United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2016
This bill exempts from the requirement that veterans pay a Department of Veterans Affairs copayment for: any opioid antagonists furnished to a veteran at high risk for overdose of a specific medication or substance in order to reverse the effect of such an overdose, and education on their use.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2016
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants for: (1) comprehensive sex education for adolescents, (2) comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education, and (3) training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to elementary and secondary school students. Grants cannot be used for health education programs that: deliberately withhold health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to remove limitations on using AIDS prevention program funding for education or information that promotes certain sexual activity or intravenous substance abuse. This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for contraceptive distribution in schools. This bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education. Unobligated funds for abstinence education for FY2016 and FY2017 are transferred and made available to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2016
Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic Lending Act of 2016 or the SAFE Lending Act of 2016 This bill amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to declare that a remotely created check may only be issued by a person specifically designated in writing by the consumer to the insured depository institution at which the consumer maintains the account from which the check is drawn. A remotely created check is a paper or electronic check that: is not created by the financial institution that holds the customer account from which the check is to be paid; and does not bear a signature applied, or purported to be applied, by the account holder. A consumer may revoke authorization for remotely created checks at any time. The bill prohibits issuance of any payment order in response to a consumer's exercise of federal consumer financial rights. Any voluntary electronic fund transfer to repay a small-dollar consumer credit transaction shall be treated as preauthorized under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The TILA is amended to require registration with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by any small-dollar lender that facilitates, brokers, arranges, or gathers applications for small-dollar consumer credit (of up to $5,000, adjusted for inflation) extended pursuant to an open-end, non-open-end, or other CFPB-determined credit plan meeting specified criteria. Small-dollar consumer credit transactions must comply with state law where the consumer resides. The EFTA is amended to: declare unlawful overdraft fees charged on a general-use prepaid card; and authorize the CFPB to prohibit fees for declined transactions involving such a card. The TILA is further amended to prohibit a person from certain activities, including distributing sensitive personal financial information, in connection with a small-dollar consumer credit transaction, if that person ("lead generator") does not itself grant the credit directly to the consumer. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall study: (1) the availability of capital on Indian reservations, and (2) the impact on tribal economic opportunity and wealth of small-dollar consumer credit extensions to tribal members through Internet and non-Internet means.
United States · United States Congress · 7 April 2016
Credit for Caring Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an eligible caregiver a new tax credit for 30% of the cost of long-term care expenses that exceed $2,000, up to $3,000 in a taxable year. The bill defines "eligible caregiver" as an individual who pays or incurs expenses for providing care to a spouse or other dependent relative with long-term care needs and who has earned income for the taxable year in excess of $7,500.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2016
Advancing NIH Strategic Planning and Representation in Medical Research Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to: publish a strategic plan that addresses research, training, the biomedical workforce, and collaboration with other agencies; foster collaboration among certain clinical research projects to increase the number and diversity of human subjects; encourage improvement in research related to the health of sexual and gender minority populations; convene a working group to make recommendations to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of NIH-funded research; and develop policies for NIH-funded basic research projects to assess how differences between male and female cells, tissues, or animals may be examined and analyzed. In assessing research priorities, the NIH must publish data on clinical research study populations. The strategic plans of the national research institutes must ensure that future activities take into account women and minorities and are focused on reducing health disparities. Advisory council reports must include certain demographic data for clinical research subjects. The results of clinical trials that include women and minorities must be submitted to the NIH’s clinical trial data bank. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities may foster partnerships between national research institutes and encourage the funding of collaborative research projects. The Department of Health and Human Services must establish the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women to report on issues including development of safe and effective therapies for such women.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2016
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants or contracts for Palliative Care and Hospice Education Centers. These Centers must improve the training of health professionals in palliative care and establish traineeships for individuals preparing for advanced education nursing degrees, social work degrees, or advanced degrees in physician assistant studies in palliative care. HHS may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, schools of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to support the training of physicians who plan to teach palliative medicine. HHS must: (1) provide Palliative Medicine and Hospice Academic Career Awards to individuals to promote their career development; (2) award grants or contracts to entities that operate a Palliative Care and Hospice Education Center; (3) award incentive grants or contracts to advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, or students of psychology pursuing an advanced degree in palliative care or related fields; and (4) award grants to schools of nursing, health care facilities, or programs leading to certification as a nurse assistant to train individuals in providing palliative care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must provide for a national education and awareness campaign to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. The National Institutes of Health must expand national research programs in palliative care.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a bid ceiling for durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs) under Medicare's competitive acquisition program, through which rates are set according to a bidding process rather than by an established fee schedule. Specifically, the bid ceiling for such an item shall not be less than the fee schedule amount that would otherwise be determined. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use payment information from competitive acquisition programs to make payment adjustments for areas outside of such programs. The bill requires CMS, in making these adjustments, to account for stakeholder input. In addition, CMS must account for a comparison of competitive acquisition areas and other areas with respect to the following factors: average travel distance and cost associated with furnishing items and services, barriers to access, average delivery time, average volume of items and services furnished by suppliers, and number of suppliers. In addition, CMS shall delay by 15 months the full implementation of new Medicare payment rates for durable medical equipment. On a monthly basis, CMS must publish on its website the results of the monitoring of health outcomes and Medicare beneficiaries' access to durable medical equipment. The bill accelerates the applicability, from January 1, 2019, to October 1, 2018, of provisions of current law that limit federal Medicaid reimbursement to states for durable medical equipment to Medicare payment rates.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Designates the week beginning April 24, 2016, as National Industrial Assessment Center Week. (Those centers are university-led programs funded by the Department of Energy that provide energy efficiency assessments to small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises for improving energy efficiency and reducing water usage and waste.)
