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![Official portrait of Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b760fa371f50c3ff96e1ee3ad53ef9ac_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
3,067 records where Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act or the BRACE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2016
Hate Crimes Prevention Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit firearm sale or transfer to and receipt or possession by an individual who has: (1) been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) received an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence. It defines "misdemeanor hate crime" as a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, that the conduct was motivated by hate or bias because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person. An "enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence" is an enhanced sentence imposed for a misdemeanor that is based, in whole or in part, on conduct motivated by hate or bias because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: the trial and conviction of 50 African-American sailors for mutiny in connection with their service at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, California, during World War II were wrongfully pursued because of racial prejudice; and Congress should publicly exonerate the 50 sailors to further aid in healing the racial divide that continues to exist in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins in recognition and celebration of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The coins shall be in the shape of a dome, and the design on the common reverse of the coins shall depict a basketball. Treasury shall hold a competition to determine the design of the common obverse of the coins, which shall be emblematic of the game of basketball. The bill requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by Treasury to the Hall to fund an endowment for its operations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill increases the rates of basic pay for federal employees under the statutory pay systems (relating to the General Schedule, the U.S. Foreign Service, and the Veterans Health Administration) and for prevailing rate employees by 3.9% for FY2017. The percentage adjustment for locality-based comparability payments for calendar year 2017 shall be an increase of 1.4%.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Lake Berryessa Recreation Enhancement Act of 2016 This bill establishes as the Lake Berryessa Recreation Area specified land administered by the Bureau of Reclamation that is underlying or adjacent to Lake Berryessa in California, including any improvements. The bill transfers the administrative jurisdiction over the area from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior. Interior shall develop a management plan for the area and may establish guidelines and restrictions on recreational uses to ensure the safety and security of recreational users. Interior may also issue recreation concession permits, including at the area, to allow a third party to provide facilities and services to visitors on lands and waters managed by the BLM in support of outdoor recreational opportunities. Reclamation shall continue to administer and operate the Monticello Dam and any related facility, including any power facility.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2016
State and High-Risk Urban Area Working Group Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require any state or high-risk urban area receiving a grant under the State Homeland Security Grant Program or the Urban Area Security Initiative to establish an urban area working group to assist in preparation and revision of the state, regional, or local homeland security plan or the threat and hazard identification and risk assessment. The bill adds to the stakeholders who shall have at least one representative on such a committee or working group: public health officials and other appropriate medical practitioners, individuals representing educational institutions, state and regional interoperable communications coordinators, and state and major urban area fusion centers. (A fusion center serves as a focal point within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2016
Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2016 This bill repeals: (1) provisions authorizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a human resources management system for some or all of its organizational units, and (2) the authority granted to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish or modify a personnel management system for TSA employees engaged in airport security screening. Within 60 days after the enactment date of this bill: (1) any such human resources management system and all TSA personnel management policies, directives, letters, and guidelines shall cease to be effective, and (2) all TSA positions and DHS positions that provide transportation security in furtherance of the purposes of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act shall become subject to general civil service provisions. This bill sets forth transition rules that protect the pay rates and other rights of such employees. DHS shall consult with the labor organization certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to carry out the conversion of such positions. The provisions of this bill do not affect the prohibitions against disloyalty and asserting the right to strike against the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require public water systems to notify their customers of lead concentration levels in drinking water that exceed lead limits under national primary drinking water regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must notify customers of a violation of a national primary drinking water regulation with significant potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as a result of acute exposure, if the state or the public water system fails to notify the public within 24 hours of receiving notice from the EPA of the exceedance. Community water systems' consumer confidence reports must include a definition of "action level," which is generally a certain contaminant level that triggers a requirement for the public water system to take additional actions to control corrosion. The EPA must establish a strategic plan for conducting targeted outreach, education, technical assistance, and risk communication to populations affected by lead in the public water system. EPA employees must forward to the public water system any data indicating that drinking water contains lead that exceeds limits. The public water system must then disseminate to its customers information on the exceedance of a lead limit, its potential adverse effects on human health, corrective steps underway, and advice on whether customers should seek alternative water supplies. The EPA must disseminate the information if the public water system or the state fails to do so. The EPA must: (1) make information about lead in drinking water available to the public, and (2) carry out targeted outreach strategies that focus on educating groups that are at greater risk than the general population for adverse health effects from exposure to lead in drinking water.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Families of Flint Act This bill provides support for Flint, Michigan in addressing lead in the city's drinking water and related issues. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by establishing a 10-year grant program to ensure that Flint's drinking water does not contain: (1) lead levels that threaten public health or the environment, or (2) other drinking water contaminants and pathogens that threaten public health. The bill also establishes specified grant programs for assisting Flint that are established within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, by allowing states to use more than 20% of funds from Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grants for addressing a threat to public health from heightened exposure to lead in a municipal drinking water supply if a federal or state emergency declaration has been issued for that threat. HHS must establish in Flint a Center of Excellence on Lead Exposure. The bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the allowable participation period in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children for children residing in areas that are in a state of emergency. A state may elect to allow those children to participate in the program for a period that ends on the earlier of: (1) the child's tenth birthday (currently fifth), or (2) five years after the emergency (currently children may participate for a one-year period).
