United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2014
Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely Act or the SMART Act - Amends subpart 1 (Accountability) of part A of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the program allotting grants to states to develop and administer state academic content and achievement standards and assessments of student progress toward those standards. Requires each state to use such grant to: develop and administer such assessments and further align them with the state's academic content standards, ensure that students with limited English proficiency and disabled students are provided with appropriate accommodations to improve their inclusion in the assessments, develop state assessment systems aligned to content standards that support systems of continuous improvement, support local educational agencies (LEAs) in identifying uses of assessment data, and carry out certain other activities to improve the quality and use of state assessments. Revises the program awarding competitive grants to states to enhance assessment instruments. Requires each grantee that has not yet received a grant under such program to use the grant to: carry out audits of the state assessment system and ensure that LEAs carry out audits of local assessments; prepare and carry out a state plan, in coordination with LEAs, to improve and streamline state and local assessment systems; and award subgrants to LEAs to improve the quality and use of local assessments and their alignment with state academic content standards. Requires a state that has previously received such a grant to use a new grant to: carry out a state plan, in coordination with LEAs, to improve and streamline state and local assessment systems; and award subgrants to LEAs to improve the quality and use of local assessments and their alignment with state academic content standards. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states to improve their understanding of existing flexibility in the design and implementation of high-quality, streamlined state assessment systems to measure student progress toward state academic achievement standards. Reauthorizes appropriations for the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the revised subpart 1 grant programs.
United States · United States Congress · 20 November 2014
Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to revise requirements with regard to miners' claims for pneumoconiosis (black lung) benefits. Requires a mine operator to deliver within 21 days a complete copy of the examining physician's report to any miner required to submit to a medical examination regarding his or her respiratory or pulmonary condition. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish an attorneys' fee payment program to pay attorneys' fees of up to $4,500 to the attorneys of prevailing parties on a qualifying black lung benefit claim. Establishes an irrebuttable presumption that a miner is totally disabled due to black lung disease, that the miner's death was due to black lung, or that at the time of death the miner was totally disabled by black lung disease if a chest radiograph, biopsy, autopsy, or other medically accepted test or procedure has diagnosed such miner with complicated black lung or progressive massive fibrosis. Allows a party to rebut this presumption only in cases where: the miner was employed for 15 years or more in one or more coal mines (including surface mines), there is a negative chest radiograph, other evidence demonstrates the existence of a totally disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment, but no part of the miner's respiratory or pulmonary impairment was caused by black lung disease. Revises requirements for the payment of benefits to miners (including their dependents) totally disabled by black lung disease. Authorizes black lung clinics to use a portion of their federal funding to assist miners, surviving spouses, dependents, and other family members in the filing of black lung benefit claims. Prohibits any claimant, physician, operator, duly authorized agent of such operator, or employee of an insurance carrier, subject to certain civil and criminal penalties, from: knowingly and willfully making a false statement or misrepresentation in obtaining or denying benefits, or threatening or knowingly misleading anyone participating in a proceeding regarding such benefits. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to give a claimant the opportunity to substantiate a claim for benefits through a complete pulmonary evaluation of the miner that includes an initial qualified physician's report and, if certain conditions are met, any supplemental medical evidence developed after the report. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish in NIOSH a pilot program to establish B Reader Panels to assure accurate International Labor Organization classifications for chest radiographs in black lung disease cases where there is a factual dispute regarding a diagnosis of complicated black lung or progressive massive fibrosis. Directs the Secretary, in coordination with NIOSH, to establish a program to educate district directors, claims examiners, administrative law judges and supporting attorney advisors, and Benefits Review Board members about medical evidence relevant to black lung benefit claims. Revises black lung eligibility requirements to replace the terms "wife" and "widow" with "spouse" and "surviving spouse." Allows a covered miner or survivor to file a claim for black lung benefits within one year after enactment of this Act if the claim was been denied before enactment of this Act. Requires adjudication of the claim on its merits and excludes consideration of any negative chest radiograph for simple black lung disease, complicated black lung disease, or progressive massive fibrosis. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress a strategy to reduce the backlog of black lung cases pending before the Office of Administrative Law Judges of the Department of Labor. Directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on any barriers to health care faced by coal miners with black lung disease. Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary to conduct a retrospective study evaluating data collected using continuous dust monitors to determine whether to lower the applicable standard for respirable dust concentration for miners, among other possible actions. Establishes in the Department of Labor an Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) (codifying the existing establishment of OWCP in the Department of Labor.)
