United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should apply economic sanctions to Chinese businesses and state-owned enterprises as a result of documented Chinese cyberattacks against U.S. entities in order to punish and deter such actions and strengthen U.S. cybersecurity.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2015 This bill provides that federal departments, agencies, or courts must not prohibit, interfere with, regulate, or otherwise restrict the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk or milk products packaged for direct human consumption if: the action is based on a determination that, solely because the product is unpasteurized, it is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise in violation of federal law; the state of origin allows unpasteurized milk or milk products to be distributed for direct human consumption by any means; the product is produced, packaged, and moved in compliance with the laws of the state of origin; and the product is moved from the state of origin with the intent to transport it to another state which allows the distribution of unpasteurized milk or milk products for direct human consumption. The bill does not preempt any state laws.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Milk Freedom Act of 2015 This bill provides that federal departments, agencies, or courts must not prohibit, interfere with, regulate, or otherwise restrict the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk or milk products packaged for direct human consumption based on the determination that, solely because the product is unpasteurized, it is adulterated, misbranded, or otherwise in violation of federal law.
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
Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act T his bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow two or more employers to be considered joint employers for purposes of the Act only if each shares and exercises control over essential terms and conditions of employment and such control over these matters is actual, direct, and immediate.
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 · 4 August 2015
This bill directs the Department of Defense to provide for the inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the District of Columbia of the names of those members of the Armed Forces who died in transit to or from a covered combat zone during the Vietnam conflict, including the members who died in the Loma Ridge plane crash in California on June 25, 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Authorizes the President to extend nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to limit the amount that may be awarded for the costs of litigation in citizen suits. An award of litigation costs may not exceed: (1) an amount that is proportional to the number of successful claims included in the complaint, or (2) the amount of monetary penalties. The award of litigation costs must be based on the prevailing rates in the local market area where the violation occurred for the kind and quality of the services furnished. Citizen suits may not be commenced if the Environmental Protection Agency or a state has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil or criminal action through the issuance of a compliance order. The bill provides for certain affirmative defenses for a person who may be liable for the unlawful discharge of a pollutant under the Clean Water Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Scientific Research in the National Interest Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award federal funding for basic research and education in the sciences through a new research grant or cooperative agreement only if it makes an affirmative determination, justified in writing, that the grant or agreement promotes the progress of science in the United States, is worthy of federal funding, and meets certain other criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
This bill states that Iran is unjustly holding at least three U.S. citizens, Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati, and possibly Robert Levinson, as hostages. The President is authorized to take necessary action to detain non-diplomatic officials of the government of Iran: (1) in the United States, and (2) in any other country whose government provides the United States with prior authorization to take such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 836 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, California, as the "Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis 'Lou' J. Langlais Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to expand the exemption of custom slaughtering of animals from federal inspection requirements. Under current law, the exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered for personal, household, guest, and employee uses. The bill expands the exemption to include meat that is: slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state and restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or sell meat and food products directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility, or the sale of meat or meat food products.
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 · 13 July 2015
National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Act This bill designates the National September 11 Memorial located at the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, as a national memorial. The Department of the Interior may award a grant of not more than $25 million each fiscal year to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., for the operation and maintenance of the memorial.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Merchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal to the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Urges the U.S. government to work with European governments and European law enforcement agencies encouraging them to: partner with, share information, and train Jewish community groups to strengthen preparedness and response to anti-Semitic attacks; consider formal partnerships in the United States, United Kingdom, and France between government entities and Jewish community security groups as examples of such partnering; support assessments of the environments of hate crimes and anti-Semitism, including analysis of crimes and law enforcement and community response, and cooperation between European governments and intergovernmental and interorganizational entities; help Jewish communities develop safety standards; implement a standardized pan-European information-sharing and alerting system among governments, inter-governmental agencies, and Jewish communities; ensure that law enforcement personnel are trained to monitor, prevent, and respond to anti-Semitic violence, and that senior officials with commensurate authority and resources have been appointed to combat anti-Semitism; and work with law enforcement associations and other relevant professional entities to combat anti-Semitism. Supports the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism as part of the broader policy priority of fostering international religious freedom. Urges the Department of State to continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism by the Department and the Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Right to Try Act of 2015 Bars the federal government from prohibiting or restricting the production, manufacture, distribution, prescribing, dispensing, possession, or use of an experimental drug, biological product, or device that is: (1) intended to treat a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness; and (2) authorized by, and in accordance with, state law. Defines an "experimental drug, biological product, or device" as one that: (1) has successfully completed a phase 1 clinical investigation; (2) remains under investigation in a clinical trial approved by the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) is not approved, licensed, or cleared for commercial distribution under the Federal Food, Drug, or Cosmetic Act or the Public Health Service Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Nullifies the rule submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the definition of "waters of the United States" under the Clean Water Act and published on June 29, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Condemns the practice of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in China. Calls on China and the Communist Party of China to end the practice of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience. Encourages the U.S. medical community to help raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in China. Demands an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice and the release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience. Calls on the Department of State to: (1) conduct a more detailed analysis on state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the annual Human Rights Report, and (2) report annually to Congress on implementation of the immigration provision prohibiting visas to Chinese and other nationals engaged in coerced organ or bodily tissue transplantation.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 Defines: (1) "Delta" as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Suisun Marsh; and (2) "negative impact on the long-term survival" as an appreciable reduction in the likelihood of the survival of a listed species in the wild by reducing the reproduction, numbers, or distribution of that species. TITLE I--ADJUSTING DELTA SMELT MANAGEMENT BASED ON INCREASED REAL-TIME MONITORING AND UPDATED SCIENCE Requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), by October 1, 2016, and at least every five years thereafter, to cooperate with federal, California, and local agencies to use updated scientific and commercial data to modify the calculation of incidental take levels for adult and larval/juvenile Delta smelt in the biological opinion for the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) issued by the USFWS on December 15, 2008. Directs the USFWS to implement and make appropriate amendments to the reasonable and prudent alternative described in that smelt biological opinion. Requires the Department of the Interior to make all significant decisions in writing under the smelt opinion and any successor opinions affecting the CVP or the SWP. Requires Interior, on an annual basis, to determine: (1) the extent that adult Delta smelt are distributed in relation to certain levels of turbidity or other environmental factors that may influence salvage rate, and (2) how the CVP and SWP may be operated to minimize salvage while maximizing export pumping rates without causing a significant negative impact on the long-term survival of the Delta smelt. Requires Interior, if suspended sediment loads from the Sacramento River appear likely to raise turbidity levels in specified areas during each period from December through March, to conduct daily monitoring to determine how increased trawling can inform real-time CVP and SWP operations. Directs Interior, by January 1, 2016, and at least every five years thereafter, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the California Department of Water Resources, public water agencies, and other interested entities, to implement new targeted sampling and monitoring specifically designed to understand Delta smelt abundance, distribution, and habitats during all life stages. Requires Interior, in implementing the smelt biological opinion pertaining to reverse flow in the Old and Middle River (OMR), to maximize CVP and SWP water supplies by managing export pumping rates to a reverse flow rate of -5,000 cubic feet per second, unless Interior provides documentation concluding that a less negative OMR flow rate is necessary to avoid a negative impact on the long-term survival of Delta smelt. Directs Interior to manage a more negative OMR flow rate if it can be established without an imminent negative impact. Requires the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the USFWS to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to ensure that the smelt biological opinion is implemented in a manner that maximizes water supply while complying with applicable laws and regulations. Provides a framework under which reinitiation of consultation is unnecessary if any changes that the MOU makes to the biological opinion will not have a significant negative impact on the long-term survival on listed species and would not be a major change to implementation of the biological opinion. Prohibits procedural changes that do not create a significant negative impact on long-term survival from altering application of the take permitted by the incidental take statement in the biological opinion. Directs Interior, for purposes of increasing CVP and SWP water supplies, to revise the method of calculating reverse flow in the OMR for implementation of the reasonable and prudent alternatives in the USFWS's smelt biological opinion, the salmonid biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on June 4, 2009, and any succeeding opinion. TITLE II--ENSURING SALMONID MANAGEMENT IS RESPONSIVE TO NEW SCIENCE Establishes a process for Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Fisheries to provide for implementation of the reasonable and prudent alternative described in the NMFS's salmonid biological opinion to be adjusted as new scientific and commercial data is developed. Requires Interior and the Department of Commerce, annually, to direct Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator to implement certain recommended adjustments to project operations that, in the exercise of the adaptive management provisions of the salmonid biological opinion, will reduce water supply impacts of the salmonid biological opinion on the CVP and the SWP. Requires implementation of adjustments for which: (1) the net effect on listed salmonid species and the Delta smelt is equivalent to those of the underlying project operational parameters in the salmonid biological opinion, and (2) the effects of the adjustment can be expected to fall within incidental take