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Youth Access to Sexual Health Services Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to support the access of marginalized youth to sexual health services such as sexual health education and contraception. Marginalized youth are disadvantaged individuals under the age of 26. Grants may be awarded to state or local health or education agencies, public schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. Grants may be used to: (1) provide sexual health information to marginalized youth, (2) promote effective communication regarding sexual health among marginalized youth, (3) promote and support opportunities for school-age parents, and (3) train individuals who work with marginalized youth to promote sexual health and the development of safe and supportive environments. Grants may not be used to provide access to health services that: (1) are medically unsound; (2) withhold sexual health-promoting or lifesaving information; (3) promote gender stereotypes; or (4) are insensitive or unresponsive to the needs of homosexual, bisexual, or transgender youth, sexually active youth, school-age parents, or survivors of sexual abuse or assault. Unobligated FY2017 appropriations for abstinence education are made available for these grants.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Commemorates Representatives Sam Johnson and John Lewis for their patriotic service and sacrifice to the country they love and for becoming the first ever recipients of the Congressional Patriot Award.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2016
Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act or the CONNECT for Health Act This bill amends titles XI (General Provisions) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand and modify the use of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services under Medicare. The bill establishes a telehealth and remote patient monitoring services "bridge" demonstration waiver program, through which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall waive certain limitations as a condition of Medicare payment to eligible providers of telehealth services. CMS shall also waive such limitations as a condition of Medicare payment for telehealth services with respect to providers participating in qualifying alternative payment models. With regard to individuals with certain chronic conditions, telehealth services shall be covered under Medicare as medical and other health services, rural health clinic services, or federally qualified health center (FQHC) services, as the case may be. A Medicare beneficiary determined to have end stage renal disease (ESRD) and receiving home dialysis may elect to receive certain required monthly ESRD-related visits via telehealth if the beneficiary receives an in-person examination at least once every three months. For purposes of Medicare payment for telehealth services: (1) a rural health clinic or FQHC may serve as a distant site whose clinician furnishes such services, and (2) certain requirements for originating sites shall not apply with respect to specified stroke-related services or to specified Native American health service facilities. A Medicare Advantage (MA) plan may use telehealth services to provide benefits under the original Medicare fee-for-service program option. Specified limitations are waived with regard to such services furnished under an MA plan.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and conduct an exercise related to the terrorist and foreign fighter threat in order to enhance domestic preparedness for and the collective response to terrorism, promote the dissemination of homeland security information, and test the U.S. security posture. Such exercise shall include: (1) a scenario involving persons traveling from the United States to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization abroad and terrorist infiltration into the United States, including by U.S. citizens and foreign nationals; and (2) coordination with appropriate federal agencies, foreign governments, and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector stakeholders. DHS shall submit an after-action report, including any identified or potential vulnerabilities in U.S. defenses and requested legislative changes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2016 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a board to coordinate and integrate DHS's intelligence, activities, and policy related to its counterterrorism mission and functions. The board shall: (1) advise the Secretary of DHS on the issuance of terrorism alerts, and (2) meet on a regular basis to discuss intelligence and coordinate ongoing threat mitigation efforts and departmental activities. The board's charter shall direct it to focus on the current threat environment and the importance of aligning departmental counterterrorism activities under the Secretary's guidance. The Secretary shall appoint a Coordinator for Counterterrorism within DHS who shall: (1) serve as the chair of the board, and (2) report on the board's status and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to: develop open-source software based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection's global travel targeting and analysis systems and the State Department's watchlisting, identification, and screening systems to facilitate the vetting of travelers against terrorist watchlists and law enforcement databases, enhance border management, and improve targeting and analysis; and make such software and any related technical assistance or training available to foreign governments or multilateral organizations for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror Act of 2016 or the ALERT Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide training at state and major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of administering community awareness briefings and related activities in furtherance of its efforts to counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted travel of individuals from the United States to support a foreign terrorist organization abroad. (A "fusion center" serves as a focal point within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners.) The bill directs DHS to assess its efforts to support countering violent extremism at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels. Such assessment shall include: a cataloging of DHS efforts to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering violent extremism; a review of cooperative agreements between DHS and such governments relating to countering violent extremism; and an evaluation of DHS plans and any potential opportunities to better support such governments that are in furtherance of DHS's countering violent extremism objectives and consistent with all relevant constitutional, legal, and privacy protections. DHS shall notify Congress of the number of employees of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments with security clearances sponsored by DHS, including a detailed list of the agencies that employ such employees, the level of clearance held, and whether such employees are assigned as representatives to state and major urban area fusion centers.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016 This bill requires the President to transmit to Congress a national strategy to combat terrorist travel. Such strategy shall address efforts to intercept terrorists and foreign fighters and constrain domestic and international travel by such persons. The President shall direct: (1) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop the initial national strategy, an updated strategy (to be submitted within 180 after the commencement of a new presidential administration), and an implementation plan; and (2) other federal agencies to coordinate with DHS in the development and implementation of such strategy and updates. The initial national strategy and updates shall: include an accounting and description of all federal government programs, projects, and activities to constrain travel by terrorists and foreign fighters; identify specific security vulnerabilities within the United States and abroad that may be exploited by such persons; delineate goals for closing those vulnerabilities and enhancing the federal government's ability to constrain such travel; and describe actions and the means needed to achieve such goals.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Foreign Fighter Review Act of 2016 This bill directs the President, through the Department of Homeland Security, to initiate a review of known instances since 2011 in which a person has traveled or attempted to travel to a conflict zone in Iraq or Syria from the United States to join or provide material support or resources to a terrorist organization.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2016
Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add the Zika virus to the list of tropical diseases under the priority review voucher program, which awards a voucher to the sponsor of a new drug or biological product that is approved to prevent or treat a tropical disease. (A voucher entitles the holder to have a future new drug or biological product application acted upon by the Food and Drug Administration within six months.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2016
Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to revise requirements for and limitations on practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish grant programs to: (1) encourage prescribing and purchase of opioid overdose reversal drugs (e.g., naloxone), and (2) develop prescribing guidelines for such drugs. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain pain medications.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must provide support to improve drug overdose surveillance and reporting capabilities. HHS may support syringe exchange programs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must provide support to: (1) reduce drug overdose deaths; and (2) develop, expand, and enhance substance use recovery support services. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment must: (1) carry out a pilot program to support services for pregnant and postpartum women with a substance use disorder; (2) award grants to expand treatment activities in areas with a high rate of, or a rapid increase in, the use of opioids; and (3) support increasing the capacity of substance use disorder services for adolescents. This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and Internal Revenue Code to direct HHS and the Departments of Labor and the Treasury to require disclosures, issue guidance, conduct audits, and publish information regarding the requirement for group health plans and health insurance coverage to have parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits. HHS must establish a consumer parity portal website. HHS must establish a loan repayment program for substance use disorder health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2016
Faster Care for Veterans Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to begin an 18-month pilot program in at least three Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) under which veterans use an Internet website to schedule and confirm appointments at VA medical facilities. The pilot program's duration may be extended and the number of VISNs may be increased.
