United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Patients' Access to Treatments Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish cost-sharing limits for health plans that cover prescription drugs and use a formulary or other tiered cost-sharing structure. Prohibits such a health plan from imposing higher cost-sharing requirements, including co-payment and co-insurance, for specialty drugs than for other prescription drugs in a non-preferred brand drug tier. Applies the non-preferred brand drug tier for which beneficiary cost-sharing is lowest, if a formulary used by the health plan contains more than one non-preferred brand drug tier.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Global Food Security Act of 2015 This bill requires the President to coordinate the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to accomplish the objectives of promoting global food security, resilience, and nutrition consistent with national food security investment plans. The President must coordinate the efforts of relevant departments and agencies in implementing the Global Food Security Strategy by establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, coherence, and coordination across relevant departments and agencies; and platforms for regular consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders. By October 1, 2016, the President must submit the strategy to Congress, including a detailed description of how the United States intends to advance the objectives and agency-specific implementation plans. The bill authorizes the President to provide foreign assistance to implement the strategy and prevent or address food shortages. The President must ensure that assistance to implement the strategy is provided under established parameters for a system to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of the strategy, including by providing specified reports to Congress and the public.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Students Helping Young Students Act of 2015 Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) that receive grants for federal work-study programs to use a portion of such funding to compensate students employed in the educational after-school, before-school, or out-of-school community service activities of public elementary or secondary schools. Requires the IHEs operating such work-study programs to give priority to public elementary or secondary schools serving low-income communities. Allows the federal share of the compensation provided to work-study students performing such community service to exceed 75%.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to be an inpatient with respect to satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement in order to entitle the individual to Medicare coverage of any post-hospital extended care services in a skilled nursing facility.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease care planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Preservation Research at Institutions Serving Minorities Act or the PRISM Act Makes Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for technical and financial assistance from the Secretary of the Interior to establish preservation training and degree programs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015 This bill authorizes a charitable tax deduction for cash contributions made for the relief of the families of slain New York Police Department Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos even if such contributions are made for the exclusive benefit of such families. A taxpayer who makes such a contribution may claim a deduction in 2014 for contributions made between January 1, 2015, and April 15, 2015. The bill also provides that the recordkeeping requirements for the charitable tax deduction will be satisfied if the taxpayer produces a telephone bill showing the name of the organization to which a contribution was made with the date and amount of such contribution.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require an applicant for approval of a new animal drug that is a medically important antimicrobial to demonstrate that there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to the nontherapeutic use of the drug. Medically important antimicrobials are drugs intended for use in food-producing animals that contain: (1) specified antibiotics, or (2) certain drugs on the World Health Organization’s list of critically important antimicrobials. Two years after enactment of this Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must withdraw approval of a drug's nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals unless the FDA makes a determination that, based on the application holder's demonstration or an FDA risk analysis, there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. The FDA must rescind an exemption for investigational use of, or approval of a new drug application for, a medically important antimicrobial for its nontherapeutic use in food-producing animals two years after the exemption is granted or the application for approval is submitted unless there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from antimicrobial resistance attributable to nontherapeutic use. A medically important antimicrobial cannot be administered (including through animal feed) to a food-producing animal for disease control unless there is a significant risk that a disease or infection present on the premises will be transmitted to the animal.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Bringing Reductions to Energy's Airborne Toxic Health Effects Act or the BREATHE Act This bill amends the Clean Air Act to repeal prohibitions against: (1) aggregating emissions from any oil or gas exploration or production well and emissions from any pipeline compressor or pump station with emissions from other similar units, whether or not the units are in a contiguous area or under common control, to determine whether the units or stations are major sources of listed toxic air pollutants under such Act; (2) aggregating such emissions for any purpose under such Act, in the case of any oil or gas exploration or production well; and (3) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listing an oil and gas production well as an area source category of toxic air pollutants under such Act. The EPA must: (1) issue a final rule adding hydrogen sulfide to the list of hazardous air pollutants; and (2) revise the list within 365 days after issuing the rule to include categories and subcategories of major sources and area sources of hydrogen sulfide, including oil and gas wells.