United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for mortgage interest, to: (1) allow, in lieu of such deduction, a tax credit for 15% of mortgage interest paid in a taxable year for the taxpayer's principal residence and one other residence; (2) provide for a phaseout of the tax deduction for mortgage interest between 2016 and 2020; (3) allow a deduction for interest and taxes relating to land for dwelling purposes owned or leased by cooperative housing corporations; and (4) increase the state housing credit ceiling for the low-income housing tax credit. Directs the Department of the Treasury to apply the savings from the enactment of this Act to the Housing Trust Fund, for assistance under the Section 8 low-income housing program, and for the Public Housing Capital Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act or the Military SAVE Act This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to make eligible for treatment in a non-Department of Veterans Affairs entity any veteran who was the victim of a sexual trauma which occurred while the veteran was serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Paycheck Fairness Act Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, (3) is consistent with business necessity, and (4) accounts for the entire deferential in compensation at issue. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation data and other employment-related data (including hiring, termination, and promotion data) disaggregated by the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Ruth Moore Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in any case in which a veteran claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active duty, to: (1) accept as sufficient proof of service-connection a diagnosis by a mental health professional together with satisfactory lay or other evidence of such trauma and an opinion by the mental health professional that such condition is related to such trauma if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service; and (2) resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows such service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Includes as a "covered mental health condition" post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health diagnosis that the Secretary determines to be related to military sexual trauma. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress in each of 2016 through 2020 on covered claims submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover certain lymphedema compression treatment items as durable medical equipment under Medicare. (Lymphedema is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling that is caused when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked.)
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act This bill amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recognize a marriage based on the law of the state where the marriage occurred. When a marriage occurs outside a state, the VA shall recognize it if the marriage is lawful in the place where it occurs and could have been entered into under the laws of any state.
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
Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
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 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 · 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
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
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
Small Business Access to Spectrum Act of 2015 Directs the Federal Communications Commission, within 90 days after enactment of this Act, to promulgate rules in WT Docket No. 14-170 concerning updating rules governing competitive bidding for spectrum licenses.
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
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
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
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
American Innovation Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2016-FY2021 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that perform basic science research. Adjustments are required for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, Department of Defense science and technology programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology Scientific and Technical Research and Services, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of the programs and agencies referenced in this bill to be at least the amount appropriated in FY2015. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Jobs Originated through Launching Travel Act of 2015 or the JOLT Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to admit into the United States a qualifying Canadian citizen over 50 years old and spouse for a period not to exceed 240 days (in a single 365-day period) if the person maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay. Revises the secure travel partnership program (the visa waiver program as renamed by this Act) to: (1) authorize DHS to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions. Expresses the sense of Congress that DHS should, in evaluating countries participating in the secure travel partnership program, give review priority to countries where circumstances indicate that such a review is necessary or desirable. Directs the Department of State to require U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to: (1) conduct nonimmigrant visa application interviews expeditiously, consistent with national security requirements and in recognition of resource allocation considerations; and (2) set a goal of interviewing 90% of all nonimmigrant visa applicants, worldwide, within 10 days of application receipt. Directs the State Department to: (1) develop and conduct a pilot program for processing visas using secure remote videoconferencing technology, and (2) seek to coordinate enrollment and interview processes for individuals eligible for both a U.S. visa and enrollment in the Global Entry program. Requires an alien at the time of application for U.S. entry under the secure travel partnership program to have a valid, unexpired electronic passport that incorporates biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with internationally accepted practices.
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
Reassuring Adequate Investment in Lifesaving Systems Act or the RAILS Act This bill revises the railroad safety technology grants program. The program shall also provide for advanced communication methods for conveying hazard information between all parties in the transportation chain, spectrum acquisition, multifrequency broadband connectivity equipment, implementation and interoperability testing. The program is extended for FY2015-FY2020.