United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2015
Expresses condolences for the victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes. Declares that the House of Representatives: confirms its dedication to the rights and dignity of all citizens; denounces the increase of hate speech and hate crimes targeted against mosques, Muslims, or those perceived to be Muslim; and recognizes the positive contributions made by the U.S. Muslim community to U.S. society. Declares that the civil rights and liberties of all U.S. citizens, including Muslims in the United States, should be protected. Urges law enforcement authorities to work to prevent hate crimes and to prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes. Reaffirms the inalienable rights of every citizen to live without fear and intimidation and to practice freedom of faith.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2015
Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, or gun dealers to conduct gun buyback programs. The BJA may distribute smart prepaid cards for use by a state, local government, or gun dealer to compensate individuals who dispose of firearms. Additionally, the bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to use or accept a smart prepaid card in the acquisition or transfer of a firearm or ammunition. A violator is subject to a fine, up to two years in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 16 December 2015
Assault Weapons Ban of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is: (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The legislation amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to require law enforcement agencies to be notified when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a grandfathered SAW. It also amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2015
This bill amends: (1) the Department of Energy Organization Act to revise the definition of "minority" to mean any U.S. citizen who is an Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or Alaska Native; and (2) the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to revise the definition of "minority group members" (who own minority group enterprises) to mean U.S. citizens who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, African American, Hispanic, Native American, or Alaska Natives.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt Act or the POST GRAD Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make graduate and professional students eligible to receive subsidized Stafford Loans under the Federal Direct Loan Program beginning on July 1, 2016. (Graduate and professional students have been ineligible to receive subsidized Stafford Loans since July 1, 2012.)
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
CLEANER Act of 2015 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2015 This bill amends the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to eliminate the exemption for waste derived from the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy from regulations governing the disposal of hazardous waste. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: determine whether waste associated with oil, gas, or geothermal energy activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste; identify or list as hazardous waste any of those wastes if they meet the identification or listing criteria; and promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of those wastes. The EPA may modify the regulation of those standards to consider the special characteristics of those wastes so long as the modified regulations protect human health and the environment. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the EPA must promulgate revisions of certain criteria concerning landfills and waste management practices of open dumping for facilities that may receive wastes that are: (1) associated with those activities, and (2) not identified or listed as hazardous waste. Those revisions must: protect human health and the environment, while allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and require groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination; establish criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities; and provide for corrective action and financial assurance as appropriate.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2015
Minority Diabetes Initiative Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to provide treatment for diabetes in minority communities. HHS must ensure that these grants cover a variety of diabetes-related health care services, including routine care for diabetic patients, public education on diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for kidney disease and other complications of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2015
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Alice Paul to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. The medal shall be presented jointly to representatives of the Alice Paul Institute and the Sewall-Belmont House.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2015
Denounces the attacks on health care centers for women, providers of health care for women, and patients. Affirms that all women have the right to access reproductive health care services without fear of violence, intimidation, or harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2015
Food Recovery Act of 2015 This bill amends the following to provide funding, expand tax deductions, and establish requirements to reduce food waste: the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; the Internal Revenue Code; the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Solid Waste Disposal Act; and several agricultural laws. The bill expands and establishes federal grant and loan programs to: improve the nutritional health of children and raise awareness about food waste, improve cooperation between agricultural producers and emergency feeding organizations, assist schools in using food from farms that would otherwise go to waste and providing farms with compostable materials, and install facilities that include composting or anaerobic digesters that use food or crop waste to produce energy. Recipients of grants to install anaerobic digesters that use waste to produce energy must meet specified requirements regarding environmental laws and the distribution of certain food to hunger-serving organizations. USDA must: (1) establish an Office of Food Recovery to coordinate federal programs to measure and reduce food waste, and (2) study techniques for decreasing food waste and estimating the amount of food wasted by farms. The bill provides that composting is a conservation practice eligible for support under USDA's conservation programs. The bill extends and expands tax deductions for the donation of food to charitable organizations. "Sell-by" dates included on food labeling must indicate that the dates are only the manufacturer's suggestion and use uniform language. Companies that receive food service contracts with the federal government must donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations that assist food-insecure people.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Expresses support for: (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBT Equality Day. Acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Health and Wellness Coach Recognition Week and for the efforts of health and wellness coaches.