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2014
Establishes the Presidential Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics to review, analyze, and report to the President and Congress on the following issues related to intercollegiate athletics: the interaction of athletics and academics, the financing of intercollegiate athletics, the recruitment and retention of student athletes, oversight and governance practices, health and safety protections for student athletes, due process and other protections related to the enforcement of student athlete rules and regulations, and any other issues the Commission considers relevant to understanding the state of intercollegiate athletics.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation approximately 44 acres of land to include in the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 101 East Market Street in Long Beach, California, as the "Juanita Millender-McDonald Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 801 West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc, California, as the "Federal Correctional Officer Scott J. Williams Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Promoting Apprenticeships for Credentials and Employment Act or the PACE Act - Establishes the Office of Apprenticeship in the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor, to be headed by the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship. Includes among the duties of the Administrator the management of the national apprenticeship system, promoting awareness about registered apprenticeship programs (i.e., programs registered under the National Apprenticeship Act), and supporting the development of pre-apprenticeship programs (programs or strategies designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship program). Establishes in the Department of Labor a National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships to advise the Administrator, and make recommendations, on the administration of registered apprenticeship programs. Directs the Administrator, working jointly with the Assistant Secretary of Education for Vocational and Adult Education (Secretaries), to establish and maintain a voluntary Registered Apprenticeship-College Consortium to promote: (1) stronger connections between registered apprenticeship programs and participating two- and four-year postsecondary educational institutions, and (2) the translation of experience in an apprenticeship program to academic credit. Requires the Secretaries to: (1) establish criteria for the participation of a postsecondary educational institution or sponsor in the Consortium; (2) maintain a publicly accessible website to provide information about the Consortium in each state; and (3) establish an advisory committee for the Consortium to seek input from organizations and experts representing industry, labor, and postsecondary education. Requires the Administrator to provide payments of assistance for eligible sponsors of new registered apprenticeship programs or for sponsors of existing joint labor-management registered apprenticeship programs that add employers as new partners.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Commends the work of the individuals and organizations involved in building and maintaining the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Fast Help For Homeowners Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require the servicer of a federally related mortgage, upon request by the mortgagor for a short sale of the dwelling or residential real property under the mortgage, to notify in writing each holder of a subordinate lien on the property securing the loan of such request, together with a copy of it. Requires a subordinate lien holder that is so notified to respond in writing to the servicer within 45 days after receiving the notification. Considers the request approved by the holder if the holder does not respond within the 45 days.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, California, as the "Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 73839 Gorgonio Drive in Twentynine Palms, California, as the "Colonel M.J. 'Mac' Dube, USMC Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require any employment in which children under the age of 18 come into direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves to be considered particularly hazardous oppressive child labor, which is prohibited under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Employee Empowerment Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to authorize a person alleging an unfair labor practice by an employer by discrimination regarding hiring or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization, in addition to filing a charge alleging an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board, to bring a civil action against such employer in U.S. district court. Authorizes the court to grant relief (including injunctive and equitable relief, back pay, and compensatory and punitive damages) and allow the prevailing party a reasonable attorney's fee (including expert witness fees) as part of the costs.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2014 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to redefine "homeless," "homeless individual," or "homeless person." Modifies requirements relating to an individual or family who will imminently lose their housing, including housing they own, rent, or live in without paying rent. Revises criteria for unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth defined as homeless under other federal statutes to require that they: are certified as homeless by the director or designee of a program funded under any other federal statute; or have been certified by a director of a program funded under this Act or a director of a public housing agency (PHA) as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, which shall include: (1) temporarily sharing the housing of another person due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or other similar reason; or (2) living in a room in a motel or hotel. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: (1) aggregate and publicly report information provided from a community-wide homeless management information system (HMIS), and (2) ensure that any such report does not contain personally identifiable information. Prohibits the Secretary, in awarding grants for continuum of care programs, from considering or prioritizing the specific homeless populations intended to be served by the applicant if the applicant demonstrates that the project: (1) would meet the priorities identified in the applicant's plan, and (2) is cost-effective in meeting the overall goals and objectives identified in that plan. Repeals certain requirements regarding collaborative applicants. Modifies requirements for selection criteria for the award of grants through a national competition between geographic areas. Requires annual reports to Congress on housing assistance for the homeless to include data: (1) required to be made publicly available in the HMIS report, and (2) on programs funded under other specified federal statutes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Calls on: (1) the United States to prioritize the rights of migrant workers in their relations with Qatar by offering technical assistance and expertise in combating human trafficking and the provision of victim-centered services, and (2) U.S. corporations involved in constructing World Cup related infrastructure in Qatar to ensure that working conditions are in compliance with international human rights standards by holding subcontractors accountable for labor violations and incorporating mechanisms for enforcement of such contractual obligations. Calls on the Qatari authorities to implement existing legislation and enact new legislation to prevent human rights violations. Calls on the migrant laborers' countries of origin, notably Bangladesh, India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, to protect their nationals from deceptive recruitment agencies in their countries and intervene on behalf of their nationals whose rights are abused when working in Qatar and other Persian Gulf states. Urges the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to: (1) ensure that the World Cup is a symbol of global cooperation, (2) deliver a strong message to Qatar to make sure that the 2022 World Cup is not staged with the assistance of modern slavery by continuing the organization's involvement in Qatar, and (3) advocate for fair labor practices on all World Cup related projects.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2014
Schedules That Work Act - Grants an employee the right to request that his or her employer change the terms and conditions of employment relating to: the number of hours or times the employee is required to work or be on call; the location; the amount of notification he or she receives of work schedule assignments; and minimizing fluctuations in the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Requires the employer, if the request is made, to engage in a timely, good faith interactive process with the employee that includes a discussion of potential schedule changes that would meet his or her needs. Outlines the process for either granting or denying a change. Requires the employer to grant a request, unless there is a bona fide business reason for denying it, if the request is made because of the employee's serious health condition, his or her responsibilities as a caregiver, or enrollment in a career-related educational or training program, or if a part-time employee requests such a change for a reason related to a second job. Authorizes an employer, if an employee requests a change for any other reason, to deny it for any reason that is not unlawful. Requires the employer to give the employee the reason for the denial, including whether it was a bona fide business reason. Outlines employer requirements for paying reporting time and split shift pay and for giving advance notice of work schedules to retail, food service, or cleaning employees, except for those in bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacities. Makes it unlawful for any employer or other person to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise or the attempt to exercise any right of an employee specified in this Act; (2) retaliate against an individual for exercising his or her rights, or (3) interfere with proceedings or inquiries with respect to violation of an individual's rights. Sets forth administrative enforcement procedures and civil remedies for violation of these prohibitions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to give information and technical assistance to employers, labor organizations, and the general public concerning compliance with this Act. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the impact of certain difficult scheduling practices on employees and employers. Makes this Act inapplicable to any employee covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement if its terms govern work scheduling practices.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2014 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%. Sets forth criminal penalties for violations of this Act. Empowers state Attorneys General to enforce this Act. Revises requirements for a periodic statement for each billing cycle with respect to where the total finance charge exceeds 50 cents for a monthly or longer billing cycle, or the pro rata part of 50 cents for a billing cycle shorter than monthly. Requires inclusion of the fee and interest rate, displayed as "FAIR," instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1048 West Robinhood Drive in Stockton, California, as the "W. Ronald Coale Memorial Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, California, as the "Philmore Graham Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the National Freight Network Trust Fund, from which expenditures shall be made to fund awards under the National Freight Network Grant Program. Appropriates to the Fund amounts equivalent to 5% of the import duties imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. Establishes such Program in the Department of Transportation (DOT), under which the Secretary of Transportation shall make grants to states, regional or local transportation organizations, or port authorities to assist projects that improve the performance of the national freight network. Directs the Secretary to evaluate and select projects on a competitive basis by considering their potential to: generate national economic benefits, improve the performance of key corridors and gateways, reduce congestion, improve transportation safety, and enhance the network. Requires the Secretary to update the national freight network every five years.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Constitutional Amendment - Authorizes Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. Grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. Allows them to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections. Declares that nothing in this amendment shall be construed to grant Congress or the states the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2014
Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014 - Affirms requirements, notwithstanding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, that: (1) an employer that establishes or maintains a group health plan for its employees must provide coverage of a specific item or service for the employees or their dependents where the coverage is required under federal provisions or regulations pursuant to those provisions; and (2) group health plans sponsored by an employer or employee organization, and any health insurance coverage, must provide coverage required under the Public Health Service Act, including preventive health services. Authorizes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury to modify regulations concerning coverage of contraceptive services by group health plans of religious employers consistent with the purposes and findings (regarding coverage of birth control services and the Supreme Court decisions in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell ) of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2014 - Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the Secretary of Education 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 the Secretary, 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 the Secretary 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 the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out such activities with regard to schools operated or funded by the Department of the Interior. Directs the Secretary 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 · 26 June 2014
Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to provide for the use of data from the second preceding tax year to carry out the simplification of the applications used in estimating and determining financial aid eligibility. Requires such simplification to include data sharing between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Education, pursuant to taxpayer consent.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide annual (currently, entrance) counseling to student borrowers under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, beginning at or prior to the student's acceptance of the loan. Requires that counseling to be conducted in person, online, or through the use of an online counseling tool maintained by the Secretary of Education. Adds to the information such counseling shall provide: an explanation that the borrower is not required to accept the full amount of the loan; an explanation that the borrower should consider accepting any grant, scholarship, or state or federal work-study jobs for which the borrower is eligible before accepting federal student loans; a recommendation to exhaust the borrower's federal student loan options prior to taking out private loans which may not offer as favorable terms and repayment options as federal student loans; an explanation of the educational expenses Direct Loans cover; information on the annual and aggregate limits on such loans; and information regarding the borrower's outstanding balance and anticipated monthly payment amount. Requires the exit counseling IHEs provide to student borrowers of loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), Direct Loan, and Federal Perkins Loan programs to be conducted through: (1) the use of an interactive program, (2) during an in-person or online session, or (3) through the use of an online counseling tool maintained by the Secretary. Adds to the information such counseling shall provide: the outstanding principal and interest due on the loans; an explanation of the grace period preceding repayment and the expected date the borrower will enter repayment; an explanation that the borrower has the option to pay any interest that accrued while the borrower was in school or that may accrue during grace, deferment, or forbearance periods, prior to the capitalization of the interest; information showing the borrower's anticipated monthly payments under different repayment plans; and contact information for the loan servicer and a link to such servicer's website. Requires IHEs to provide annual counseling to Federal Pell Grant recipients that is conducted in person, online, or through the use of an online counseling tool maintained by the Secretary. Requires such counseling to include an explanation of: the Pell Grant; the educational expenses such Grants cover; why the student may have to repay the Grant; the maximum number of semesters or equivalent periods for which the student may be eligible for the Grant and the amount of time remaining on such eligibility; how the student may budget for typical educational expenses; and how the student may seek additional financial assistance from the IHE's financial aid office due to changes in the student's financial circumstances, including contact information for that office. Directs the Secretary to maintain consumer tested online counseling tools that provide recipients of assistance under title IV with the annual counseling and exit counseling this Act requires.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to eliminate the restriction of college cost calculations to those costs incurred by first-time students. Eliminates the requirement that the Secretary of Education make publicly available on the College Navigator website: (1) college affordability and transparency lists, (2) state higher education spending charts, and (3) the multi-year tuition calculator. Requires that the Secretary develop, annually update, and make publicly available a College Dashboard website that displays the following information regarding each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in the programs under title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA: a link to the IHE's website; an identification of the IHE's type; the number of students enrolled at the IHE; the student-faculty ratio; the percentage of degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate students at the IHE who obtain a certificate within the normal time for completing their program, within 150% of that time period, and within 200% of that time period; the average net price per year for undergraduate students at the IHE and a link to the net price calculator for the IHE; the average federal student loan debt incurred by undergraduate students who borrowed federal student loans in the course of obtaining a certificate or degree from the IHE; the IHE's cohort default rate; and a link to national and regional data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on starting salaries in all major occupations. Directs the Secretary to publish more detailed and disaggregated IHE information regarding student enrollment, completion rates, costs, and use of financial aid on Internet web pages that are linked to through the College Dashboard website. Requires the Secretary to: (1) include on the College Dashboard website a function enabling users to easily compare information between IHEs, and (2) provide each student who submits a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with a link to the web page of the College Dashboard website that contains information for each IHE on the student's FAFSA.