United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
GEAR UP for Counseling This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase requirements for grant recipients under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Specifically, it requires state and partnership GEAR UP grantees to also provide academic and mental health counseling services to participating students. The bill reauthorizes GEAR UP for FY2017-FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
Fairness in Incarcerated Representation Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 decennial census, to attribute an individual who is incarcerated in a state, federal, county, or municipal correctional center as of the date on which such census is taken to such individual's last place of residence before incarceration.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
This bill requires: the Department of State and the Department of Defense to develop jointly and submit to Congress a five-year strategy to help Nigeria, members of the Multinational Joint Task Force to Combat Boko Haram, and relevant partners to counter Boko Haram, and to assist Nigeria and its neighbors to address legitimate grievances of vulnerable populations in areas affected by Boko Haram; and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the willingness and capability Nigeria and regional partners to implement such strategy. It is the sense of Congress that lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice, and other social services contributes to Boko Haram's ability to radicalize and recruit individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Nutrition Education Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Correcting Hurtful and Alienating Names in Government Expression (CHANGE) Act This bill prohibits an executive agency from using the following terms in any rule, regulation, interpretation, publication, other document, display, or sign issued by the agency except to the extent that the term is used in quoting or reproducing text written by a source other than an officer or employee of the agency: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national, and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status. In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of various U.S. administrative bureaus and agencies, the term "foreign national" in federal law means any individual other than an individual who: (1) is a U.S. citizen; or (2) though not a U.S. citizen, owes permanent allegiance to the United States. Any reference in any federal statute, rule, regulation, executive order, publication, or other U.S. document to the term: "alien" when used to refer to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national is deemed to refer to the term "foreign national," and "illegal alien" when used to refer to an individual who is unlawfully present in the United States or who lacks a lawful U.S. immigration status is deemed to refer to the term "undocumented foreign national." Conforming amendments are made to specified Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2015
Seniors Deserve A Raise Act This bill requires cost-of-living increases in any benefit under title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act as well as military retirement and survivor benefits by any increase in the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. In addition to any such increase, each such benefit shall be further increased by 2.9% on January 1, 2016, and shall remain in effect every year thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Access to Marketplace Insurance Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require health insurers to accept, on behalf of individuals enrolled in qualified health plans, payments made by certain third parties, including state and federal government programs, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and certain tax exempt organizations. (Qualified health plans are eligible for subsidies and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 This bill permits a court to reduce the mandatory minimum prison term imposed on certain non-violent defendants convicted of a high-level first-time or low-level repeat drug offense (including unlawful import, export, manufacture, or distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance). The legislation expands safety valve eligibility to permit a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain non-violent, cooperative drug defendants with a limited criminal history. It reduces the enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for certain defendants who commit a high-level repeat drug offense, use a firearm in a crime of violence or drug offense after a prior conviction for such offense, or unlawfully possess a firearm after three or more prior convictions. It permits retroactive application of such reductions for defendants without a prior serious violent felony conviction, after a court considers certain factors. It also establishes a consecutive mandatory prison term for a defendant who commits a drug offense involving a detectable amount of heroin or fentanyl. The bill makes the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive to permit resentencing of a convicted crack cocaine offender sentenced before August 3, 2010.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Establishes the House Select Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to investigate and report on: the causes of mass shootings, methods to improve the federal firearms purchaser background check system, connections between access to firearms and dangerously mentally ill individuals, strengthening federal penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms, closing loopholes that allow some domestic abusers continued access to firearms, linkages between firearms and suicide, gun violence's effect on public health, the correlation between state gun violence prevention laws and the incidence of gun violence, the importance of having reliable and accurate information on gun violence and its toll on our nation, the implementation of effective gun violence prevention laws in accordance with the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and rates of gun violence in large metropolitan areas.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend support for residential substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women through FY2020. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment must carry out a pilot program to make grants to state substance abuse agencies to support services for pregnant and postpartum women who have a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Workplace Democracy Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify without an election an individual or labor organization as the exclusive representative of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining if a majority of the employees has signed valid authorizations designating the individual or labor organization specified in a properly filed petition as their bargaining representative and no other individual or labor organization is currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. The NLRB shall develop guidelines and procedures for the designation by employees of a bargaining representative. Deadlines are prescribed for critical turns in collective bargaining to establish an initial agreement upon the request of an individual or labor organization that has been newly organized or certified as a representative. The first meeting shall convene within 10 days after the employer receives a request. Either party to a negotiation may, 90 days after commencement, notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of the existence of a dispute and request mediation. The Service shall refer the dispute to an arbitration board if the parties are not brought to agreement within 30 days after the request for mediation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2015
