United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
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 · 10 June 2015
Pathways Out of Poverty Act of 2015 DIVISION A--EDUCATION TITLE I--STRONG START FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN Subtitle A--Access to Voluntary Prekindergarten for Low- and Moderate-Income Families Directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Allots grants to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. Defines "high-quality prekindergarten programs." Conditions grant eligibility on a state demonstrating to ED that it: (1) has established or will establish early learning and development standards, (2) has established or will develop the ability to link prekindergarten data with elementary and secondary school data, (3) offers state-funded kindergarten for children, and (4) has established a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. Directs ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a process to provide Head Start program services to children who are younger than age four in states or regions that provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs. Subtitle B--Prekindergarten Development Grants Directs ED to award competitive, matching, capacity-building grants to states that assure that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. TITLE II--RESTORING SUMMER PELL GRANTS Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow ED to award a student two Pell Grants during a single award year if the student is enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate degree program or a certificate program at an institution of higher education (IHE) on at least a half-time basis for the equivalent of more than one academic year during the Pell Grant award year. TITLE III--RESTORING TITLE IV ABILITY-TO-BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY Allows students who are not high school graduates or have not met certain home schooling requirements to receive student assistance under title IV of the HEA if they demonstrate that they can benefit from the education or training being offered by an IHE through: (1) their performance on an independently administered examination, (2) a state prescribed process, or (3) their satisfactory completion of six credit hours or the equivalent coursework toward a degree or certificate offered by the IHE. TITLE IV--YOUTH PROMISE/FEDERAL COORDINATION OF LOCAL AND TRIBAL JUVENILE JUSTICE INFORMATION AND EFFORTS Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity. Requires the Administrator of the Office to award grants to organizations to collect and use data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. TITLE V--PROMISE GRANTS Subtitle A--PROMISE Assessment and Planning Grants Authorizes the OJJDP to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to assist local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs) with planning and assessing evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth. Subtitle B--PROMISE Implementation Grants Directs the OJJDP to award additional grants to assist PCCs to implement PROMISE plans for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities. Subtitle C--General PROMISE Grant Provisions Directs the OJJDP, in conjunction with the PROMISE Advisory Panel, to establish and utilize a system for evaluating applications for PROMISE Assessment and Planning grants and for PROMISE Implementation grants. DIVISION B--HOUSING TITLE VI--COMMON SENSE HOUSING INVESTMENT Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for mortgage interest, to: 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; provide for a phaseout of the tax deduction for mortgage interest between 2017 and 2021; allow a deduction for interest and taxes relating to land for dwelling purposes owned or leased by cooperative housing corporations; and 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. TITLE VII--LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT FOR HOMELESS YOUTH Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify low-income building units that provide housing for full-time students who were homeless youth or homeless veterans prior to occupying a low-income housing unit for the low-income housing tax credit. TITLE VIII--RENTERS TAX CREDIT Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit for a portion of the rent paid by a qualified renter. Defines "qualified renter" as a family unit with income not greater than the higher of 60% of local median income or 150% of the federal poverty line. Establishes the amount of such credit as the rent reduction amount, which: (1) is the amount by which the fair market rent for a rental unit exceeds the rent charged to the qualified renter; and (2) shall not exceed the excess of the rent charged to the qualified renter (or, if lower, specified modest rent) over 30% of the qualified renter's income (prorated monthly). DIVISION C--NUTRITION TITLE IX--IMPROVING THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMILIES PROGRAM Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state TANF plans to address whether and how states will give priority to providing assistance in areas with the greatest need. Extends the TANF program. Establishes matching grants to the states for subsidized employment. Sets a flat minimum participation rate of 50% with respect to all families residing in a state that include a work-eligible individual.. Gives TANF recipients the option to have trained personnel assess certain barriers to employment. Revises the contents of individual responsibility plans. Authorizes a state to develop a modified employability plan for a TANF recipient with, or caring for a family member with, a disability. Prohibits a state from imposing a lifetime sanction or full-family sanction on assistance to any individual or family on the basis of a family member's failure to comply with a program requirement. Prohibits sanctioning individuals for failure to engage in work if the failure results from the inability to secure child care or after-school arrangements for a child under age 13. Prohibits imposing a limit of less than 60 months on duration of TANF assistance. Makes the durational limit inapplicable during a recession. Requires