United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2015
Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015 The President shall establish guidelines for the establishment of measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for U.S. foreign development and economic assistance. The Department of State shall update its Internet website, ForeignAssistance.gov, to make publicly available comprehensive and accessible information on U.S. foreign development and economic assistance programs. The head of each federal department or agency that administers U.S. foreign development and economic assistance shall provide the State Department with comprehensive information about such assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
First Responders Passport Act of 2015 This bill amends the Passport Act of June 4, 1920 to waive passport fees for an individual who has contracted with the U.S. government, including a volunteer, to aid a foreign country suffering from a qualifying natural disaster.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants for: (1) mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, (2) state compliance with federal mental health records requirements, (3) court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment, (4) pretrial screening and supervision, (5) behavioral health assessments and intervention, (6) forensic assertive community treatment, and (7) the establishment of a National Criminal Justice and Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Center. In addition, the bill expands the purposes for which grant funds may be used under existing programs related to: (1) public safety and community policing, (2) staffing for adequate fire and emergency response, (3) school security, and (4) residential substance abuse treatment for inmates. DOJ must establish a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of diverting eligible offenders to drug or mental health courts. Each of the federal uniformed services must be provided specialized mental health training. With respect to an existing grant program for drug treatment alternatives to incarceration, the bill revises program requirements and expands the program to also cover mental health treatment alternatives. Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act of 2015 DOJ is further authorized to award grants: (1) for sequential intercept mapping, which is aimed at minimizing criminal justice involvement for individuals with mental illness; (2) for various programs related to the behavioral health of veterans; (3) to assist correctional facilities in addressing the needs of inmates with mental illness; and (4) to train law enforcement in responding to situations involving individuals with mental illness. The bill revises the definition of "preliminarily qualified offenders" who must be targeted by certain grant-funded collaboration programs between mental health and justice agencies. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 and revises the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007. Current law prohibits the sale or disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution. The bill instead prohibits such a sale or disposition to any person who has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a psychiatric hospital, as defined by the bill. The bill also establishes: (1) procedures for administrative review of a determination that a person has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a psychiatric hospital, and (2) conditions for removal of records from NICS. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the following: (1) adult and juvenile collaboration programs, and (2) mental health courts and qualified drug treatment programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries to meet or exceed: (1) the 2% gross domestic product commitment to defense spending, and (2) the 20% commitment to defense expenditures on major equipment spending.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to: establish a five-year strategy to achieve, with target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive lives within a generation; and provide assistance to implement the strategy. The President shall designate a current U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for: overseeing such strategy, and all U.S. government funds appropriated or used for international maternal and child health and nutrition programs. The U.S. government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies, should identify and remove financial barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems for vulnerable and marginalized populations by leveraging public and private capital to expand delivery of interventions for maternal, newborn, and child health.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
IRGC Terrorist Sanctions Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to report to Congress on: whether Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the requirements for designation as a terrorist entity, whether an entity whose board of directors is controlled by members of the IRGC or by representatives of entities controlled by members of the IRGC is considered to be an entity controlled by the government of Iran, and factors used to determine control and a controlling interest.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Strategy To Oppose Predatory Organ Trafficking Act or the STOP Organ Trafficking Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: kidnapping or coercion of individuals to extract their organs for profit contradicts the standards for ethical behavior upon which the United States has based its laws; harvesting of organs from living children, regardless of the level of brain activity, is a violation of the human rights of the child and is a breach of internationally accepted medical ethical standards; illegal harvesting and trafficking of human organs violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and efficient national organ donation systems with effective enforcement mechanisms that ensure voluntary organ donations are the most effective way to combat trafficking in human organs. The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 is amended to prohibit the issuance of a passport to, and revoke a previously issued passport from, a person convicted of trafficking in human organs who used a passport or otherwise crossed an international border in committing such offense. The President is authorized to exercise specified authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in connection with the travel abroad by U.S. citizens to participate in any activity relating to human organ trafficking. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 is amended to include in the definition of "coercion" exploitation of a person through the promise of payments or benefits in order to compel or entice the person to consent to the removal of one or more of the person's organs for a transplant operation in a manner contrary to certain World Health Organization standards. "Trafficking in human organs" is defined as: the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of a person, either living or dead, for the purpose of removing one or more of the person's organs by coercion, abduction, deception, abuse of power, or transfer of payments or benefits; or the illicit transportation and transplantation of those organs in one or more other persons for profit or any other purpose. "Organ" is defined as the human (including fetal) kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, bone marrow, cornea, eye, bone, and skin or any subpart thereof, and any other human organ or subpart (including that derived from a fetus) specified by the President. Trafficking in human organs is included in the definition of "severe forms of trafficking in persons." The Interagency Task Force To Monitor and Combat Trafficking is tasked with collecting and organizing data from human rights officers at U.S. embassies on host country's laws against trafficking in human organs and any instances of violations of such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Cuba Agricultural Exports Act This bill amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to exempt from prohibitions against U.S. assistance to Cuba any exports under the market access program, the export credit guarantee program, and the foreign market development cooperator program, including any federal commodity promotion program obligations or expenditures of funds. This exemption shall not apply if the U.S. assistance recipient would be an entity controlled by the Cuban government, including the armed forces, the Ministry of the Interior, or any subdivision of either governmental entity. A person subject to U.S. jurisdiction may invest in the development of an agricultural business in Cuba if the Department of State and the Department of Agriculture jointly determine that the agricultural business: is not controlled by the government of Cuba, including the armed forces, the Ministry of the Interior, or any subdivision of either governmental entity; and does not traffic in property of persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction which was confiscated by Cuba on or after January 1, 1959. Certain language limiting financing of agricultural sales to Cuba is repealed.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Affirms that private equity: (1) plays an important role in growing and strengthening U.S. businesses throughout all sectors of the economy and in every state and congressional district, and (2) has fostered significant investment in the U.S. economy. Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should maintain normative tax policy that carried interest income resulting from the sale of a capital asset is capital gains income.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Recognizes that Christians in the Middle East are victims of genocide, and encourages other nations to recognize the ongoing genocide. Encourages the Administration to offer safety to Christians fleeing genocide by offering them priority in receiving refugee status and being admitted into the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act of 2015 Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the United Nations (U.N.) on a wide variety of issues, including to shift the funding mechanism for the regular budget of the U.N. from an assessed to a voluntary basis. Withholds up to 50% of nonvoluntary U.S. contributions to the regular budget of the U.N. unless the Department of State certifies to Congress that at least 80% of the total regular budget of the U.N. is apportioned on a voluntary basis. Requires the annual congressional budget justification to include a detailed itemized request in support of the U.S. contribution to the regular budget of the U.N. Sets forth requirements for the Department with respect to oversight of U.S. contributions to the U.N. and their use by U.N. entities. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of a U.S. contribution to any U.N. entity unless the entity has provided the Department with a transparency certification and is in compliance with it. Prohibits the use of funds for: international organizations for any purpose other than an assessed U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; international organizations and programs for any purpose other than a voluntary U.S. contribution to a U.N. entity or other international organization; and international peacekeeping activities for any purpose other than a U.S. contribution to U.N. peacekeeping activities, to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, or to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Directs the Department to withhold from the regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount of U.S. overpayments to the U.N. States that it is U.S. policy to oppose any proposals on expansion of the U.N. Security Council that would: (1) diminish U.S. influence on the Security Council, or (2) include veto rights for new Security Council members. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to: (1) initiate a comprehensive review of U.N. conventions on terrorism with the goal of making recommendations to the Security Council, and (2) ensure implementation of a directive with respect to anti-Semitic statements made at the U.N. or by its employees. Directs the Department to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to ensure: (1) Taiwan's participation in relevant U.N. entities, and (2) that no representative of a country designated as a Tier 3 country under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 shall preside as chair or president of any U.N. entity. Directs the Department to withhold U.S. contributions from any U.N. entity that recognizes a Palestinian state or upgrades the status of the Palestinian observer mission at the U.N., the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority, or any other Palestinian administrative organization or governing entity before achievement of a final peace agreement with Israel. Provides that until the Department makes a specified certification to Congress: (1) the Department shall withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), (2) the Department shall not make a voluntary contribution to UNHRC, and (3) the United States shall not run for a UNHRC seat. Directs the Secretary to withhold from a U.S. contribution to a regular budget of the U.N. an amount equal to the amount that would be allocated for: the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967; and any other U.N. Special Procedures used to display bias against the United States or Israel or to provide support for any member state which is subject to Security Council sanctions, under a Security Council-mandated human rights investigation, has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, or