authorizations. Requires Reclamation and the Assistant Administrator to evaluate potential species survival improvements likely to result from other measures that, if implemented, would offset adverse effects. Requires the Assistant Administrator to compare existing measures to increase through-Delta survival of salmonid through restrictions on export pumping rates to possible alternative management measures to increase salmonid survival through: (1) physical habitat restoration improvements, (2) predation control programs, (3) installation of temporary barriers or management of Cross Channel Gates operations, (4) salvaging near Clifton Court Forebay, or (5) conservation hatchery programs. Directs Reclamation to implement such an alternative measure in order to increase export rates if the Assistant Administrator determines that: (1) the alternative measure is technically feasible and within federal jurisdiction, or (2) California or a local agency has certified that it has the authority and capability to implement the alternative measure. Requires Commerce and California's Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation Districts to conduct a nonnative predator fish removal program to remove nonnative striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black bass, and other nonnative predator fish species from the Stanislaus River. Requires the districts to be responsible for 100% of the cost of the program. TITLE III--OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY AND DROUGHT RELIEF Requires the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, and the Interior to approve projects and operations to provide the maximum quantity of water supplies practicable (to all individuals or districts that receive CVP water under water service or repayment contracts, water rights settlement contracts, exchange contracts, or refuge contracts or agreements, to SWP contractors, and to any other tribe, locality, water agency, or municipality in California) to address the emergency drought conditions for the period of time such that in any year that the Sacramento Valley Index is 6.5 or lower, or at California's request, and until two succeeding years after either of those events has been completed where the final index is 7.8 or greater. Provides for: (1) temporary barriers or operable gates to be designed so that formal consultations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) are not necessary; (2) adoption of a 1:1 inflow to export ratio under specified conditions, as measured as a three-day running average at Vernalis during the period beginning on April 1, and ending on May 31, absent a determination in writing that a more restrictive inflow to export ratio is required to avoid a significant negative impact on the long-term survival of a listed salmonid species under the ESA; and (3) water transfers through the C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant or the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant from April 1 to November 30 if the transfers comply with California law. Provides expedited procedures for consideration of requests by the California governor relating to federal, state, or local projects or operations to provide relief for emergency drought conditions. Allows USDA, Commerce, or Interior to deem alternative arrangements for a project to be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) during emergency drought conditions if immediate implementation is necessary to address: (1) human health and safety, or (2) a specific and imminent loss of agriculture production upon which an identifiable region depends for 25% or more of its tax revenue used to support public services. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) development of drought plans; (2) operation of the Delta Cross Channel Gates; (3) the averaging period of the Delta Export/Inflow ratio pursuant to California State Water Resources Control Board decision D1641; (4) use of groundwater resources, implementation of offsite upstream projects in the Delta and upstream of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin basins, management of reverse flow in the OMR, and actions to expedite CVP water transfers; (5) a program to allow certain agricultural, refuge, municipal, and industrial water service contractors to reschedule water provided for under CVP contracts from one year to the next; and (6) implementation of the Modified Lower American River Flow Management Standard to improve water supply reliability for CVP American River water contractors and resource protection in the lower American River during consecutive dry years under current and future demand and climate change conditions. Repeals the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act and the related settlement. Deems certain fish and game requirements to be satisfied by the existence of a warm water fishery in the San Joaquin River that has an environment suitable for species of fish other than salmon and trout. TITLE IV--CALFED STORAGE FEASIBILITY STUDIES Establishes deadlines for water storage feasibility studies concerning specified dams and reservoirs under Calfed Bay-Delta Authorization Act. Requires Interior, if it finds the Temperance Flat Reservoir Project on the Upper San Joaquin River to be feasible, to manage land recommended in the Bakersfield Field Office, Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan (dated December 2014) for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, regardless of whether Interior submits any official recommendation to Congress. Allows Reclamation to partner or enter into an agreement on certain water storage projects identified in the Water Supply Reliability and Environmental Improvement Act with local joint powers authorities formed pursuant to state law by irrigation districts and other local water districts and local governments within the applicable hydrologic region. Authorizes Interior to carry out feasible projects, but prohibits federal funds from being used for construction. TITLE V--WATER RIGHTS PROTECTIONS Directs Interior to confer with the CDFW on potential impacts to any consistency determination for operations of the SWP resulting from the implementation of this Act. Requires Interior, in the operation of the CVP, to adhere to California laws governing water rights priorities and honor water rights senior to those held by the United States for operation of the CVP, regardless of the source of priority, including any appropriative water rights initiated prior to December 19, 1914. Requires Interior to ensure that actions taken to comply with environmental laws do not: (1) result in the involuntary reduction of water supply or fiscal impacts to recipients of water from either the SWP or the United States, or (2) cause redirected adverse water supply or fiscal impacts to those within the Sacramento River or San Joaquin River watersheds or the SWP service area. Directs Interior, in the operation of the CVP, to allocate water provided for irrigation purposes to existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed in compliance with specified allocation percentages. Makes