that states establish personnel standards through a merit-based system in the administration of TANF programs. Requires TANF assistance to meet basic family economic needs. Makes reducing child poverty a purpose of the TANF program. Requires that states adopt standards and procedures to address domestic and sexual violence suffered by TANF recipients. Requires a state to guarantee child care services to TANF recipients employed or participating in a work activity. Eliminates the ban on providing assistance to families not assigning certain support rights to the state. Gives states the option to extend TANF eligibility to children through age 21. Prohibits considering financial aid tied to education of a child in determining eligibility for or the amount of TANF. Eliminates bars to TANF assistance for persons convicted of drug felonies, unwed teen parents not in school, and teens not in an adult-supervised living arrangement. TITLE X--EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT, RETENTION, AND NAVIGATION ACT Makes it a purpose of TANF to promote employment among needy families. Requires a state to use any funds received under a grant from the TANF Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs solely to support training programs leading to a credential directly linked to the employment opportunities in the local area or region. Eliminates the maintenance of effort requirement, and related administrative penalty, for state use of amounts from the Contingency Fund. Revises the definition of vocational educational training as a work activity to include up to 24 months of such training for any individual participating in a training program leading to a credential directly linked to employment opportunities in the individual's local area or region. Removes from the limitation on the number of persons who may be treated as engaged in work by reason of participation in educational activities all single heads of household or married individuals under age 20 who maintain satisfactory school attendance. TITLE XI--RESTORING SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FUNDING CUTS INSTITUTED IN FARM BILL (HEAT-AND-EAT) Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to remove restrictions on providing standard utility allowances under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) to certain households based on the receipt of nominal benefits under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 or similar energy assistance programs. TITLE XII--HELPING HUNGRY STUDENTS LEARN Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand the school lunch program, provide free breakfast to students, and establish a pilot program to provide commodities to state agencies to assist in providing food to at-risk children on weekends and during school holidays. TITLE XIII--FOOD ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE REINTEGRATION ACT Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal provisions making individuals convicted of certain drug-related offenses ineligible for SNAP benefits. DIVISION D--LABOR/JOB TRAINING TITLE XIV--ASSISTANCE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED AND PATHWAYS BACK TO WORK Subtitle A--Supporting Unemployed Workers Supporting Unemployed Workers Act of 2015 Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to extend emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) payments for eligible individuals to weeks of employment ending on or before January 1, 2016. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until December 31, 2015, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and June 30, 2016, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (FSEUCA of 1970) against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. Amends FSEUCA of 1970 to postpone similarly from December 31, 2013, to December 31, 2015, termination of the period during which a state may determine its "on" and "off" indicators according to specified temporary substitutions in its formula. Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to extend through December 31, 2015, the temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits. Establishes the Reemployment NOW program to facilitate the reemployment of individuals receiving emergency unemployment compensation (EUC claimants). Requires a state to submit for approval by the Secretary of Labor a plan meeting certain minimum requirements in order to be eligible for an allotment of federal funds under such program. Authorizes a state to use its allotted funds to establish: a Bridge to Work program to provide EUC claimants with short-term work experience placements with eligible employers; a wage insurance program to pay, for up to two years, an EUC claimant who obtains reemployment up to 50% of the difference between the wages received at the time of work separation and the wages received for reemployment; and a program of enhanced reemployment services to EUC claimants, including unemployed individuals who have exhausted their EUC rights. Prescribes requirements for federal financing of state short-time compensation programs. Subtitle B--Long-Term Unemployed Hiring Preferences Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an increased work opportunity tax credit for long-term unemployed individuals (individuals who are unemployed and receiving unemployment compensation for six months or more). Subtitle C--Pathways Back to Work Pathways Back to Work Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Labor to make certain allocations of federal funds to states with approved plans, qualifying outlying areas (U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau), and Native American program grantees to provide: (1) subsidized employment to unemployed, low-income adults; and (2) summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth. Requires Labor to award competitive grants to local entities for work-based training and other work-related and educational strategies and activities of demonstrated effectiveness to provide unemployed, low-income adults and low-income youths with skills that will lead to employment. Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections. Subtitle D--Prohibition of Discrimination in Employment on the Basis of an Individual's Status as Unemployed Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2015 Makes it an unlawful practice for certain employers to: publish a job advertisement or announcement that includes provisions indicating that an individual's status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for employment or that the employer will not consider or hire an individual for employment based on such status, fail or refuse to consider or hire an individual because of such status, or direct or request that an employment agency take an individual's status into account to disqualify an applicant for consideration for employment or when screening or referring employees. Makes it an unlawful practice for an employment agency to commit similar acts, including to: (1) screen, or fail or refuse to consider or refer, an individual for employment because of the individual's unemployed status; or (2) limit, segregate, or classify any such individual in any manner that would limit access to job information or consideration, screening, or referral for jobs. Makes it unlawful for any employer or employment agency to: (1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided under this Act; or (2) fail or refuse to hire, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against an employee because such individual opposed any practice made unlawful by this Act or asserted any right under it. Prescribes enforcement authorities and legal remedies for violations of this Act. TITLE XV--LIVING AMERICAN WAGE Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage to at least the amount determined by Labor according to the formula prescribed by this Act beginning September 1, 2014. Requires Labor to determine such minimum wage rate by June 1, 2014, and once every four years thereafter. Prohibits any adjustment if the determination would result in a minimum wage lower than the current one. Requires the minimum wage so determined to be the minimum hourly wage sufficient for a person working for it 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, to earn an annual income 15% higher than the federal poverty threshold for a four-person household, with two children under age 18, and living in the 48 contiguous states, as published for each such year by the Census Bureau. DIVISION E--ANTI-POVERTY TAX PROVISION TITLE XVI--CHILD TAX CREDIT PERMANENCY Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) make permanent the reduction (from $10,000 to $3,000) of the eligibility threshold for the refundable portion of such credit, and (2) require an annual inflation adjustment to the allowable amount of such credit (i.e., $1,000) after 2015. TITLE XVII--EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the earned income tax credit, to: increase the rate of such credit for individuals with no qualifying children; allow an annual inflation adjustment to the increased phaseout amount of such credit for taxable years beginning after 2016; and expand eligibility for such credit to individuals who have attained age 21 (currently, age 25) but have not attained the full retirement age under the Social Security Act. TITLE XVIII--CHILD CARE ACCESS AND REFUNDABILITY EXPANSION ACT Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for dependent care expenses, to: (1) make such credit refundable, (2) deny such credit to nonresident aliens, and (3) allow an annual cost-of-living adjustment after 2015 to the amounts used to determine an income-based reduction in the amount of such credit. DIVISION F--MISCELLANEOUS TITLE XIX--POVERTY IMPACT TRIGGER Amends Rule XXI (Restrictions on Certain Bills) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to make it out of order to consider a public bill or joint resolution authorizing an appropriation of $10 million or more, unless: (1) the accompanying committee report includes a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Poverty Impact Division impact statement, or (2) the chair of the committee reporting the legislation submits such statement for publication in the Congressional Record before consideration of the measure. Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish the CBO Poverty Impact Division to prepare and submit poverty impact statements to the chairs of House committees. TITLE XX--HALF IN TEN ACT TO CREATE A NATIONAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE POVERTY Establishes within HHS a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty, which shall develop a National Strategy to reduce the number of persons living in poverty in America by half within 10 years after release of the 2012 Census report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program providing eligible households with summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in order to give children access to food during the summer months to: (1) reduce or eliminate children's food insecurity and hunger, and (2) improve their nutritional status. An "eligible household" is a household that includes one or more children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs. The amount on each summer EBT card is set at $150 per child in 2017, with adjustments thereafter reflecting changes in reimbursement rates for school meals under the school lunch program. If children are enrolled to receive free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs, they must be enrolled in this program without further application. Summer EBT cards may be used only to purchase food from retail food stores that have been approved for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Automatic Voter Registration Act This bill amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require state motor vehicle authorities (MVAs), upon receiving certain identifying information with respect to any individual requesting MVA services, to transmit it to the appropriate state election official. The appropriate state election official shall then notify the individual that unless he or she notifies the official, before 21 calendar days elapse after issuance of the notification, that the individual declines to be registered to vote in federal elections in the state, the individual shall be considered to have submitted a completed voter registration application and be considered automatically registered unless: the official determines that the individual does not meet voter registration eligibility requirements, or the individual is already registered to vote. A state may not use any identifying information regarding an individual's citizenship status for any purpose other than determining whether the individual is eligible to vote in federal elections.