is a country of particular concern for religious freedom or Tier 3 human trafficking. States that it is U.S. policy to oppose any legitimization of the Gaza report and to lead a diplomatic campaign supporting its revocation. Directs the Department to withhold from the U.S. contribution to the regular budget of the U.N. an amount that is equal to the percentage of such contribution that would be or has been expended by the U.N. for: (1) any part of the Gaza report process, and (2) any conference that advocated restrictions on free speech, religion, or other human rights and freedoms. Withholds U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) or to any successor or related entity unless the Secretary makes specified certifications to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to UNRWA, including the withholding of U.S. contributions to UNRWA. Prohibits any U.S. contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from being used to support Technical Cooperation program assistance to North Korea and to any country that: (1) has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism; or (2) is in breach of, or under investigation for breach of, obligations regarding its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or any relevant Security Council resolution. Directs the Department to withhold from the U.S. voluntary contribution to the IAEA an amount proportional to that spent by the IAEA on Technical Cooperation program assistance to such countries. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the IAEA to block the Board of Governors membership of a state that has not signed, ratified, and implemented the Additional Protocol and is under investigation for a breach of, or noncompliance with, its IAEA obligations or principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. national security interests are enhanced by the IAEA's Nuclear Security Action Plan and a resolution incorporating the Plan into the IAEA's regular budget should be adopted. Sets forth U.S. policy regarding reform of U.N. peacekeeping operations. Directs the President to use U.S. influence at the U.N. to oppose the creation of new, or expansion of existing, U.N. peacekeeping operations until the Department certifies to Congress that specified peacekeeping reforms have been adopted by the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations or the General Assembly.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2015
Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act of 2015 This bill requires the President to transmit to Congress a report on U.S. strategy to combat terrorists' and terrorist organizations' use of social media. The report must include: (1) an evaluation of the role social media plays in radicalization in the United States and elsewhere, (2) an analysis of how terrorists and terrorist organizations are using social media, (3) recommendations to improve the federal government's efforts to disrupt and counter the use of social media by terrorists and terrorist organizations, (4) a classified assessment of the intelligence value of terrorists' social media posts, and (5) a classified overview of training available to law enforcement and intelligence personnel to combat terrorists' use of social media and recommendations for improving or expanding existing training opportunities. The President must also transmit to Congress: (1) a policy that enhances the exchange of information and dialogue between the federal government and social media companies as it relates to the use of social media platforms by terrorists; and (2) a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorists' and terrorist organizations' use of social media, as committed to in the President's 2011 Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: members of the U.S. Armed Forces should not be punished for standing up to child rapists, putting the interests of Afghan rapists ahead of American war heroes is a national disgrace, the Americans who should be punished are those who created the policy that encourages members of the Armed Forces to ignore child rape, and the Department of Defense should order Sergeant First Class Charles Martland's reinstatement in the Army.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
IRGC Terrorist Designation Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization and should be so designated by the Secretary of State. The Secretary shall report to Congress on whether the IRGC meets such criteria and, if not, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Condemns the religious bigotry and attacks against innocent civilians, as well as the destruction of property and ancient sites, by armed extremists in Iraq and Syria. Calls on the relevant parties to protect all citizens in the region. Calls on the President, the Department of State, and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) to provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians, and help reestablish livelihoods for displaced and persecuted persons in their communities of origin. Calls on the U.S. Permanent Representative to work with relevant U.N. agencies, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, to document human rights abuses against Iraqi and Syrian refugees and develop a plan to facilitate safe access to potable water, health care, fuel, electricity, and basic security. Calls on the relevant U.N. agencies to collaborate with international humanitarian organizations working in Iraq and Syria to develop: (1) an effective resettlement strategy for displaced and persecuted populations in beleaguered areas, including the ancestral villages in the Nineveh Plain, that facilitates a transition from emergency relief to longer-term economic development; and (2) mechanisms to ensure that assistance reaches vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities without being diverted. Calls on the Department of State and the Department of Defense to: (1) support the training and equipping of vetted local Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians security forces in Iraq and Syria, and (2) work to ensure that minority communities in Iraq and Syria are integrated into future security forces.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act of 2015 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President, after appropriate consultation with certain congressional committees, to recommend to Congress the number of refugees who may be admitted into the United States in a fiscal year. Except in the case of an unforeseen emergency refugee situation, no refugees may be admitted in a fiscal year until Congress enacts a joint resolution setting the number of refugees who may be admitted in that fiscal year. In determining an alien's admissibility on security and related grounds the Department of Homeland Security shall consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Beginning in FY2016 and ending in FY2020, the President, when considering the admission of refugees who are nationals or citizens of Iraq or Syria, shall give priority to members of a persecuted religious minority. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of the refugee screening process in protecting U.S. security.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to prohibit an alien who is not in a lawful immigration status from being eligible for any postsecondary education benefit unless every citizen and national of this country is eligible to receive that benefit in no less of an amount, duration, or scope. (This replaces a prohibition against a state's offering such aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state that are more generous than those offered citizens or naturals of this country without regard to their state residence.) Allows any citizen or national who is enrolled at a postsecondary educational institution that is alleged to have violated that prohibition to bring a civil action against any state official overseeing the institution to obtain appropriate relief, attorneys' fees, and court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives on its firm disapproval of the Senate's modern filibuster rule. Urges the Senate to abandon it and return to the historical filibuster rule that would end the process of anonymous holds. Reaffirms the House commitment to work with the Senate to end gridlock and pass legislation through regular order, including resolving legislative differences via conference committee.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
No Exemptions for EPA Act of 2015 This bill removes the government's discretionary function exemption from tort claims in connection with a response under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), thereby allowing claims against the Environmental Protection Agency for damages caused by its response at a hazardous waste cleanup site under CERCLA.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Social Security Beneficiary 2nd Amendment Rights Protection Act This bill amends titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to prohibit any determination by the Commissioner of Social Security with respect to an individual, including one that OASDI and SSI benefits to which that individual is entitled shall be paid to a representative payee, from being considered to be a determination that the individual has been adjudicated as a mental defective to make it unlawful for the individual to engage in the shipment or transport of firearms or ammunition or receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Women's Public Health and Safety Act This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify requirements regarding a state plan for medical assistance. Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any institution, agency, or person qualified to perform them. The bill specifies that a state may not be required to provide medical assistance for services furnished by any individual or entity based on the individual's or entity's involvement in abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Impeaches Regina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for high crimes and misdemeanors regarding testimony on the EPA's Clean Water Rule defining "waters of the United States." Sets forth the articles of impeachment.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that: the atrocities committed against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities targeted specifically for religious reasons are crimes against humanity and genocide; each of the Contracting Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other international agreements forbidding war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly the governments of countries and their nationals who are in any way supporting these crimes, are reminded of their legal obligations under the Convention and these international agreements; the United Nations (U.N.) and the Secretary-General are called upon to assert leadership by calling the atrocities war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; the member states of the U.N., with an appeal to the Arab States that wish to uphold religious freedom and justice, should collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and collaborate on the establishment of tribunals to punish those responsible for the ongoing crimes; the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, and other countries are commended for having undertaken to shelter and protect those fleeing extremist violence; and those who force the migration of religious communities from their ancestral homelands, including specifically the Nineveh Plain and Mount Sinjar, should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the place where their crimes were committed and under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act This bill prohibits the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions against Iran under any provision of law, or refraining from applying sanctions pursuant to requirements under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (as amended by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015) for any nuclear agreement with Iran, until the President has certified to Congress that Iran has paid each judgment: that was brought against it, or against it and any other country; for which Iran was not immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts under specified terrorism exceptions to immunity under the judicial code; and that was entered during the period March 4, 2000-May 22, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2015
States that: the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, commonly referred to as the Corker-Cardin bill, does not apply to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding Iran because the JCPOA is fundamentally different from the agreement as represented to Congress by the Administration and the Corker-Cardin bill is only applicable to an agreement that is not a treaty; Article II of the U.S. Constitution declares that the President shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, but only if two-thirds of the Senators present concur; the JCPOA is a treaty and, pursuant to Article II, the Senate must give its advice and consent to ratification if the JCPOA is to be effective and binding upon the United States; and not later than 30 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, the Senate should schedule and consider a resolution of ratification with respect to the JCPOA.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2015