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
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them. Requires the VA to: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician or gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetricians and gynecologists at VA medical facilities in not less than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Directs the VA to develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. Allows a veteran to elect to prevent their information from being shared. Directs the Government Accountability Office to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2015
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Child Tax Credit Permanency Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) adjust the earned income threshold for determining the amount of the refundable portion of such credit, and (2) provide for an inflation adjustment to the $1,000 credit amount for calendar years after 2013.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act Revises the Department of Defense's (DOD's) authority to transfer excess personal property to federal and state law enforcement agencies. Removes DOD's authority to transfer property for counter-drug activities. Requires recipients of DOD property to certify that they: (1) have personnel, technical capacity, and training to operate the property; and (2) will return to DOD any property that is surplus to the recipient's needs. Requires recipients that are not federal agencies to certify that they have notified their local community of requests for DOD property with a notice on a publicly accessible Internet website and postings at prominent locations in the jurisdiction. Requires DOD to submit annually to Congress a description of property to be transferred along with a certification that the transfers are not prohibited by law. Prohibits transfers of: controlled (i.e., military grade) firearms, ammunition, grenades, and explosives; controlled vehicles, certain trucks, and other highly mobile or mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles; armored or weaponized drones; controlled aircraft that are combat configured or combat coded, or that have no established commercial flight application; silencers; long range acoustic devices; and items in the Federal Supply Class of banned items. Prohibits transfers conditioned upon the agency demonstrating the use of any small arms or ammunitions. Prohibits transfers of previously transferred DOD property from one federal or state agency to another such agency. Allows DOD to waive transfer prohibitions for certain trucks and vehicles (other than mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles) if necessary for disasters, rescues, or other purposes where life and public safety are at risk. Requires notice of such a waiver to be provided to Congress and the public. Permits DOD to exempt aircraft parts transferred for regular maintenance of aircraft in an existing fleet. Prohibits obligations or expenditures of appropriations to carry out DOD's property transfer program unless specified conditions have been met, including requirements to verify: (1) that in-person inventories of transferred property have been conducted at each agency, and (2) that 100% of such property was accounted for during the inventories or that agencies unable to account for such property have been suspended from the program. Prohibits federal or state agencies that receive controlled equipment from taking ownership of the property. Requires the Defense Logistics Agency to maintain an Internet website to make available to the public: (1) information on each transfer, broken down by state, county, and recipient; (2) during the 30-day period preceding the date on which any property is transferred, information on the property to be transferred and the recipient; and (3) information on any use of controlled equipment by the transfer recipient.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Pet and Women Safety Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order. Defines "pet" to mean a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. Requires the "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet. Directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services, and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the person in domestic violence protection orders.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2015 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration of members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides that are registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants, trees, and cereals until the EPA determines that the insecticides will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators. The determination must be based on: an evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses of those neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators, including native bees, honeybees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial insects; and a completed field study that meets the criteria required by the EPA and evaluates residues, chronic low-dose exposure, and cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures. The EPA may not issue new registrations of the neonicotinoid pesticides for any seed treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants, trees, and cereals under FIFRA until it has made the determination with respect to the insecticide. For purposes of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native bees and other pollinators, the Department of the Interior must: (1) regularly monitor the health and population status of native bees, (2) identify the scope and likely causes of unusual native bee mortality, and (3) submit to Congress and make public an annual report on the health and population status of native bees.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Condemns Boko Haram for its violent attacks, particularly the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, especially women and girls, and the use of children as fighters and suicide bombers. Stands with: (1) the people of Nigeria in their right to live free from fear of state or nonstate actors; (2) the people of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger who are increasingly at risk from Boko Haram's violence; and (3) the international community in its efforts to defeat Boko Haram. Supports the Abuja Accord, and calls on candidates, party officials, and adherents of all political movements to refrain from divisive rhetoric and actions. Condemns civilian abuses by Nigerian security forces. Urges the government of Nigeria to: conduct credible and peaceful elections, refrain from using security services for political purposes, prioritize the security of Nigerians vulnerable to Boko Haram, implement a civilian security response to defeat Boko Haram that addresses political and economic grievances of citizens in the north, improve Nigeria's security forces, and cooperate with regional and international partners to defeat Boko Haram. Urges all Nigerians to engage in the electoral process and to reject divisive actions. Reaffirms that the people of the United States stand with the people of Nigeria in support of peace and democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the full realization of the rights of women is vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations; and (2) the Senate should, therefore, give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include optometry services in primary health services for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Optometrists are eligible for the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to design national strategies and implement programs to address chronic homelessness. To promote an end to chronic homelessness, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to provide: mental health services; substance use disorder treatment; integrated, coordinated treatment for co-occurring disorders; health education; services designed to help individuals and families make progress toward self-sufficiency; and other supportive services that promote an end to chronic homelessness. Priority for grants is given to applicants that target services to individuals and families who have experienced more homelessness, use more public emergency care, or have a history with the criminal justice system. Grantees must: (1) contribute matching funds, (2) not spend more than 20% of a grant providing services to recipients who are not chronically homeless, and (3) annually report specific performance outcomes to HHS.