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Advancing Hope Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the priority review voucher program for rare pediatric diseases to include treatments for sickle cell disease and pediatric cancers. The voucher program is extended by removing the provision terminating the program one year after the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) issuance of three rare pediatric disease vouchers. A voucher may not be issued for a rare pediatric disease product if a voucher was issued for the product as a tropical disease product. A tropical disease voucher may not be issued for a product that was approved, over two years before submitting an application to the FDA, for commercial marketing by a foreign government to treat a tropical disease.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who were killed in action; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations (U.N.) Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Community College Energy Training Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) high-performance green building construction, design, and redevelopment; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water, energy, and resource conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates, credentials, or degrees in one or more of these industries or practices.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Amends the Military Selective Service Act to require the President to resume the induction of persons subject to registration in the Selective Service System for training and service in the Armed Forces (thereby reinstating the draft) upon the enactment of an authorization on the use of military force or a declaration of war. Subjects female citizens and residents of the United States to Selective Service registration requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health screening before such individual enlists or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, and (2) use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations. Prohibits the Secretary from considering the results of such screening in determining the promotion of a member of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to treat a screening in the same manner as medical records with respect to laws and regulations relating to the privacy of information. Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to submit to Congress and the Department of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health screenings of members of the Armed Forces, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing preliminary mental health screenings to establish parity with physical screenings; and (2) the composition of the mental health screening, evidenced-based best practices, and how to track changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions. Directs DOD and the Government Accountability Office to report on the efficacy of preliminary mental health screenings. Requires DOD to report on the efficacy of the mental health components of the physical examinations to members of the Armed Forces who are separated from active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Allocation for Music Producers Act or the AMP Act Amends federal copyright law to require a collective designated by the Copyright Royalty Judges to implement a policy providing for the acceptance of instructions (referred to as a "letter of direction") from a person who owns the exclusive right to publicly perform a sound recording by means of a digital audio transmission, or from a recording artist of a such a sound recording, to distribute a portion of royalty payments to a producer, mixer, or sound engineer who was part of the creative process behind the sound recording. Requires the collective to adopt special procedures for a producer, mixer, or sound engineer to receive a portion of royalties for recordings fixed before November 1, 1995, by certifying that a reasonable effort has been made to obtain a letter of direction from an artist who owns the right to receipts payable with respect to the sound recording.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Democracy Restoration Act of 2015 Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility. Provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, this Act. Prohibits this Act from being construed to prohibit a state from enacting any state law that affords the right to vote in any election for federal office on terms less restrictive than those terms established by this Act. Declares that the rights and remedies established by this Act shall be in addition to all other rights and remedies provided by law and shall not supersede, restrict, or limit the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights. Prohibits any state, local government, or other person from receiving or using any federal funds to construct or improve a place of incarceration unless that person has in effect a program to notify each U.S. citizen incarcerated in that person's jurisdiction, upon release from such incarceration, of that individual's rights under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), beginning January 1, 2016, to provide assistance to qualified veterans to obtain child care so that such veterans can receive health care services at a VA health care facility during the time such a veteran requires travel to and return from such facility. Defines "qualified veteran" as a veteran who is the primary caretaker of a child and is: (1) receiving from the VA regular mental health care services, intensive mental health care services, or other intensive health care services such that the VA determines that providing assistance to the veteran to obtain child care would improve the veteran's access to such services, or (2) in need of regular or intensive mental health care services from the VA and, but for lack of child care services, would receive such health care services from the VA. Includes among child care assistance under this Act: stipends for the payment of child care offered by licensed child care centers which shall be modeled after the VA's Child Care Subsidy Program; direct provision of child care at an on-site VA facility; payments to private child care agencies; and collaboration with facilities or programs of other federal departments or agencies. Directs the VA to carry out this Act using funds made available to the VA facility that provides the health care services for which the child care assistance is provided.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) items designed or individually configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, or functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) designate CRT items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics); and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a formal process to allow submission of CRT code set modification requests by stakeholder groups for comprehensive coding changes related to entire policy groups. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment, if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Stop Selling and Marketing to Our Kids E-Cigarettes Act or the SMOKE Act Amends the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to define "electronic nicotine delivery system" (e-cigarette) and "e-liquid" (solution used in an e-cigarette). Gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate e-cigarettes and e-liquids as tobacco products. Amends the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act to include e-cigarettes and e-liquids in the definition of cigarettes, thereby: (1) requiring warning labels to appear on packaging and advertising, and (2) prohibiting advertising in electronic media regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Requires the FDA to study the effects of flavorings added to e-cigarettes and e-liquids, including whether flavorings appeal to children or help adults quit smoking. Requires, upon completion of the study, the FDA to consider restricting the use of flavorings. Directs the FDA to require child-proof packaging for e-cigarettes and e-liquids. Directs the FDA to set nicotine dosage and concentration limits for e-cigarettes and e-liquids, respectively, and allows for exceptions. Prohibits advertisement, promotion, or marketing of e-cigarettes and e-liquids in a manner that increases their use by minors. Sets forth authority for: (1) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce violations as an unfair or deceptive act or practice, and (2) states to bring civil actions on behalf of residents threatened or adversely affected by a violation. Allows the FTC to intervene and appeal in state actions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Safe Hydration is an American Right in Energy Development Act of 2015 This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states, in order to obtain primary enforcement responsibility for a state underground injection control program, to prohibit the underground injection of fluids or propping agents pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities unless the person proposing to conduct the hydraulic fracturing operations agrees to conduct testing and report data in accordance with this bill. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. Regulations under such Act for state underground injection control programs must require any person conducting such hydraulic fracturing operations to: (1) conduct testing of underground sources of drinking water in accordance with sampling and testing requirements described in this bill, and (2) report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the results of such testing. Hydraulic fracturing operations are exempted from those testing and reporting requirements if there is no accessible underground source of drinking water within a radius of one mile of the site where the operations occur. The EPA must establish and maintain a publicly accessible and searchable database of testing results.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Medicaid Parity Act of 2015 Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend through 2019: (1) Medicaid payment parity with Medicare for primary care services furnished under the Medicaid program, and (2) the increased (to 100%) federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP, or federal matching rate) for additional payments for primary care services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act of 2015 This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation. The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to state underground injection programs or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility in the state. The state or the EPA must make the disclosure available to the public. When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in the operations is necessary for medical treatment, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, or the treating physician or nurse upon request, regardless of whether a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement has been provided. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require a written statement of need and a confidentiality agreement as soon thereafter as circumstances permit.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Global Brain Health Act of 2015 Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish and administer a health and education grant program (Global Autism Assistance Program) to: (1) support activities by nongovernmental organizations and other service providers, including advocacy groups, focused on autism in developing countries; and (2) establish a "teach the teachers" program to train health and education professionals working with autistic children in developing countries. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to provide assistance to support a network of trained medical practitioners to treat hydrocephalus in children at pediatric hospitals and hydrocephalus treatment centers in developing countries. Requires such assistance to provide for surgeon training and establishment of at least 20 treatment centers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: negotiate with the World Health Organization to develop a plan for addressing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia globally, to be known as the Global Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Action Plan; and seek to establish the Global Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Fund to support implementation of the Global Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Action Plan. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Group of Eight (G8) nations, working with the Group of Twenty (G20) nations, the Group of Seventy-Seven (G77) nations, and other organizations should investigate systems to monitor and provide care to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in developing countries. Directs the President to: appoint a high-level official to lead federal efforts to develop the Global Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Action Plan and the Global Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Fund, and facilitate partnerships between the federal government and the private sector to identify new treatment approaches for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Directs the Administrator of USAID to investigate the foreign aid implications of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2015 or the FRESHER Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for discharges of stormwater runoff from: (1) mining operations; (2) oil and gas operations; or (3) transmission facilities for collecting and conveying precipitation runoff that are not contaminated by contact with any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished product, byproduct, or waste products located on the site of the operations. The Department of the Interior must study stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination, (2) groundwater resources, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the operations.