Interior's allocations subject to: (1) the priority of individuals or entities with Sacramento River water rights, (2) the U.S. obligation to make a substitute supply of water available to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors, and (3) Interior's obligation to make water available to managed wetlands pursuant to the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. Declares that Interior's allocation authority shall not be deemed to: (1) modify any provision of a water service contract that addresses municipal and industrial water shortage policies; (2) affect or limit Interior's authority to adopt, modify, or implement municipal and industrial water shortage policies; (3) affect allocations to CVP municipal and industrial contractors, including the utilization of such allocations as primary water sources for such contractors for purposes of calculating municipal and industrial water shortages; or (4) result in the involuntary reduction in contract water allocations to individuals or entities with contracts to receive water from the Friant Division. Requires Interior to develop and implement a program to allow existing CVP agricultural water service contractors within the Sacramento River Watershed to reschedule water, provided for under their water service contracts, from one year to the next. Declares that nothing in this Act preempts or modifies any existing obligation of the United States under federal reclamation law to operate the CVP in conformity with state law, including established water rights priorities. TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS Includes the Kettleman City Community Services District within the CVP's authorized service area. Requires Interior to enter a long-term contract with such district for the delivery of up to 900 acre-feet of CVP water for municipal and industrial use, limited to the minimal quantity necessary to meet immediate needs if local supplies or SWP allocations are insufficient. Amends the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to establish an advisory board to make recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior regarding expenditures from the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund. Sets forth requirements concerning: (1) the accounting of CVP water credited to the quantity of CVP yield, and (2) implementation of an updated plan to increase the yield of the CVP by the amount dedicated to fish and wildlife purposes. Prohibits Interior and Commerce from distinguishing between natural-spawned and hatchery-spawned or otherwise artificially propagated strains of a species in making any determination under the ESA that relates to any anadromous or pelagic fish species that resides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta or tributary rivers. Directs Interior to negotiate with interested local water and power providers to transfer ownership, control, and operation of the CVP's New Melones Unit to interested local water and power providers in California. Directs Reclamation, in carrying out the climate change adaptation program, to expand opportunities and expedite assessments, with nonfederal partners, of risks to the water supply of sub-basins and watersheds within major Reclamation river basins. Requires Reclamation to ensure timely decision and expedited implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies developed through the special study process. Makes nonfederal partners responsible for 100% of the special study costs. Prohibits Interior, in operation of the CVP's Trinity River Division, from making releases from Lewiston Dam in excess of the volume for each water-year type (i.e., critically dry, dry, normal, wet, extremely wet) required by Interior's record of decision in the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report dated December 2000. Restricts the definition of "anadromous fish" under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to mean only native stocks of salmon (including steelhead) and sturgeon that were present in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers as of October 30, 1992, and that ascend those rivers and their tributaries to reproduce after maturing in San Francisco Bay or the Pacific Ocean. TITLE VII--WATER SUPPLY PERMITTING ACT Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act Establishes Reclamation as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all reviews, analyses, opinions, statements, permits, licenses, or other approvals or decisions (reviews) required under federal law to construct qualifying projects (defined as new surface water storage projects in the states covered under the Act of June 17, 1902, and Acts supplemental to and amendatory of that Act on lands administered by Interior or USDA, exclusive of any easement, right-of-way, lease, or any private holding). Directs Reclamation: (1) upon receipt of an application for a qualifying project, to identify any federal agency that may have jurisdiction over a required review; and (2) to notify such agency that it has been designated as a cooperating agency unless the agency notifies Reclamation that the agency has no jurisdiction or authority over the project, has no expertise or information relevant to the project or any associated review, or does not intend to submit comments other than in cooperation with Reclamation. Requires each cooperating agency to submit to Reclamation: (1) a time frame for completing the agency's authorizing responsibilities, (2) all environmental review material produced in the course of carrying out activities required under federal law consistent with the project schedule, and (3) all relevant project data. Allows a state in which a qualifying project is being considered to choose to: (1) participate as a cooperating agency; and (2) make subject to the processes of this title all state agencies that have jurisdiction over the project, that are required to conduct or issue a review, or that are required to make a determination on issuing a permit, license, or approval for the project. Lists as Reclamation's principal responsibilities under this title: (1) to serve as the point of contact for applicants, state agencies, Indian tribes, and others regarding proposed qualifying projects; (2) to coordinate preparation of unified environmental documentation that will serve as the basis for all federal decisions necessary to authorize the use of federal lands for qualifying projects; and (3) to coordinate all federal agency reviews necessary for the development and construction of qualifying projects. Authorizes Interior to accept and expend funds contributed by a nonfederal public entity to expedite the evaluation of a permit of that entity related to a qualifying project. Directs Interior to ensure that all final permit decisions are made available to the public, including on the Internet. TITLE VIII--BUREAU OF RECLAMATION PROJECT STREAMLINING Bureau of Reclamation Project Streamlining Act Sets forth provisions governing feasibility studies for water projects initiated by Interior under the Reclamation Act of 1902 (project studies). Requires a project study