African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the National Park Service (NPS) a U.S. Civil Rights Network that encompasses: (1) all NPS units and programs that relate to the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968; (2) other federal, state, local, and privately owned properties that relate to the African American civil rights movement and that are included in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places; and (3) other governmental and nongovernmental facilities and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to such movement. In carrying out the Network, Interior must: (1) review civil rights movement studies and reports that may already be underway or completed, such as the Civil Rights Framework Study; (2) produce and disseminate educational materials, such as handbooks, maps, interpretive guides, or electronic information; (3) provide technical assistance; and (4) adopt an official, uniform symbol or device for the Network and issue regulations for the symbol's use.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center on December 8, 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 · 29 September 2015
Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to make technical revisions indicating that medical assistance is available to former foster care children regardless of whether they move between states.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about October 1, 2015, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2015
Promoting Resilience and Efficiency in Preparing for Attacks and Responding to Emergencies Act or the PREPARE Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enter into memoranda of understanding with specified Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offices and components to delineate their responsibilities for awarding grants to: (1) public transportation agencies to improve security under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007; (2) high-risk urban areas and state, local, and tribal governments to protect against terrorism under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP); and (3) port authorities, facility operators, and state and local governments to implement Area Maritime Transportation Security Plans and facility security plans, provide port security services, and train law enforcement personnel. The grant funds must be made available for use by the recipients for at least 36 months. Operation Stonegarden is established in DHS for FEMA to enhance border security by making grants to law enforcement agencies involved in U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations in states that border Canada or Mexico or that have a maritime border. State planning committees or urban working groups required to assist in the determination of funding priorities under the UASI and the SHSGP must include: (1) public health officials and medical practitioners, (2) educational institutions, and (3) appropriate state and regional interoperable communications coordinators and state and major urban area fusion centers. DHS is prohibited from implementing the National Preparedness Grant Program without congressional authorization. FEMA must coordinate with DHS's Office of Policy, and outreach to relevant stakeholder organizations, when it makes determinations regarding the use of UASI and SHSGP funds for law enforcement terrorism prevention activities. FEMA must permit grant recipients under the UASI and the SHSGP to use grant funds to prepare for terrorism by enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass prophylaxis capabilities, including an initial pharmaceutical stockpile with medical kits and diagnostics to protect first responders, their families, immediate victims, and vulnerable populations from a chemical or biological event. The bill reauthorizes members of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium for FY2016-FY2017. DHS is authorized to establish a Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium of universities and nonprofit organizations to provide training to emergency response providers from rural communities. FEMA must: (1) update the national response plan at least every five years; (2) provide performance metrics to federal agencies with responsibilities under the National Response Framework; and (3) use a remedial action management program to collect information on corrective actions and lessons learned during training exercises and responses to natural disasters, terrorism, and other man-made disasters. The Office of Emergency Communications must: (1) administer the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service and the Wireless Priority Service programs, (2) assess the impact of emerging technologies on interoperable emergency communications, and (3) update the National Emergency Communications Plan at least every five years. DHS must establish a social media working group to provide guidance to the emergency preparedness and response community on the use of social media technologies. A state must include in its application for SHSGP funding a certification that: (1) confirms that its governor has designated a Statewide Interoperability Coordinator, or (2) identifies another individual who will be the primary point of contact for performance of such functions. DHS must coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a pre-event vaccination program to provide anthrax vaccines from the strategic national stockpile that will be nearing the end of their labeled dates of use at the time such vaccines are to be administered to emergency response providers who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax and who voluntarily consent to such administration. To address the threats posed by an anthrax terror attack, DHS must also: (1) support risk analyses and assessments; (2) leverage intelligence capabilities to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts; and (3) share information and provide analytical support to state, local, and tribal authorities, as well as other national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders. The Chief Medical Officer's (CMO's) responsibilities are expanded to include: establishing medical and human, animal, and occupational health exposure policies and initiatives; coordinating DHS's preparedness for pandemics and emerging infectious diseases; serving as DHS's primary point of contact for emergency medical services and medical first responder stakeholders; and ensuring that DHS's workforce has evidence-based standards for occupational health and operational medicine programs. The CMO must also: (1) review and maintain verification of the accreditation of DHS's health provider workforce; (2) develop quality assurances, clinical policies, and metrics for medical and health activities; and (3) oversee medical records systems. DHS must establish a medical countermeasures program to facilitate personnel readiness, and protection for working animals, employees, and individuals in DHS's care and custody, in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, or pandemic. The CMO must oversee the program and maintain a medical countermeasures stockpile and dispensing system. FEMA must: (1) designate a chief management official and principal advisor on FEMA management matters; and (2) submit a strategy for capturing financial, human capital, information technology, real property planning, and acquisition data. Not later than May 1, 2016, and for each of the next five years, FEMA must update its strategic human capital plan.