United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the religious conscience exemption under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to exempt individuals who rely solely on a religious method of healing and for whom the acceptance of medical health services would be inconsistent with their religious beliefs from the requirement to purchase and maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 This bill provides a safe harbor for depository institutions providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business insofar as it prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit or share insurance of a depository institution solely because it provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from offering such services. A federal banking regulator may neither recommend, motivate, provide incentives, nor encourage a depository institution to refuse to offer financial services to an individual, nor downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because the individual: (1) is a manufacturer, producer, owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. A federal banking regulator may not take any adverse or corrective supervisory action, solely because of the business involved, on a loan made to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Immunity from federal criminal prosecution or investigation is granted, subject to certain conditions, to a depository institution that provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business in a state or one of its political subdivisions that allows the cultivation, production, manufacture, sale, transportation, display, dispensing, distribution, or purchase of marijuana. Neither the depository institution nor its officers, directors, nor employees may be held liable under federal law or regulation solely for providing such financial services or further investing income derived from those services. The Department of the Treasury must require any suspicious activity report filed by a financial institution regarding a marijuana-based business to comply with specified guidance of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. Makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this Act, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Requires persons found to be in violation of such prohibition to pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Human Exploitation Rescue Operations Act of 2015 or the HERO Act of 2015 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to operate, within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a Cyber Crimes Center to provide investigative assistance, training, and equipment to support domestic and international investigations by ICE of cyber-related crimes. Within the Cyber Crimes Center, DHS shall operate a Child Exploitation Investigations Unit, which shall: coordinate all ICE child exploitation initiatives, including investigations into child exploitation, child pornography, child victim identification, traveling child sex offenders, and forced child labor, including the sexual exploitation of minors; focus on child exploitation prevention, investigative capacity building, enforcement operations, and training for law enforcement personnel; provide training and technical expertise to cooperating law enforcement agencies and personnel; provide psychological support and counseling services for ICE personnel engaged in child exploitation prevention initiatives; collaborate with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Association to Protect Children to recruit, train, equip, and hire wounded, ill, and injured veterans and transitioning service members through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program; collaborate with other governmental and nongovernmental entities for the sponsorship of, and participation in, outreach and training activities; and collect and maintain data on the total number of suspects identified by ICE, the number of arrests and cases opened for investigation by ICE, and the number of cases resulting in prosecution and report on such data. DHS shall operate, within the Cyber Crimes Center, a Computer Forensics Unit (CFU). The CFU is directed to: (1) provide training and technical support in digital forensics to ICE personnel and other law enforcement personnel investigating crimes; (2) provide computer hardware, software, and forensic licenses for all computer forensics personnel within ICE; (3) participate in research and development in the area of digital forensics; and (4) collaborate with DOD and the National Association to Protect Children to recruit, train, equip, and hire wounded, ill, and injured veterans and transitioning service members through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program. DHS shall also operate, within the Cyber Crimes Center, a Cyber Crimes Unit (CCU). The CCU shall: (1) oversee the cyber security strategy and cyber-related operations and programs for ICE, (2) enhance the ability of ICE to combat criminal enterprises operating on or through the Internet, (3) provide training and technical support in cyber investigations to ICE personnel and other law enforcement personnel, (4) participate in research and development in the area of cyber investigations, and (5) recruit participants in the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program for investigative and forensic positions. Congress declares that Homeland Security Investigations of ICE should hire, recruit, train, and equipment wounded, ill, or injured military veterans who are affiliated with the HERO Child Rescue Corps program for investigative, intelligence, analyst, and forensic positions. The bill further amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to expand the purposes of the DHS Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security Technologies to include conducting research and development to advance technology for the investigation of child exploitation crimes, including child victim identification, trafficking in persons, child pornography, and for advanced forensics.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Social Security and Medicare Parity Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the determination of a valid marriage to account for marriages in jurisdictions other than a state. Authorizes the courts of any state to find that an OASDI benefit applicant and an insured individual were validly married in a jurisdiction other than a state at the time the applicant files a benefit application or, if the insured individual is dead, at the time the individual died. Waives the nine-month marriage requirement to make eligible for widow or widower benefits certain widows or widowers whose marriage to a deceased individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the deceased individual as a result of such a marriage. Waives the one-year marriage requirement to make eligible for husband's or wife's OASDI benefits certain husbands and wives whose marriage to an individual would not have been treated as a marriage for federal law purposes before June 26, 2013. Waives the same requirement for anyone who became a stepchild of the individual as a result of such a marriage. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to conduct a comprehensive and effective three-year outreach campaign to encourage benefit applications by individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits as a result of changes in law relating to same-sex marriage and occurring on or after June 26, 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Stress Awareness Month. Recognizes the efforts made by the Department of Health and Human Services to educate people about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of stress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) of the Social Security Act to direct the Social Security Administration (SSA) to: (1) provide information on all deceased individuals that is furnished to or maintained by SSA, subject to appropriate safeguards against unauthorized use or disclosure, to federal or state agencies providing benefits or administering a federal program; and (2) provide for the use of such information by federal agencies to operate the Do Not Pay working system and to carry out tax administration or debt collection duties. Directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to analyze and report to Congress on potential alternative sources of death data maintained by non-federal sources. Amends the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 to require the OMB to: (1) issue guidance to agencies that operate or maintain a database of information relating to beneficiaries, annuity recipients, or other purposes for which improved data matching with databases would be relevant and necessary; (2) develop a plan to assist states and local agencies, and Indian Tribes and tribal organizations, to provide information, in an electronic format, to the federal government on the deaths of individuals; and (3) submit to Congress a plan to improve data matching with the federal government on the death of individuals who are benefit recipients and an annual report on the implementation of such requirements. Directs the SSA to submit a plan to ensure the accuracy and completeness of death data of individuals who are not eligible for or receiving social security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Restoring Main Street Investor Protection and Confidence Act Amends the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to redefine "net equity." Bases the determination of net equity, the positions, options, and contracts of a customer reported to the customer as held by the debtor, and any indebtedness of the customer to the debtor, upon: (1) the information contained in the last statement issued by the debtor to the customer before the filing date; and (2) any additional written confirmations of the customer's positions, options, contracts, or indebtedness received after such last statement but before the filing date. Makes an exception to this requirement when a debtor's records indicate a higher value. Requires determination of the customer's net equity using the debtor's books and records instead of the customer's last statement when the debtor's books and records indicate that the net value of a customer's positions, options, and contracts reported to the customer as held by the debtor, and any indebtedness of the customer to the debtor, is greater than the customer's net value as calculated on the basis specified by this Act. Prohibits reliance on the final statement of the debtor to customer, however, if the customer: (1) knew the debtor was involved in fraudulent activity with respect to any of its customers which reasonably indicated a fraud adversely affecting a substantial number of customers; or (2) as a registered broker, dealer, or investment adviser under specified securities laws, or a person required to be so registered, knew, or should have known, that the debtor was involved in a fraudulent activity and did not notify the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or law enforcement personnel. Prohibits a trustee in bankruptcy in a liquidation proceeding from recovering any property transferred by the debtor to a customer before the filing date unless, at the time of such transfer, the customer meets the same criteria regarding actual or constructive knowledge of the debtor's involvement in fraudulent activity. Prescribes alternative methodologies for allocation of customer property to customers by a trustee in a liquidation proceeding. Requires public notice and comment as a prerequisite to court approval of a proposed allocation methodology. Transfers from the SIPC to the SEC authority to nominate to a court persons for appointment as trustee for the liquidation of a debtor's business and as attorney for the trustee. Prohibits a trustee from serving in multiple liquidations if the trustee is currently serving as such under this Act for the liquidation of the business of another debtor. Sets forth requirements for trustee and attorney compensation. Requires the SIPC to issue quarterly public reports on its payments to the trustee, as well as all other costs in connection with the liquidation proceeding. Defines as a "customer" of the debtor under such Act: (1) any person that had cash or securities that were converted or otherwise misappropriated by the debtor (or any person who controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the debtor, if such person was operating through the debtor), irrespective of whether the debtor held or otherwise had custody, possession, or control of that cash or securities; and (2) any other person the SIPC deems a customer of the debtor. Authorizes the SEC as well as the SIPC (as under current law) to apply for a protective decree on an SIPC member's behalf with any court of competent jurisdiction. Prescribes the timing of: (1) SIPC advances, and (2) payments to customers. Conditions the SEC authorization to make loans to the SIPC upon an SEC determination that the SIPC is unable to borrow in the public debt markets at reasonable terms (both as to yield and maturity). Requires the SEC to inspect SIPC members periodically to ensure that the information they provide to customers is accurate. Requires the self-regulatory organization to which an SIPC member belongs, or in which it is a participant, to inspect or examine the member to assess its financial stability as well as ensure that the information the member provides to customers is accurate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978 to require a federal financial institutions regulatory agency to make a final examination report to a financial institution within 60 days after the later of: (1) the exit interview for