Protecting American Lives Act This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to declare that a person or agency shall not prohibit or restrict a federal, state, or local government entity from undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities (current law refers to information activities) regarding an individual's immigration status: notifying the federal government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by law enforcement personnel of a state or political subdivision of a state (political subdivision), or complying with federal law enforcement information requests. A federal, state, or local government entity or official shall not issue ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate federal law or restrict a state or political subdivision from complying with federal law or coordinating with federal law enforcement. A state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits state or local law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers' routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive: (1) funds for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens or for the Cops on the Beat program, or (2) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant. States or political subdivisions not in compliance shall: (1) be ineligible to receive such assistance for at least one year, and (2) become eligible for such assistance only after DHS certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. Withheld funds shall be reallocated to complying states or political subdivisions. States and political subdivisions shall provide DHS with identifying information regarding each incarcerated alien who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable. Nothing in this Act shall require state or local law enforcement officials to: (1) provide DHS with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense, or (2) otherwise report or arrest such a victim or witness. A state or a political subdivision acting in compliance with a DHS detainer that temporarily holds aliens in its custody so that they may be taken into federal custody, or transports the aliens for transfer to federal custody, shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining its liability, and immunity from suit in civil actions brought by the aliens under federal or state law. It is the sense of Congress that DHS has probable cause to believe that an alien is inadmissible or deportable when it issues a detainer regarding the alien under the standards in place on the date of introduction of this Act. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to increase mandatory minimum sentences for the illegal re-entry of an alien who: (1) was previously denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed; or (2) was removed for certain criminal convictions or excluded for security-related grounds.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Firearm Rights Equally Enforced Act or the FREE Act Amends the federal criminal code to permit an individual who is not prohibited from receiving a firearm under federal law, and to whom a state has issued a license or permit either to carry a concealed firearm or to carry a firearm that is partially or fully visible to the public, to carry a firearm in any other state, subject to the limitations imposed by the state that issued the license or permit. Authorizes a state to: (1) impose a less restrictive limitation than the state that issued the license or permit; and (2) condition the exercise of such right upon the payment of a fee, as long as such fee is not set at a level that unduly burdens the exercise of the right.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015 Establishes in the Treasury the American Hostages in Iran Compensation Fund to: (1) make payments to the Americans held hostage in Iran, and to their families, who are identified as members of the proposed class in case number 1:00-CV-03110 (ESG) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and (2) satisfy their claims against Iran relating to the taking of hostages and treatment of personnel of the U.S. embassy in Tehran between November 4, 1979, and January 20, 1981. Imposes a surcharge, to be deposited into the Fund, of 30% on the amount of: (1) any fine or penalty imposed for a violation (committed on or after enactment of this Act) of a law or regulation penalizing any economic activity relating to Iran that is administered by the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, or Energy; or (2) the monetary amount of a settlement entered into by a person regarding a suspected violation of such a law or regulation. Requires distribution of Fund payments to members of the proposed class in the following amounts: to each living former hostage, $6,750 for each day of captivity; to the estate of each deceased former hostage, $6,750 for each day of captivity; to each spouse (who is also a member of the identified class) of a former hostage, $600,000, or to the estate of such spouse who is deceased, $600,000; and to each child (who is also a member of the identified class) of a former hostage, $600,000, or to the estate of such child who is deceased, $600,000. Specifies the order of payment distribution. Prohibits a payment recipient from maintaining an action against Iran in any federal or state court for any claims relating to the hostage events. Deems waived and forever released all existing claims against Iran for those events upon payment from the Fund to all designated recipients. Requires the Department of State to submit recommendations to Congress if Fund amounts will be insufficient to pay all recipients within 444 days after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Prohibiting the Life-Ending Industry of Fetal Organ Exchange Act or the Pro-LIFE Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the transfer of fetal tissue in exchange for valuable consideration, including payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Scientific Research in the National Interest Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award federal funding for basic research and education in the sciences through a new research grant or cooperative agreement only if it makes an affirmative determination, justified in writing, that the grant or agreement promotes the progress of science in the United States, is worthy of federal funding, and meets certain other criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Resettlement Accountability National Security Act of 2015 This bill prohibits the admission of refugees into the United States until Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to resume admitting refugees. Requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on refugees who received benefits under any of the following programs: Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for perpetrating crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supports efforts by the United States, the African Union (AU), the international community, and governments in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery for affected communities. Supports efforts to provide the Regional Task Force with the logistics support and authorizations needed to access areas of suspected