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
National Park Service Centennial Act This bill establishes the National Park Centennial Challenge Fund in the Treasury to finance signature projects and programs to enhance the National Park System (NPS) as it approaches its centennial in 2016. There is also established in the Treasury a Public Lands Centennial Fund. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture shall jointly establish a program under which funds from the Centennial Fund are made available to federal land or water management agencies to support projects that: enhance visitor services and outdoor recreational opportunities, restore lands and waters, repair facilities or trails, or increase energy and water efficiency. National Park Foundation Endowment Act The National Park Foundation shall establish the Second Century Endowment for the National Park Service. The National Park Service Second Century Fund is established in the Treasury. Interior shall undertake a broad program of the highest quality interpretation and education. The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is amended to increase from 25 to 30 the age limit for participants in the Public Lands Corps. This bill makes permanent the Volunteers in the Parks Program. Interior may establish a Visitor Services Management Authority (VSMA) to administer commercial visitor services programs and activities of the NPS, including the award and administration of commercial visitor facilities and services management contracts pursuant to this Act. A VSMA revolving fund is established for expenses necessary for the management, improvement, enhancement, operation, construction, and maintenance of commercial visitor services and facilities and payment of possessory interest and leasehold surrender interest.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Small Business Administration Franchise Loan Transparency Act of 2015 This bill requires a franchisor, except one with a franchise in the lodging industry, to disclose in the required Federal Trade Commission disclosure document: the average first-year revenue for all franchise locations for each of the preceding five years of operation; the number of franchise locations that went out of business or were sold by the franchisee during the first year of operation for each such period; and the average revenues for all locations of the franchise for each such period, aggregated to show the top 25%, middle 50%, and the bottom 25% of revenue. Any financial information relating to the performance of any franchise's location provided by the franchisor, or its representatives, to the lender for the purpose of qualifying the loan, must be disclosed to the prospective franchisee borrower.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Act of 2015 This bill: (1) prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act, with specified exceptions, for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in such project are produced in the United States; and (2) requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at locally-prevailing rates. TITLE I--RELIEF FOR WORKERS AND BUSINESSES This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) restore the making work pay tax credit in 2015, and (2) allow 100% bonus depreciation for certain property acquired and placed in service before January 1, 2015. The title amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to increase to $7.5 million the limit on the guarantee for contract surety bonds and on the liability for bonds obtained by fraud or misrepresentation. This increase expires on September 30, 2016. TITLE II--PUTTING WORKERS BACK ON THE JOB WHILE REBUILDING AND MODERNIZING AMERICA This title directs the Departments of Education and the Interior (for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education) to reserve through FY2016 appropriated amounts to provide educational assistance to outlying areas based on their respective needs. The Department of Justice must carry out a competitive grant program for the hiring, rehiring, or retention of career law enforcement officers The Department of Education must award grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities and existing facilities at community colleges. This title makes funds available to the Department of Transportation for: (1) grants-in-aid for airport planning and development and noise compatibility planning projects under the airport improvement program; (2) Federal Aviation Administration Next Generation air traffic control system advancements; (3) highway and bridge restoration, repair, and construction projects and for passenger and freight rail transportation and port infrastructure projects; (4) grants for high-speed rail projects, capital investment grants for intercity passenger rail service, and grants to reduce congestion on intercity rail passenger transportation; (5) capital grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK); (6) transit capital assistance grants; (7) capital projects for existing fixed guideway system modernization, replacement and repair of buses and bus-related equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities; and (8) discretionary capital investment grants for surface transportation infrastructure. Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act This bill establishes the American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation to make direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate transportation, water, or energy infrastructure projects. This title: (1) requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $100 million ($25 million for rural infrastructure projects), (2) requires the AIFA Chief Lending Officer to establish an Office of Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance in the development and financing of rural infrastructure projects and a Center for Excellence to provide such assistance to public sector borrowers in the development and financing of infrastructure projects, and (3) establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to audit and investigate the business activities of AIFA. This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2018 the exemption from the alternative minimum tax for certain tax-exempt private activity bonds. This title appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities, including state and local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses, or eligible consortia, for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). TITLE III--ASSISTANCE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED AND PATHWAYS BACK TO WORK Supporting Unemployed Workers Act of 2015 This title amends: (1) the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend the emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) program until January 1, 2016; (2) the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend through December 31, 2015, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC; and (3) the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits for employees with 10 or more years of service and for employees with less than 10 years of service. The title establishes the Reemployment NOW program to facilitate the reemployment of individuals receiving emergency unemployment compensation (EUC claimants). A state may use its allotted funds to: (1) establish a Bridge to Work program to provide EUC claimants with short-term work experience placements with eligible employers; (2) provide a wage insurance program to pay, for up to two years, an EUC claimant who obtains reemployment up to 50% of the difference between the wages received at the time of work separation and the wages received for reemployment; and (3) provide a program of enhanced reemployment services to EUC claimants, including unemployed individuals who have exhausted their EUC rights. The Department of Labor must award grants to states for short-time compensation programs and develop model legislative language for use by states in developing, enacting, and implementing such programs. The work opportunity tax credit is expanded to include the hiring of long-term unemployed individuals (individuals who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation for six months or more). Pathways Back to Work Act of 2015 This bill establishes programs to subsidize employment for unemployed, low-income adults, to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth, and for work-based training. Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2015 This bill makes it an unlawful practice for certain employers to: (1) publish a job advertisement or announcement that includes provisions indicating that an individual's status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for employment or that the employer will not consider or hire an individual for employment based on such status, (2) fail or refuse to consider or hire an individual because of such status, or (3) direct or request that an employment agency take an individual's status into account to disqualify an applicant for consideration for employment or when screening or referring employees. The bill makes it an unlawful practice for an employment agency to commit similar acts, including to: (1) screen, or fail or refuse to consider or refer, an individual for employment because of the individual's unemployed status; or (2) limit, segregate, or classify any such individual in any manner that would limit access to job information or consideration, screening, or referral for jobs. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer or employment agency to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee because such individual opposed any practice made unlawful by this Act or asserted any right under it. TITLE IV--OFFSETS This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for offsets against decreases in revenue by: (1) limiting tax deductions and other tax exclusions for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return), (2) treating income received by a partner from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income for income tax purposes, (3) treating all general aviation aircraft (including corporate jets) as seven-year property for depreciation purposes; (4) denying the foreign tax credit to dual capacity taxpayers; and (5) increasing the period for amortizing geological and geophysical expenditures. The title repeals, after 2015, certain tax expenditures for the oil and gas industry, including: (1) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells; (2) the tax deduction for tertiary injectant expenditures; (3) percentage depletion for oil and gas wells; (4) the tax deduction for income from activities relating to oil, natural gas, or any primary product thereof; (5) the exemption from limitations on passive activity losses; and (6) the tax credits for enhanced oil recovery and for producing oil and gas from marginal wells. The title amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, to repeal its budget goal enforcement requirements (sequestration mandate).
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed. The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions to include: institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; certain facilities that have an active written contract with an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan or Taxon Advisory Group for breeding prohibited wildlife species; persons who do not allow the transportation and display of prohibited wildlife species off-site; current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service within 180 days; and certain traveling circuses that hold Class C licenses under the Animal Welfare Act. Entities exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions must require that current owners and circuses not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that steps should be taken to: (1) raise awareness about prostate cancer screening and treatment; (2) support research to improve the screening and treatment of prostate cancer and to discover the causes of, and a cure for, such cancer; and (3) improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
The Full Employment Federal Reserve Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act with respect to the duty of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to promote maximum employment and stable prices. The bill defines "maximum employment" as an economy with an unemployment rate of at most 4% that generally includes a labor market in which median wages are rising with worker productivity, job seekers can find work, and involuntary part-time work is at a minimum. The Board and the FOMC are also directed to promote a stable rate of inflation (instead of stable prices) as part of long run growth.