an examination of the institution, or (2) the provision of additional information by the institution relating to the examination. Sets a deadline for the exit interview if a financial institution is not subject to a resident examiner program. Prescribes examination standards for financial institutions that: prescribe requirements and prohibitions for the treatment of certain commercial loans, prohibit a federal financial institution regulatory agency from requiring a well-capitalized financial institution to raise additional capital in lieu of certain actions prohibited with respect to such commercial loans, and require federal financial institutions regulatory agencies to develop and apply identical definitions and reporting requirements for non-accrual loans. Establishes in the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (Council) the Office of Independent Examination Review, headed by a Director appointed by the Council, but independent from any member agency of the Council. Entitles a financial institution to appeal a material supervisory determination contained in a final report of examination. Requires the Director to determine the merits of the appeal either on the record, or, at the election of the financial institution, refer the appeal to an administrative law judge. Declares the decision by the Director on an appeal to: (1) be the final agency action, and (2) bind the agency whose supervisory determination was the subject of the appeal and the financial institution making the appeal. Grants a financial institution the right to petition for judicial review of the Director's decision. Prohibits a federal financial institutions regulatory agency from: retaliating against a financial institution, including service providers, or any institution-affiliated party, for exercising appellate rights under this Act; or delaying or denying any agency action that would benefit a financial institution or any institution-affiliated party on the basis that an appeal under this Act is pending. Amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process, and safeguards to protect an insured depository institution or insured credit union from retaliation by any federal banking agency for exercising its rights.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Veterans Conservation Corps Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a veterans conservation corps to assist unemployed veterans in the transition from service in the Armed Forces to civilian life and to employ such veterans: (1) in conservation, resource management, firefighting, law enforcement, and historic preservation projects on public lands; (2) in maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery Administration; and (3) as firefighters, law enforcement officers, and disaster relief personnel. Requires priority to be given to the employment of veterans who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires, as part of the veterans conservation corps: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to award grants under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to hire veterans as firefighters, (2) the Attorney General to award grants under the public safety and community policing grant program (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program) under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to hire veterans as law enforcement officers, and (3) the DHS Secretary to provide funds to increase participation by veterans in the Federal Emergency Management Agency Corps program. Authorizes the VA Secretary to transfer amounts to carry out the corps to the Attorney General, the Chief of Engineers, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, DHS, and the Interior. Directs the VA Secretary to establish a steering committee to establish selection criteria for, and provide advice to the VA Secretary on, the awarding of assistance under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2015 Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug. Prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of human consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2015 Amends the Controlled Substances Act to provide that provisions of such Act related to marihuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with state laws relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marijuana.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 Prohibits any law enforcement agent or agency from engaging in racial profiling. Grants the United States or an individual injured by racial profiling the right to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief. Requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain adequate policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling and to cease existing practices that permit racial profiling. Requires state or local governmental entities or state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that apply for grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and the Cops on the Beat Program to certify that they maintain adequate policies and procedures for eliminating racial profiling and have eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants and contracts for the collection of data relating to racial profiling and for the development of best practices and systems to eliminate racial profiling. Requires the Attorney General to issue regulations for the collection and compilation of data on racial profiling and for the implementation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Cancer Care Payment Reform Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an Oncology Medical Home Demonstration Project.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Air Traffic Controllers Hiring Act of 2015 Directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in appointing individuals to the position of air traffic controller, to give preference to: an individual who has successfully completed air traffic controller training and graduated from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative program (the program) and who has received from the institution either an appropriate recommendation or an endorsement certifying that the individual would have met the requirements in effect as of December 31, 2013, for an appropriate recommendation; a qualified individual who is eligible for a veterans recruitment appointment; a qualified individual who is an eligible veteran maintaining aviation experience obtained in the course of the individual's military experience; a preference eligible veteran; and a qualified individual maintaining practical air traffic control experience obtained at civilian installations of the Department of Defense, FAA air traffic control facilities, or contract towers of the FAA. Allows the FAA to consider additional applicants only after completing consideration of such preferred applicants. Provides that a preferred applicant shall not be subject to any biographical assessment as part of FAA hiring practices that apply to applicants for the position of air traffic controller. Directs the FAA to revise its hiring practices to eliminate the use of any biographical assessment that unduly disqualifies applicants. Provides for reconsideration of individuals who applied in response to the FG-01 vacancy announcement of February 10, 2014, who were disqualified on the basis of such an assessment. Requires (currently, allows) the FAA to maintain the program by making new agreements and continuing existing agreements with institutions of higher education under which the institutions prepare students for the position of air traffic controller. Directs the FAA to take into consideration any training initiatives for air traffic controllers that are locally developed at institutions of higher education participating in the program for use in establishing best practices nationwide.