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the three civil rights marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Economy in Motion: The National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act Directs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) establish a Multimodal Freight Funding Formula Program to distribute funds to states, and a National Freight Infrastructure Competitive Grant Program to make grants to entities for projects, to improve the efficiency and reliability of freight movement in the United States; (2) establish a multimodal national freight network to accomplish the goals of the national freight policy, including increasing the productivity and efficiency of the national freight system and improving its safety, security, and resilience; (3) develop, maintain, and post on the public website of the Department of Transportation a national freight strategic plan that includes an assessment of the condition and performance of the national freight system; and (4) develop and improve tools to support an outcome-oriented, performance-based approach to evaluate proposed freight-related and other transportation projects. Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (or MAP-21) to: (1) expand the membership and duties of state freight advisory committees; and (2) require state freight plans to include strategies and goals to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollution, water runoff, and wildlife habitat loss. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a 1% excise tax upon taxable ground transportation of property (i.e., transportation by freight rail or truck trailer and semitrailer chassis and bodies, suitable for use with a trailer or semitrailer with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or more), and (2) deposit such tax revenues into a Freight Trust Fund (established by this Act) to finance the Multimodal Freight Funding Formula Program and the National Freight Infrastructure Competitive Grant Program.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
American Opportunity Tax Credit Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits with a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that: (1) allows an income tax credit of up to $2,500 of the qualified tuition and related expenses of a student who is carrying at least one half of a normal course load, (2) increases the income threshold for reductions in the credit amount based upon modified adjusted gross income, (3) allows a lifetime dollar limitation on such credit of $15,000 for all taxable years, and (4) makes a portion of such credit refundable. Allows an exclusion from gross income of any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015 Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to reauthorize for FY2016-FY2019 the grant program for improvements to the criminal history record system. Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: (1) establish a four-year implementation plan to ensure maximum coordination and automation of reporting of records or making records available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; (2) direct the Attorney General to make grants to states, Indian tribal governments, and state court systems to improve the automation and transmittal of mental health records and criminal history dispositions; (3) provide for withholding grant funds from states that have not implemented a relief from disabilities program and the reallocation of such funds to states that are in compliance; (4) make federal court information available for inclusion in the System; and (5) allow the submission to the System of mental health records that would otherwise be protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) expand the enforcement authority or jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; (2) allow the establishment, directly or indirectly, of a federal firearms registry; or (3) extend background check requirements to transfers of firearms other than those made at gun shows or over the Internet, or to temporary transfers for purposes including lawful hunting or sporting, or to temporary possession of a firearm for purposes of examination or evaluation by a prospective transferee. National Commission on Mass Violence Act of 2015 Establishes the National Commission on Mass Violence to study the availability and nature of firearms, including the means of acquiring firearms, issues relating to mental health, and the impacts of the availability and nature of firearms on incidents of mass violence or in preventing mass violence. Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive factual study of incidents of mass violence, including incidents not involving firearms, to determine the root causes of such mass violence.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (in order to cover 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]), regardless of the code billed for a diagnosis as a result of a test, or for the removal of tissue or other procedure furnished in connection with, as a result of, and in the same clinical encounter as the screening test.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or the HELLPP Act Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to include podiatrists as physicians in order to cover their services under the Medicaid program. Amends SSAct title XVIII (Medicare) to revise requirements for coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes regarding the processes of: (1) documentation by a physician of, and certification of a comprehensive plan of care related to, the diabetic condition; (2) prescription by a podiatrist or other qualified physician upon a finding of the medical necessity for the therapeutic shoes, including findings communicated to a certifying doctor of medicine or osteopathy of certain related foot conditions; and (3) fitting and supplying the shoes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to subject to the continuing levy upon property and property rights, for collection of unpaid taxes, any payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Gold Star Fathers Act Includes as a preference eligible for federal employment purposes a parent (currently, the mother only) of either an individual who lost his or her life under honorable conditions while serving in the Armed Forces during a war, in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or during the period beginning April 28, 1952, and ending July 1, 1955, or a service-connected permanently and totally disabled veteran, if: (1) the spouse of such parent is totally and permanently disabled; or (2) such parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or legally separated from his or her spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2015
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and recommend solutions regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes, diabetes, and the chronic diseases and conditions that are complications of or caused by diabetes. The duties of the Commission include: evaluating HHS programs regarding the utilization of preventive health benefits, identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing integrated care, making recommendations regarding the development and coordination of federally funded clinical practice support tools, recommending clinical pathways for new technologies and treatments, evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding prevention of diabetes, and reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources. The Commission must submit an operating plan to HHS and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000515_200.jpg)