LRA activity in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Urges the President to reauthorize the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in support of Operation Observant Compass. Urges the AU and the Regional Task Force, with the support of the European Union (EU), as well as the governments of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to implement the United Nations (U.N.) Regional Strategy. Welcomes the continued LRA defections, and calls on governments in the region and the international community to support such demobilization. Calls on the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the heads of relevant U.S. agencies to utilize funds to: (1) enhance intelligence support to the Regional Task Force; (2) work with the U.N., the AU, and regional government partners to help non-indicted LRA members, abductees, and noncombatants defect; (3) expand efforts to prevent the LRA from funding its operations through the theft and trade of illicit ivory, gold, and diamonds; and (4) support rehabilitation and reintegration programs for abducted children, youth, and adults. Commends those members of the U.S. Armed Forces previously or currently deployed in support of Operation Observant Compass for their critical contributions to efforts to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders and protect civilians. Urges the President to develop a strategy aimed at supporting sustainable recovery and security within areas affected by the LRA in partnership with other donors and multilateral bodies, including the World Bank, the EU, and others.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Cuba Trade Act of 2015 This bill repeals or amends current laws restricting trade with Cuba. The prohibition on assistance to Cuba, and the President's authority for the embargo on Cuba, under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 are eliminated. The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 is amended to eliminate: presidential authority to impose sanctions against Cuban trading partners, restrictions on transactions between U.S.-owned or controlled firms and Cuba, limitations on direct shipping between Cuban and U.S. ports, and restrictions on remittances. The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 is amended to eliminate: the enforcement of an economic embargo of Cuban provisions, and the prohibition on indirect financing of Cuba. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 is amended to: remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions; eliminate the prohibition on U.S. assistance, including foreign assistance, export assistance, and any credit or guarantees being made available for exports to Cuba; eliminate the prohibition against a U.S. person's providing payment or financing terms for sales of agricultural commodities or products to Cuba; prohibit the United States from providing any foreign assistance to Cuba or any financial assistance, loans, loan guarantees, extension of credit, or other financing for exports to Cuba; and eliminate the prohibition on the U.S. entry of merchandise that is of Cuban origin, is or has been located in or transported from or through Cuba, or is made or derived in whole or in part of any article which is the growth, produce, or manufacture of Cuba. The federal government may not obligate or expend any funds to promote trade with or develop markets in Cuba, except through certain commodity promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Employee Rights Act Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization or its agents to interfere with the rights of employees to organize and select representation to collectively bargain. Adds a requirement that representatives be selected by secret ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by a majority of the employees in a unit. Defines "majority" for purposes of determining the majority of employees in an election to mean the majority of all employees in the unit, and not the majority of employees voting in the election. Requires the NLRB, in cases where an existing certified or voluntarily recognized bargaining unit experiences turnover, expansion, or alteration by merger of more than 50% of the unit's employees, to conduct a secret paper ballot among the unit employees: (1) between the 120th day and 110th day before the collective bargaining agreement's expiration or before the end of three years, if there is an agreement between the labor organization and the employer; or (2) within 30 days, if there is no agreement between such parties. Requires the NLRB to decide, before the election of a labor organization as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of all employees of an appropriate unit, whether such unit shall be the employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision unit. Requires the NLRB to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing when it is investigating an election petition if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists. Revises the requirement that the NLRB direct an election by secret ballot, and certify its results, whenever it finds upon the record of such a hearing that a question of representation exists. Adds a requirement that the NLRB also review all post-hearing appeals before finding that such a question exists. Requires an employer to provide the NLRB a list consisting only of employee names and home addresses of all eligible voters within 7 days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate unit or following any agreement between the employer and the labor organization regarding eligible voters. Prohibits an election after the filing of a petition unless and until: (1) a hearing is conducted before a qualified hearing officer on any and all material, factual issues regarding jurisdiction, statutory coverage, appropriate unit, unit inclusion or exclusion, or eligibility of individuals; and (2) the issues are resolved by a regional Director, subject to appeal and review, or by the NLRB. Declares that election results shall not be final nor any labor organization be certified as a bargaining representative unless the NLRB has ruled on: (1) each pre-election issue not resolved before the election; and (2) the NLRB conducts a hearing and resolves each issue pertaining to the conduct or results of the election. Makes any labor organization found to have interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of their rights to form or join a labor organization or to refrain from forming or joining (including the filing of a decertification petition) liable for lost wages and unlawfully collected union dues and fees, if any, and an additional amount as liquated damages. Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act) to permit an election by secret ballot to be conducted through votes cast by electronic ballot cast in the privacy of a voting booth. Requires every employee in a bargaining unit represented by a labor organization, regardless of membership status, to have the same right as members to vote by secret ballot to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with, or to engage in, a strike or refusal to work of any kind against their employer. Prohibits the use of an employee's union dues for any purpose not directly related to the labor organization's collective bargaining, unless that employee authorizes such expenditure in writing. Prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all unit employees affected, determined by a secret ballot vote conducted by a neutral, private organization chosen by agreement between the employer and the labor organization. Requires each labor organization to make the independently verified annual audit report of its financial condition and operations available to all of its members and represented nonmembers. Makes it unlawful for a person to use force or violence, or threaten the use of force or violence, to restrain, coerce, or intimidate a person, or attempt to, in order to obtain from any person any right to represent employees, compensation, or other term or condition of employment. Subjects persons who willfully violate such prohibitions to both civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the July 16, 2015, attack upon members of the Armed Forces at the Navy Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center and the Armed Forces Career Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, meets the criteria for the award of the Purple Heart, and (2) the Secretary of the Navy should award the Purple Heart to the members of the Marine Corps and Navy who were killed or wounded in the attack.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization Act of 2015 or the FORM Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), within 48 hours after the end of a FOMC meeting, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) a Directive Policy Rule, meeting specified criteria, accompanied by a statement identifying the FOMC members voting in its favor. A Directive Policy Rule shall describe the FOMC strategy or rule for the systematic quantitative adjustment of a Policy Instrument Target to: respond to a change in specified Intermediate Policy Inputs, and provide the basis for an Open Market Operations Directive to achieve a specified Policy Instrument Target presented by the FOMC to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to guide open-market operations. The GAO shall determine if a Directive Policy Rule has materially changed from the rule most recently submitted, and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) must testify within 7 legislative days before certain congressional committees as to why any noncompliance exists. The GAO must also, upon congressional request, audit the conduct of monetary policy by the Board and the FOMC. A blackout period shall take place starting one-week before an FOMC meeting and ending midnight of the day of its completion. During the black-out period only specified public communications are permissible by members and FOMC staff with respect to either macroeconomic or financial developments or about current or prospective monetary policy issues. FMOC membership shall increase from five to six representatives of the Federal Reserve Banks. The selection process for such representatives is revised, in part to divide elections from different Banks into odd-numbered and even-numbered calendar years. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is amended to require the Board, before adopting sets of conditions for stress tests of nonbank financial companies it supervises and bank holding companies, to: (1) first issue regulations for them, subject to public notice and comment, which shall include methodologies and models used to estimate losses on certain assets; and (2) before publishing them submit copies of such regulations to the GAO and the Panel of Economic Advisors of the Congressional Budget Office. Stress test requirements used by the Board shall apply to all stress tests performed under the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review exercise. The Federal Reserve Act is further amended to increase from semiannual to quarterly the Board Chairman’s appearances before Congress. Before issuing any regulation the Board must consider specified economic impacts. When deciding whether to regulate, the Board must: assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives, and consider a regulation's impact upon certain areas of economic activity. In its final rule the Board must: (1) explain the nature of comments that it received together with a response to them; and (2) make a postadoption impact assessment of the costs, benefits, and intended and unintended consequences of any "major rule" adopted or amended. Board members and employees shall be subject to the same ethics standards, prohibitions, and restrictions as apply to employees of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with respect to financial interests, transactions, and outside employment and activities. Both the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act are revised to require the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Board, respectively, in the process of setting financial standards as a part of any foreign or multinational entity, to solicit public comment and issue public reports, including a notice of agreement. The Department of the Treasury, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the SEC shall likewise be subject to these same requirements for their participation in similar processes. The authority of the Federal Reserve Board to discount notes, drafts, and bills of exchange secured to a Federal Reserve Bank's satisfaction in unusual and exigent circumstances shall be limited to only those circumstances posing a threat to U.S. financial stability. The affirmative vote of at least nine presidents of the Federal Reserve Banks shall be necessary for a discount decision, in addition to (as under current law) the affirmative vote of five Board members. Federal Reserve Banks may not accept as collateral for an emergency loan any equity securities issued by the recipient of the loan or of other financial assistance. No applicant shall be eligible to borrow from any emergency lending program or facility unless the Board and all applicable federal banking regulators certify that the applicant is not insolvent. The Board shall by rule establish a minimum interest rate on the principal amount of financial assistance to a recipient. The FOMC shall determine the interest rates on balances maintained at a Federal Reserve Bank by or on behalf of a depository institution. The GAO shall audit both the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks within 12 months after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill prohibits federal funding of an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of funding, the entity will not perform, and will not provide funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion, except in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers the woman's life unless an abortion is performed. This applies to a hospital only if the hospital funds a non-hospital entity that performs abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Reaffirms the role of the House of Representatives in the review and approval or disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) relating to Iran's nuclear program. Disapproves of the Obama Administration's taking action through the United Nations Security Council on the JCPA before Congress has had time to review the agreement. States that the House of Representatives: (1) is not bound by the July 20, 2015, Security Council action to approve the JCPA; and (2) will determine whether to approve or disapprove the JCPA based solely on whether the agreement is in U.S. national security interests.