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Steve Gleason Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as durable medical equipment any eye tracking and gaze interaction accessories for speech generating devices furnished to individuals with a demonstrated medical need for them. Payment for speech generating devices or accessories shall be made on a rental basis, or in a lump-sum amount for the purchase of the item, without a cap on the amount in the case of devices furnished on or after October 1, 2015, and before October 1, 2018.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Expresses support for efforts to: ensure that all students have access to debt-free higher education upon graduation from public institutions of higher education; provide support to states to make increased investments in higher education that will result in lower tuition and costs for students; increase financial aid to help students afford attending college without taking on debt; encourage innovation by states and institutions of higher education to cut costs for students and make college more affordable by increasing efficiency and enabling speedy and less-costly degree completion; and reduce the burden of existing student loan debt.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt a trade or business that conducts marijuana sales in compliance with state law from the prohibition against allowing business-related tax credits or deductions for expenditures in connection with trafficking in controlled substances.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Equality for All Resolution of 2015 Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals are valuable, contributing members of society who deserve equal treatment under the law. Declares that: (1) discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is a serious problem; (2) existing federal protections are inadequate to ensure nondiscrimination; and (3) Congress should pass legislation that prohibits such discrimination in areas including credit, employment, education, federally funded programs, housing, jury service, and public accommodations. Encourages states to prohibit such discrimination and to reject laws that undermine nondiscrimination protections.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence (during which students vow to remain silent to bring attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in schools). Encourages each state, city, and local educational agency to adopt laws and policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity or gender expression.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Requires not less than 1.5% of the annual authorized funding amount or $10 million, whichever is greater, to be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of Men's Cancer Awareness Month. Urges public and private sector efforts to promote awareness, invest in research, and improve treatments for cancers disproportionately affecting men.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to select a VA medical center to serve as the national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the biological children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to such exposure. Requires: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the head of a federal agency to make available to the VA for review records held by DOD, an Armed Force, or that federal agency that might assist the VA in making determinations regarding individuals and descendents afflicted with a health condition as a result of such exposure; (2) the VA and DOD or such agency head to jointly establish a mechanism for the availability and review of records by the VA; and (3) the national center to employ at least one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate access of individuals to appropriate social and health care programs and to handle case management. Establishes an Advisory Board to oversee and assess the national center and to advise the VA regarding the center's work. Directs DOD to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which at least 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of an associated disability. Directs the VA to conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed toward members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on: (1) incidents of exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, health conditions resulting from such exposure, and the potential long-term effects; and (2) the national center. Requires DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the VA in implementing such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund indefinitely and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 anytime after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that conversion therapy directed at minors is discredited and ineffective, has no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and is dangerous and harmful. Defines "conversion therapy" as any practice by a licensed mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor seeking or purporting to impose change of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Excludes from such definition counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression if such counseling provides: (1) acceptance, support, and understanding of a person; (2) facilitation for coping, social support, and identity exploration and development of a person; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for a person undergoing gender transition; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Encourages states to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Recognizes the significance of Equal Pay Day to illustrate the disparity between wages paid to men and women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice; and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2015 Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to