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act This bill amends the Department of Education Organization Act to require the Department of Education (ED) to make publicly available on its website: a list of the institutions of higher education (IHEs) under investigation, sanctions or investigation findings, and a copy of program reviews and resolution agreements entered into with ED or the Department of Justice (DOJ), under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) or title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the letter terminating the ED's monitoring of such agreements; and a list of the IHEs under investigation, and a copy of the program reviews, sanctions or investigation findings, and resolution agreements entered into with ED or DOJ, under the provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). ED may impose a civil penalty on an IHE that has violated a law under the jurisdiction of its Office for Civil Rights. The bill amends the Clery Act to direct ED to develop a biennial sexual violence climate survey and include statistics from such survey in the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees. An individual may allege a violation of the Clery Act in a judicial proceeding. The maximum penalty for substantially misrepresenting the number, location, or nature of the crimes required to be reported under the Clery Act is increased. The IHE's annual statement of its policy regarding domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking must: use simple and understandable language and clear formatting; be made available and posted on its public website and in conspicuous places in and around student housing and other campus buildings; be provided to each student group, team, or organization that has a specified connection to the IHE or is known by the IHE to act on an unaffiliated basis; and ensure that each of those groups distributes a copy of such policy to each of its members or applicants for membership. ED and DOJ are directed to create a joint interagency Campus Sexual Violence Task Force.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Wise Investment in our Children Act or the WIC Act This bill amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to increase the allowable age from five to six for children to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (3) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Directs the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces deployed to Iraq or Syria on or after August 7, 2014, other than Armed Forces required to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel, from Iraq and Syria: (1) no later than 30 days after this concurrent resolution is adopted; or (2) if the President determines that it is not safe to remove the Armed Forces before that date, then no later than December 31, 2015, or such earlier date as the President determines that the Armed Forces can safely be removed.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) the Social Security Act (SSAct) to terminate the limitations on general Medicaid funding, as well as the specific federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP, or matching rate), beginning FY2017 for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa (territories). The authority to waive or modify Medicaid requirements (except certain requirements for coverage of adults formerly under foster care) in American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands shall now extend as well to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. Federal financial participation shall not be available to a territory, however, for medical assistance (with certain exceptions) for an individual whose family income exceeds 100% percent of the official poverty line for a family of the size involved. A formula is prescribed for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to the territories beginning FY2017. This bill also amends SSAct title XVIII (Medicare) to revise the formula for the Medicare inpatient hospital services payment rate for hospitals in Puerto Rico to: (1) reduce the applicable Puerto Rico percentage from 25% to zero, and (2) increase the applicable federal percentage from 75% to 100%. Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) payments shall now apply to subsection (d) hospitals in Puerto Rico to allow them to qualify for incentives for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) A formula element is revised for calculating Medicare DSH payments under the inpatient prospective payment system for subsection (d) hospitals in Puerto Rico. The exclusion of residents of Puerto Rico from deemed enrollment under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) is repealed and they may now be deemed to be so enrolled. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall provide a special seven-month enrollment period for such residents. The late enrollment penalty shall be recalculated to 15% of the usual penalty for residents of Puerto Rico who are current enrollees or who enroll during a specified transition period. HHS shall increase the geographic adjustment practice expense index for Puerto Rico to equal 0.800 or, if less, the lowest practice expense index value for the year for any area in the 50 states or the District of Columbia) for the year. The blended benchmark component of payments to Medicare + Choice organizations for an area in a territory under SSAct title XVIII part C (Medicare+Choice) shall be, beginning with 2016, at least 80% of the national average of specified base payment amounts for the year (but never more than the lowest blended benchmark amount) for any area within the 50 States and the District of Columbia. HHS shall treat as medical assistance under the Medicaid program, with a 100% FMAP, any financial assistance a territory furnishes