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of provisions governing mandatory restitution of victims of offenses involving sexual exploitation and other abuse of children to include medical services, physical and occupational therapy or rehabilitation, and lost income for the victim's lifetime, as well as any losses suffered by the victim from any sexual act or conduct in preparation for or during the production of child pornography depicting the victim involved in the offense. Sets forth guidelines for determining restitution where the victim of of a specified child pornography offense was harmed by one defendant (requiring restitution for not less than the full amount of the victim's losses) or by more than one defendant (requiring restitution for not more than the full amount of the victim's losses and not less than specified minimum amounts for certain offenses). Requires joint and several liability where there are multiple defendants and allows each defendant who is ordered to pay restitution and who has made full payment to the victim equal to or exceeding the specified minimum amount to recover contribution from any other defendant ordered to pay. Sets forth contribution claim procedures. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress within one year after enactment of this Act on any progress of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in obtaining restitution for victims of such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Military Separation Pay Fairness Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to determine whether former members of the Armed Forces who were separated for a violation of the policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces as in effect before the effective date of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 were paid: (1) the full amount of separation pay to which they should have been entitled under standard military separation pay laws, or (2) a reduced amount because of homosexuality pursuant to administrative instructions in place at the time of the separation. Requires the Secretary to pay such a former member who has not received the full military separation pay: (1) the amount of the difference between the full amount and the amount actually paid, and (2) interest on the amount of the difference. Excludes former members who joined the class-action settlement in Collins v. United States from receiving additional payments for the difference in amounts under such procedures, but provides for former members in such settlement to receive payment for interest on such amount.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Stop Corporate Expatriation and Invest in America's Infrastructure Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities. Authorizes additional appropriations to the Highway Account and Mass Transit Account in the Highway Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014
Protecting American Jobs and Exports Act - Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States through FY2021. Extends through FY2021 and gradually increases (with a specified exception) the Bank's aggregate outstanding loan, guarantee, and insurance authority. Extends through FY2021 Bank authority to provide financing for the export of nonlethal defense articles or services whose primary end use will be for civilian purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2551 Galena Avenue in Simi Valley, California, as the "Neil Havens Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014
Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014
School Modernization and Revitalization Through Jobs Act, the SMART Jobs Act, or the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among states on the basis of the relative portion of school improvement funds provided to local educational agencies (LEAs) in each state under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Reserves 1% of the grant funds for assistance to outlying areas and Indian schools. Requires states to reallocate such grant funds to LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of school improvement funds received by LEAs in the state for the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LEAs that serve areas in which the President, during the preceding 10 fiscal years, has determined that a major disaster exists for the construction, modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among such LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of infrastructure damage inflicted on public school facilities in such areas. Requires the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded under this Act to have been produced in this country, subject to specified exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 May 2014
Condemns the mass shooting in Isla Vista, California, on May 23, 2014. Offers condolences to the Isla Vista and University of California, Santa Barbara, communities. Encourages a dialogue on all aspects of this tragedy, including the nation's mental health care system, anger, firearms laws, and harmful attitudes toward women. Honors the dedicated service of the law enforcement and emergency personnel who responded to, and who continue to investigate, the attack. Expresses a commitment to preventing such tragedies from happening again.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2014
Elimination of Tariffs on Education for Children's Act or the ETEACH Act - Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to grant duty-free treatment to electronic educational devices designed or intended primarily for children.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2014
Curbing Abusive Marketing Practices with University Student Debit Cards Act or the CAMPUS Debit Cards Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) that enters into a preferred banking arrangement with a financial institution to: develop a code of conduct regarding the preferred banking arrangement with which the IHE's officers, employees, and agents must comply that prohibits conflicts of interest and requires those individuals to act in the best interests of the IHE's students; publish that code prominently on the IHE's website; annually inform its officers, employees, and agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement of the code's provisions; and effectively enforce the code. Requires that code of conduct, at a minimum, to prohibit: the IHE from entering into a revenue-sharing arrangement with any financial institution; the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from soliciting or receiving a gift from the financial institution; the IHE from requesting or accepting from any financial institution assistance with any office or department of the IHE; the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from accepting financial compensation from any financial institution pursuant to a service contract; the IHE from denying or unnecessarily delaying the disbursement of a title IV loan or grant on the basis of a student's selection of a particular financial institution; and the IHE's officers, employees, or agents who have responsibilities regarding the preferred banking arrangement or a financial institution from receiving anything of value from the financial institution for serving on its advisory board, commission, or group. Allows specified exceptions to such prohibitions. Requires IHEs that enroll students who receive title IV grants or loans to establish a system to disburse credit balances to students through electronic payments to a deposit account or a general-use prepaid card with the protections afforded under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program giving students the option to receive credit balances through the Treasury Direct Express system or another low-cost alternative. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require: IHEs or their alumni organizations or foundations to publicly disclose any agreement made with a financial institution to market a financial product, financial institutions to submit an annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) containing the terms and conditions of all agreements they make with IHEs or IHE alumni organizations or foundations relating to any financial product they offer to students at such IHEs, the CFPB to establish and maintain on its publicly available website a central repository of all agreements contained in such reports from financial institutions. Prohibits financial institutions from offering students any tangible or intangible item to induce them to apply, purchase, or obtain a financial product offered by the financial institution if the offer is made on or near the campus of an IHE or at an event sponsored by or related to an IHE. Directs the CFPB: (1) to conduct a study on the marketing of financial products to students enrolled in IHEs, and (2) if the study finds that financial products are not marketed to IHE students in a fair manner, to issue regulations to ensure that such products are marketed in a fair manner. Expresses the sense of Congress that financial products marketed to IHE students should be presented in a fair and neutral manner.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2014
Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2014
Calls on the government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). Recognizes that the LLRC report has not adequately addressed accountability for possible war crimes and crimes against humanity that may have been committed by the government of Sri Lanka and the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Commends the U.S. representatives on their leadership on United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) A/HRC/25/L.1.Rev.1 establishing an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations committed in Sri Lanka. Recommends that the Department of State restrict U.S. entry for anyone responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Calls for the government of Sri Lanka to: (1) allow greater media and religious freedoms, and (2) prioritize the process of demilitarization. Urges the government of Sri Lanka to allow humanitarian organizations and human rights groups greater access to war-affected individuals. Calls on members of the Tamil National Alliance to acknowledge past relationships with the LTTE and make a commitment to reconciliation and a long-term political solution. Acknowledges the importance for all parties to reach a lasting political settlement on the devolution of power consistent with LLRC recommendations and acceptable to all sides.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2014
Designates buildings occupied by the Department of Transportation (DOT) located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast, in the District of Columbia as the James L. Oberstar United States Department of Transportation Building Complex for the period the buildings are occupied by the DOT.