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Fair Treatment for Families of Veterans Act This bill revises the effective date for reductions or discontinuances of Department of Veterans Affairs compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions by reason of marriage, remarriage, or death. The effective date is changed from the last day of the month before a marriage, remarriage, or death occurs to the last day of the month during which the event occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Secure Refugee Process Act of 2015 This bill declares that no alien shall be admitted as a refugee: whose identity has not been satisfactorily established pursuant to Department of Homeland Security procedures, which shall address any insufficient, conflicting, or unreliable information, including biographic and biometric data that is unresolved at the time of admission; and if, by the time of admission, the alien's identity has not been checked against specified federal records or databases to determine any national security, criminal, or other grounds on which the alien may be inadmissible. An alien may only be admitted as a refugee after DHS certifies that all provisions of this Act have been complied with and that the alien has not been firmly resettled in a safe third country. DHS shall report to Congress monthly regarding the total number of refugee applicants of special interest and the number of such applicants whose applications were denied. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct an annual risk-based review of a sampling of certifications and report its findings to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the feasibility of entering into covered public-private partnerships to improve the access of veterans to VA medical facilities in densely populated communities and rural communities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the designation of a Small Business Saturday, (2) efforts to encourage consumers to shop locally, and (3) efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Promote Startups Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the maximum tax deduction for business start-up expenditures from $5,000 to $15,000 and to increase the deduction for the organizational expenditures of corporations from $5,000 to $10,000. The bill also increases the ceilings for such expenditures over which the amount of the tax deduction is reduced.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Veteran Small Business Tax Credit Act of 2015 This bill allows a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. The credit is allowed to any individual (or the surviving spouse of such individual) who: (1) has served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, and (2) has not been discharged or released from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Securing Access to Networks in Disasters Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to commence proceedings on the provision of roaming agreements between mobile service providers to: (1) allow for mobile service at reasonable rates during emergencies when there is a mobile service outage lasting longer than 24 hours, and (2) provide for roaming agreements at no charge for communications during emergencies to or from 911 services. The types of emergencies subject to this Act are: (1) occasions or instances under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for which the President determines that federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States; or (2) an emergency declared by the governor of a state or U.S. territory. The FCC must create a master point of contact directory for communications between public safety answering points and telecommunications service providers. The FCC must also submit a study on mobile service providers supplying outage data to public safety answering points and on making WiFi access points available to the public for 911 services during emergencies. The Government Accountability Office must report on the resiliency of telecommunications networks power utility during emergencies. The Stafford Act is amended to include all categories of communications service providers (currently, only telecommunications service providers) among the essential service providers that may access a disaster site to restore and repair essential services in an emergency or major disaster without being denied or impeded by a federal agency. Communications services include wireline and mobile telephone, Internet, radio and television broadcasting, cable, and direct broadcast satellite services. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must: (1) ensure that essential service providers have escorts to relevant locations and priority access to relevant resources, and (2) establish a program to provide credentials to essential service providers to facilitate such access.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center on December 9, 2015, for a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Family Cord Blood Banking Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat the cost of private umbilical cord blood or tissue, or placental blood or tissue, banking services as a medical care expense for purposes of the tax deduction for medical expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of American Diabetes Month, including encouraging individuals to fight diabetes through public awareness about prevention and treatment options and enhancing education about the disease; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in the United States through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection, awareness of the symptoms, and the risk factors that often lead to the development of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Veteran Small Business Tax Credit Act of 2015 This bill allows a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. The credit is allowed to any individual (or the surviving spouse of such individual) who: (1) has served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, (2) was stationed outside the United States, and (3) was not discharged or released under dishonorable conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend lifespan respite care programs (services for family caregivers of children and adults with special needs) through FY2020. Each state agency awarded a grant or cooperative agreement for lifespan respite care must collect, maintain, and report to the Department of Health and Human Services data and records to enable monitoring and evaluation of the lifespan programs and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Entrepreneurs Day.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1265 Hurffville Road in Deptford Township, New Jersey, as the "First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a working families agenda is established to: raise the minimum wage, strengthen workers' right to organize, and protect workers from misclassification; provide workers with paid sick days, paid family leave, flexible and stable schedules, access to high-quality early learning opportunities, and affordable child care; and strengthen the law guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, ensure specified rights for pregnant workers, and ensure workers have explicit protections from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Declares the sense of the House furthermore that hearings and votes should be held on specified House bills, including H.R. 2150, the Raise the Wage Act, and H.R. 1439, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act).
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
This bill requires the Department of Energy to study and report on solar net energy metering, which allows electric consumers to offset their electricity bills for any excess electricity they do not use if that excess was: (1) generated from an eligible, on-site solar generating facility, and (2) delivered to local distribution facilities. The study must analyze the benefits of implementing solar net energy metering.