increase the maximum total of contributions for a major disaster by an amount equal to 4% of the estimated aggregate amount of grants to be made under the Act, if at the time of a declaration of a major disaster the affected state has in effect and is actively enforcing an approved state building code. Requires a state, to be eligible for the increased federal share, to submit its state building code to the President for approval. Directs the President to approve a state building code submitted upon determining that it: (1) is consistent with the most recent version of a nationally recognized model building code, (2) has been adopted by the state within six years of the most recent version of the nationally recognized code, and (3) uses the nationally recognized code as a minimum standard. Requires the President, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to set appropriate standards for the periodic update, resubmittal, and approval of state building codes, consistent with similar mitigation planning requirements under the Stafford Act. Authorizes the use by states and local governments of technical and financial assistance to implement predisaster hazard mitigation measures to establish and operate a building department and carry out enforcement activities to implement an approved state building code. Directs the President, in determining whether to provide technical and financial assistance to a state or local government, to take into account the extent to which that government is carrying out activities to implement an approved state building code.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Buy Smarter and Save Act of 2015 Directs the President to establish: (1) an annual government-wide goal to procure goods and services using strategic sourcing, and (2) an annual government-wide goal for savings from the use of strategic sourcing. Defines "strategic sourcing" as a structured and collaborative process of critically analyzing an organization's spending patterns to better leverage its purchasing power, reduce costs, and improve overall value and performance. Requires the Office of Management and Budget to: (1) issue guidance to executive agencies for implementing the strategic sourcing goals established by this Act, and (2) report on spending for goods and services that was strategically sourced and the extent of the savings realized. Directs the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Energy, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the General Services Administration, and the Small Business Administration to take certain actions to support strategic sourcing, including establishing department wide-goals and savings targets for strategic sourcing efforts and a strategic sourcing accountability official. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct studies on contract utilization fees and on establishing strategic sourcing initiative contract vehicles, and (2) assess and report on the performance of executive agencies in implementing the strategic sourcing goals required by this Act and the amounts saved through the use of strategic sourcing.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Foreign Spill Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make the owner or operator of a foreign offshore unit liable for removal costs and specified damages that result from a discharge, or substantial threat of discharge, of oil from such unit that reaches or threatens to reach: (1) U.S. navigable waters or adjoining shorelines, or (2) the exclusive economic zone. A "foreign offshore unit" is a facility that is located in the territorial sea or on the continental shelf of a foreign country that is used for oil exploration, drilling, production, or related activities. The bill also amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) prohibit the discharge of oil from a foreign offshore unit that reaches the navigable waters of the United States, adjoining shorelines, or waters of the contiguous zone; and (2) subject the owner or operator of the unit to penalties under that Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that: defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is critical to maintaining a unified Iraq in which all faiths and ethnicities are afforded equal protection and full integration into the government and society; the people of Kurdistan face a deadly threat from ISIL which the Iraqi Security Forces, of which the Peshmerga are a component, are currently unable to match in armaments; any outstanding issues between the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) should be resolved expeditiously to allow for a resumption of normal relations; and ISIL's continued growth presents an imminent threat to Iraqi Kurdistan, the rest of Iraq and the Middle East, and international security. Authorizes the President to: (1) provide defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the KRG to support international coalition efforts against ISIL or any successor group; and (2) issue licenses authorizing U.S. exporters to export defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the KRG. Prohibits the provision of any defense article, service, or related training to the KRG under this Act unless the KRG agrees that it will not: provide any such defense article, service, or training to anyone who is not a KRG officer, employee, or agent; or use or permit the use of any such defense article, service, or training for purposes other than those for which it was provided, unless the President's consent has been obtained.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2015 or the Police CAMERA Act Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras for use by law enforcement officers, and for expenses related to the implementation of a body-worn camera program, in order to deter excessive force, improve accountability and transparency of use of force by law enforcement officers, assist in responding to complaints against officers, and improve evidence collection. Requires a grantee to: (1) develop, with community input, policies for the safe and effective use of body-worn cameras, for the secure storage, handling, and destruction of data collected, for protecting the privacy rights of any individual who may be recorded, and for the release of any data collected in accordance with the open records laws of the state; and (2) conduct periodic evaluations of the security of the storage and handling of the body-worn camera data. Requires a grantee to adopt data collection and retention protocols that: require an officer wearing a camera to provide an explanation if an activity that is required to be recorded is not recorded and to obtain a crime victim's or witness's consent to be recorded before interviewing him or her; minimize the collection of data unrelated to a legitimate law enforcement purpose; require the system used to store collected data to