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for producing electricity from an Indian coal production facility, to eliminate: (1) the requirement that such a facility be placed in service before January 1, 2009, and (2) the limitation on the period during which such coal is required to be produced and sold.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Credit Reporting Act for Military Families or the CRAM Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act with respect to an item of adverse information about an active duty military consumer. Redefines "active duty military consumer" as one who is assigned to service away from the usual duty station for a period of not less than 90 days. Declares that, if the action or inaction that gave rise to the item occurred while the consumer was an active duty military consumer, then: (1) the consumer may provide appropriate proof, including official orders, to a consumer reporting agency that the consumer was an active duty military consumer at the time the action or inaction occurred; and (2) any consumer report made by the agency including that item of information shall clearly and conspicuously disclose that the consumer was an active duty military consumer when the action or inaction that gave rise to the item occurred. Requires a consumer reporting agency to notify promptly an active duty military consumer whenever it receives an item of adverse information about him or her, along with a description of the item and the method by which the consumer can dispute the validity of the item. Requires an agency also to use any separate contact information an active duty military consumer has given it for all communications while the individual is an active duty military consumer. Declares the sense of Congress that any person making use of a consumer report containing an item of adverse information that occurred while the consumer was an active duty military consumer should take that fact into account when evaluating the consumer's creditworthiness. Requires a consumer reporting agency, with respect to an item of information under dispute by an active duty military consumer, to include in the consumer's file that he or she was an active duty military consumer at the time the action or inaction that gave rise to the disputed item occurred.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
This bill requires Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) appropriations to be paid for with revenues. FY2015 OCO funds must not be used during a period beginning 90 days after enactment of this bill and ending upon enactment of a law increasing revenues by at least the amount of the OCO appropriation. The bill also amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to create a point of order against legislation increasing funding for OCO for any fiscal year unless a provision increasing revenues by at least the same amount is included. Under current law, OCO funding is exempt from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Child Care Access and Refundability Expansion Act or the Child CARE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for employment-related expenses incurred for the care of a taxpayer's dependent, to: (1) make such credit refundable, (2) deny such credit for services provided outside the United States, (3) increase the dollar limit on the allowable amount of such credit and the percentage rate for qualified expenses, (4) deny such credit for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 in a taxable year; and (5) allow an annual inflation adjustment to the threshold amount for reducing such credit and the maximum allowable credit amount, beginning after 2015. The bill also allows a new tax credit for 50% of the child care educational expenses, up to a maximum of $1,000 in any taxable year, paid with respect to the operation of a qualified child care center.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Inclusive Prosperity Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose an excise tax on the transfer of ownership in certain securities (covered transaction), including any share of stock in a corporation, any partnership or beneficial interest in a partnership or trust, any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness (excluding tax-exempt municipal bonds), or derivative financial instruments; (2) impose a penalty on taxpayers who fail to include a covered transaction on their tax return or information statement; and (3) allow an individual taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 ($75,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns) a tax credit for the amount of tax paid on covered transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National Innovation in Education Day to recognize the advances that the nation's schools have made incorporating both creative teaching methods and technology into the classroom. Recognizes: the importance of creative teaching methods as a means of engaging students in their education and inspiring more students to pursue higher education; that technological advancements within the classroom prepare students for a more information-driven market, thus closing the gap between education and the workforce by allowing students to obtain the skills necessary for employment in competitive science and technology fields in the United States; and the achievements of outstanding educators who have exemplified innovative teaching methods.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Voter Empowerment Act of 2015 Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2015 Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) to require states to make available websites for online voter registration. Authorizes automated voter registration of certain individuals and establishes other initiatives to promote voter registration, such as same-day registration and voter registration of individuals under 18 years of age. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit hindering, interfering with, or preventing voter registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) to establish requirements for states to promote access to voter registration and voting for individuals with disabilities, including a single office for providing related information. Directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to make grants for pilot programs enabling individuals with disabilities to register to vote and vote privately and independently at their own residences. Reauthorizes the program of grants to state and local governments to assure voting access for individuals with disabilities. Prohibits state or local election officials from preventing an individual from registering or voting in any federal election (voter caging), or from permitting a formal challenge under state law to an individual's registration status or eligibility to vote. Prohibits a person from knowingly and willfully attempting to or depriving or defrauding the residents of a state of the right to vote by the communication of election-related information that is known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent. Increases the penalty for voter intimidation. Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any federal election shall not be denied or abridged because of a criminal conviction unless he or she is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution at the time of the election. Requires each state to notify an individual convicted of a criminal offense under state law, upon release from state custody or upon sentence to probation, of the right to vote in a federal election. Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2015 Revises requirements for the audit capacity of voting systems, particularly those for a permanent paper record. Requires the voting system to require the use of an individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be marked and made available for inspection by the voter before the vote is cast and counted, and which shall be counted by hand or read by an optical character recognition device or other counting device. Requires the system to provide an opportunity to correct any system-made error in the voter-verified paper ballot before it is permanently preserved. Requires the National Science Foundation to make grants for the study and development of accessible ballot voting, verification, and casting mechanisms and devices and best practices to enhance the accessibility of paper ballot voting and verification mechanisms for individuals with disabilities, those whose primary language is not English, and those with difficulties in literacy. Requires each state, except when the winning candidate had no opponent or received 80% or more of the votes, to administer audits of federal election results, without advance notice, consisting of random hand counts of the voter-verified paper ballots. Prohibits certification of election results until completion of audits. Adds requirements for counting provisional ballots. Requires each state to allow early voting and facilitate voting by mail. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the guarantee of voting residency to family members of absent military personnel. Revises absentee ballot procedures concerning applications, transmission, and overseas voters. Entitles to leave a federal employee who serves as a poll worker. Directs the EAC to make grants for poll-worker recruitment and training and develop materials for a model program. Makes available to any person aggrieved by a violation of uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements the option to file a complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) or pursue a private right of action. Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to make it unlawful for a chief state election administration official, unless he or she or a family member is a candidate, to take an active part in political management or in a political campaign for federal office over which such official has supervisory authority. Treats universities as voter registration agencies. Establishes minimum notification requirements regarding voters affected by polling place changes. Directs DOJ to: (1) coordinate the establishment of a state-based response system for responding to questions and complaints from individuals voting or seeking to vote, or registering to vote or seeking to, in federal elections; (2) establish and operate a toll-free telephone service to connect directly to such response system; and (3) appoint a Voter Hotline Task Force. Makes NVRA and HAVA requirements applicable to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Reauthorizes and extends the EAC and repeals its exemption from certain contracting requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on: (1) the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) of qualified borrowers if the DLs were first disbursed or, in the case of Direct Consolidation Loans, applied for, before July 1, 2015; and (2) the Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) of qualified borrowers as DLs. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) Refinances the FFELs as Federal Direct Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loans depending on the categorization of the FFEL as a Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, PLUS, or Consolidated Loan. Sets the interest rate on the refinanced loans, other than the Federal Direct Consolidation Loans, at the rate for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, based on: (1) the DL's categorization; and (2) in the case of Stafford Loans, whether the loan was issued to an undergraduate or graduate student. Determines a refinanced Consolidation Loan's interest rate by: (1) weighing the proportion of the unpaid balance of the Consolidation Loan that each component loan represents, (2) setting the interest rate on each component loan at the lesser of the rate on the component loan for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, or its original rate, and (3) applying the weighted average of the interest rates on those loans as the interest rate on the Consolidation Loan. Fixes the interest rate on the refinanced loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements that are based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio and that take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers who have the greatest financial need. Requires the Secretary to establish a program to refinance the unpaid principal, accrued unpaid interest, and late charges on private education loans as Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans if the private education loans were first disbursed to qualified borrowers before July 1, 2015, and were for their postsecondary educational expenses. Sets