United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that: the President should submit to the Senate for advice and consent the climate change agreement proposed for adoption at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-21), and Congress should refuse to consider any budget resolutions and appropriations language that include funding for the Green Climate Fund until COP-21 emissions commitments are submitted to the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 or the American SAFE Act of 2015 This bill requires that, in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before U.S. refugee admission. A "covered alien" is any alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who: is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria, has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011. A covered alien: may not be admitted as a refugee until the FBI certifies to DHS and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that he or she has received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the alien is a U.S. security threat; and may only be admitted to the United States after DHS, with the unanimous concurrence of the FBI and the DNI, certifies to Congress that he or she is not such a threat. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct annual risk-based reviews of all certifications. DHS shall report monthly to Congress on the total number of admission applications for which a certification was made and the number of covered aliens for whom such a certification was not made for the preceding month. The report shall include for each covered alien for whom a certification was not made the concurrence or nonconcurrence of each person whose concurrence was required by the certification.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Supports the goals and ideals of both National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. Recognizes that every child should have a permanent and loving family. Encourages the people of the United States to consider adoption during the month of November and throughout the year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Fairness for Crime Victims Act of 2015 This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a point of order in the Senate and House of Representatives against any provision in an appropriation measure, amendment, motion, or conference report that: (1) contains a change in mandatory program spending, (2) reduces budget authority in the current year but does not reduce outlays over time, and (3) limits obligations from the Crime Victims Fund during a fiscal year to less than the average amount deposited into the Fund during the previous three fiscal years. The bill permits a Senator to raise a point of order to strike such provision or to prevent its incorporation through amendment or motion. If the point of order is sustained by the Chair, the provision is stricken and may not be offered as an amendment from the floor. A motion to waive or suspend the point of order, or a motion to sustain an appeal of the ruling the Chair on such point of order, requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of Members. It also prohibits consideration of such provision in the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Pregnancy Center Week and the work of pregnancy care and resource centers. Recognizes the importance of protecting life and assisting women and men in need as they bring children into the world.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride pollution from the scope of that Act. The bill declares that current law does not authorize or require the regulation of climate change or global warming and nullifies certain proposed rules relating to greenhouse gas and carbon pollution emissions. Before proposing or finalizing regulations or policies, the Environmental Protection Agency must analyze the net and gross impact of those regulations and policies on employment. Regulations and policies may not take effect if they have a negative impact on employment, unless they are approved by Congress and signed by the President.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
Securing Fairness in Regulatory Timing Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend from 45 days to 60 days the annual notice period for the announcement of payment rates under Medicare Advantage (MA). MA organizations shall have at least 30 days to comment on proposed changes.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
Nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule published on October 23, 2015, that requires states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs). (Those EGUs convert fossil fuel energy to electric energy.)
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
Nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency's rule published on October 23, 2015, that establishes new source performance standards under the Clean Air Act for carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units (EGUs) if the EGUs are newly constructed, modified, or reconstructed. (Those EGUs convert fossil fuel energy to electric energy.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2015
Welcomes Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on his official visit to the United States in October 2015. Expresses solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against terrorism. Reaffirms friendship and strategic partnership with a democratic Pakistan. Supports cooperation between the United States and Pakistan in a range of areas, including security, economic development, strengthening of democratic institutions, education, and trade.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Recognizes that Christians in the Middle East are victims of genocide, and encourages other nations to recognize the ongoing genocide. Encourages the Administration to offer safety to Christians fleeing genocide by offering them priority in receiving refugee status and being admitted into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Condemns the ongoing sexual violence against women and children from Yezidi, Christian, Shabak, and other religious communities as crimes against humanity. Calls on the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute any U.S. citizens alleged to be perpetrators of or complicit in these crimes. Calls: (1) on the President to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations to use U.S. influence to present a Security Council resolution condemning the actions of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Iraq and Syria as crimes against humanity, and (2) for the arrest and prosecution of individual perpetrators responsible for these crimes. Calls on Iraq and other nations to identify individual perpetrators and individuals complicit in these crimes and take measures for their arrest and prosecution.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2015
Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reduce, for each of FY2015-FY2019, the authorized aggregate amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import Bank may have outstanding at any time. The Bank shall build to and hold in reserve, to protect against future losses, at least 5% of its aggregate amount of disbursed and outstanding loans, guarantees, and insurance. The Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 (EIBRA) is amended to require the Government Accountability Office's quadrennial review of the adequacy of the design and effectiveness of the Bank's fraud controls to include review of the Bank's compliance with these controls. An Office of Ethics is established within the Bank to recommend administrative actions to establish or enforce standards of official conduct. A Chief Risk Officer of the Bank is established to oversee all issues relating to risk within the Bank. A Risk Management Committee is also established to: oversee periodic stress testing on the entire Bank portfolio and the monitoring of industry, geographic, and obligor exposure levels; and review all required reports on the Bank's default rate. The Bank's Inspector General shall conduct an audit or evaluation of the Bank's portfolio risk management procedures, including its implementation of the duties assigned to the Chief Risk Officer. The Bank may establish a pilot program under which it may enter into contracts and other arrangements to share risks associated with its provision of guarantees, insurance, or credit, or participation in the extension of credit. The Bank shall: (1) increase from 20% to 25% of its lending authority the amount made available to finance direct exports by small business concerns, and (2) include in its annual report to Congress a report on its programs for U.S. businesses with less than $250 million in annual sales. The Bank may use a portion of its surplus through FY2019 to update its information technology systems. The Bank, the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee, and authority for dual use exports (of nonlethal defense articles or services primarily for civilian use) are reauthorized through FY2019. The principal amounts of medium-term financing by the Bank are limited to $25 million Increased from a minimum of $10 million to a minimum of $25 million are the amounts of: long-term loans or loan guarantees the Bank may insure, working capital export loans and guarantees to small businesses, and long-term support for projects to which certain procedures apply regarding the potential beneficial and adverse environmental effects of goods and services for which direct lending and guarantee support is requested. The Bank may never: deny an application for financing based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns; or promulgate or implement policies that discriminate against an application based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns. The EIBRA is amended to require the President instead of the Department of the Treasury to initiate and pursue negotiations to end export credit financing. The President shall propose to Congress a strategy the U.S. government will pursue with other major exporting countries, including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members and non-OECD members, to eliminate over a period of 10 years subsidized export-financing programs, tied aid, export credits, and all other forms of government-supported export subsidies. The Bank shall study the extent to which products it offers are available and used by companies that export information and communications technology services and related goods.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act of 2015 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President, after appropriate consultation with certain congressional committees, to recommend to Congress the number of refugees who may be admitted into the United States in a fiscal year. Except in the case of an unforeseen emergency refugee situation, no refugees may be admitted in a fiscal year until Congress enacts a joint resolution setting the number of refugees who may be admitted in that fiscal year. In determining an alien's admissibility on security and related grounds the Department of Homeland Security shall consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Beginning in FY2016 and ending in FY2020, the President, when considering the admission of refugees who are nationals or citizens of Iraq or Syria, shall give priority to members of a persecuted religious minority. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of the refugee screening process in protecting U.S. security.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2015
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to require any health care practitioner who is present when a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion to: (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure that such child is immediately admitted to a hospital. The term "born alive" means the complete expulsion or extraction from his or her mother, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut. Also, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with these requirements must immediately report such failure to an appropriate law enforcement agency. An individual who violates the provisions of this Act is subject to a criminal fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who commits an overt act that kills a child born alive is subject to criminal prosecution for murder. The legislation bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive for conspiracy to violate the provisions of this Act, for being an accessory after the fact, or for concealment of felony. A woman who undergoes an abortion or attempted abortion may file a civil action for damages against an individual who violates this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that: the atrocities committed against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities targeted specifically for religious reasons are crimes against humanity and genocide; each of the Contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly the governments of countries and their nationals who are in any way supporting these crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the Convention and these international agreements; the United Nations (U.N.) and the Secretary-General are called upon to assert leadership by calling the atrocities war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; the member states of the U.N., with an appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious freedom and justice, should collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and collaborate on the establishment of tribunals to punish those