to individuals eligible for prescription drugs under SSAct title XVIII part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) who, if they were residing in one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia, would qualify as low-income subsidy eligible individuals, without regard to whether they otherwise qualify for Medicaid. HHS shall report to Congress on the treatment of territories under Medicare part D. This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to reduce by 50% the annual fee imposed on health insurance providers for U.S. health risks in the territories. Funds from such fees shall be available to a territory only to assist low-income part D eligible individuals to obtain part D-covered drugs. HHS shall publish and update periodically, on the Internet site of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, information on the programs under SSAct titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP) that are carried out in the U.S. territories. HHS shall report to Congress on the adverse impacts in each territory from their practical exclusion under PPACA from the establishment of American Health Benefit Exchanges or the administration of a federally facilitated Exchange.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission to carry out activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the date the U.S. Virgin Islands became an unincorporated U.S. territory.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7802 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, New York, as the "Jeanne and Jules Manford Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Postmaster General should issue a first-class postage stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Virgin Islands becoming a part of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 May 2015
Honors American veterans disabled for life. Expresses appreciation to the men and women left permanently wounded, ill, or injured as a result of service in the Armed Forces.
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
Restoring Education And Learning Act of 2015 or the REAL Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the provision that prohibits Pell Grant eligibility for individuals incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution and for sex offenders subject to civil commitment following incarceration. This amendment takes effect in academic year 2015-2016.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2015 or VETS Act of 2015 Allows a health care professional who is authorized to provide health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs and who is a licensed, nationally registered, or certified professional to practice at any location in any state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth, territory, or possession, regardless of where the professional or patient is located, if the professional is using telemedicine to provide treatment. Allows such treatment regardless of whether such professional or patient is located in a facility owned by the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Friendly Airports for Mothers Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to approve a grant application for an airport development project only if the Secretary receives written assurances that the owner or operator of a large or medium hub airport will maintain a lactation area at each passenger terminal building of the airport behind the airport security screening area. The bill defines "lactation area" to mean a room or other location in a commercial service airport for members of the public to express breast milk that: is shielded from view and free from intrusion from the public; has a door that can be locked; includes a place to sit, a table or other flat surface, and an electrical outlet; is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; and is not located in a restroom. The Secretary may approve a terminal development project for the construction or installation of a lactation area at a commercial service airport.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7802 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, New York, as the "Jeanne Sobelson Manford Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Hero Street USA Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins emblematic of Hero Street (in Silvis, Illinois) in the following amounts in commemoration of the semi-centennial of the naming of Hero Street: (1) 50,000 $5 gold coins, (2) 400,000 $1 silver coins, and (3) 750,000 half-dollar clad coins. Coins may be issued only between January 1 and December 31, 2018. There must be surcharges of: (1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin, (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin, and (3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin, all to be paid to implement the Wounded Warrior Project. The Treasury must act to ensure that coin minting and issuance do not result in any net cost to the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Honors military caregivers of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for their service and sacrifice to the United States. Encourages the people of the United States to show support to military families and the sacrifices endured by those families in service to the United States. Recognizes the daisy as the flower for military caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2015
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 · 19 May 2015
