United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Every Child Deserves a Family Act Prohibits adoption or foster care placement service entities that receive federal assistance (or that contract with entities receiving such assistance) from using the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of a prospective adoptive or foster parent, or from using the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child, to: (1) deny a person the opportunity to become an adoptive or foster parent; (2) delay or deny the placement of a child for adoption or into foster care; or (3) require different or additional screenings or procedures for adoptive or foster placement decisions, including whether to seek the termination of birth parent rights or to make a child legally available for adoptive placement. Allows individuals aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring an action seeking relief in federal court. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish guidance on legal compliance and to assist entities with casework practices, recruitment efforts, and cultural competency training. Allows HHS to withhold payments under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to states that fail to comply with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act Prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. Bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Makes this Act inapplicable to practices that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if the therapy provides: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Provides authority to Federal Trade Commission to enforce this Act and treats violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers who employ not more than 500 full-time employees during the taxable year an on-the-job training tax credit equal to the lesser of: 50% of the job training program expenditures for a full-time employee participating in a qualified training program, or $5,000. Defines "qualified training program" as a written plan of study and training that is either: (1) an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Department of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act; (2) a program licensed, registered, or certified by the workforce investment board or apprenticeship agency or council of a state or administered in compliance with state apprenticeship laws; (3) a program conducted by a vocational or technical education school, community college, industrial or trade training organization, or labor organization; (4) a program which conforms to apprentice training programs developed or administered by an employer trade group or committee; or (5) an industry-sponsored or -administered program which is clearly identified and commonly recognized. Terminates such credit after 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Student Loan Tax Debt Relief Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of student loan indebtedness to include indebtedness discharged pursuant to income-contingent and income-based repayment plans.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-approved lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional). Allows coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by another appropriate health care provider or program only if it is furnished: (1) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in a primary care or other HHS-specified setting; and (2) in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, a community-based site that complies with the federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information, or another HHS-specified setting. Authorizes HHS to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more related comorbidities.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution (EFC) used to determine financial need in the case of a Pell Grant-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty as a police officer, firefighter, or other public safety officer. Such student is eligible to receive an automatic zero EFC and qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award if the student was less than 24 years old or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of the parent or guardian's death.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Global Respect Act Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of "primary health services" for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Pathogen Reduction and Testing Reform Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to revise the definition of "adulterated" to make explicit the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) authority to issue a recall of meat, poultry, and egg products that contain microbial pathogens associated with serious illness or death or are resistant to two or more antibiotics critically important for human medicine. The bill requires USDA to establish sampling protocols and testing procedures necessary to determine if meat, poultry, and egg products are adulterated under this bill and to prevent the entry, flow, or movement of those products into commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Parental Bereavement Act of 2015 or the Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of the death of a son or daughter. Allows such an employee to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay. Applies the same leave entitlement to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Directs the Department of Defense to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rated as total on the same basis as such transportation is provided to members of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish to a covered individual, in addition to any fertility treatment otherwise provided, assisted reproductive technology. Defines: (1) "covered individual" to mean a veteran, regardless of sex, who is enrolled in the VA health care system, who has a service-connected disability, and whose disability includes an injury to the reproductive organs or the spinal cord that directly results in the veteran being unable to procreate without assisted reproductive technology and such veteran's spouse; and (2) "assisted reproductive technology" to include in vitro fertilization or any other specific technology used to assist reproduction that the VA deems appropriate. Authorizes the VA to provide not more than three in vitro fertilization cycles that result in a total of not more than six implantation attempts. Provides that the VA: (1) may provide for cryogenic storage of genetic material of a covered individual for not more than three years, after which the individual shall be responsible for the storage costs; (2) may not possess, or make any determination regarding the disposition of, genetic material of a covered individual; and (3) shall carry out any activities relating to the custody or disposition of such genetic material in accordance with the laws of the state in which the genetic material is located. Prohibits the VA from providing any benefits relating to surrogacy or assisting with obtaining a third-party genetic material donation.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act Amends the definition of the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm, (2) such employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns, (3) an employee of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and (4) an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs who is a department police officer. Requires such service that is performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer: (1) on or after enactment of this Act to be treated for all purposes other than retirement as service performed as a law enforcement officer; and (2) before enactment of this Act to be treated for federal retirement purposes as service performed as such an officer only if a written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management within five years after enactment of this Act or before separation from government service, whichever is earlier. Allows an incumbent who makes an election to be treated as a law enforcement officer to pay a deposit into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund to cover prior service. Provides that nothing under current law respecting mandatory separation from government service under CSRS or FERS shall cause the mandatory separation of an officer during the three-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Data Security Act of 2015 Requires individuals, corporations, or other non-government entities that access, maintain, communicate, or handle sensitive financial account information or nonpublic personal information to implement an information security program and to notify consumers, federal law enforcement, appropriate administrative agencies, payment