responsible for the ongoing crimes; the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other countries are commended for having undertaken to shelter and protect those fleeing extremist violence; and those who force the migration of religious communities from their ancestral homelands, including specifically the Nineveh Plain and Mount Sinjar, should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed and under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act This bill prohibits the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions against Iran under any provision of law, or refraining from applying sanctions pursuant to requirements under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (as amended by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015) for any nuclear agreement with Iran, until the President has certified to Congress that Iran has paid each judgment: that was brought against it, or against it and any other country; for which Iran was not immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts under specified terrorism exceptions to immunity under the judicial code; and that was entered during the period March 4, 2000-May 22, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2015
Medicaid and CHIP Territory Fraud Prevention Act This bill amends part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to exclude certain payments from ceilings on the amounts of Medicaid payments made to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. Specifically, the bill excludes certain payments made to these territories for the establishment and operation of Medicaid fraud control units. The bill also makes a technical amendment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2015
Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) Accountability Act of 2015 This bill prohibits the U.S. government from selling or transferring to Bahrain specified weapons and crowd control items until the Department of State certifies that Bahrain has fully implemented all 26 recommendations set forth in the 2011 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for perpetrating crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supports efforts by the United States, the African Union (AU), the international community, and governments in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery for affected communities. Supports efforts to provide the Regional Task Force with the logistics support and authorizations needed to access areas of suspected LRA activity in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Urges the President to reauthorize the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in support of Operation Observant Compass. Urges the AU and the Regional Task Force, with the support of the European Union (EU), as well as the governments of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to implement the United Nations (U.N.) Regional Strategy. Welcomes the continued LRA defections, and calls on governments in the region and the international community to support such demobilization. Calls on the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the heads of relevant U.S. agencies to utilize funds to: (1) enhance intelligence support to the Regional Task Force; (2) work with the U.N., the AU, and regional government partners to help non-indicted LRA members, abductees, and noncombatants defect; (3) expand efforts to prevent the LRA from funding its operations through the theft and trade of illicit ivory, gold, and diamonds; and (4) support rehabilitation and reintegration programs for abducted children, youth, and adults. Commends those members of the U.S. Armed Forces previously or currently deployed in support of Operation Observant Compass for their critical contributions to efforts to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders and protect civilians. Urges the President to develop a strategy aimed at supporting sustainable recovery and security within areas affected by the LRA in partnership with other donors and multilateral bodies, including the World Bank, the EU, and others.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Employee Rights Act Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization or its agents to interfere with the rights of employees to organize and select representation to collectively bargain. Adds a requirement that representatives be selected by secret ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by a majority of the employees in a unit. Defines "majority" for purposes of determining the majority of employees in an election to mean the majority of all employees in the unit, and not the majority of employees voting in the election. Requires the NLRB, in cases where an existing certified or voluntarily recognized bargaining unit experiences turnover, expansion, or alteration by merger of more than 50% of the unit's employees, to conduct a secret paper ballot among the unit employees: (1) between the 120th day and 110th day before the collective bargaining agreement's expiration or before the end of three years, if there is an agreement between the labor organization and the employer; or (2) within 30 days, if there is no agreement between such parties. Requires the NLRB to decide, before the election of a labor organization as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of all employees of an appropriate unit, whether such unit shall be the employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision unit. Requires the NLRB to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing when it is investigating an election petition if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists. Revises the requirement that the NLRB direct an election by secret ballot, and certify its results, whenever it finds upon the record of such a hearing that a question of representation exists. Adds a requirement that the NLRB also review all post-hearing appeals before finding that such a question exists. Requires an employer to provide the NLRB a list consisting only of employee names and home addresses of all eligible voters within 7 days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate unit or following any agreement between the employer and the labor organization regarding eligible voters. Prohibits an election after the filing of a petition unless and until: (1) a hearing is conducted before a qualified hearing officer on any and all material, factual issues regarding jurisdiction, statutory coverage, appropriate unit, unit inclusion or exclusion, or eligibility of individuals; and (2) the issues are resolved by a regional Director, subject to appeal and review, or by the NLRB. Declares that election results shall not be final nor any labor organization be certified as a bargaining representative unless the NLRB has ruled on: (1) each pre-election issue not resolved before the election; and (2) the NLRB conducts a hearing and resolves each issue pertaining to the conduct or results of the election. Makes any labor organization found to have interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of their rights to form or join a labor organization or to refrain from forming or joining (including the filing of a decertification petition) liable for lost wages and unlawfully collected union dues and fees, if any, and an additional amount as liquated damages. Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act) to permit an election by secret ballot to be conducted through votes cast by electronic ballot cast in the privacy of a voting booth. Requires every employee in a bargaining unit represented by a labor organization, regardless of membership status, to have the same right as members to vote by secret ballot to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with, or to engage in, a strike or refusal to work of any kind against their employer. Prohibits the use of an employee's union dues for any purpose not directly related to the labor organization's collective bargaining, unless that employee authorizes such expenditure in writing. Prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all unit employees affected, determined by a secret ballot vote conducted by a neutral, private organization chosen by agreement between the employer and the labor organization. Requires each labor organization to make the independently verified annual audit report of its financial condition and operations available to all of its members and represented nonmembers. Makes it unlawful for a person to use force or violence, or threaten the use of force or violence, to restrain, coerce, or intimidate a person, or attempt to, in order to obtain from any person any right to represent employees, compensation, or other term or condition of employment. Subjects persons who willfully violate such prohibitions to both civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
End Trafficking of the Terminated Unborn Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the use of tissue from an induced abortion for research conducted or supported by the National Institutes of Health on the transplantation of fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. Soliciting or acquiring a donation of fetal tissue from an induced abortion for a purpose other than disposal is prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill prohibits federal funding of an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of funding, the entity will not perform, and will not provide funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion, except in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers the woman's life unless an abortion is performed. This applies to a hospital only if the hospital funds a non-hospital entity that performs abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Expresses disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran on July 14, 2015. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to: (1) prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, and (2) encourage global stability and security by strongly supporting strategic regional allies.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) disagrees with the Supreme Court's majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges and its holdings that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution requires states to license marriages between same-sex couples and requires states to recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state; and (2) agrees with the four dissenting opinions, which uphold the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman and the original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. Expresses the sense of the House that: the traditional definition of marriage is a union between one man and one woman; the majority opinion in Obergefell unconstitutionally and indefensibly distorts the definition of marriage; states may refuse to be bound by the holding in Obergefell ; states are not required to license same-sex marriage or recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states; and individuals, businesses, churches, religious groups, and other faith-based organizations are encouraged, empowered, and protected to exercise their faith without fear of legal or government interference.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Calls for the designation of a Prisoners of Conscience Day. Requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing Prisoners of Conscience Day. Encourages Members of Congress to raise individual prisoner of conscience cases in Congress, with the executive branch, with their constituents, to foreign governments and multilateral organizations, and during delegation trips abroad. Encourages the U.S. government to: (1) implement policies that support human rights programs, and (2) undertake actions directed at countries that detain prisoners of conscience in violation of international standards. Urges that advocacy on behalf of prisoners of conscience be pursued at every level of U.S. foreign policy and in all bilateral and multilateral engagements.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
SCOTUScare Act of 2015 This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to limit the health plans the federal government may make available to Supreme Court Justices and Supreme Court employees to those that are created under PPACA or offered through a health insurance exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Congratulates the people and the government of Mongolia on the 25th anniversary of the first democratic elections in Mongolia. Recognizes Mongolia's role as a global leader for emerging democracies. Acknowledges the shared interest of the U.S. government and the government of Mongolia in promoting peace and stability in Northeast and Central Asia. Recommends that the U.S. government expand academic, cultural, and other people-to-people partnerships between Mongolia and the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Calls on the U.S. government to implement specified sections of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to: encourage representatives of the government of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama to hold substantive dialogue to secure a negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people; and establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to monitor political, economic and cultural developments in Tibet, and to provide consular protection and citizen services. Urges the U.S. government to: raise Tibetan human rights and political and religious freedom concerns at the United States-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue and other high-level bilateral meetings; and call