initiated after enactment of this title to: (1) result in the completion of a final feasibility report within three years; (2) have a maximum federal cost of $3 million; and (3) ensure that personnel from the local project area, region, and Reclamation's headquarters levels concurrently conduct the required review. Sets forth factors for extending such time line for complex projects. Requires Interior, within 90 days after the initiation of a project study, to: (1) initiate the process for completing reviews, including environmental reviews, required to be completed as part of such study; (2) convene a meeting of federal, tribal, and state agencies required to act; and (3) provide information that will enable required reviews and analyses to be conducted by other agencies in a thorough and timely manner. Directs Interior to: (1) expedite the completion of any ongoing project study initiated before the enactment of this title; and (2) proceed directly to preconstruction planning, engineering, and design of a project that it determines is justified. Sets forth requirements applicable to: (1) project studies initiated after enactment of this title for which an environmental impact statement is prepared under NEPA; (2) other project studies initiated before such enactment for which an environmental review process document is prepared under NEPA; and (3) any project study for the development of a nonfederally owned and operated surface water storage project for which Interior determines there is a demonstrable federal interest and that is located in a river basin where other Reclamation water projects are located, that will create additional water supplies that support Reclamation water projects, or that will become integrated into the operation of Reclamation water projects. Requires Interior to: annually prepare a list of all such studies that do not have adequate funding for study completion; develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for the development of such studies; identify early all federal, state, and local government agencies and Indian tribes that may have jurisdiction and that may be required to act, which the federal lead agency shall invite to become participating or cooperating agencies; issue guidance regarding the use of programmatic approaches to carry out the environmental review process; and establish an electronic database and issue reporting requirements to make publicly available the status and progress with respect to compliance with applicable NEPA requirements and other action required for a project study. Sets forth the authorities and responsibilities of the joint lead agency, which may be a project sponsor, and the federal lead agency in the environmental review process, including: (1) the preparation and use of environmental documents; (2) establishing a plan for coordinating public and agency participation; (3) working with cooperating and participating agencies to identify and resolve issues that could delay process completion or result in the denial of any approval required for the project study; and (4) establishing, upon request, memoranda of agreement with the project sponsor, Indian tribes, and state and local governments to carry out the early coordination activities. Requires a federal lead agency to serve in that capacity for the entirety of all nonfederal projects that will be integrated into a larger system owned, operated, or administered by Reclamation. Directs Interior, upon determining that a project can be expedited by a nonfederal sponsor and that there is a demonstrable federal interest in expediting the project, to advance it as a nonfederal project. Requires a federal jurisdictional agency to complete any required approval or decision for the environmental review process on an expeditious basis. Provides for a reduction of funds for such an agency that fails to render such a decision by a specified deadline. Directs Interior to: (1) survey the use by Reclamation of categorical exclusions in projects since 2005 and propose a new categorical exclusion for a category of activities if merited, and (2) establish a program to measure and report on progress made toward improving and expediting the planning and environmental review process. Requires Interior to develop and submit annually a Report to Congress on Future Water Project Development that identifies: (1) the costs and benefits of, the nonfederal interests associated with, and the support for project reports, proposed project studies, and proposed modifications to authorized water projects and project studies that are related to Reclamation's missions and authorities, that require specific congressional authorization, that have not been congressionally authorized, that have not been included in any previous annual report, and that, if authorized, could be carried out by Reclamation; and (2) any project study that was expedited under this title. Specifies surface water storage, rural water supply, wastewater, and groundwater projects to be included in such studies and reports. TITLE IX--ACCELERATED REVENUE, REPAYMENT, AND SURFACE WATER STORAGE ENHANCEMENT Accelerated Revenue, Repayment, and Surface Water Storage Enhancement Act Directs Interior to convert certain existing water service contracts between the United States and water users' associations to repayment contracts to allow for prepayment of such contracts, upon the request of the contractor. Specifies the manner of conversion and the terms and conditions of prepayment. Requires a specified percentage of certain receipts generated from prepayment of contracts under this title, beyond amounts necessary to cover the amount of receipts forgone from scheduled payments under current law for the 10-year period following the enactment of this title, to be directed to the Reclamation Surface Water Storage Account. Requires the Secretary to allocate amounts in such Account to fund the construction of surface water storage for: increased municipal and industrial water supply; agricultural floodwater, erosion, and sedimentation reduction; agricultural drainage improvements; agricultural irrigation; increased recreation opportunities; and reduced adverse impacts to fish and wildlife from water storage or diversion projects within watersheds associated with water storage projects funded under this Act. TITLE X--SAFETY OF DAMS Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize Interior, subject to a feasibility study, to develop additional project benefits (including additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works when it exercises its authority to modify Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety, provided that: (1) the additional project benefits will promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities, (2) the feasibility study is authorized under the Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965, and (3) the costs are allocated to the authorized purposes of the structure and repaid consistent with federal reclamation law. TITLE XI--WATER RIGHTS PROTECTION Water Rights Protection Act Prohibits Interior and USDA from: conditioning or withholding the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement (permit) on the limitation or encumbrance of any water right or the transfer of any water right to the United States or any other designee or on any other impairment of any water right under state law by federal or state action; requiring any water user (including a federally recognized Indian tribe) to apply for or acquire a water right in the name of the United States under state law as a condition of such a permit; asserting jurisdiction over groundwater withdrawals or impacts on groundwater resources, unless consistent with state groundwater resource laws, regulations, and policies; or infringing on the rights and obligations of a state in evaluating, allocating, and adjudicating state waters originating on or under, or flowing from, land owned or managed by the federal government.