card networks, and consumer reporting agencies of certain data breaches of unencrypted sensitive information likely to cause identity theft or fraudulent transactions on consumer financial accounts. Directs entities to require their third-party service providers by contract to implement appropriate safeguards for sensitive information. Allows an entity to delay notifications upon the request of a law enforcement agency. Provides special notification procedures for: (1) third-party service providers that maintain data in electronic form on behalf of another entity, and (2) certain electronic data carriers. Allows financial institutions to communicate with account holders regarding breaches at third-party entities with access to their account information. Sets forth alternative compliance procedures for: (1) financial institutions and affiliates under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and (2) entities complying with certain health record privacy laws. Requires this Act to be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, or a state insurance authority depending on the type of entity handling the sensitive information. Prohibits certain state laws from being imposed for information security and breach notification purposes. Sets forth requirements concerning the application of this Act to entities regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person who: (1) is subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student, or from intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court; or (2) has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of stalking under federal, state, territorial, or tribal law or of a crime that involves conduct that would be proscribed by prohibitions against stalking if committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Supports the designation of Mental Health Month to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and to place emphasis on scientific findings regarding mental health recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Strengthening The Resiliency of Our Nation on the Ground Act or the STRONG Act. Requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy, with input from the Department of Homeland Security, to establish and chair an interagency working group with cabinet-level representation from all relevant federal agencies in order to: (1) provide a strategic vision of extreme weather resilience; (2) conduct a gap and overlap analysis of current and planned federal activities related to achieving short- and long-term resilience to extreme weather and its impacts on the United States, such as flooding and drought; and (3) develop a National Extreme Weather Resilience Action Plan. Requires the Plan to include the establishment of an online, publicly available information portal to be used by federal agencies and other stakeholders that directs users to key data and tools to inform resilience-enhancing efforts and to build off and complement existing federal efforts. Provides for a coordinating entity to establish and maintain such portal. Requires such coordinating entity to coordinate the implementation of the Plan and to track its progress. Requires the submission of specified reports.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based and promising practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities and Indian tribes. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention or intervention. Directs the Office to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2016, or, if later, on the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act; (2) $9.00 an hour after one year; (3) $10.00 an hour after two years; (4) $11.00 an hour after three years; (5) $12.00 an hour after four years; and (6) the amount the Department of Labor determines (based on increases in the median hourly wage of all employees) after five years, and annually thereafter. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees shall increase to $3.15 an hour for one year on January 1, 2016, or the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase, according to a specified formula, shall ensure that it remains equal to the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Employers must notify their employees of the right to retain any received tips. The separate minimum wage requirements for tipped employees shall end, effective one day after the hourly wage established for them under this Act takes effect. The Department must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Recognizes the significance of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Khmer Rouge rule and the Cambodian Genocide, the end of the Vietnam War and the Secret War in Laos, the humanitarian response of the United States to receive over one million refugees from the region, and the beginning of the Southeast Asian American community in the United States. Recognizes further the ongoing contributions of the Southeast Asian American community to the economic, cultural, and political vitality of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of FY2017-FY2021 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2017, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education, insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the National Health Care Workforce Commission established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to study the physician workforce. Directs the Comptroller General to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each Medicare participating hospital to implement a hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services furnished in the hospital. Requires the plan to require that an appropriate number of registered nurses provide direct patient care in each unit and on each shift of the hospital to ensure staffing levels that: (1) address the unique characteristics of the patients and hospital units; and (2) result in the delivery of safe, quality patient care consistent with specified requirements. Requires each participating hospital to establish a hospital nurse staffing committee which shall implement such plan. Specifies civil monetary and other penalties for violation of the requirements of this Act. Sets forth whistleblower protections against discrimination and retaliation involving patients or employees of the hospital for their grievances, complaints, or involvement in investigations relating to such plan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the $1 million limitation on the deductibility of employee compensation, to: (1) extend such limitation to any individual who is a current or former officer, director, or employee of a publicly-held corporation; (2) eliminate the exemption from such limitation for compensation payable on a commission basis or upon the attainment of a performance goal; and (3) make such limitation applicable to all publicly-held corporations that are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to register securities and provide periodic reports to their investors.
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 · 27 April 2015
Nepal Temporary Protected Status Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that the extraordinary and temporary conditions caused by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake, its aftershocks, and additional damage in Nepal qualifies Nepal for designation under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, pursuant to which nationals of Nepal would be eligible for temporary protected status in the United States. Extends 18-month temporary protected status to a national of Nepal who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States since April 25, 2015, (2) is admissible as an immigrant and not ineligible for temporary protected status, and (3) registers for temporary protected status in a manner that the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish. Permits such an alien to travel abroad if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary that emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the alien's control require his or her departure for a brief, temporary trip abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to implement a demonstration project providing competitive, 4-year grants to at least 10 secondary schools that have a 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of 60% or lower, for the provision of additional school counselors and counselor resources. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that grantees should provide one additional counselor for every 250 students at risk. The additional school counselors must serve primarily students identified as being at risk of not graduating in four years. Grantees that demonstrate progress in improving their graduation rates are eligible for subsequent grants.