for the release of Tibetan political prisoners, including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and Khenpo Kartse (Khenpo Karma Tsewang). Calls on the U.S. government to: underscore that government interference in the Tibetan reincarnation process is a violation of the internationally recognized right to religious freedom, and increase global public awareness and monitoring of the upcoming electoral process through which the Tibetan people in exile will choose the next leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Sikyong. Calls on the United States and international governments and organizations to promote the preservation of Tibet's religious, cultural, linguistic, and national identity. Calls on the government of China to allow U.S. officials, journalists, and citizens unrestricted access to the Tibetan areas of China. Affirms the Dalai Lama's desire for a negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people. Reaffirms the friendship between the people of the United States and the people of Tibet.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Commends the millions of fathers who serve as wonderful, caring parents for their children. Calls on fathers across the United States to use Father's Day to: (1) reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children's lives, (2) spend Father's Day with their children, and (3) express their love and support for their children. Urges men to understand the level of responsibility fathering a child requires, especially in the encouragement of children's moral, mental, social, academic, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. Encourages active involvement of fathers in the rearing and development of their children, including the devotion of time, energy, and resources.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
First Amendment Defense Act Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Defines "discriminatory action" as any federal government action to discriminate against a person with such beliefs or convictions, including a federal government action to: alter the federal tax treatment of, cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke certain tax exemptions of any such person; disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status from or to such person; or withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a federal benefit program. Requires the federal government to consider to be accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of federal law any person who would be accredited, licensed, or certified for such purposes but for a determination that the person believes or acts in accordance with such a religious belief or moral conviction. Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce this Act against the Government Accountability Office or an establishment in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, that is not an executive department, military department, or government corporation. Defines "person" as any person regardless of religious affiliation, including corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. The Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2015 Requires that: (1) there be an independent anti-doping organization with responsibility for ensuring the integrity and safety of horse races that are the subject of interstate off-track wagers, and (2) the independent anti-doping organization designated pursuant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 serve as such organization. Sets forth as the duties of such organization: (1) developing, publishing, and maintaining rules regarding substances, methods, and treatments that may and may not be administered to a horse participating in such a race; (2) implementing programing relating to anti-doping education, research, testing, and adjudication to prevent any horse participating in such a race from racing under the effect of any prohibited substance, method, or treatment; and (3) excluding from participation in any such race any person who is determined to have violated such a rule or who is subject to a suspension from horse racing activities by any state racing commission. Prescribes conditions under which such organization may: (1) suspend the period a person is excluded from participation, and (2) permit the use of furosemide by a horse participating in such a race during the two-year period following enactment of this bill. Permits a host racing association to conduct a horse race that is the subject of an interstate off-track wager, and permits an interstate off-track wager to be accepted by an off-track betting system, only if consent is obtained from such organization. Requires such organization to ensure that all costs incurred in carrying out its duties are defrayed pursuant to agreements for such consent.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Recognizes that blasphemy laws position governments as arbiters of truth or religious rightness as they empower officials to enforce particular religious views against individuals and minorities. Calls on the President and the Department of State (Department) to make the repeal of blasphemy laws a priority in their relationships with countries that have such laws. Encourages the President and the Department to oppose any efforts at the United Nations (U.N.) or other international or multilateral fora to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, or attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions. Supports efforts at the U.N. to combat intolerance or violence against persons based on religion or belief without restricting expression. Reaffirms the decision to designate Saudi Arabia as a "country of particular concern" for detaining and imprisoning people for blasphemy and for imposing torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, and limit the waiver on this designation to no more than 180 days. Calls on the President and the Department to designate Pakistan and Egypt each as a "country of particular concern" for perpetrating and tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom, including abuses flowing from the enforcement of blasphemy laws and from vigilante violence around blasphemy allegations that takes place with impunity. Urges the governments of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other countries to amend or repeal their blasphemy laws as they provide a pretext for violence against religious minorities. Urges those countries that have imprisoned people on charges of blasphemy to release them and ensure their safety and that of their families.