report on: (1) an estimate of the total costs and benefits of the rule, (2) an estimate of the increases in energy prices that may result from the rule, and (3) a detailed description of the employment effects that may result from the rule. Directs DOE to: (1) determine whether such rule will increase consumer energy prices, or impact fuel diversity of the nation's electricity generation portfolio or electric reliability; (2) cause an adverse effect on energy supply, distribution, or use; and (3) determine whether the rule will cause significant adverse effects to the economy. Prohibits EPA from using the social cost of carbon in any cost-benefit analysis relating to an energy-related rule estimated to cost more than $1 billion unless a federal law is enacted authorizing such use. Electricity Security and Affordability Act - Prohibits EPA from issuing, implementing, or enforcing any rule under the Clean Air Act that establishes a performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from a new source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit unless the rule meets specified requirements of this Act. Requires EPA to separate sources fueled with coal and natural gas into separate categories. Prohibits EPA from setting a standard based on the best system of emission reduction for new sources within a fossil-fuel category unless the standard meets certain criteria. Precludes from taking effect, unless a federal law is enacted specifying an effective date, any EPA rule or guideline that: (1) establishes any performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from a modified or reconstructed source that is a fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating unit, or (2) applies to greenhouse gas emissions from such an existing source. Nullifies specified proposed rules for Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units that are issued before enactment of this Act. Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act - Directs DOE to issue a decision on an application to export natural gas within 30 days after the later of: (1) the conclusion of the review to site, construct, expand, or operate the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities required by NEPA; or (2) the date of enactment of this Act. Deems any NEPA review to be concluded: (1) 30 days after publication of a required Environmental Impact Statement; (2) 30 days after DOE publication of a Finding of No Significant Impact if the project needs an Environmental Assessment; and (3) upon a determination by the lead agency that an application is eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to NEPA regulations. (A "categorical exclusion" under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment [EA] nor an environmental impact statement [EIS] is required.) Confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the U.S. Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the LNG export facility will be located regarding any civil action for the review of: (1) a DOE order regarding the application, or (2) DOE failure to issue a final decision on the application. Amends the Natural Gas Act to require DOE to require, as a condition for approval to export LNG, that the applicant make public disclosure of the export's specific destination. Division B: Natural Resources Committee - Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to direct the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary in this Act) to implement a leasing program that includes at least 50% of the available unleased acreage within each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area considered to have the largest undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources. Sets the production goal as an increase by 2032 of at least: (1) 3 million barrels of oil produced daily, and (2) 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas produced daily. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to Congress a new proposed oil and gas leasing program for the five-year period from July 15, 2015, to July 15, 2021, and (2) approve a final oil and gas leasing program by July 15, 2016. Directs the Secretary to conduct offshore oil and gas Lease Sale 220 on the OCS offshore Virginia within one year after enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct a lease sale within two years after enactment of this Act for areas off the coast of South Carolina with the most geologically promising hydrocarbon resources and constituting at least 25% of the leasable area within the South Carolina offshore administrative boundaries. Directs the Secretary to offer for sale by December 31, 2015, leases of tracts in the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara/Ventura Basins of the Southern California OCS Planning Area. Allocates 37.5% of the amount of new federal leasing revenues to coastal states affected by the leases under which those revenues are received by the U.S. Prescribes an allocation schedule for coastal states within 200 miles of the leased tract. Establishes in the Department of the Interior: (1) an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals; (2) an Assistant Secretary of Ocean Energy and Safety; (3) an Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management; (4) a Bureau of Ocean Energy; (5) an Ocean Energy Safety Service; and (6) an Office of Natural Resources Revenue. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a National Offshore Energy Safety Academy as an agency of the Ocean Energy Safety Service, and (2) an Outer Continental Shelf Energy Safety Advisory Board. Abolishes the Minerals Management Service. Establishes in the Treasury the Ocean Energy Enforcement Fund as depository for non-refundable fees collected from the operators of facilities subject to inspection. Redefines the OCS to include all submerged lands lying within the U.S. exclusive economic zone and the Continental Shelf adjacent to any U.S. territory. Directs the Secretary to promulgate rules regarding the revenue streams contemplated by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, including the timing and methods of disbursements of certain funds under such Act. Prescribes requirements for judicial review of any action or decision by a federal official regarding the issuance of an energy lease. Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act - Directs the Secretary to encourage the use of U.S. workers and equipment manufactured in the U.S. in all construction related to mineral resource development under this Act. Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) to direct the Secretary to decide whether to issue a permit to drill within 30 days after receiving a permit application, with specified allowable deadline extensions. Deems a permit application approved if the Secretary has not made a decision by 60 days after its receipt. Directs the Secretary to collect: (1) a single $6,500 permit processing fee per application; and (2) a $5,000 documentation fee to accompany each protest for a lease, right of way, or application for permit to drill. Requires the Secretary to establish a Federal Permit Streamlining Project in every Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office responsible for permitting energy projects on federal land. Prescribes procedures for judicial review of an agency action affecting leasing federal lands for energy activities. Requires the Secretary to provide matching funding of up to 50% for joint projects with states to conduct oil and gas resource assessments on federal lands with significant oil and gas potential. Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary, in conducting lease sales under the MLA, to offer for sale at least 25% of the annual nominated acreage not previously made available for lease. Shields such acreage from protest or the test of extraordinary circumstances. Amends the MLA to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) withdrawing any covered energy project without finding a violation of lease terms by the lessee; (2) delaying indefinitely issuance of project approvals, drilling and seismic permits, and rights of way for activities under a lease; or (3) cancelling or withdrawing any lease parcel after a competitive lease sale has occurred and a winning bidder has made the last payment for the parcel. Declares without force or effect BLM Instruction Memorandum 2010-117 (which establishes a process to ensure orderly, effective, timely, and environmentally responsible leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands). Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act or the PIONEERS Act - Deems the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the BLM on November 18, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Deems the November 17, 2008, BLM Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements. Directs the Secretary to hold, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, a lease sale that offers for lease additional ten parcels for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources under terms offered in specified bid solicitations. Requires the Secretary, by January 1, 2016, to hold at least five separate commercial lease sales, in multiple lease blocs, in areas of at least 25,000 acres, which: (1) have been nominated through public comment, and (2) are considered to have the most potential for oil shale development. Planning for American Energy Act of 2014 - Amends the MLA to direct the Secretary to publish a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy to direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation. Directs the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of such strategy. National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act - Amends the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 to require the mandatory program of competitive leasing of oil and gas in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) to include at least one lease sale annually in areas deemed most likely to produce commercial quantities of oil and natural gas each year in the period 2014-2024. Directs the Secretary to ensure permits according to a specified timeline for all surface development activities, including pipelines and roads construction, to: (1) develop and bring into production areas within the NPR that are subject to oil and gas leases, and (2) transport oil and gas from and through the NPR to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska. Directs the Secretary to ensure that any federal permitting agency issue permits for construction for transportation of oil and natural gas under existing federal oil and gas leases with drilling permits within 60 days after enactment of this Act. Requires approval of drilling permits under new federal oil and gas leases within six months after submission of a permit request to the Secretary. Nullifies the February 21, 2013, Record of Decision, including its integrated activity plan and environmental impact statement. Requires the Secretary to assess all technically recoverable fossil fuel resources within the NPR, including conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas. BLM Live Internet Auctions Act - Amends the MLA to authorize the Secretary to conduct onshore oil and gas lease sales, within seven days, through Internet-based live bidding methods. Native American Energy Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allow either the Secretary, an affected Indian tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the Indian tribe to appraise Indian land or trust assets involved in a transaction requiring the Secretary's approval. Amends NEPA to make the environmental impact statement for major federal action on Indian lands available for review and comment only to the affected Indian tribe and individuals residing within the affected area. Prescribes requirements for judicial review of energy-related actions. Amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary to enter into agreements with Indian tribes to carry out demonstration projects that promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing tribes with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize the Navajo Nation to enter into commercial or agricultural leases of up to 99 years on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if they are executed under tribal regulations approved by the Secretary. Permits the Navajo Nation to enter into mineral resource leases on their restricted lands without the Secretary's approval if they are executed under approved tribal regulations and do not exceed 25 years, though they may include a renewal option for one additional term not exceeding 25 years. Prohibits any Department of the Interior rule regarding hydraulic fracturing used in oil and gas development or production, from having any effect on land held in trust or restricted status for Indians, except with the express consent of its Indian beneficiaries. Directs the Secretary to establish an Office of Energy Employment and Training. Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act - Amends the Water Conservation and Utilization Act (WCUA) to authorize the Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into 40-year leases of power privileges for electric power generation in connection with any project constructed under such Act. Requires the Bureau to apply its categorical exclusion process under NEPA to small conduit hydropower under WCUA, excluding siting of associated transmission facilities on federal lands. Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act - Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to modify the boundary of the Crooked River, Oregon. Requires the developer for any hydropower development at Bowman Dam to analyze any impacts to the Outstanding Remarkable Values of the Wild and Scenic River that may be caused by such development and propose impact mitigationas part of any license application submitted to FERC. Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act - Amends the MLA to prohibit the Department of the Interior from enforcing any federal regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing (including any component of that process), relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on or under any land in any state that has regulations, guidance, or permit requirements for that activity. Extends that prohibition, with an exception, to land held either in trust or restricted status for the benefit of Indians. Requires the Department to recognize and defer to state regulations, permitting, and guidance for hydraulic fracturing relating to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities on federal land. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to examine the economic benefits of domestic shale oil and gas production resulting from hydraulic fracturing. EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study Improvement Act - Requires EPA to adhere to prescribed requirements when conducting its study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America - Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require state programs for regulation of surface coal mining to incorporate the necessary rule concerning excess spoil, coal mine waste, and buffers for perennial and intermittent streams published by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Division C: Judiciary - Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2014 or the RAPID Act - Authorizes a project sponsor, upon the request of a lead agency, to prepare any document required for environmental review if the agency furnishes oversight and independently evaluates, approves, and adopts the document before taking action on it. Prohibits requiring more than one EIS and one EA for a project, except for supplemental environmental documents prepared under NEPA or pursuant to court order. Requires the lead agency to prepare the EIS or EA. Prohibits the lead agency from using the social cost of carbon in any environmental review or environmental decision making process. Requires the Council on Environmental Quality and each federal agency to amend NEPA implementing regulations to implement this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act - Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ); and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to prohibit a federal agency from being required to consider the social cost of carbon (an estimate of the monetized damages associated with an incremental increase in carbon dioxide emissions in a given year) as part of any cost-benefit or regulatory analysis of any program, project, activity, or administrative action of the agency as a condition of compliance with NEPA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
The EPA Regulatory Domestic Benefit Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing, implementing, and enforcing any proposed or final rule addressing emissions of carbon dioxide from any new or existing source that is an electric utility generating unit unless the regulatory impact analysis for the rule primarily considers, and separately reports on, the domestic benefits of the rule. Nullifies the following proposed rules: (1) Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, and (2) Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Reaffirms the commitments of the House of Representatives to promoting and protecting religious freedom around the world and providing relief to minority groups facing persecution. Calls on the Department of State to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi central government, neighboring countries, the diaspora community in the United States, the United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Refugees, and other key stakeholders to help secure safe havens for those claiming amnesty in Iraq. Requests the addition of a Special Representative for Religious Minorities to be included in Prime Minister al-Maliki's newly reconstructed government.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Condemns the religious bigotry, property destruction, and violent attacks on, and intimidation of, Iraqi civilians by armed extremists. Calls upon the government of Iraq to protect the safety and constitutional rights of all Iraqi citizens. Calls on the President, Secretary of State, and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to implement a humanitarian intervention to protect civilians, stabilize the security situation in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq, and facilitate humanitarian assistance in the Kurdistan region to help absorb the influx of refugees. Calls on the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to document human rights abuses against Iraqi civilians and develop a plan to facilitate access to potable water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic security for the most vulnerable civilian populations. Calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations working in Iraq to develop an effective strategy for resettlement assistance and mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches the intended recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2014
Condemns: (1) the Ukrainian separatists illegally occupying the Ukrainian city of Donetsk and the surrounding territory as terrorists for shooting down a civilian passenger airliner, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17; and (2) the government of the Russian Federation for supplying the arms that shot down the plane. Calls on: (1) the Ukrainian separatists of Donetsk to disband and relinquish control of Donetsk and the surrounding area to the government of Ukraine, and (2) the government of the Russian Federation to end attempts to undermine the government of Ukraine and to cease arming militaristic and terroristic groups. Urges the President and Secretary of State to utilize all available means to compel the government of the Russian Federation to withdraw support from such groups.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary of State to negotiate agreements between the United States and other countries for the repatriation of children. Requires that such agreements protect children from severe forms of trafficking in persons and provide for their safe removal and repatriation. (Current law provides separate procedures for unaccompanied alien children from countries that are or are not contiguous to the United States.) Subjects all children who do not make a claim of asylum or fear of persecution to initial screening and expedited removal. (Maintains the exception for Cuban children arriving by air.) Prohibits the government from bearing any expense of counsel for any person in a removal or related appeal proceedings. Adds an additional requirement in order to establish a credible fear of persecution claim in an asylum interview. Limits humanitarian and public interest parole authority. Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from using parole authority for an alien who is ineligible for refugee status. Authorizes the DHS Secretary to designate groups as criminal street gangs. Requires detention for anyone found inadmissible or deportable for criminal street gang membership. Bars individuals found inadmissible or deportable for such membership from asylum, temporary protected status, or special immigrant juvenile status. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to revise the definition of "unaccompanied alien child." Prohibits an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) from applying for asylum if such child: (1) may be removed to a safe third country, or (2) has not applied for asylum within one year after arrival in the United States. Provides for additional immigration judges and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys. National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from restricting specified U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities on federal land within 100 miles of an international land border to: (1) execute search and rescue operations, and (2) prevent unlawful U.S. entries through the international land borders of the United States. Directs the Secretary of State to suspend all foreign assistance to certain countries that refuse to: (1) negotiate a child repatriation agreement, or (2) accept from the United States repatriated unaccompanied alien children who are nationals or residents of the sending country. Permits the use of foreign assistance for repatriation and reintegration purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2014 - Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to conduct a review that: (1) surveys federal and state activities to deter individuals from committing trafficking offenses and to prevent children from becoming trafficking victims; (2) surveys academic literature on deterring individuals from committing trafficking offenses, preventing children from becoming trafficking victims, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; and (3) identifies best practices and strategies to deter such actions. Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress regarding: (1) federal and state law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States, and (2) information on each relevant federal grant program. Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to authorize grants for programs that provide housing assistance to victims of trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Recognizes, supports, and defends the constitutional authority of the governors of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to deploy units of the National Guard to secure the international border of the United States within their states. Urges such governors to immediately deploy units of the National Guard to: (1) gain effective control of the southern border of the United States, and (2) prevent anyone without legal immigration status from entering the United States. Declares a commitment to appropriating the necessary monies to effectively support any such deployments.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hamas's use of this illegal tactic. Calls on: (1) the international community to recognize Hamas's grave breaches of international law by using human shields, and (2) Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields. Places responsibility for launching the rocket attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, in Gaza. Supports Israel's sovereign right to defend its territory and stop the rocket attacks on its citizens. Expresses condolences to the families of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. Supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all forms of terrorism and who desire to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Securing Access Via Excellence for Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 or the SAVE Medicare Home Health Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services, to repeal the rebasing reduction adjustment for 2014 and subsequent years required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Establishes a calendar year 2014 payment adjustment under such PPS. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a detailed analysis of the rebasing reduction in Medicare payments for home health services promulgated under the rule for home health prospective payment system rate update for calendar year 2014. Directs the Secretary to specify a home health all-cause all-condition hospital unplanned readmission measure for readmissions (for any cause) to a hospital for an individual entitled to benefits under Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) (or enrolled under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medicare Insurance]) and who is receiving post-hospital home health services. Requires this measure to be risk adjusted for potentially preventable readmission to a hospital for such an individual. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish: (1) a Medicare home health agency value-based purchasing program (HHA VBP) under which value-based incentive payments are made in a year to home health agencies, and (2) performance standards for application of the unplanned readmission measure. Directs the Secretary to develop by regulation a methodology for assessing the total performance of each home health agency based on these performance standards. Directs the Secretary to: (1) withhold from the payment rates made for each year for home health services the amount necessary so that enactment of this Act is estimated not to result in any net change in payments made for Medicare services, and (2) provide for a distribution of a portion of those withheld amounts for performance payments to home health agencies. Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to review the progress of the HHA VBP and make appropriate recommendations on any improvements that should be made to the program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Coal Jobs Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state acting pursuant to an equivalent approved state program (permitting authority) to base a determination on approving a new or renewed permit covering discharges from a point source only on compliance with regulations issued by the permitting authority. Prohibits the permitting authority from basing a determination on the extent of the permit applicant's adherence to guidance issued by the EPA. Authorizes an applicant, if the permitting authority does not approve or deny a substantially complete application for a new permit within 270 days after the date of receipt of an application, to discharge as if the application were approved. Revises requirements for the administration of state permit programs, including by making optional a statement by an attorney general or chief legal officer that state laws or an interstate compact provide adequate authority to conduct the program. Establishes deadlines for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for approval of permits to discharge dredged or fill material into navigable waters. Requires a state to concur with the EPA's determination that a discharge will result in an unacceptable adverse effect in order for the EPA to deny or restrict the specification of any defined area as a disposal site or the use of defined areas as disposal sites. Requires the EPA, before issuing a regulation, policy statement, guidance, response to a petition, or other requirement, or implementing a new or substantially altered program under the Clean Water Act, to analyze the impact of such action on employment levels or economic activity in each state. Authorizes states to disregard, accept, or modify the EPA's disagreement with, and recommendations for, a state's identification of: (1) waters as areas with insufficient controls, and (2) pollutants suitable for maximum daily load measurement. Exempts trash and garbage from requirements governing the discharge of fill material into waters of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 July 2014
Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 - Prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: developing, finalizing, adopting, implementing, applying, administering, or enforcing the proposed rule entitled, "Definition of 'Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act," issued on April 21, 2014, or the proposed guidance entitled, "Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected By the Clean Water Act," dated February 17, 2012; or using the proposed rule or proposed guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance as the basis for any rulemaking or decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act). Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to withdraw the interpretive rule entitled, "Notice of Availability Regarding the Exemption from Permitting Under Section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act to Certain Agricultural Conservation Practices," issued on April 21, 2014. Requires the Army Corps and the EPA to consult with relevant state and local officials to develop recommendations for a regulatory proposal that would identify the scope of waters covered under the Clean Water Act and the scope of waters not covered.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Disapproves and nullifies the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and published in the Federal Register on July 2, 2014, relating to the garnishment of non-federal wages to collect delinquent non-tax debts owed to the United States without first obtaining a court order.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Condemns the kidnapping and murder of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach by terrorists associated with Hamas and the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir by extremists. Commends Israeli authorities for acting swiftly to apprehend the killers of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and expects that the murderers will be punished to the full extent of the law. Calls on the Hamas-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) to cooperate with the Israeli government to apprehend the murderers of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach and bring them to justice. Calls on Hamas to halt its attacks on Israel and stop provoking Israel into a conflict. Urges the PA to sever ties with Hamas until it recognizes Israel's right to exist and renounces terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Charitable Automobile Red-Tape Simplification Act of 2014 or the CARS Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions, to modify the substantiation rules for donations of qualified vehicles (i.e., motor vehicles manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways and boats or airplanes) to require: (1) a statement with respect to such qualified vehicles and a good faith estimate of their value at the time of donation; and (2) a contemporaneous written acknowledgement of the contribution by the donee organization, with information about the donor and the qualified vehicle.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2014
Condemns and disapproves of the Obama administration's failure to comply with the lawful 30-day statutory reporting requirement in releasing the five senior Taliban members from detention at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Expresses concern over: (1) national security implications that may arise from the Taliban members' release; and (2) the repercussions of negotiating with terrorists, and the risk that such negotiations may further encourage hostilities and the abduction of Americans. Stipulates that further violations of appropriate law are unacceptable. Declares misgivings about the prospect of any similar transfers from Guantanamo, even if undertaken pursuant to statutory requirements. States that the Obama administration's release of the five detainees has burdened unnecessarily the trust in the administration's commitment and ability to work with the legislative branch, and therefore works against the best interest of the people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014
Protection Against Wasteful Spending Act of 2014 - Requires the head of a federal agency to: (1) implement in each of fiscal years 2014-2020 all of the recommendations of the agency's inspector general (IG) regarding wasteful and excessive spending, or duplicative programs causing wasteful and excessive spending, except for any recommendation that would violate an existing law; and (2) report to Congress on such implementation. Prohibits an agency that fails to implement an IG recommendation in a timely manner from obligating funds for: (1) convention or seminar attendance and international or domestic travel by any politically-appointed official, or (2) any bonus or salary increase for such official. Directs that such funds that are prohibited from being obligated and amounts saved by the implementation of IG recommendations be credited or transferred equally to: (1) the Highway Trust Fund, and (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds under the Clean Water Act.