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honor the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Congressman Louis Stokes. Extends heartfelt sympathies and condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional liquidated damages equal to double the back pay, without any reduction, to any employee against whom an employer has discriminated with regard to hiring or because the employee has filed charges or given testimony or if the employer has committed an unfair labor practice resulting in the employee's discharge or other serious economic loss. Civil penalties are established for violations of posting requirements and any violations causing serious economic loss to employees. Whenever it is charged that an employer has engaged in an unfair labor practice that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of guaranteed rights and involves discharge or other serious harm to an employee, the preliminary investigation of the charge shall be made forthwith and given priority generally over all other cases. The U.S. district court shall: (1) have jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order to protect the rights guaranteed, and (2) shall grant the relief requested unless the court concludes that there is no reasonable likelihood that the NLRB will succeed on the merits of the NLRB's claim. A person injured by an unfair labor practice may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court. Unauthorized aliens may be paid back pay under a court order directing reinstatement of an employee. In any case where the NLRB finds that an election to determine a collective bargaining representative should be set aside because the employer committed a violation or otherwise interfered with a fair election, it shall issue an order requiring the employer to collectively bargain with the labor organization. The NLRB shall dismiss any petition to represent a unit if in an election a majority of the valid votes cast in an appropriate unit have not been cast in favor of representation by the labor organization. The NLRB shall promulgate regulations requiring each employer to post and maintain, in conspicuous places, a notice setting forth the rights and protections afforded employees under such Act. Each order of the NLRB shall take effect 30 days after notice of an NLRB order is given, unless the NLRB directs otherwise. The NLRB shall apply to the district court in which an unfair labor practice or other subject of the order occurred for the enforcement of an order if any person or entity fails or neglects to obey it.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Diagnosis Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Interagency Pulmonary Hypertension Coordinating Committee. The committee must monitor research and annually summarize research and medical advances regarding pulmonary hypertension. The committee must develop a comprehensive strategic plan to improve health outcomes for individuals with pulmonary hypertension. The plan must include recommendations regarding pulmonary hypertension diagnosis, research, transplantation criteria, public awareness, and health care delivery. HHS must report on activities related to improving health outcomes for individuals with pulmonary hypertension. The report must include information regarding pulmonary hypertension epidemiology, treatment, support available to individuals, and research.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
American Red Cross Sunshine Act This bill authorizes the Comptroller General to review the involvement of the American National Red Cross (the corporation) in any federal program or activity the corporation carries out (current law), including in connection with events for which the government provides leadership or support under the national preparedness system. For purposes of such review, the Comptroller General shall have: (1) access to and the right to examine and copy all corporation records the Comptroller General deems relevant, and (2) access to and the right to interview any corporation employee or volunteer the Comptroller General believes to have relevant knowledge. The Comptroller General may: (1) subpoena a record or employee of the corporation, and (2) bring a civil action in U.S. district court for the District of Columbia to enforce compliance with such subpoena. The corporation's Office of the Ombudsman must enhance dispute resolution regarding concerns raised by stakeholders regarding the corporation and regularly report to the corporation's board of governors information on trends and patterns on concerns communicated to the Office regarding the corporation. The Office must make information available on its website on how to submit concerns about the organization. The bill requires audits, every three years, by: (1) the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration of the corporation's revenues, expenditures, and governance; (2) the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General of the corporation's disaster assistance services; and (3) the U.S. Agency for International Development Inspector General of the corporation's international activities. DHS must: (1) conduct a one-year pilot program with the corporation to develop mechanisms for DHS to better leverage social media to improve preparedness and response capabilities, and (2) annually report on the extent to which DHS partnered with the corporation in furtherance of preparedness and response capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act or Christopher's Law This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a private student loan lender to disclose clearly and conspicuously in writing a cosigner's obligations regarding a private student loan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) must publish a model form for such disclosure. The bill prohibits a private student loan lender from taking an adverse action against a borrower (e.g., placing a loan in default or accelerating a loan balance) upon a cosigner's death, disability, or bankruptcy. It also prohibits adverse actions against a cosigner for a borrower's death, disability, or bankruptcy. The CFPB must establish and a private student loan lender must disclose criteria for releasing a cosigner from a private student loan obligation. A private student loan lender must also: provide prompt notice of a cosigner's release; allow a borrower to designate a legal representative to make decisions upon the death or disability of such borrower; and ensure a borrower and cosigner receive comprehensive counseling on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of a private student loan. Additionally, this bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the required elements of entrance counseling for a federal student loan borrower to include: conditions for loan discharge upon the death or disability of a borrower, options for loan repayment and forgiveness upon the death or disability of a borrower or cosigner, and obligations of a borrower or cosigner upon the death or disability of a borrower. It requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of a student's option to designate a legal representative to make decisions about a federal student loan upon such student's death or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2015 or the Fair Chance Act This bill prohibits federal agencies and federal contractors from requesting that applicants for employment disclose criminal history record information before receiving a conditional offer (an offer of employment conditioned upon the results of a criminal history inquiry). The bill sets forth positions to which such prohibition shall not apply, such as positions for which prior consideration of criminal history record information is otherwise required by law, positions with law enforcement and national security duties, and positions requiring access to classified information. The bill prohibits agencies from requiring an individual or sole proprietor who submits a bid for a contract to disclose criminal history record information regarding that individual or sole proprietor before determining the apparent awardee. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Administrator of General Services, and the Secretary of Defense must: (1) establish procedures for submitting complaints about, and taking adverse actions against, agency employees and contractors for violating such prohibitions and for appealing such an adverse action; and (2) issue regulations to implement this Act. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the requirements of this Act. The Department of Labor, in coordination with the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, must study and report every five years on the employment of individuals who are released from federal prison after completing a term of imprisonment for a federal criminal offense.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: revise and reauthorize grant programs for offender reentry demonstration projects; family-based substance abuse treatment; and evaluating and improving educational methods at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities; and repeal grant programs for offender reentry courts and drug treatment alternatives to incarceration. Additionally, the legislation amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to: rename, revise, and reauthorize grant programs for technology career training demonstration projects and reentry mentoring services, reauthorize offender reentry research and the grant program for offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration, reauthorize and modify eligibility for an elderly offender early release pilot program, and repeal grant programs for the responsible reintegration of offenders and the study of Depot Naltrexone to treat heroin addiction. It amends the federal criminal code to establish partnerships between prisons and faith- or community-based nonprofit organizations to conduct activities to reduce recidivism. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General must conduct annual audits of selected grant recipients to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds. The bill prohibits grants to nonprofit organizations that hold money in an offshore account to avoid tax liability. It also prohibits a grantee from using grant funds to lobby DOJ or a state, local, or tribal government regarding the award of grant funding. DOJ, in collaboration with interested persons, providers, and organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments, must coordinate and report to Congress on federal reentry programs, policies, and practices. The bill limits the use of grants for conferences that use more than $20,000 in DOJ funds.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require every person (including every employer and enterprise) that employs an employee or non-employee who performs labor or services, including through an entity such as a trust, estate, partnership, association, company, or corporation, to: (1) classify such individuals accurately as employees or non-employees; and (2) notify each new employee and new non-employee of his or her classification as an employee or non-employee, together with information concerning their legal rights. Makes it unlawful for any person to: (1) discharge or otherwise discriminate against an individual (including an employee) who has opposed any practice, or filed a complaint or instituted any proceeding related to this Act, including with respect to an individual's status as an employee or non-employee; and (2) wrongly classify an employee as a non-employee. Doubles the amount of liquidated damages for maximum hours, minimum wage, and notice of classification violations by an employer. Subjects a person who: (1) violates such requirements (including recordkeeping requirements) to a civil penalty of up to $1,100; or (2) repeatedly or willfully violates such requirements to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation. Directs the Department of Labor (DOL) to establish a single webpage on its website that summarizes the rights of employees and non-employees under the FLSA and this Act. Amends the Social Security Act to require, as a condition for a federal grant for the administration of state unemployment compensation, for the state's unemployment compensation law to include requirements for: (1) auditing programs that identify employers that have not registered under the state law or that are paying unreported compensation where the effect is to exclude employees from unemployment compensation coverage, and (2) establishing administrative penalties for misclassifying employees or paying unreported unemployment compensation to employees. Requires any office, administration, or division of DOL to report any misclassification of an employee by a person subject to the FLSA that it discovers to the DOL Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Authorizes the WHD to report such information to the Internal Revenue Service.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015 This bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to revise an eligibility condition for a state to receive a grant under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program and a waiver of the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program. Specifically, it directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a four-year state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Back Check System (NICS). DOJ must reduce the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) Program funding for a state that fails to comply with benchmarks. The bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to certify whether it has provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. It amends the federal criminal code and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to define the terms "adjudicated as a mental defective" and "committed to a mental institution." The bill extends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act background check requirements to a transfer of a firearm between private parties by prohibiting such a transfer unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of submitting a background check. A gun owner must report a lost or stolen firearm to DOJ and local law enforcement authorities within 48 hours of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Federal Protective Service Improvement and Accountability Act of 2015 Directs the Federal Protective Service (FPS) to maintain not fewer than 1,870 full-time equivalent positions, with at least 1,350 of such positions designated for fully trained federal law enforcement officers. Authorizes positions in the FPS inspector force to be designated as: (1) Federal Facility Security Officers responsible for performing security assessments at facilities protected by FPS, making security countermeasure recommendations for such facilities, participating in security training and disseminating homeland security information to occupants and security guards of such facilities, and assessing the security of such facilities and the extent to which security countermeasure recommendations have been implemented; or (2) law enforcement officers responsible for patrolling and on-site monitoring of the physical security of FPS-protected facilities, conducting investigations at such facilities, and providing physical law enforcement at such facilities in the event of a terrorist attack, security incident, or other incident. Directs FPS to: (1) establish the FPS contract oversight force responsible for overseeing contract guards, (2) establish uniform minimum training and certification standards for security guard services at FPS-protected facilities, (3) establish a process to verify the accuracy of training and certification data maintained by FPS, and (4) provide training to individuals in guard positions who have not successfully completed training on the effective utilization of screening equipment and active shooter scenario-based training. Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) develop and implement a strategy for using covert-testing data and data on prohibited items to improve screening at facilities protected by FPS, and (2) submit an assessment of the degree to which the standards specified in the "The Risk Management Process: An Interagency Security Committee Standard" are utilized by all non-military federal facilities and of any barriers to utilizing such standards. Requires FPS to: (1) commence a one-year pilot program to research the advantages of converting guard positions at the highest-risk federal facilities protected by FPS from contract guard positions to positions held by federal employees; and (2) establish, and hire individuals for, a federal facility security guard position.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act (PALS Act) This bill requires that any provision of law referring to current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention be administered as if: (1) the provision referred to USPSTF recommendations last issued before 2009; and (2) those recommendations applied to any screening mammography modality, including any digital modality of such a procedure. (In 2009, the USPSTF updated its guidelines to recommend against routine screening mammography for women between 40 to 49 years of age and to recommend biennial, instead of annual, screening mammography for most women between 50 to 74 years of age.) In addition, the bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to preserve Medicare coverage for screening mammography, without a requirement for coinsurance, and expand the definition of screening mammography to include any digital modality of such a procedure. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may not decrease the frequency with which screening mammography may be paid by Medicare for a woman over 39 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2015 Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds. Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance. Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds. Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee. Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance. Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs. Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank from state or local government taxation. Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes. Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Widening Internet Readiness for Employment Development Act or the WIRED Act Amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to revise one-stop delivery system requirements. Requires the Department of Labor to establish certain standards and best practices for the provision of employment and training services for adults and dislocated workers on Internet websites maintained by one-stop delivery systems. Requires the one-stop delivery system, at a minimum, to make those services accessible through an Internet website that: is unique to the particular one-stop system, and meets and incorporates those standards and best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicare coverage to include eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Reducing Disparities Using Care Models and Education Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with the National Academy of Medicine (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) to study health disparities, existing programs and policies intended to reduce disparities, and priorities for, and expansion of, programs targeting disparities. HHS must develop guidelines for entities to develop and implement programs to reduce health disparities. HHS must incorporate these guidelines into its activities. HHS may award grants for programs to reduce health disparities. The Innovation Center of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must test a payment and service delivery model that includes incentives for reducing health disparities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: all efforts to improve Medicare and Medicaid under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act must support and build upon President Johnson's vision "to assure the availability of and accessibility to the best health care to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status"; Medicare should not be transformed into a voucher program, leaving seniors and people with disabilities vulnerable to higher out-of-pocket costs; and Medicaid should not be dismantled by policies that slash funding, shift costs to states, reduce benefits, and erode the safety net relied on by over millions of individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Lyndon Baines Johnson in recognition of his contributions to the nation, including passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Social Security Amendments Act (Medicare) of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Higher Education Act of 1965, and the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965. Requires such medal to be given to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum following its award, where it will be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Zero Waste Development and Expansion Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants to local governments for developing solid waste prevention and recycling tactics and operations, which may include: development or deployment of technologies or practices to increase rates of waste prevention, recycling, composting, or product reuse; capital investment in infrastructure to start or expand waste prevention, recycling, composting, or product reuse programs; partnerships with local businesses interested in incorporating new technologies or processes to reduce or prevent waste in production or packaging; or community outreach and public education programming. Grants must be awarded to applicants who collectively represent a range of existing waste prevention, recycling, composting, and product reuse rates. To be considered for an award, applicants must: (1) set specific waste prevention, recycling, composting, product reuse, or public education goals that will bring communities closer to zero waste; and (2) have a plan to use grant funds for developing solid waste prevention and recycling tactics and operations.