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, by regulation and in accordance with certain notice and public comment requirements, to determine and announce annually for 2017 and each subsequent year: (1) the annual MedicareAdvantage (MA) capitation rate for each MA payment area for the year concerned, (2) the risk and other factors to be used in adjusting such rates for monthly payments in such year, and (3) the MA region-specific non-drug monthly benchmark amount for each MA region and each MA regional plan for which a bid was submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Honors military caregivers of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to show support to military families and the sacrifices endured by those families in service to the United States. Recognizes the daisy as the flower for military caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Financial Transparency Act of 2015 This bill directs the Office of Financial Research of the Department of the Treasury and the following financial regulatory agencies to adopt data standards for all information collected or received by them, including corporate financial data: the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Financial Stability Act of 2010 is amended to direct the Office of Financial Research (OFR) to promulgate data standards, including common identifiers and data formats, for the information reported to member agencies or collected on behalf of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. The OFR must publish any public information (with specified exceptions) as open data, freely available for download in bulk, accessible via application programming interface where appropriate, and offered without any registration requirement or reuse restriction (open data publication). The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 is amended to require the SEC to adopt data standards incorporating those promulgated by the OFR and apply them to: investment advisers reports and registration statements, information submitted by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, asset-backed securities disclosures, corporate disclosures in registration statements and prospectuses, periodic and current corporate disclosures, corporate proxy and consent solicitation materials, and security-based swap reporting. The SEC, like the OFR, must publish all public information as open data. The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and national securities associations must likewise adopt OFR-promulgated data transparency standards. The SEC must, by rule, adopt a data standard that is both human-readable and machine-readable, and that complies with this Act regarding corporate financial data for which it was using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language standard. The SEC shall also establish a program to improve the quality of corporate financial data furnished by issuers. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to require the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to adopt the data standards and open data publication requirements prescribed in this Act and apply them to all information received from a depository institution or financial company. The Revised Statutes of the United States, the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, the Commodity Exchange Act, the Federal Credit Union Act, and the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 are amended to direct the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Credit Union Administration Board, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, respectively, to adopt, for all information regularly submitted to them, the data standards and open data publication requirements prescribed by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
School Milk Nutrition Act of 2015 This bill revises the requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to permit schools participating in the NSLP to offer students low-fat flavored milk containing no more than 150 calories per 8-ounce serving. For students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a medical or other dietary need, schools may offer a nondairy beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to low-fat milk and meets USDA nutritional standards, including fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B-12. (Under current law, the substitute is only required to include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow's milk.) In establishing national school nutritional standards, USDA must provide that containers of all beverages sold in schools have the same maximum volume. USDA must also: (1) study and report to Congress on recent trends in fluid milk consumption in schools; (2) carry out a pilot program to test and demonstrate strategies by which schools can increase the consumption of fluid milk; (3) make lactose-free milk with an extended shelf life available to schools; and (4) allow women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to receive reduced fat milk for themselves and their children upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to require the sharing of scientific data generated from research that is fully funded by the NIH.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to define "precision drug or biological product." (Precision medications are commonly understood to be treatments for those patients who are likely to respond to the medication based on a biomarker, which is a biological characteristic such as a genetic factor.) The FDA must issue and periodically update guidance that addresses the development and use of biomarkers to identify the subset of patients that are likely to respond to a medication. The FDA may rely upon data previously submitted for a different approved medication or indication to expedite the clinical development of a precision medication that has been designated for the treatment of a serious or rare condition.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
21st Century Cures Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through FY2018. The NIH Innovation Fund is established to fund a strategic plan, early stage investigators, and high-risk, high-reward research. The NIH may require scientific data to be shared if the research is fully funded by the NIH. The NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must implement a system that allows further research on clinical trial data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must expand surveillance of neurological diseases. The Council for 21st Century Cures is established to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative cures, treatments, and preventive measures. The Department of Health and Human Services must monitor the use of antibacterial and antifungal drugs and resistance to these drugs. Requirements are established for interoperability and certification of health information technology. Practices that discourage the exchange of electronic health information are prohibited. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the drug approval process, including by: (1) allowing patient experience data to be considered in the risk-benefit assessment of a new drug, (2) requiring the FDA to qualify drug development tools, (3) allowing the FDA to rely upon data previously submitted for a different purpose to expedite the development of certain drugs, and (4) establishing a streamlined data review program for approval of a drug for an additional indication. Manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs for serious conditions must publish their policies on compassionate use requests. The marketing exclusivity period is extended by six months for a drug approved for a new indication that is a rare disease or condition. The priority review voucher program for rare pediatric diseases is revised and extended. The FDA must: (1) establish a program for priority review of breakthrough medical devices, (2) identify types of devices that do not require a report preceding introduction, and (3) rely on a third-party to determine the safety and effectiveness of changes to medical devices. Regarding medical devices, this bill defines “valid scientific evidence” and makes changes to classification panels and the humanitarian device exemption. “Health software” is defined and, with certain exceptions, exempted from FDA regulations. This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to: (1) increase certain payments for new antimicrobial drugs, (2) establish a payment methodology for certain medical devices, and (3) publish online estimated payments for certain outpatient items and services. A pharmaceutical and technology ombudsman within the CMS must respond to complaints from manufacturers of medical products. Medicare prescription drug plan sponsors may limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. This bill amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to allow exported controlled substances to be re-exported within the European Economic Area.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act of 2015 Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to address potential shortages in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan for payment of health care benefits to retired coal miners by expanding the eligible uses of interest transferable to the plan from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and supplemental payments from the General Fund of the Treasury. Requires calculation of such amount by taking into account only those beneficiaries who are actually enrolled in the plan as of the enactment of this Act, as well as those retirees whose health benefits, payable directly by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012, would be denied or reduced. Requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer to the trustees of the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan a certain additional amount of funds, to pay pension benefits required under that plan, if the $490 million limitation on certain transfers to the UMWA Combined Benefit Fund and distributions to states and Indian tribes exceeds the aggregate amount required to be transferred to them. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe a special rule that employer contributions to an employees' trust or annuity benefit plan providing supplemental benefits solely to participants in a pension plan are neither deductible nor nondeductible as such from the employer's gross income. Subjects such contributions, on the other hand, to deduction as an allowable trade or business expense. Treats a trust holding the assets of such a pension benefit plan as a tax-exempt organization. Excludes from taxable wages any payments made to, or on behalf of, an employee or his or her beneficiary under such a plan.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: the United States should urge the government of Syria and other parties to the civil war in Syria to implement an immediate cease fire and engage in negotiations to end the bloodshed; the United States should declare that it is a requirement of basic justice that war crimes and crimes against humanity, whether committed by officials of the government of Syria or other parties to the civil war in Syria, should be investigated and prosecuted; the President should direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations to promote the establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal; the United States should continue its efforts to collect and analyze documentation related to ongoing violations of human rights and make collection of information that can be supplied to a Syrian war crimes tribunal a priority; in working with other countries to establish a Syrian war crimes tribunal the United States should promote judicial procedures that enable the prosecution of the most culpable persons guilty of directing such crimes; the United States should urge other interested states to apprehend and deliver into the custody of a Syrian war crimes tribunal persons indicted for war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria, and urge such states to provide relevant information to the tribunal.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to allow exported controlled substances to be re-exported within the European Economic Area. Prohibits the Attorney General from promulgating or enforcing any regulation, subregulatory guidance, or enforcement policy that impedes such re-exportation among European Economic Area countries.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
No Welfare for Weed Act of 2015 This bill amends: (1) the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to exclude marijuana products from items that may be purchased with food stamps; and (2) part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require states to maintain policies that prevent the use of TANF in any electronic benefit transfer transaction in any establishment that offers marijuana for sale. States that have not reported to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on their implementation of the policies and practices required by this Act, or which have not implemented such policies and practices, shall have the amount of their family assistance grants reduced by 5%.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act with respect to the treatment of certain lottery winnings and income received as a lump sum in determining income eligibility. A state, in determining the modified adjusted gross income eligibility of a recipient of qualified lottery winnings or qualified lump sum income, may consider such winnings or income as received on a monthly basis if the winnings or income is received in: (1) an amount less than $50,000 over a period of 12 months, or (2) an amount equal to or greater than $50,000 in proportional increments over a state-specified period of up to 240 months.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/p000373_200.jpg)