United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2014 or the ACE Kids Act of 2014 - Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to extend medical assistance to payment for items and services furnished under a Medicaid Children's Care Coordination (MCCC) Program which the state may elect to provide to eligible children with complex medical conditions. Requires an MCCC program, among other things, to coordinate, integrate, and provide for the furnishing of the full range of MCCC program services to enrolled children, as well as designate pediatric care management services and pediatric focused care coordination and health promotion. Requires eligible children to be enrolled prospectively in an MCCC program through initial assignment to a nationally designated children's hospital network.
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014
Helping Veterans Save for Health Care Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a veteran receiving hospital care or medical services for a service-connected disabililty is not disqualified from participating in or contributing to a tax-preferred health savings account (HSA).
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014
Coordinated Recovery Initiative for Babies Act of 2014 or the CRIB Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study the treatment and surveillance of, and available information concerning, neonatal abstinence syndrome (a group of problems occurring in a newborn who was exposed to addictive drugs while in the mother's womb). Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory panel to identify and compile best practices and to disseminate the practices, including through the public HHS website. Requires a review of the best practices at least every two years.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014
Southwest Border Protection Act of 2014 - Requires Secretary of Defense (DOD), at the request of a governor of a state that shares a portion of the international border between the United States and Mexico, to order to active duty, and provide for the deployment of, at least 10,000 members of the National Guard to assist the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in achieving operational control of such border. Provides for such deployment to be in addition to the number of National Guard members already deployed along such border as of the enactment of this Act. Requires such a governor-requested deployment to continue until: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) certifies that the federal government has achieved operational control, or (2) the governor withdraws the request. Exempts National Guard members deployed under this Act from being counted toward any limits on: (1) end strength, or (2) the number of National Guard personnel that may be placed on active duty for operational support.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014
Regulatory Certainty Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to limit the period during which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may prohibit the specification, or restrict the use, of an area as a disposal site for discharges of dredged or fill materials into waters of the United States to the period that: begins on the date that the Army Corps of Engineers provides notice to the EPA that the Corps has completed all procedures for processing an application for a permit for dredged or fill material and is ready to determine whether the permit should be issued; and ends on the date that the Corps issues the permit. Requires the Corps to ensure that the period consists of at least 30 consecutive days. Authorizes the Corps to issue a permit for dredged or fill material only after the Corps provides notice to the EPA.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014
Energy Star Program Integrity Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit any disclosure relating to participation of a product in the Energy Star program from creating a warranty or giving rise to any private claims or rights of action under state or federal law relating to disqualification of the product from Energy Star if: (1) the product has been certified by a certification body recognized by the program, (2) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved corrective measures, and (3) the responsible party has fully complied with all approved corrective measures. Prohibits this Act from being construed to require the Administrator to modify any procedure or take any other action.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014
Reaffirms U.S. law and appropriations legislation conditioning assistance to, and cooperation with, the Palestinian Authority (PA). Reaffirms the U.S. commitment to a democratic framework for peace decided through direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership, without the interference of Hamas. Calls on the Department of State to work with European partners to support implementation of all necessary measures on suspending multilateral assistance to, and and security cooperation with, the PA. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that since Hamas and Fatah have unified, regardless of the unity government being made up of Hamas and Fatah technocrats, the Secretary of State should, if the unity government is not dissolved, designate the PA and such unity government as a foreign terrorist organization and redesignate the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as a foreign terrorist organization. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it is in the national security interests of the United States and its partners that the following objectives and conditions be achieved: the PA dissolving the unity government with Hamas, a long-designated foreign terrorist organization, and for the PA to renounce violence, outlaw terrorist groups, and re-enter into bilateral negotiations with Israel; the PA formally and publicly recognizing the Jewish state of Israel's right to exist, accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements, and ending all anti-U.S and anti-Israel incitement; repealing the Law of the Prisoner and abolishing the Ministry of Prisoners and programs relating to compensation and recognition of convicted terrorists; rescinding the names and the naming of public institutions and civil projects after convicted terrorist and murders; ending all efforts to circumvent the statehood process at the United Nations (U.N.), including applications and memberships to international institutions outside direct negotiations with Israel; enacting reforms to advance religious freedom and recognition for all religions and ethnicities, ensuring the freedoms of speech, the press, and political assembly, and reforming the political process through elections without any influence or participation by Hamas; and abiding by all U.S laws on foreign assistance to the PA.