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement or a contract with each state home to pay for adult day health care for a veteran eligible for, but not receiving, nursing home care. The veteran must need such care either specifically for a service-connected disability, or, if not specifically for one, the veteran must have a service-connected disability rated 70% or more. Payment under each agreement or contract between the VA and a state home must equal 65% of the payment that the VA would otherwise pay to the state home if the veteran were receiving nursing home care.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. Sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act Prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for monetary compensation. Bars advertisements for such therapy that claim to: (1) change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, (2) eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender, or (3) be harmless or without risk. Makes this Act inapplicable to practices that do not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity if the therapy provides: (1) assistance to an individual undergoing a gender transition; or (2) acceptance, support, and understanding of clients or facilitation of clients' coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Provides authority to Federal Trade Commission to enforce this Act and treats violations as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Global Respect Act Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person. Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Opportunity for Military Academies and Readiness Act Authorizes an alien who possesses an employment authorization document issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy of the Department of Homeland Security and who otherwise satisfies the requirements for admission to a military service academy, other than U.S. citizenship, to be appointed to and to attend such academy and, upon graduation, to be appointed as a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2015
Recognizes that prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV worldwide and that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV worldwide has been a priority for more than 13 years. Supports providing women with HIV counseling and testing services and dramatically scaling up pediatric treatment of HIV.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Constitutional Amendment Declares that women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Prohibits the United States or any state from denying or abridging equal rights under the law on account of sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of an International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Encourages: (1) health care providers to offer culturally and clinically competent care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) community; (2) schools to support the creation of gay-straight alliances to achieve safer learning environments; (3) individuals to learn about national resources for those who identify as LGBT; and (4) the federal government, states, international funding organizations, and U.S. bilateral and multilateral aid efforts to prioritize the health and human rights of LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2015 Requires states receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, the Local Government Law Enforcement Block Grants Program, or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to: (1) require all individuals enrolled in an academy of a law enforcement agency and all law enforcement officers of the state to fulfill a training session on sensitivity each fiscal year, including training on ethnic and racial bias, cultural diversity, and police interaction with the disabled, mentally ill, and new immigrants; and (2) certify to the Attorney General that such training sessions have been completed. Subjects a state that fails to comply to a reduction of up to 20% of such funds that would otherwise be allocated to the state. Authorizes the Attorney General to waive such requirements if compliance would violate a state's Constitution. Directs the Attorney General to reduce by 20% the amount that would otherwise be awarded to a state or local government under such grant programs for a fiscal year if it fails to enact or have in effect by the end of the previous fiscal year a statute requiring the appointment of an independent prosecutor to conduct any criminal investigation and prosecution in which: (1) one or more of the possible defendants is a law enforcement officer, (2) one or more of the alleged offenses involves the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force in the course of carrying out that officer's duty, and (3) the law enforcement officer's use of deadly force resulted in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Eliminates the time limit for ratification of the equal rights amendment (prohibits discrimination on account of sex) proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. Declares that such amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Expresses: (1) sympathy to the people of Nepal for the loss of life and destruction as a result of the earthquake, (2) solidarity with the people of Nepal and continued commitment assist Nepal recover from this tragedy, and (3) support for relief and reconstruction assistance provided by relief agencies and the international community. Urges the treatment of gender equality, female empowerment, and preventing and addressing gender-based violence (GBV) against women and children as a priority for the U.S. government's humanitarian relief and recovery efforts in Nepal. Recognizes that GBV is a human rights violation that must be addressed. Urges U.S. agencies to fund and implement programs that are consistent with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines on Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Settings. Affirms a commitment to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through U.S.-led post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities to promote the realization of social, economic, and political rights.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Recognizes the National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that children face in the foster-care system and supports the designation of National Foster Care Month.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2015
Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education Act or the Youth PROMISE Act Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in: (1) assessing and developing standards and evidence-based and promising practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity, and (2) collecting data in designated geographic areas to assess the needs and existing resources for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention. Authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to: (1) plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth; and (2) implement PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs), for coordinating and supporting the delivery of juvenile delinquency and gang prevention and intervention programs in local communities and Indian tribes. Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention or intervention. Directs the Office to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Raise the Wage Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to increase the federal minimum wage for employees to: (1) $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2016, or, if later, on the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act; (2) $9.00 an hour after one year; (3) $10.00 an hour after two years; (4) $11.00 an hour after three years; (5) $12.00 an hour after four years; and (6) the amount the Department of Labor determines (based on increases in the median hourly wage of all employees) after five years, and annually thereafter. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees shall increase to $3.15 an hour for one year on January 1, 2016, or the first day of the third month after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Subsequent annual adjustments of the wage increase, according to a specified formula, shall ensure that it remains equal to the wage in effect under FLSA for other employees. Employers must notify their employees of the right to retain any received tips. The separate minimum wage requirements for tipped employees shall end, effective one day after the hourly wage established for them under this Act takes effect. The Department must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
VA Employee Fairness Act of 2015 Repeals provisions excluding any matter or question concerning professional conduct or competence, peer review, or the establishment, determination, or adjustment of employee compensation from the applicability of collective bargaining rights for Veterans Health Administration employees.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Social Security Administration Accountability Act of 2015 Amends title VII (Administration) of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to submit an annual budget estimate of the Social Security Administration (SSA) (instead of a budget) directly to Congress and the President (instead of first to the President, who would submit it to Congress). Revises requirements for the general contents of the SSA budget, requiring inclusion of the number of cases pending at each hearing office and the average processing time. Prohibits the Commissioner from closing or consolidating SSA field or hearing offices, or otherwise limiting public access to one, until 180 days after submitting to specified congressional committees a detailed report outlining and justifying the process for selecting field offices to be closed, consolidated, or otherwise have limited access. Prohibits the Commissioner from closing an SSA field or hearing office, consolidating two or more such offices, or otherwise imposing any new limitation on public access to any such office unless the Commissioner follows certain administrative procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of FY2017-FY2021 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Directs the Secretary to determine the total number of additional residency positions available for distribution, in accordance with guidelines for allocating 33% to hospitals already operating over the resident limit, and generally setting the aggregate number of increases in the resident limit to 3,000 in each year. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2017, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education, insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the National Health Care Workforce Commission established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to study the physician workforce. Directs the Comptroller General to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Generational Residences and Nurturing Dwellings Act or the GRAND Ac t Establishes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a program to provide assistance for each fiscal year to up to five eligible nonprofit organizations to expand the supply of specialized housing and social services for qualified elderly relatives, age 60 or older, who are raising a child of whom they are not a parent either by blood or marriage. States that nothing in this Act shall preclude a recipient of such assistance from applying for or receiving financial assistance under any other HUD program. Provides such assistance in the form of: financing for the construction, reconstruction, moderate or substantial rehabilitation, or acquisition of a structure or a portion of a structure to be used as specialized housing; tenant-based rental (voucher) assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for entities meeting certain criteria for use only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for such assistance for rental of a dwelling unit that qualifies as specialized housing; elderly housing project rental assistance under the Housing Act of 1959 for entities entities meeting certain criteria in connection with dwelling units that qualify as specialized housing and are made available for occupancy only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for occupancy in such housing; and help with ongoing operational expenses of any specialized housing, including costs of supportive services required for such housing.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Arbitration Fairness Act of 2015 Declares that no predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. Declares, further, that the validity and enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Exempts from this Act arbitration provisions in a contract between an employer and a labor organization or between labor organizations. Denies to any such arbitration provision, however, the effect of waiving the right of an employee to seek judicial enforcement of a right arising under the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution, a federal or state statute, or related public policy.