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Equality Act Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. Defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. Expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. Prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Requires employers to recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. Provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Authorizes DOJ to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Requires protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. Prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. Prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. Amends the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Reforming Alternatives to Incarceration and Sentencing to Establish a Better Path for Youth Act of 2015 or the RAISE Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to permit a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain nonviolent youth offenses if the mandatory minimum is unjust to the youth and not necessary to protect public safety. The term "youth" means an individual prosecuted or sentenced for a criminal offense committed at age 21 or younger. The bill requires the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to release early, subject to a period of pre-release custody, a nonviolent youth offender who has: (1) completed one half or more of his or her prison term, and (2) received no disciplinary violations for violent conduct in the last two years. A court may reduce the prison term of a youth who has completed 20 years of such prison term if: (1) compelling evidence warrants a sentence reduction, and (2) the youth poses no public safety danger. Additionally, a court must treat as discretionary a mandatory life prison term for a youth offender and impose an appropriate sentence after considering the youth's age. It limits to 30, 60, or 90 days the maximum prison term imposed on a defendant who commits a first, second, or third technical violation of a probation condition. The BOP must separately designate youth correctional facilities, minimize contact between youth and other offenders, and establish youth education, skills training, reentry, and mental and emotional health programs. The Department of Justice must establish pilot programs for diversion of high-risk, victimized, and primary caretaker youth. The BOP must establish pilot programs on youth mentorship, government service, and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals. This bill's provisions apply to youth involved in the federal criminal justice system before, on, or after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Fair Chance for Youth Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish a process to expunge and seal certain youth criminal records. A youth is an individual who was arrested, prosecuted, or sentenced for a criminal offense committed at age 21 or younger. A youth may petition to expunge records related to: (1) a misdemeanor conviction, (2) a nonviolent felony drug conviction, (3) a conviction for any nonviolent offense committed prior to attaining age 18, or (4) an arrest or prosecution for a nonviolent offense that is disposed of. A youth may petition to seal records related to: (1) a nonviolent conviction, (2) a conviction for any offense committed prior to attaining age 18, and (3) an arrest or prosecution for a nonviolent offense that is disposed of. Each federal district court must establish a Youth Offense Expungement and Sealing Review Board to review, evaluate on the merits, and make recommendations to grant or deny expungement and sealing petitions. The Court must consider and decide each petition for which it receives a Review Board recommendation. The Department of Justice must report on the number of: (1) expungement and sealing petitions granted and denied, and (2) times a U.S. attorney supported or opposed an expungement or sealing petition. This bill's provisions apply to youth regardless of whether such youth became involved in the federal criminal justice system before, on, or after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Effective and Humane Treatment of Youth Act of 2015 or Kalief's Law This legislation amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) program for FY2016-FY2020. It requires a state or local government that receives JABG funding to implement policies that, with respect to youth: (1) provide a right to speedy trial; (2) provide a right to timely bail consideration; and (3) restrict solitary confinement. The term "youth" means an individual who is 21 years of age or younger. Additionally, it requires a state or local government that receives funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program or the Community Oriented Policing Services program to implement policies and training on police-youth interaction. The legislation amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require youth custodial interrogations to be recorded; (2) prohibit youth solitary confinement, except as a temporary response to serious and harmful behavior; and (3) prohibit youth restraints during courtroom proceedings, except in certain circumstances. DOJ must report to Congress on youth solitary confinement, including: (1) types and conditions; and (2) number of instances broken down by age, race, ethnicity, gender, and unique circumstances. The bill directs DOJ to award grants to states and local governments to record youth custodial interrogations.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Affordability Is Access Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require health insurance and group health plans to cover, as preventive care for women, over-the-counter oral contraceptives for daily use, regardless of whether an enrollee has a prescription for the contraceptive. (Insurers and plans cannot impose cost sharing for preventive care.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Urges the establishment of a National African Immigrant Heritage Month to celebrate the significant contributions of Americans of recent African immigrant heritage to the history of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Partners for Aviation Security Act The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) shall consult with the Aviation Security Advisory Committee regarding modifications to the prohibited item list before issuing a determination about them. The prohibited item list is a list of items passengers are prohibited from carrying as accessible property or on their persons through passenger screening checkpoints at airports, into sterile airport areas, and on board passenger aircraft. The TSA shall report to the Transportation Security Oversight Board of the Department of Homeland Security general information on how often the Board has met, its current composition, and what activities it has undertaken, consistent with its duties. The TSA may include in the report recommendations for changes to Board requirements. Committee member term requirements are revised to allow an expiring member's term to continue until a successor member begins serving on the Committee.
![Official portrait of Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b760fa371f50c3ff96e1ee3ad53ef9ac_200.jpg)