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the government of Mexico should release U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi and provide for his return to the United States so he can receive appropriate medical assistance, and (2) the President should utilize the full powers and authorities of his office to secure Sgt. Tahmooressi's release.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Protection and Accountability Regulatory Act of 2014 - Nullifies the following proposed rules of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, (2) Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, and (3) Carbon Pollution Standards for Modified and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units. Prohibits the Administrator of the EPA from issuing or implementing for five years any rule that is substantially similar to the proposed rules unless a federal law is enacted specifically authorizing such a rule.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014
Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts with such non-VA facilities as may be necessary to furnish hospital care and medical services to veterans who: have waited longer than the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (as of June 1, 2014) for an appointment for hospital care or medical services in a VA facility; have been notified by a VA facility that an appointment for hospital care or medical services is not available within such wait-time goals; or reside more than 40 miles from the VA medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, that is closest to their residence. Allows eligible veterans who opt for hospital care or medical services in a non-VA facility to receive such care or services through the completion of the episode of care, but for no longer than 60 days. Directs the Secretary, to the extent that appropriations are available to the VHA for medical services, to reimburse non-VA facilities with which the VA does not have such a contract for providing hospital care and medical services to such veterans, if such care and services cannot be provided within the VHA's wait-time goals in a facility with which the VA has a contract. Sets the reimbursement rate for such care or services at the greatest of the VA, Medicare, or TRICARE (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed care program) payment rate for such care or services. Terminates the Secretary's authority to contract with or reimburse non-VA facilities for the provision of such care and services two years after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract or contracts with a private entity or entities with experience in VHA and private delivery systems and in health care management to conduct an independent assessment of the hospital care and medical services furnished in VA facilities. Prohibits the Secretary from paying awards and bonuses to VA employees for FY2014-FY2016.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2014
Cold War Service Medal Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to issue the Cold War Service Medal to members of the Armed Forces who were discharged or released under honorable conditions after having: (1) served on active duty for at least 24 consecutive months during the Cold War (September 2, 1945, through December 26, 1991), (2) deployed outside the continental United States for at least 30 days during such period, or (3) performed other Cold War service as the Secretary of Defense (DOD) may prescribe. Expresses the sense of Congress that the DOD Secretary should expedite the design of the Medal as well its issuance to eligible members.
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2014
Coal Country Protection Act or the Protecting Jobs, Families, and the Economy From EPA Overreach Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from promulgating any regulation or guidance that limits or prohibits new carbon dioxide emissions from a fossil fuel-fired power plant until it is certified: (1) by the Secretary of Labor that the regulation or guidance will not generate a loss of employment, (2) by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that it will not result in a loss in the gross domestic product, (3) by the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration that it will not generate an increase in electricity rates, and (4) by the Chairperson of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the President of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation that it will not effect the reliability of electricity delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2014
Clean Air Fairness Act of 2014 - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise provisions concerning implementation plans for national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards. Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from promulgating a federal implementation plan for a state related to national ambient air quality standards until the EPA: (1) promulgates a final rule identifying the emission reductions necessary to meet interstate transport of air emissions requirements, and (2) provides states at least two years to revise their state implementation plans (SIPs). (A federal implementation plan is created due to the failure of an SIP to contain adequate provisions prohibiting emissions activity which will contribute significantly to nonattainment in, or interfere with maintenance by, another state with any national ambient air quality standard.) Prohibits a state from being subjected to penalties for an inadequate SIP until these conditions are met. Prohibits the EPA from promulgating, implementing, or enforcing a federal implementation plan due to the failure of an SIP to comply with the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule unless the EPA: (1) takes into consideration the Supreme Court's decision in Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., et al. , (2) publishes a final notice indicating the EPA's intent to enforce the rule , and (3) provides states with at least two years from the publication date to revise their SIPs. Prohibits a state from being subject to penalties for the failure of a SIP to comply with the rule until these conditions are met.
![Official portrait of Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001180_200.jpg)