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 · 24 June 2015
Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any amount attributable to the discharge of student loan indebtedness of a veteran who died as a result of a service-connected disability.
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 · 12 June 2015
Dams Accountability, Maintenance, and Safety Act Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize the Department of the Interior, subject to a feasibility study, to develop additional project benefits (including additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works when it exercises its authority to modify Bureau of Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety, provided that: (1) the additional project benefits will promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities, (2) the feasibility study is authorized under the Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965, and (3) the costs are allocated to the authorized purposes of the structure and repaid consistent with federal reclamation law.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act Amendments of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through FY2019 and revises the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, half-dollar clad, and proof silver coins in recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon. Treasury may issue coins minted under this Act for only a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2019. All sales of coins minted under this Act shall include a surcharge of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, $5 per half-dollar clad coin, and $50 per proof silver coin. All of the surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid as follows: one-half to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's "Destination Moon" exhibit; one-quarter to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; and one-quarter to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to aid its missions by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Defines "water resources project" and "water resources development project" to include water supply and environmental infrastructure projects, including projects designed to reclaim or reuse municipal wastewater or impaired surface or groundwater, for purposes of specified provisions of: (1) the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 concerning feasibility studies and feasibility reports for water resources projects, and (2) the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 concerning the annual Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Supports individuals and organizations working to encourage cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, including Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi, the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information, United Hatzalah, and Breaking the Impasse. Reiterates condemnation of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in the Palestinian Authority (PA) as antithetical to peace. Urges President Abbas and PA officials to discontinue all official incitement and exert influence to discourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in Palestinian civil society. Directs the Department of State to regularly monitor and publish information on all official PA incitement against Jews and Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Personal Drug Importation Fairness Act of 2015 This bill allows a drug to be imported by a person other than the drug's manufacturer if the drug: (1) has the same active ingredients, route of administration, and strength as an approved drug; (2) may be lawfully marketed in, and is imported or reimported from, a country included on a list in this Act that the Food and Drug Administration determines has standards for ensuring drug safety and effectiveness that are at least as protective as U.S. standards; (3) is dispensed by a licensed pharmacist; (4) is shipped directly to, or is imported by, the ultimate consumer; (5) is shipped or imported in quantities that do not exceed a 90-day supply; (6) is accompanied by a copy of a valid prescription; and (7) is not a controlled substance.
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
Veterans' Entry to Apprenticeship Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat a pre-apprenticeship program as a program of apprenticeship, for purposes of providing educational assistance: (1) if such pre-apprenticeship program is recognized under or compliant with relevant state standards for a postsecondary pre-apprenticeship program, or (2) in the case of a program for which a state does not require any such standards, if the curriculum of the pre-apprenticeship program is approved by a sponsor who certifies that the program will prepare an individual with skills and competencies needed to enroll in a registered apprenticeship program and the pre-apprenticeship program maintains conduct and attendance policies in accordance with such sponsor. A covered individual enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program must receive the same amount and kind of educational assistance the individual would receive if the individual were enrolled in a program of apprenticeship, with an exception of specified housing assistance if the individual is not paid as part of such pre-apprenticeship program.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Citizens' Districts Preservation Act Requires each of the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Jersey, and Washington to retain the congressional redistricting plan in effect in such state as of the first day of the 114th Congress until such state carries out a redistricting plan in response to the apportionment of Representatives resulting from the regular decennial census conducted in 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
NEPA Reciprocity Act Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to eliminate duplicative environmental reviews and approvals under state and federal law for rail and highway transportation projects. Authorizes a state to use state environmental review and approval laws and procedures, consistent with certain requirements, in lieu of federal environmental laws and regulations.