the interest rate on Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans at the rate applicable for the 12 months beginning on July 1, 2013, to: (1) Direct Stafford and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to undergraduates if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate expenses, (2) Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans issued to graduate or professional students if the private education loan was issued for graduate or professional studies, or (3) Direct PLUS Loans if the private education loan was issued for undergraduate and graduate or professional studies. Fixes the interest rate on such loans for the period of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish eligibility requirements that: (1) are based on a borrower's income or debt-to-income ratio and take into consideration providing access to refinancing for borrowers who have the greatest financial need, (2) ensure eligibility only for borrowers in good standing, (3) minimize inequities between Federal Direct Refinanced Private Loans and other federal student loans, and (4) preclude windfall profits for private educational lenders. Requires qualified borrowers of such loans to undergo loan counseling before their private education loan is refinanced. Requires private educational lenders to report specified loan information to the Secretary, Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in order to allow for an assessment of the private education loan market. Directs the Secretary to undertake a campaign to alert borrowers that they may be eligible for refinancing under this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax). Establishes the amount of such tax as the excess (if any) of the tentative fair share tax over the excess of: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's regular tax liability, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) amount, and the payroll tax for the taxable year; over (2) certain tax credits. Provides for a phase-in of such tax. Requires an inflation adjustment to the $1 million income threshold for taxable years beginning after 2016. Requires the Secretary to terminate this Act's refinancing programs on the earlier of the date: (1) when the net cost of carrying out the programs is equal to the Secretary's estimate of the amount of additional revenue generated during the 10-year period beginning on the date of this Act's enactment due to the fair share tax, or (2) that is two years after this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 Cornell Street in Kingston, New York, as the "Staff Sergeant Robert H. Dietz Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Modernized Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" to include a projectile that may be used in a handgun and that is determined by the Attorney General to be capable of penetrating body armor. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against the Body Armor Exemplar (body armor that the Attorney General determines meets minimum standards for the protection of law enforcement officers), taking into account variations in performance related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel, the amount and kind of powder used, and the projectile's design; and (2) assess and, as appropriate, modify the standards every three years or more frequently if warranted by technological advances.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Jane's Law Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or a prison term of up to two years on any person who travels in interstate or foreign commerce to evade compliance with a court-ordered property distribution in a divorce proceeding involving more than $5,000. Requires payment of restitution equal to the total unpaid property distribution from any person convicted of evading payment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Social Security Fraud and Error Prevention Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to appropriate from the Social Security Trust Funds to the Social Security Administration for each fiscal year beginning FY2016 amounts for specified fraud and error prevention activities. Prescribes a formula for the calculation of such amounts, which include fines and civil monetary penalties recovered. Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) report to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a plan for conducting fraud and error prevention activities; (2) take any necessary actions to ensure that cooperative disability investigations (CDI) units have been established for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories; (3) conduct quality reviews in certain cases with respect to decisions in connection with the application for benefits under this title and SSAct title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI), in a sufficient number to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and other guidance issued by the Commissioner; (4) report annually to Congress the total number of cases selected for such quality review, the number of such cases in which a decision is remanded, and the number of such cases in which a decision is modified or reversed; and (5) report annually to Congress on the number of work-related continuing disability reviews conducted. Allows the Commissioner to submit a combined annual report to specified congressional committees of certain information relating to disability benefits. Increases civil and criminal penalties for specified persons in positions of trust in certain cases of fraud, and requires inflation adjustments every four years for certain civil penalties. Prohibits the Commissioner, in making any determination with respect to whether an individual is or continues to be under a disability, from considering (except for good cause) any evidence furnished by a physician or other health care provider who has been barred from practice, has been assessed a penalty for the submission of false evidence, or is excluded from participation in any federal health care program.. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to repeal program integrity adjustments after FY2014 to budget authority for continuing disability reviews and redeterminations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require alignment of updates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services under a revised prospective payment system (PPS) with updates for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Revises requirements for the reporting and applying of quality measure data by ASCs and hospital OPDs. Revises requirements for the composition of the expert outside advisory panel the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to consult during the annual review of the clinical integrity of the groups and payment weights in the PPS for OPD services. Requires the panel to include suppliers subject to the PPS as well as at least one ASC representative. Requires the Secretary, when excluding from a final rule updating ASC lists a procedure whose inclusion was requested during the public comment period, to cite in the final rule specific criteria based on which the procedure was excluded. Requires the Secretary also to identify the peer reviewed research or the evidence upon which the exclusion is based if certain of those criteria are cited for it. Prohibits the Secretary from using or citing as a criterion or a basis for an exclusion that the procedure can only be reported using a Current Procedural Terminology unlisted surgical procedure code.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015 - This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices furnished to a CGM qualified individual. The Department of Health and Human Services must establish a fee schedule and ensure that CGM qualified individuals are furnished with appropriate device components.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
National Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Treatment Improvement Act of 2015 Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to: (1) evaluate existing surveillance and data collection systems that track the incidence and circumstances of traumatic brain injury, including concussion; (2) establish a statistically sound, scientifically credible, and integrated National Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance System; and (3) ensure that the System is designed in a manner that facilitates further research on brain injury. Requires the CDC to make information and analysis in the System available to the public and ensure that privacy and security protections applicable to the System are at least as stringent as those under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act Establishes the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration (SSA), to be headed by the Deputy SSA Commissioner. Entitles every individual to a family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) benefit payment for each month beginning on the first day of the first month in which the individual meets the criteria specified below and ending 365 days later (benefit period), not to exceed 60 qualified caregiving days per period. Qualifies for such a benefit payment any individual who: is insured for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act at the time his or her application is filed; has earned income from employment during the 12 months before filing it; has filed an application for a FMLI benefit in accordance with this Act; and was engaged in qualified caregiving (any activity, except regular employment, for a reason entitled to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993), or anticipates being so engaged, during the 90-day period before the application is filed or within 30 days after. Prescribes a formula for determination of an individual's monthly FMLI benefit payment, as well as for the maximum and the minimum monthly benefit amounts. Requires a FMLI benefit payment to be coordinated with any periodic benefits received from temporary disability insurance or family leave insurance programs under any state law or plan, local government, or an instrumentality of two or more states. Prescribes criteria that makes an individual ineligible for a FMLI benefit payment. Specifies prohibited acts by an employer, and penalties for violations. Establishes the Federal Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund in the Treasury. Requires FMLI benefit payments to be made only from this Fund. Prohibits the use of amounts from the Social Security Trust Fund or appropriated to the SSA to administer Social Security programs for FMLI benefits or administration. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on every individual and employer, all self-employment income, and every railroad employee, employee representative, or railroad employer to finance the Federal Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund in the Treasury for FMLI benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Recognizes that all families need to be economically secure to create opportunities for their children and the nation's next generation. Recognizes that wealth and income inequality hurt economic growth and risks economic security for individual families, our communities, and the nation as a whole. Supports the elimination of the wealth gap and the racial wealth gap as national economic security priorities. Acknowledges that Congress has a responsibility to implement thoughtful, proven and pragmatic policy strategies to eliminate the wealth gap and the racial wealth gap.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Veteran Education Empowerment Act Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award up to 30 four-year grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs to establish, maintain, and improve Veteran Student Centers. Permits a grantee to use a portion of the grant to provide veteran students with supportive instruction services. Requires a grantee to be an IHE or consortium that: (1) enrolls in undergraduate or graduate courses a significant number or percentage of veterans or members of the Armed Forces, and (2) presents a sustainability plan demonstrating that its Veteran Student Center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant ends. Defines a "Veteran Student Center" as a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that is staffed by trained employees and volunteers and serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans. Requires that office to provide such students with assistance in: transitioning from the military to student life, transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, networking with other veteran students and veterans in the community, understanding and obtaining benefits provided by the IHE and federal and state government for which they may be eligible, understanding how to succeed in the IHE, and understanding their disability-related rights and protections under specified federal laws. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a website for veteran student services at IHEs, which details best practices for serving veteran students at IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Social Security 2100 Act Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to: increase the primary insurance amount formula factor from 90% to 93% for all eligible beneficiaries, beginning in 2016; revise computation of cost-of-living adjustments to use the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers; increase the special minimum primary insurance amount for lifetime low earners based on years in the workforce. Amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to increase the gross income threshold for taxation of Social Security benefits from $25,000 to $50,000 for single taxpayers and from $32,000 to $100,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns, beginning in 2016. Amends the IRC and SSAct title II to impose the employment tax on all wage income above $400,000, effective in 2016. Requires incremental increases, up to 15.3% in 2084, in the employment and self-employment taxes. Amends SSAct title II to include 2% of an individual's excess average indexed monthly earnings (over $400,000 per annum) in the formula for determining primary insurance amounts. Amends IRC to increase the Social Security tax rate on employees and employers and with respect to self-employment income. Requires reallocation of a portion of employment tax revenues from the OASDI Trust Fund to the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund for wages paid after 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Social Security and Marriage Equality Act Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to the determination of a valid marriage to account for marriages in jurisdictions other than a state. Authorizes the courts of any state to find that an OASDI benefit applicant and an insured individual were validly married in a jurisdiction other than a state at the time the applicant files a benefit application or, if the insured individual is dead, at the time the individual died.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Expanding Nutrition's Role in Curricula and Healthcare Act or the ENRICH Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to establish a program of three-year competitive grants to accredited medical schools for the development or expansion of an integrated nutrition and physical activity curriculum. The curriculum must: (1) be designed to improve communication and provider preparedness in the prevention, management, and reversal of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer; and (2) address additional topics regarding individuals in at-risk populations, as practicable, including physical activity and training programs, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act Honors as a veteran any person who is entitled to retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service or who, but for age, would be so entitled. Provides that such person shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason of such recognition.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Social Work Reinvestment Commission to provide independent counsel to Congress and the Secretary on policy issues related to recruitment, retention, research, and reinvestment in the profession of social work. The Commission shall study issues facing the social work profession, including: (1) fair market compensation, high educational debt, social work workforce trends, translating social work research to practice, and social work safety; and (2) state-level social work licensure policies and reciprocity agreements for providing services across state lines. The Secretary is directed to award grants to four eligible entities, including at least two agencies of state or local governments, to assist them in carrying out a workplace improvement program to address concerns for the social work profession. The Secretary shall also award grants to: (1) 25 social workers who hold a doctoral degree in social work for postdoctoral research in social work, (2) 20 eligible institutions of higher education to support the recruitment and education of social work students in advanced degree programs and the professional development of social work faculty, and (3) six eligible covered entities to test and replicate effective social work interventions. The Secretary shall contract with a national social work entity that serves as a coordinating center to: (1) engage in activities to build on the efforts of the National Association of Social Workers National Center for Workforce Studies; (2) collect, coordinate, monitor, and distribute data and information on best practices and findings regarding grant-funded activities; (3) report to the Secretary recommendations on the need to recruit new social workers, retain current social worker, conduct social worker research, and reinvest in the profession of social work; and (4) select research topics to further the goals of this Act. The Secretary must develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the social work profession.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015 Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a rule requiring liquid nicotine containers to be designed with special packaging that is difficult for children under five years of age to open or to obtain harmful contents from. Requires the rule to be treated as a standard applicable to a household substance under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2015
Armor-Piercing Bullets Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to provide that: (1) a .22 caliber projectile that would otherwise constitute "armor piercing ammunition" shall be considered to be primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes (and thus excluded from the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" for purposes of federal firearms provisions) if the projectile weighs 40 grains or less and is loaded into a rimfire cartridge, and (2) a projectile that would otherwise constitute "armor piercing ammunition" shall be considered to be primarily intended to be used for a sporting purpose if the projectile is loaded into a cartridge for which the only handgun that is readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade is a single shot handgun. Defines a "single shot handgun" as a break-open or bolt action handgun that can accept only a single cartridge manually and that does not accept or use a magazine or other ammunition feeding device, excluding a pocket pistol or derringer-type firearm. Authorizes the Attorney General to treat a projectile as not primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes if substantial evidence exists that the projectile is not primarily intended to be used for such purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to expand programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns and infants to include young children. The programs are revised and reauthorized for FY2017-FY2022.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000053_200.jpg)