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2014 - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require every person (including every employer and enterprise) that employs an employee or non-employee who performs labor or services, including through an entity such as a trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation, to: (1) classify such individuals accurately as employees or non-employees; and (2) notify each new employee and new non-employee of his or her classification as an employee or non-employee, together with information concerning their legal rights. Makes it unlawful for any person to: (1) discharge or otherwise discriminate against an individual (including an employee) who has opposed any practice, or filed a complaint or instituted any proceeding related to this Act, including with respect to an individual's status as an employee or non-employee; and (2) wrongly classify an employee as a non-employee. Doubles the amount of liquidated damages for maximum hours, minimum wage, and notice of classification violations by an employer. Subjects a person who: (1) violates such requirements (including recordkeeping requirements) to a civil penalty of up to $1,100; or (2) repeatedly or willfully violates such requirements to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a single webpage on the Department of Labor website that summarizes the rights of employees and non-employees under the FLSA and this Act. Amends the Social Security Act to require, as a condition for a federal grant for the administration of state unemployment compensation, for the state's unemployment compensation law to include a provision for: (1) auditing programs that identify employers that have not registered under the state law or that are paying unreported compensation where the effect is to exclude employees from unemployment compensation coverage, and (2) establishing administrative penalties for misclassifying employees or paying unreported unemployment compensation to employees. Requires any office, administration, or division of the Department of Labor to report any misclassification of an employee by a person subject to the FLSA that it discovers to the Department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Authorizes the WHD to report such information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
United States · United States Congress · 8 May 2014
Recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children in the foster care system face. Encourages Congress to implement policy to minimize the number of children entering the foster care system, to improve the lives of children in the foster care system, and to maximize the number of children exiting foster care to the protection of safe, loving, and permanent families. Supports the designation of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on: (1) the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) of qualified borrowers if the DLs were first disbursed or (in the case of Direct Consolidation Loans) applied for before July 1, 2013, and (2) the Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) of qualified borrowers as DLs. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) Refinances the FFELs as Federal Direct Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loans depending on the categorization of the FFEL as a Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loan. Sets the interest rate on the refinanced loans, other than the Federal Direct Consolidation Loans, at the rate for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, applicable to the DL's categorization and, in the case of Stafford Loans, applicable to a loan issued to an undergraduate student or a loan issued to a graduate student. Sets the interest on refinanced Consolidation Loans at the rate on Federal Direct PLUS Loans for the 12-month period beginning on July 1, 2013. Fixes the interest rate on such loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio that take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers with the greatest financial need. Imposes an administrative fee on the borrowers of such reissued loans that is based on the unpaid principal, and accrued unpaid interest and late charges, of their original loan. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on private education loans as Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans if the private education loans were first disbursed to qualified borrowers before July 1, 2013, and were for their own postsecondary educational expenses. Sets the interest rate on Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans at the rate applicable for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, to: (1) Direct Stafford and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to undergraduates if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate expenses, (2) Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to graduate or professional students if the private education loan was issued for graduate or professional studies, or (3) Direct PLUS Loans if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate and graduate or professional studies. Fixes the interest rate on such loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio that take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers with the greatest financial need. Requires qualified borrowers of such loans to undergo loan counseling before their private education loan is refinanced. Imposes an origination fee on the borrowers of Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax). Establishes the amount of such tax as the excess (if any) of the tentative fair share tax over the excess of: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's regular tax liability, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) amount, and the payroll tax for the taxable year; over (2) certain tax credits. Provides for a phase-in of such tax. Requires an inflation adjustment to the $1 million income threshold for taxable years beginning after 2015. Requires the Secretary to terminate this Act's refinancing programs when the net cost of carrying out the programs is equal to the Secretary's estimate of the amount of additional revenue generated during the 10-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment due to the fair share tax.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2014
Improving Clinical Care Workforce for Our Vets Act - Repeals provisions excluding any matter or question concerning professional conduct or competence, peer review, or the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation from the applicability of collective bargaining rights for Veterans Health Administration employees.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2014
Directs the Secretary of the Interior: (1) in order to determine the feasibility of agreements for long-term use of existing or expanded non-federal storage and conveyance facilities to augment federal water supply, ecosystem, and operational flexibility benefits, to enter into cooperative agreements with non-federal entities to provide replacement water supplies for drought relief for Central Valley Project contractors, units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, state wildlife areas, and private wetland areas; and (2) complete a report (to be made available to the Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System and Central Valley Project contractors) on the feasibility of such agreements within two years of this Act's enactment. Requires such agreements to: (1) include the purchase of storage capacity in non-federal facilities from willing sellers; and (2) provide reimbursement for the temporary use of available capacity in existing above-ground, off-stream storage, and associated conveyance facilities owned by local water agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2014