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 · 20 May 2015
Stop Birth Tourism Act of 2015 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a consular officer or the Secretary of State to require that a nonimmigrant B-visa alien (temporary tourist or business visitor) provide a certification from a health care provider that the alien is not pregnant, or, if the alien is pregnant, regarding the status of the pregnancy. Such an alien who is pregnant and likely to give birth in the United States is inadmissible.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring federal expenditures and receipts to be balanced, excluding expenditures for payment of debt and receipts derived from borrowing. The requirement may be met over more than one year to accommodate economic conditions. In emergency situations, two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate may authorize expenditures to exceed receipts for a limited time. Debts from emergency expenditures must be paid as soon as practicable. Congress may enforce the article with legislation, which must require compliance within 10 years of ratification.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
Calls on Turkey to lift restrictions on freedom of expression, including expression online or in social media. Urges Turkey to fully respect universal human rights consistent with its Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments. Reaffirms the long-standing U.S. partnership and friendship with the people of Turkey.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Nutritious Options for Meals Act of 2015 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to apply nutritional standards for the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to foods purchased for USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), with the addition of lean meat and poultry. Foods purchased for SNAP must be of the kind prescribed by USDA in implementing WIC requirements that: (1) food contain nutrients determined by nutritional research to be lacking in the diets of pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, or children; or (2) food promote the health of the population served by the program. Examples of foods acceptable under the bill include vegetables, fruits, milk, juice, breakfast cereal, cheese, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, legumes, whole grain bread, and lean meat or poultry.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
United States International Communications Reform Act of 2015 Revises U.S. international broadcasting and communications structures, missions, and objectives. Requires U.S. international broadcasting to incorporate specified standards. Establishes the United States International Communications Agency (USICA), consisting of the Voice of America (VOA) and the offices of the International Broadcasting Bureau. Directs USICA and the Freedom News Network (FNN) to ensure that U.S. international broadcasting is conducted only to countries and regions that: (1) lack democratic rule and domestic media that provides accurate news, and (2) would benefit U.S. national security. Expresses the sense of Congress that VOA: (1) has been an indispensable element of U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy efforts, and (2) would benefit from a recalibration of federal international broadcasting agencies and resources. Requires VOA to adhere to specified principles and carry out specified duties and responsibilities. Requires Radio Marti and Television Marti, which constitute the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, to: (1) continue programming and content production consistent with their mission under the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act, and (2) continue to exist within VOA. Requires USICA and FNN to consult with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in order to assess international developments. Repeals the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994. Expresses the sense of Congress that RFE/RL, Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated share a common mission with distinct geographic foci, and should therefore be merged into a single organization with distinct marketing brands to provide news and related programming and content in countries where free media are not established. Consolidates RFE/RL Incorporated, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Incorporated into FNN to carry out all international broadcasting activities supported by the U.S. government. Retains the brand names of the individual grantees. Specifies FNN standards and principles, including consistency with broad U.S. foreign policy objectives. Directs USICA and FNN to establish procedures to vet and monitor employees for affiliations to terrorist organizations, foreign governments to protect against espionage, sabotage, foreign propaganda messaging, and other subversive activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Office of Space Commerce Act This bill renames the Office of Space Commercialization as the Office of Space Commerce. The Office of Space Commerce shall: foster the conditions for the economic growth and technological advancement of the U.S. space commerce industry; coordinate space commerce policy issues and actions within the Department of Commerce; represent Commerce in the development of U.S. policies and in negotiations with foreign countries to promote U.S. space commerce; promote the advancement of U.S. geospatial technologies related to space commerce in cooperation with relevant interagency working groups; and support federal government organizations working on Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing policy.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 or the SPACE Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the progress of the commercial space transportation industry in developing voluntary consensus standards or any other construction that promotes best practices, and (2) the status of the knowledge and operational experience acquired by the industry while providing flight services for compensation or hire to support the development of a safety framework. An independent, private systems engineering and technical assistance organization or standards development organization shall assess the readiness of the industry and the federal government to transition to a safety framework that may include regulations. DOT shall provide the committees a plan to update the methodology used to calculate maximum probable loss from claims with respect to commercially licensed space launch liability insurance and financial responsibility requirements through the use of a validated risk profile approach. The Government Accountability Office shall assess the plan. The liability coverage of licensees subject to third-party claims exceeding the amount of insurance or demonstration of financial responsibility is extended through December 31, 2023. Certain time constraints of commercial space launch and reentry experimental permit requirements are repealed and rockets as well as rocket designs are covered. DOT may issue an experimental launch or reentry permit notwithstanding the issuance of any launch or reentry license. Commercial space launch requirements apply to newly defined government astronauts. Liability insurance and financial responsibility and reciprocal waiver of claims requirements shall now cover space flight participants. Federal courts shall have sole jurisdiction of any action or tort arising from a licensed launch or reentry, which shall be decided under federal law. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall arrange with an independent, private systems engineering and technical assistance organization to study frameworks for the management of space traffic and orbital activities. The sense of Congress is expressed about state commercial launch facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Requires the Department of Commerce to include in instructions for completing any survey relating to the Census a statement that answering any questions other than questions that elicit the name of the respondent, contact information, the date of the response, or the number of people living or staying at the same address where the respondent resides is optional. Provides that no person may be fined or otherwise compelled to answer questions in connection with the survey commonly known as the American Community Survey (except for the questions permitted by this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations within 180 days permitting individuals to import a prescription drug purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy that: is dispensed by a pharmacist licensed in Canada; is purchased for personal use in quantities not greater than a 90-day supply; is filled using a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice in the United States; and has the same active ingredient or ingredients, route of administration, dosage form, and strength as a prescription drug approved under the FFDCA. Sets forth exceptions, including for controlled substances and biological products. Establishes a certification process for approving Canadian pharmacies. Requires HHS to publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2015 This bill prohibits U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance to the government of Vietnam in excess of FY2014 amounts unless the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam has made substantial progress respecting political, civil, media, Internet, and religious freedoms, minority rights, access to U.S. refugee programs, and actions to end trafficking in persons and the release of religious and political prisoners. The President may waive such requirements: if increased U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance would promote the purposes of this Act or is otherwise in the U.S. national interest, with respect to all U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance to Vietnam, or to one or more programs or projects. It is the sense of Congress that: it shall be U.S. policy that further easing of the prohibition on the sale of lethal military equipment to Vietnam shall require Vietnam to take additional and sustained steps to advance human rights protections; the United States should take measures to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by Vietnam and that the Broadcasting Board of Governors should not cut staffing, funding, or broadcast hours for the Vietnamese language services of the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia; U.S.-Vietnam educational and cultural exchange programs should promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam; Vietnam should be designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom; and Vietnam does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran should release all detained U.S. citizens and provide any information it possesses regarding any U.S. citizens who have disappeared within its borders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the religious conscience exemption under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to exempt individuals who rely solely on a religious method of healing and for whom the acceptance of medical health services would be inconsistent with their religious beliefs from the requirement to purchase and maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 This bill provides a safe harbor for depository institutions providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business insofar as it prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit or share insurance of a depository institution solely because it provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from offering such services. A federal banking regulator may neither recommend, motivate, provide incentives, nor encourage a depository institution to refuse to offer financial services to an individual, nor downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because the individual: (1) is a manufacturer, producer, owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. A federal banking regulator may not take any adverse or corrective supervisory action, solely because of the business involved, on a loan made to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Immunity from federal criminal prosecution or investigation is granted, subject to certain conditions, to a depository institution that provides financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business in a state or one of its political subdivisions that allows the cultivation, production, manufacture, sale, transportation, display, dispensing, distribution, or purchase of marijuana. Neither the depository institution nor its officers, directors, nor employees may be held liable under federal law or regulation solely for providing such financial services or further investing income derived from those services. The Department of the Treasury must require any suspicious activity report filed by a financial institution regarding a marijuana-based business to comply with specified guidance of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise premarket review and reporting requirements for products deemed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be tobacco products. A product is not subject to premarket review by the FDA if it is introduced to market before that type of product is deemed a tobacco product. A person introducing a tobacco product that is substantially similar to a marketed product less than 21 months after that type of product is deemed a tobacco product must submit a report to the FDA on the similar product not later than 21 months after that type of product is deemed a tobacco product. (A report is required at least 90 days prior to introduction of a tobacco product that is substantially similar to a marketed product if that type of product has been deemed a tobacco product for 21 months or more.)
![Official portrait of Rep. Rohrabacher, Dana [R-CA-48]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000409_200.jpg)