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
Healthy Kids Outdoors Act of 2015 Authorizes the Department of the Interior to issue one cooperative agreement per state to eligible entities to implement and update a five-year Healthy Kids Outdoors State Strategy for encouraging Americans, especially children, youth, and families, to be physically active outdoors. Requires eligible entities to provide a 25% match of the funding that they receive under this Act through in-kind contributions or cash. Directs the President to issue a national strategy for encouraging Americans to be physically active outdoors. Directs Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a study of national significance on the health impacts of the strategies under this Act. Requires Interior to provide technical assistance to grantees and to disseminate best practices that emerge from the state strategies funded by this Act.
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 · 22 April 2015
Climate Change Education Act This bill declares that the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must establish a Climate Change Education Program to: broaden the understanding of human-induced climate change, possible consequences, and potential solutions; apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries to provide learning opportunities to people of all ages; conduct a national information campaign to help people understand and promote implementation of new technologies, programs, and incentives related to energy conservation, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction; and inform the public of impacts to human health and safety as a result of climate change. NOAA must establish a grant program for climate change education. This grant program must be included in the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
College Options for DREAMers Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow Dreamer students to receive federal financial aid for higher education. A "Dreamer student" is an individual who was under age 16 upon entering this country, has provided a list of secondary schools the individual attended in this country, and, in this country: has earned a high school diploma or the equivalent, is scheduled to complete the requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent before the next academic year begins, has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education, has successfully completed at least two years of a program for a baccalaureate or higher degree, is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or has served honorably in the uniformed services for at least four years. The Department of Education must provide for a hardship exception to the age and secondary school list requirements. States are allowed to offer unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state (e.g., in-state tuition).
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education to award an additional Pell Grant to a student who has received a Pell Grant for an award year and is enrolled in a program of study for payment periods during the same award year that are not covered by the Pell Grant. The total amount of the Pell Grants awarded to such a student for the award year may exceed the total maximum Pell Grant.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Pell Grant Cost of Tuition Adjustment Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to set the maximum Pell Grant at a specified amount, increased for inflation each year, plus any additional amount specified in the last enacted appropriation Act.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Pell Grant Protection Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to appropriate for each fiscal year beginning with FY2016 the funding necessary to provide each eligible student with the maximum Pell Grant amount, minus the student's expected family contribution. (Currently, funds for the Pell Grant program come from a combination of mandatory and discretionary spending. This bill converts the Pell Grant program into a mandatory spending program.)
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
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015 Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, such compensation paid to injured or ill veterans. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
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
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
Health Equity and Access under the Law for Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2015 or the HEAL Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2015 This bill amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage to aliens lawfully present in the United States. Individuals granted deferred action are eligible for: (1) health insurance exchanges and reduced cost sharing under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, (2) premium subsidies under the Internal Revenue Code, and (3) Medicaid and CHIP.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Veterans' Access to Child Care Act Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide child care assistance to an eligible veteran for any period that the veteran: (1) receives covered health care services at a VA facility, and (2) is required to travel to and return from such facility for the receipt of such services. Defines: (1) "covered health care services" to mean regular mental health care services, intensive mental health care services, or such other intensive health care services to which the VA determines that provision of child care assistance would improve the veteran's access; and (2) "eligible veteran" as a veteran who is the primary caretaker of a child and who is receiving covered health care services from the VA or who is in need of, and who would receive, such services from the VA but for lack of child care. Includes among child care assistance to be provided under this Act: a stipend for the payment of the full cost of child care offered by a licensed child care center, which shall be modeled after the VA's Child Care Subsidy Program; direct provision of child care at an on-site VA facility; a payment made directly to a private child care agency; and collaboration with a facility or program of another federal department or agency.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Climate Solutions Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 by directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to promulgate regulations that require the percentage of electric energy generated from renewable sources that is sold at the retail level to increase each year beginning in 2020 so that in 2050 and each subsequent year, the percentage is at least 80%. DOE must also promulgate regulations that set cumulative energy savings targets for retail electric energy and natural gas suppliers that require each supplier to secure annual savings that are achieved through end-use efficiency improvements at customer facilities. For electric energy suppliers, the targets must increase from .25% of sales in 2018 to 1.5% of sales in 2023 and each year thereafter through 2028. For natural gas suppliers, the target must increase from .25% of sales in 2018 to .5% of sales in 2023 and each year thereafter through 2028. DOE must allow suppliers to achieve the targets through a market-based trading system. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must promulgate annual emission reduction targets for each of 2030 through 2050 to ensure that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions: (1) in 2035 are at least 40% below those in 1990, and (2) in 2050 are at least 80% below those in 1990. The EPA must promulgate final regulations to implement those targets within 7 years and review them at least every 5 years thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Encourages North Korea to allow Korean Americans to meet with their family members from North Korea. Calls on North Korea to take steps to build goodwill that is conducive to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Hispanic Opportunity Program in Education and Science Act Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to establish a program awarding competitive grants to Hispanic-serving institutions to: (1) enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM) at those institutions; and (2) increase the retention and graduation rates of students of such institutions who pursue associate's or baccalaureate degrees in STEM.
![Official portrait of Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-32]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_ca_32_napolitano_grace_200.jpg)