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 · 29 April 2015
Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015 Defines a "covered individual" as an individual who is a Vietnam resident and who: (1) is affected by health issues related to Agent Orange exposure which took place between January 1, 1961, and May 7, 1975; (2) lives or had lived in or near geographic areas in Vietnam that continue to contain high levels of Agent Orange; or (3) is affected by such health issues as the child or descendant of such an individual. Directs the Secretary of State to provide assistance: (1) to address the health care needs of covered individuals, (2) to institutions in Vietnam that provide health care to such individuals, (3) to repair and rebuild substandard homes in Vietnam for covered individuals and their families, and (4) to remediate geographic areas of Vietnam that contain high levels of Agent Orange. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide assistance to support research relating to health issues of individuals affected by Agent Orange. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) make grants to appropriate public health organizations and Vietnamese-American organizations to conduct a broad health assessment of Vietnamese-Americans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange and their children or descendants; and (2) establish centers in U.S. locations where large populations of Vietnamese-Americans reside to provide assessment, counseling, and treatment for conditions related to Agent Orange exposure. Amends veterans benefits provisions to provide benefits to the children of male (currently only female) Vietnam veterans who are affected by certain birth defects. Requires the VA Secretary to require any health care provider with whom the Secretary enters into a contract for the provision of health care to such children to provide the VA access to the medical records of such children for research into the intergenerational effects of Agent Orange exposure.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Girls Count Act of 2015 Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) support programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls in gaining passport access and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, economic opportunities, and inheritance rights for women. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to cooperate with multilateral organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to promote such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each Medicare participating hospital to implement a hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services furnished in the hospital. Requires the plan to require that an appropriate number of registered nurses provide direct patient care in each unit and on each shift of the hospital to ensure staffing levels that: (1) address the unique characteristics of the patients and hospital units; and (2) result in the delivery of safe, quality patient care consistent with specified requirements. Requires each participating hospital to establish a hospital nurse staffing committee which shall implement such plan. Specifies civil monetary and other penalties for violation of the requirements of this Act. Sets forth whistleblower protections against discrimination and retaliation involving patients or employees of the hospital for their grievances, complaints, or involvement in investigations relating to such plan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the $1 million limitation on the deductibility of employee compensation, to: (1) extend such limitation to any individual who is a current or former officer, director, or employee of a publicly-held corporation; (2) eliminate the exemption from such limitation for compensation payable on a commission basis or upon the attainment of a performance goal; and (3) make such limitation applicable to all publicly-held corporations that are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to register securities and provide periodic reports to their investors.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to include the application of any pressure to the throat or windpipe which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air within the meaning of "punishment, pain, or penalty" for purposes of the federal prohibition against deprivation of rights under color of law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, beginning with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans).
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
Nepal Temporary Protected Status Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that the extraordinary and temporary conditions caused by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake, its aftershocks, and additional damage in Nepal qualifies Nepal for designation under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, pursuant to which nationals of Nepal would be eligible for temporary protected status in the United States. Extends 18-month temporary protected status to a national of Nepal who: (1) has been continuously physically present in the United States since April 25, 2015, (2) is admissible as an immigrant and not ineligible for temporary protected status, and (3) registers for temporary protected status in a manner that the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish. Permits such an alien to travel abroad if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary that emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the alien's control require his or her departure for a brief, temporary trip abroad.
![Official portrait of Rep. Serrano, Jose E. [D-NY-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s000248_200.jpg)