log all viewing, modification, or deletion of such data and to prevent its unauthorized access or disclosure; prohibit any law enforcement officer from accessing the stored data without an authorized purpose; require the law enforcement agency to collect and report data on incidences of use of force, the number of complaints filed against officers, the disposition of such complaints, and the number of times camera footage is used for evidence collection in investigations of crimes; and allow an individual to file a complaint with a law enforcement agency relating to the improper use of such cameras. Allows data collected by a grantee to be used only in internal and external investigations of misconduct by a law enforcement agency or officer, if there is reasonable suspicion that a recording contains evidence of a crime, or for limited training purposes. Prohibits a grantee from transferring any collected data to another law enforcement or intelligence agency, with specified exceptions for investigations of crimes and civil rights violations. Directs the Assistant Attorney General to study and report to Congress on the efficacy of body-worn cameras.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend, through July 31, 2026, the duty-free treatment on specified quantities of certain cotton and man-made fiber, fabric, apparel, and made-up goods imported into the United States from Bahrain under the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Child and Dependent Care FSA Enhancement Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase to $7,500 the amount of employer-provided dependent care assistance that an employee may exclude from gross income. Allows an annual inflation adjustment to such increased amount after 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue in commemoration of the United States Coast Guard: (1) $5 gold coins, (2) $1 silver coins, and (3) half-dollar clad coins. Requires the design of such coins to be emblematic of the traditions, history, and heritage of the Coast Guard, and its role in securing our nation since 1790. Prescribes design requirements. Restricts the issuance of such coins to the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. Prescribes the sale price of the coins and coin surcharges. Requires such surcharges to be paid by the Secretary to the National Coast Guard Museum Association to help finance the design and construction of the National Coast Guard Museum. Directs the Secretary to ensure that minting and issuing coins under this Act will not result in any net cost to the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Paycheck Fairness Act Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, (3) is consistent with business necessity, and (4) accounts for the entire deferential in compensation at issue. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation data and other employment-related data (including hiring, termination, and promotion data) disaggregated by the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Samish Indian Nation Land Conveyance Act of 2015 Directs the Department of the Interior to take into trust for the benefit of the Samish Indian Nation the 17 parcels of approximately 97 acres of specified land owned by the Tribe in Skagit County and San Juan County, Washington. Prohibits the Tribe from conducting gaming on such land.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act This bill amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recognize a marriage based on the law of the state where the marriage occurred. When a marriage occurs outside a state, the VA shall recognize it if the marriage is lawful in the place where it occurs and could have been entered into under the laws of any state.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Insider Trading Prohibition Act This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit any person from trading securities or effectuating such trades while in possession of related material, nonpublic information, or while either knowing or recklessly disregarding that the information has been obtained wrongfully, or that the transactions would constitute a wrongful use of such information. It shall also be unlawful for any person whose own securities transactions violate this Act to communicate wrongfully to another person material, nonpublic information relating to either those transactions or the market for them if the other person: purchases, sells, or causes the purchase or sale of, any security or security-based swap or enters into or causes the entry into any security-based swap agreement, to which such communication relates; or communicates the information to another person who makes or causes such a transaction while in possession of such information. The other person's ensuing purchase, sale, or entry while in possession of such information must also be reasonably foreseeable. A standard and a knowledge requirement are prescribed for acts constituting unlawful trading in securities. A person who has neither participated in, profited from, nor induced violations of this Act is shielded from liability even though that person controls or employs the violator. The Securities and Exchange Commission is authorized to exempt from this Act persons, securities, or transactions, subject to any necessary or appropriate terms and conditions, if it determines that the exemption is not inconsistent with the purposes of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2015 This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Congressional Budget Impoundment and Control Act of 1974, and the Rules of the House of Representatives to change the process for the President's budget submission, congressional budget resolutions, appropriations bills, and government strategic and performance plans from the current annual process to a biennial process, in which a biennium is the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. The House Budget Committee must use the second session of each Congress to study issues with long-term budgetary and economic implications. The bill creates a point of order in the House and Senate against authorizations of appropriations that do not include specific authorizations covering at least each fiscal year in one or more bienniums.