Clean Energy Victory Bond Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue, and promote the purchase of, Clean Energy Victory Bonds to pay for the energy-related tax benefits extended by this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: extend through 2022 the tax credit for investment in solar energy property, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cell property, microturbine property, combined heat and power system property, and small wind energy property; allow an energy tax credit for investment in offshore wind facilities placed in service before January 1, 2021; extend through 2022 the tax credit for residential energy efficiency improvements; extend through 2022 the placed-in-service requirement for wind facilities and other renewable energy facilities for purposes of the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources; extend through 2022 the tax credit for nonbusiness residential energy property; allow a new tax credit, through 2022, for home energy efficiency improvements that increase energy efficiency by at least 20%; extend through 2022 the tax credit for new energy efficient homes; and increase, and extend through 2022, the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings. Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a voluntary voucher program, through 2017, for the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2014
Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (SAA, 2008) to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before June 1, 2014. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until May 31, 2014, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and November 30, 2014, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to May 31, 2014, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the SAA, 2008 to appropriate funds out of the employment security administration account through the first five months of FY2015 to assist states in providing reemployment and eligibility assessment activities. Requires the provision of such activities to an individual, at a minimum, within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-1 EUC benefits, and if applicable, again within a time period after he or she begins to receive Tier-3 EUC benefits. Requires the Secretary of Labor to determine appropriate time periods. Specifies the purposes of the activities, namely to: better link the unemployed with the overall workforce system by bringing individuals receiving unemployment insurance benefits in for personalized assessments and referrals to reemployment services; and provide them with early access to specific strategies that can help get them back into the workforce faster, including through: (1) the development of a reemployment plan, (2) provision of access to relevant labor market information, (3) provision of access to information about industry-recognized credentials that are regionally relevant or nationally portable, (4) provision of referrals to reemployment services and training, and (5) an assessment of the individual's on-going eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through May 31, 2014, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Makes a change in application of a certain requirement (nonreduction rule) to a state that has entered a federal-state EUC agreement, under which the federal government would reimburse the state's unemployment compensation agency making EUC payments to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular unemployment compensation under state or federal law and meet specified other criteria. (Under the nonreduction rule such an agreement does not apply with respect to a state whose method for computing regular unemployment compensation under state law has been modified to make the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010, less than what would have been paid before June 2, 2010.) Declares that the nonreduction rule shall not apply to a state which has enacted a law before December 1, 2013, that, upon taking effect, would violate the nonreduction rule. Allows a state whose agreement was terminated, however, to enter into a subsequent federal-state EUC agreement on or after enactment of this Act if, taking into account this inapplicability of the nonreduction rule, it would otherwise meet the requirements for an EUC agreement. (Thus allows such a subsequent EUC agreement to permit payment of less than the average weekly unemployment compensation benefit paid on or after June 2, 2010.) Prohibits the use of federal funds to: (1) make payments of unemployment compensation to any individual whose adjusted gross income in the preceding year was at least $1 million, or (2) determine whether or not this prohibition applies to an individual. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to: study the use of work suitability requirements to strengthen them to ensure that unemployment insurance benefits are being provided to individuals who are actively looking for work and truly want to return to the labor force; and brief Congress on the ongoing study, including preliminary recommendations for appropriate legislation and administrative action. Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code to revise the applicable percentages for determining minimum funding standards for single-employer defined benefit pension plans (funding stabilization). Exempts plans providing accelerated benefit distributions from the application of such standards. Amends ERISA, with respect to pension insurance premiums paid by a designated payor (i.e., the contributing sponsor or plan administrator for a single employer pension plan and the plan administrator for the multiemployer plan) to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Allows a designated payor to elect to prepay, during any plan year, the applicable PBGC flat dollar insurance premium due for up to five consecutive subsequent plan years specified in the election. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend through FY2024 the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to collect customs user fees for the processing of certain merchandise. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a bona fide volunteer providing firefighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, or ambulance services to a state or local government or tax-exempt organization shall not be counted in determining the number of full-time employees of an employer for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Excludes services rendered as a bona fide volunteer to any governmental entity and any tax-exempt organization (specified employer) from the determination of the number of full-time employees of an employer for purposes of such mandate. Defines "bona fide volunteer" as an employee whose only compensation from a specified employer is in the form of: (1) reimbursement for (or reasonable allowance for) reasonable expenses incurred in the performances of volunteer services; or (2) reasonable benefits and nominal fees, customarily paid in connection with the performance of volunteer services.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2014
Strengthening Education through Research Act - Title I: Education Sciences Reform - Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to replace the definition of, and references to: (1) a "historically black college or university" with the definition of, and references to, a "minority-serving institution"; and (2) "scientifically based research standards" with the definition of, and references to, "principles of scientific research." Defines a "school leader." Requires the activities of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to be free of disability bias. Directs the IES to widely disseminate the findings and results of its education evaluations, which are to include evaluations of impact and implementation. Allows the IES to accept requests from the Secretary of Education to administer activities other than those assigned to it, provided they are consistent with the IES's priorities or mission. Allows a Director of the IES (Director) to be appointed to one additional six-year term in office. Adds to the Director's duties: (1) coordinating IES research activities with the education research activities of public and private entities, and (2) coordinating with the Secretary to ensure that IES results are coordinated with and utilized by the Department of Education's technical assistance providers and dissemination networks. Requires the Director to establish and maintain a peer-review system to review and evaluate