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 This bill prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture must seek repayment of federal assistance received by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any affiliate or clinic, if it violates the terms of the certification required by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
This bill prohibits the Social Security Administration from providing to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) the name of any individual entitled to benefits, including any individual whose benefits are paid to a representative payee, unless a federal court has determined the individual to be mentally defective. (Current law prohibits the sale or transfer of a firearm to and the purchase or possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Securing Military Personnel Response Firearm Initiative Act or SEMPER FI Act This bill directs the Secretary concerned to authorize an eligible member of the Armed Forces assigned to an Armed Forces recruitment center to carry a service-issue sidearm as a personal- or force-protection measure while on duty at the recruiting center, notwithstanding any federal, state, or local law or Department of Defense policy to the contrary. In lieu of authorizing eligible members of the Armed Forces to carry a service-issue sidearm, or in addition, the Secretary concerned may implement additional security measures for Armed Forces recruitment centers, including improved structural security measures. This Act shall not be interpreted to grant any member of the Armed Forces the authority to conduct civilian law enforcement functions within U.S. territory.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Military Recruiter Right to Carry Act of 2015 This bill states that, notwithstanding any Department of Defense policy or federal, state, or local law to the contrary, a member of the Armed Forces assigned to duty at an Armed Forces recruitment office has the right to carry a personal or service-issue firearm at the office.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2015
This bill repeals the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, which established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The bill revives or restores the provisions of law amended by such Act as if it had not been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Empowering Our Veterans Act of 2015 Prohibits the appropriation of funds, or the obligation or expenditure of funds by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for any VA alternative energy generation project unless the funds for such project have been specifically authorized by law. Directs the VA to transfer all unobligated funds that were appropriated to it before this Act's enactment for an alternative energy generation project to the VA's account funding veterans' medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Expresses disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran on July 14, 2015. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to: (1) prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, and (2) encourage global stability and security by strongly supporting strategic regional allies.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
Community Financial Institution Exemption Act Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to exempt community financial institutions from all rules and regulations issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Defines a "community financial institution" as an insured depository institution or credit union with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets. Authorizes the Bureau to: (1) revoke such an exemption with respect to a specific rule or regulation issued or modified after enactment of this Act and with respect to a specific class of community financial institutions if the Bureau finds that such class of institutions has engaged in a pattern or practice of activities that have been detrimental to the interests of consumers and that are of a type that the specific rule or regulation is intended to address, and (2) modify a rule or regulation issued before enactment of this Act with respect to such institutions if the effect of such modification is to expand a current exemption or to reduce the costs and the regulatory burden associated with complying with such rule or regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
It is the sense of Congress that: (1) the U.S. government should officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and (2) the U.S. embassy in Israel should be located in Jerusalem.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015
Declares that the House of Representatives: (1) disagrees with the Supreme Court's majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges and its holdings that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution requires states to license marriages between same-sex couples and requires states to recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state; and (2) agrees with the four dissenting opinions, which uphold the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman and the original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. Expresses the sense of the House that: the traditional definition of marriage is a union between one man and one woman; the majority opinion in Obergefell unconstitutionally and indefensibly distorts the definition of marriage; states may refuse to be bound by the holding in Obergefell ; states are not required to license same-sex marriage or recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states; and individuals, businesses, churches, religious groups, and other faith-based organizations are encouraged, empowered, and protected to exercise their faith without fear of legal or government interference.
![Official portrait of Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000814_200.jpg)