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Protecting Cyber Networks Act Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to develop and promulgate procedures to promote: (1) the timely sharing of classified and declassified cyber threat indicators in possession of the federal government with private entities, non-federal government agencies, or state, tribal, or local governments; and (2) the sharing of imminent or ongoing cybersecurity threats with such entities to prevent or mitigate adverse impacts. Requires the procedures to provide for: (1) notification to entities when the federal government has shared indicators in error or in contravention of law; and (2) the federal government, prior to sharing indicators, to remove personal information of, or information identifying, a specific person not directly related to a cybersecurity threat. Permits private entities to monitor or operate defensive measures to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity threats or security vulnerabilities, or to identify the source of a threat, on: (1) their own information systems; and (2) with written authorization, the information systems of other private or government entities. Allows non-federal entities to share and receive indicators or defensive measures with other non-federal entities or appropriate federal entities, but does not permit non-federal entities to share directly with components of the Department of Defense (DOD), including the National Security Agency (NSA). Requires recipients to comply with lawful restrictions that sharing entities place on the sharing or use of shared indicators or defensive measures. Requires non-federal entities monitoring, operating, or sharing indicators or defensive measures: (1) to implement security controls to protect against unauthorized access or acquisitions; and (2) prior to sharing an indicator, to take reasonable efforts to remove personal information of, or information identifying, a specific person not directly related to a cybersecurity threat. Permits state, tribal, or local agencies to use shared indicators (with the consent of a non-federal entity sharing the indicators) to prevent, investigate, or prosecute a felonious criminal act. Directs the President to submit to Congress procedures for the receipt of cyber threat indicators and defensive measures by the federal government. Requires the procedures to ensure that: (1) cyber threat indicators shared by a non-federal entity with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Treasury, and the DNI (but not DOD, including the NSA) are shared in real-time with all such appropriate federal entities; (2) such indicators are provided to other relevant federal entities; (3) there is an audit capability; and (4) there are appropriate sanctions for federal officers, employees, or agents who use shared indicators or defensive measures in an unauthorized manner. Requires DOJ to develop and periodically review privacy and civil liberties guidelines to govern the receipt, retention, use, and dissemination of cyber threat indicators by federal entities. Establishes within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence a Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) to serve as the primary organization within the federal government for analyzing and integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States pertaining to cyber threats. Requires the CTIIC to: (1) ensure that appropriate agencies receive all-source intelligence support to execute cyber threat intelligence activities and perform independent, alternative analyses; (2) disseminate threat analysis to the President, federal agencies, and Congress; and (3) coordinate federal cyber threat intelligence activities and conduct strategic planning. Authorizes indicators or defensive measures to be disclosed to, retained by, and used by, consistent with otherwise applicable federal law, any agency or agent of the federal government solely for: protecting an information system or information that is stored on, processed by, or transiting an information system from a cybersecurity threat or security vulnerability or identifying the source of a cybersecurity threat; responding to, prosecuting, or otherwise preventing or mitigating a threat of death or serious bodily harm or an offense arising out of such a threat; responding to, or otherwise preventing or mitigating, a serious threat to a minor, including sexual exploitation and threats to physical safety; or preventing, investigating, disrupting, or prosecuting specified criminal offenses relating to fraud and identity theft, serious violent felonies, espionage and censorship, or trade secrets. Allows a person to bring a private cause of action against the federal government if an agency intentionally or willfully violates DOJ's privacy and civil liberties guidelines. Provides liability protections, if the following activities are conducted in good faith in accordance with this Act, to: (1) private entities monitoring information systems; or (2) non-federal entities sharing, receiving, or failing to act upon shared indicators or defensive measures. Prohibits this Act from being construed to: (1) authorize the federal government to conduct surveillance of a person or allow the intelligence community to target a person for surveillance; (2) limit lawful disclosures of communications or records, including reporting of known or suspected criminal activity, by a non-federal entity to another non-federal entity or the federal government; or (3) permit the federal government to require a non-federal entity to provide information to the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to be an inpatient with respect to satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement in order to entitle the individual to Medicare coverage of any post-hospital extended care services in a skilled nursing facility.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease care planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
This bill directs the Internal Revenue Service to implement security measures, including the use of security questions, in the electronic tax return filing process to prevent tax refund fraud from being perpetrated through electronic identity theft.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require the Financial Stability Oversight Council, when determining whether to subject a U.S. or a foreign nonbank financial company to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), including prudential standards, to consider the appropriateness of imposing such standards as opposed to other forms of regulation to mitigate identified risks to U.S. financial stability. Directs the Council to: (1) reevaluate annually its determinations regarding a nonbank financial company under Board supervision, and (2) provide the company written notice and opportunity to submit written materials contesting a determination Permits a nonbank financial company, every five years after the Council's final determination, to request a reevaluation of it. Prescribes procedural requirements for proposed Council determinations and final decisionmaking. Directs the Council every five years to study: (1) the impact of its determinations to subject nonbank financial companies to Board supervision and prudential standards, and (2) whether such determinations have the intended result of improving domestic financial stability.
![Official portrait of Rep. Murphy, Patrick [D-FL-18]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001191_200.jpg)