applications for grants or cooperative agreements, IES reports, and other products. Requires the Director to: ensure that IES activities address significant challenges faced by practitioners and increase knowledge in the education field; ensure that the IES information, products, and publications are prepared and widely disseminated in a timely, understandable, and convenient manner; promote the utilization of IES information, products, and publications; and monitor and manage all activities authorized under the Act. Requires the Director to propose to the National Board for Education Sciences (Board) the IES's priorities at least once every six years. Includes among those priorities: closing the achievement gap between disabled and nondisabled children; improving the quality of early childhood education; improving elementary and secondary education, particularly among low-performing students and schools; and improving access to, opportunities for, and the completion of postsecondary education. Adds to the Board's duties: providing ongoing advice and input to the Director on IES activities; providing advice to the Director on ensuring that IES activities are free of disability bias; ensuring that IES activities are relevant to education policy and practice by soliciting, on an ongoing basis, advice and information from those in the education field; recommending to the Director ways to enhance strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts with public and private entities; and conducting a triennial evaluation of IES effectiveness. Requires the Board to be composed of at least two practitioners who are knowledgeable about the education needs of this country. Allows Board members to serve a full term if they are appointed to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term of office. Makes the Board independent of the Director and the other offices and officers of the IES. Provides that the Executive Director of the Board is to be appointed by the Board for a term of up to six years and may be reappointed for an additional term. Provides that the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, like the Commissioners of the other National Education Centers, is to be appointed by the Director and serve under the Director's supervision. (Currently that Commissioner is appointed by the President.) Requires the National Center for Education Research (Research Center) to: (1) conduct research that is consistent with the IES priorities, and (2) widely disseminate and promote the utilization of its work. Adds to the Research Center's duties the carrying out of research on: (1) follow up questions provoked by previous research, (2) the impact of technology on education, and (3) the quality of the implementation of practices and strategies determined to be effective through scientifically valid research. Authorizes the Research Commissioner to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, applicants that have the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research. Eliminates: (1) the requirement that the Research Commissioner support at least eight national research and development centers, and (2) the list of research topics eligible for support. Authorizes the Director to renew support for a national research and development center without competition for up to two years beyond the initial period of support if the Director determines that the center's research continues to effectively address IES priorities. (Currently, that support is available for an additional period of up to five years.) Requires research conducted or supported by the Research Center to be disaggregated and cross-tabulated by age, race, gender, disability status, English learner status, and socioeconomic background. Directs the National Center for Education Statistics (Statistics Center) to collect, analyze, and report education information and statistics in a manner that is: (1) consistent with the Act's privacy protections; (2) free of disability bias; and (3) relevant, timely, and widely disseminated. Adds to the data the Statistics Center is to collect and disseminate, data on: secondary school graduation and completion rates; postsecondary education completion; teaching that includes information on pre-service preparation, professional development, teacher distribution, and teacher and school leader evaluation; the supply of, and demand for, school leaders; school safety that includes data on school climate and in- and out-of-school suspensions and expulsions; access to, and use of, technology to improve elementary and secondary schools; the quality of early childhood education; and students' access to summer school. Directs the Statistics Commissioner to propose to the Director and implement, subject to the Director's approval, a plan for Statistic Center activities that is consistent with the priorities of the IES and subject to appropriate modifications. Authorizes the Statistics Commissioner to renew grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for up to two years if the recipients demonstrate progress on the requirements of the Act's performance measurement system. Requires the joint statistical projects the Statistic Center carries out with nonprofit entities to adhere to the Act's student privacy requirements. Requires federal agencies and other parties seeking access to educational data from the Statistics Center to describe their research-related need for such data and how the data will be protected from misuse or privacy violations. Authorizes the Statistics Center to deny requests for access to its data due to scientific deficiencies in the proposed research or the risk that the data will be misused or used to violate privacy rights. Renames "national cooperative education statistics systems" as "cooperative education statistics partnerships" between the Statistics Center and states that volunteer to participate and requires the partnerships to review and improve data quality standards. Prohibits the partnerships from collecting student data or establishing a national student data system. Requires the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance to evaluate federal education programs administered by the Secretary and the impact and implementation of those programs. Authorizes the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements on a competitive basis for up to five years and renew them for up to two years if the recipients demonstrate progress on the requirements of the Act's performance measurement system. Authorizes the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner to establish a National Library of Education within the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Center. Requires the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Center to: examine evaluations conducted or supported by others, with the Director's approval; review and supplement federal education program evaluations; conduct implementation evaluations that promote continuous improvement and inform policymaking; evaluate the effects and cost efficiencies of federal education programs; and synthesize the results of evaluation studies for and across federal education programs, policies, and practices. Requires the Director to enter into grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with public or private, nonprofit or for-profit research organizations, other organizations, or institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish a networked system of up to ten regional educational laboratories that serve the needs of each region of the United States. Requires each regional educational laboratory to: (1) conduct applied research, development, and evaluation activities with states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and Indian schools; (2) widely disseminate such work; and (3) develop the capacity of states, LEAs, and Indian schools to carry out such activities. Directs the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner to conduct ongoing summative and interim evaluations of each of the regional educational laboratories that assess how well each laboratory is meeting measurable performance indicators. Adds to the duties of the National Center for Special Education Research: examining the participation and outcomes of disabled students in secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs; assisting the Board in the preparation and dissemination of the triennial report evaluating the effectiveness of the IES; examining the needs of disabled children who are English learners, who are gifted and talented, or who have other unique learning needs; and examining innovations in the special education field, such as multi-tiered systems of support. Authorizes the Special Education Research Commissioner to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements on a competitive basis for up to five years and renew them for up to two years if the recipients demonstrate progress on the requirements of the Act's performance measurement system. Directs the Special Education Research Center to synthesize, disseminate, and promote the utilization of the special education research it conducts or supports. Prohibits the use of IES funding to endorse, approve, coerce, or sanction any curriculum designed to be used in early education or in an elementary school, secondary school or IHE. Allows IES data to disclose information regarding individual schools so long as no individually identifiable information is disclosed. Subjects IES volunteers or those who provide the IES with uncompensated services to punishment for privacy violations. Requires IES data to be made available to the public through electronic means. Requires the Director to establish a performance management system to promote the continuous improvement of activities authorized under the Act and ensure the effective use of federal funds. Requires the Director to provide the Secretary and other relevant offices with an advance copy of IES publications before their public release. Reauthorizes appropriations for activities under the Act through FY2020. Title II: Educational Technical Assistance - Amends the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary to award up to 17 competitive grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private, nonprofit or for-profit research organizations, other organizations, or IHEs to establish comprehensive centers to provide states and LEAs with technical assistance, analysis, and training to build their capacity to implement federal educational laws and research-based practices. Directs the Secretary to establish at least one comprehensive center for each of the 10 geographic regions served by the regional educational laboratories established under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994. Allows the Secretary to establish additional comprehensive centers serving one or more of those regions or the nation as a whole. Includes in the training, professional development, and technical assistance provided by comprehensive centers the replication and adaptation of exemplary practices and innovative methods that have an evidence base of effectiveness. Requires the Secretary to provide for an interim and summative evaluation of each comprehensive center at the midpoint and at the end of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement that established such center. Revises the duties of the regional advisory committees to require such committees to: conduct, on at least a biennial basis, a needs assessment of the region served; ensure that the activities of the regional educational laboratory and comprehensive centers serving the region are responsive to those needs; maintain a high standard of quality in the performance of laboratory and center activities; and support the continuous improvement of the laboratory and centers in the region served. Requires the membership of each committee to include: (1) the official of each state within its region who has primary responsibility for elementary and secondary education, (2) representatives of LEAs, and (3) researchers. Adds policymakers and representatives from the regional educational laboratory and comprehensive centers in the region to the list of individuals who may be on each committee. Requires the Director and the Secretary to establish priorities for the regional educational laboratories and comprehensive centers using the results of the regional needs assessments and other relevant regional and national surveys of educational needs. Allows states that receive competitive grants to design, develop, and implement statewide, longitudinal data systems to provide subgrants to LEAs for their role in those activities. Requires those data systems to be consistent with the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the Higher Education Act of 1965, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Requires the Secretary, before awarding such grants, to establish measurable performance indicators for use in assessing the ongoing progress and performance of state grantees in designing, developing, and implementing those systems. Requires the peer review process used in awarding such grants to: promote the generation and use of the data needed to align statewide longitudinal data systems from early education through postsecondary education and the workforce; ensure the protection of student privacy; ensure that state grantees support professional development that enables teachers and school leaders to use data effectively; and give priority to states that leverage the use of such systems to improve student achievement and growth, including by demonstrating the capacity to share teacher and school leader performance data with LEAs and teacher and school leader preparation programs. Authorizes the Secretary to renew such grants for up to three years if the state demonstrates progress on the measurable performance indicators. Reauthorizes appropriations for activities under the Act through FY2020. Title III: National Assessment of Educational Progress - Amends the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act to require the National Assessment Governing Board (Assessment Board) to oversee and set policies for the National Assessment of Educational Progress consistent with its duties and accepted professional standards. Directs the Secretary to fill vacancies on the Assessment Board from among individuals who are nominated by the Assessment Board. Directs the Assessment Board, in selecting the subject areas to be assessed, to select the grades or ages being assessed and the year in which such assessments will be conducted. Directs the Assessment Board to provide input to the Director on annual budget requests for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Directs the Statistics Commissioner to carry out such Assessment in a manner consistent with accepted professional standards and the policies set forth by the Assessment Board. Adds to the Statistics Commissioner's duties determining the content of initial and subsequent National Assessment of Educational Progress reports and ensuring their validity and reliability. Requires LEAs participating in the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Eliminates the option allowing the Assessment Board to develop appropriate achievement levels for each age, rather than grade level, for each subject area being tested. Directs the Assessment Board to use a national consensus approach in establishing the appropriate student achievement levels. Reauthorizes appropriations for activities under the Act through FY2020. Title IV: Evaluation Plan - Requires the IES to be the primary entity for conducting research on and evaluations of federal education programs within the Department of Education to ensure the rigor and independence of such research and evaluations. Authorizes the Secretary to reserve and consolidate specified percentages of funds from ESEA programs to: (1) carry out high-quality evaluations of programs authorized under the ESEA, (2) increase the usefulness of those evaluations, and (3) assist ESEA program grantees in collecting and analyzing data and other activities related to the evaluations. Prohibits the Secretary from being required to evaluate each ESEA program each year. Requires the Secretary or the Director to disseminate the findings from such evaluations.
![Official portrait of Rep. Miller, George [D-CA-7]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m000725_200.jpg)