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Congratulates the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and Girl Scout Gold Award recipients everywhere on the centennial of the Girl Scout Gold Award. Recognizes: (1) the impact recipients of such Award have had on the lives of individuals in the United States and on the world, and (2) the lasting impact of the projects of Award recipients on their communities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Brokaw Act This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to amend specified regulations to reflect a revision the bill makes to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 reducing from 10 to 2 business days the deadline for disclosing to the SEC any acquisition of a direct or indirect short interest in an equity security of a certain kind of voting class that results in a direct or indirect short interest representing more than 5% of that class. The mandatory disclosures of short interests shall apply to: any class of equity security which must be registered, certain equity securities of an insurance company, and any equity security issued by a closed-end investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The bill deems a person as having a "short interest in a security" if the person has the opportunity, either directly or indirectly, to profit from, or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the value of the security (including a derivative instrument, or a performance-related fee). The bill deems a person to have a short interest in a security if the person creates or uses certain instruments, including a trust, proxy, power of attorney, pooling arrangement, or any other contract, arrangement, or device, to divest the person of a short interest in a security or to prevent the vesting of a short interest as part of a plan to evade the reporting requirements of the Act. The bill declares that, with specified exceptions, in calculating the number of shares in which a person has a short interest, regardless of the form of the short interest, all securities of the same class shall be aggregated.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence This bill amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to replace the existing Tech Prep program with a new competitive grant program to support career and technical education. Under the program, local educational agencies and their partners may apply for grant funding to support: career and technical education programs that are aligned with postsecondary education programs, dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college programs, certain evidence-based strategies and delivery models related to career and technical education, teacher and leader experiential and informational-gathering site visits, professional development of educators and business partners, structured interdisciplinary collaboration and common planning time, teacher and leader externship programs, cross-credentialing for teachers, paid student internships or other paid work-based learning experiences, and guidance counseling. Unless granted a waiver, a grant recipient must provide specified matching funds in the fourth and fifth years of the five-year grant.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2016 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out the activities specified below in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). An eligible entity that receives a grant shall use grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities designed to increase the participation of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or both: online workshops, mentoring programs that partner STEM professionals with students, internships for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields, outreach programs providing elementary and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to STEM fields, and programs to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Designates March 2016 as National Women's History Month. Recognizes the celebration of such month as a time to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) authorities, duties, centers, reports, and strategic planning. The bill creates the position of Chief Medical Officer within SAMHSA. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. SAMHSA's Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation is replaced by the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. SAMHSA may provide support for: (1) the development of interventions for mental illness, serious emotional disturbances, and substance use disorders; and (2) integration of primary care and behavioral health care. The bill revises and extends through FY2021 SAMHSA support for various services and programs, including: (1) mental health and substance abuse services for homeless individuals, (2) mental and behavioral health education and training grants, and (3) substance use disorder treatment services for children and pregnant and postpartum women. The bill revises and extends block grants for community mental health services and transition from homelessness. SAMHSA must maintain the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program and National Treatment Referral Routing Service. HHS must ensure health care providers, patients, and others have access to resources regarding the protected health information of patients seeking or undergoing mental or substance use disorder treatment. HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury must take specified actions regarding requirements for health insurance to provide parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
Safe Treatments and Opportunities to Prevent Pain Act or the STOP Pain Act This bill authorizes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to intensify and coordinate NIH research into the understanding of pain, therapies for chronic pain, and alternatives to opioids (drugs with effects similar to opium) for pain treatments. The prioritization and direction of federally funded pain research must consider recommendations made by the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
In the Red Act of 2016 This bill authorizes and appropriates specified funds to the Department of Education (ED) for FY2016-FY2025 and each succeeding year for grants: (1) to waive tuition and fees for eligible students at community colleges, and (2) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for low-income students at four-year historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct ED to establish a program to refinance outstanding federal student loans for borrowers of Direct Loan program loans disbursed before July 1, 2016, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) The bill modifies, for academic year 2018-2019 and succeeding years, the calculation of the mandatory add-on amount used to determine the total maximum Federal Pell Grant award. It also amends various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) expand the expenses eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit to include the amount of a Federal Pell Grant used to pay for living expenses; and (2) include, as a qualified scholarship excludible from gross income, any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant. Finally, the bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief for: (1) deep gas wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) deep water oil and gas leases in the central and western Gulf of Mexico.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Water Technology Acceleration Act of 2016 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to accelerate the testing, deployment, and commercialization of innovative water technologies. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must evaluate the barriers impacting greater use of innovative water technology and provide technical assistance to facilitate financial assistance to help communities use new technology. The new technology is designed to help communities address wastewater, storm runoff, and drinking water challenges. Additionally, the EPA must carry out a grant program to accelerate the testing and deployment of innovative water technologies that address water challenges. Priority funding must be given to projects that have the potential to: (1) provide substantial cost savings across a sector, or (2) significantly improve human health or the environment.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act of 2016 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise payment rules for graduate medical education (GME) costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program. With respect to a hospital that has not entered into a GME affiliation agreement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall establish the hospital's full-time equivalent (FTE) resident amount only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with an approved FTE resident amount based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its FTE resident amount reestablished when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold. Current law limits the number, subject to the application of certain adjustments, of FTE residents a hospital may have in allopathic and osteopathic medicine for purposes of Medicare payment. The bill specifies that CMS shall determine a hospital's limitation adjustment only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with a limitation adjustment based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its adjustment re-determined when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2016
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code to direct the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury to require group health plans and health insurers to disclose specified information regarding compliance of plans or coverage with requirements for parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits. Information that must be disclosed includes the specific analyses performed to ensure parity, findings and conclusions regarding parity in applying nonquantitative treatment limitations (e.g., tiered benefits, step therapy, or preauthorization), and a comparison of denials of claims between types of benefits. HHS, Labor, and Treasury must: (1) issue guidance on the process for current and potential participants and beneficiaries to file formal complaints of plans or insurers being in violation of the requirement for parity, and (2) conduct audits of plans and insurers to determine compliance with parity requirements and publish information from those audits. HHS must establish a consumer parity unit to collect and respond to complaints and provide information to consumers on parity. Plans and insurers must respond to consumer complaints received by the unit. State health insurance commissioners must report on compliance of plans and insurers with parity requirements and include a comparison of benefits. The Government Accountability Office must report on HHS, Labor, and Treasury efforts to enforce parity.
United States · United States Congress · 7 March 2016
Global Respect Act The President shall 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. A listed foreign person shall be ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Any visa issued for such person is revoked. The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security shall waive this 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. Congressional notification before any such waiver is required. The Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor shall 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. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended 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 · 3 March 2016
Supports the goals of International Women's Day. Recognizes that the empowerment of women is linked to a country's potential to generate economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security. Recognizes individuals in the United States and around the world, including women human rights defenders and civil society leaders, who have worked to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human rights. Reaffirms the commitment to: (1) end discrimination and violence against women and girls, and ensure their safety and welfare; (2) pursue policies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls worldwide; and (3) promote women's participation in every aspect of society and community.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
Improving Veterans Access to Care in the Community Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts or agreements with eligible providers to furnish hospital care and medical services to electing, eligible veterans, which include veterans who are unable to schedule an appointment with a VA health care provider within a specified time frame or who do not reside within 40 miles of a VA medical facility. Such provisions may be referred to as the Veterans Choice Program. VA reimbursement of veterans for emergency treatment in a non-VA facilities is expanded to include urgent care. If the VA is not able to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under contracts or sharing agreements, the VA may furnish such care and services by entering into Veterans Care Agreements with certified eligible providers. The VA shall: (1) establish a system to monitor the quality of care and services provided under such Agreements, and (2) review Agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years. The bill allows VA agreements with state homes to provide nursing home care for veterans with a service-connected disability to be entered into without the use of competitive procedures. The bill requires advance appropriations for the Care in the Community Account of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 is amended to direct the VA to annually transfer to the VHA an amount estimated to be needed to furnish hospital care, medical services, and other health care through non-VA providers. The requirement that the VA act as a secondary payer for certain non-service connected disability care is eliminated. Veterans Choice Fund amounts may be used to: (1) carry out certain disability examinations by non-VA providers; and (2) provide hospital, nursing home, and domiciliary care at non-VA facilities. The VA may record as a U.S. obligation amounts owed for hospital care or medical services furnished at non-VA facilities on the date the payment claim is approved. The bill requires the VA to be treated as a participating provider for purposes of allowing recovery of costs incurred in providing care to a veteran for a non-service connected disability that is covered under the veteran's health plan contract. The VA shall assign each veteran enrolled in the annual patient enrollment system a full-time primary care provider using specified distance and travel criteria.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2016
National Biomedical Research Act This bill establishes and makes deposits to the Biomedical Innovation Fund for initiatives at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration for advancing medical innovation, including the Precision Medicine Initiative, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, and the Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax credit for railroad track maintenance.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2016
Whistleblower Augmented Reward and Nonretaliation Act of 2016 or the WARN Act of 2016 This bill amends the Financial Institutions Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act of 1990 governing the rights of a private person (declarant) who files a declaration of a violation giving rise to a federal action for civil penalties with respect to fraud crimes involving federally insured financial institutions. The bill revises the minimum and maximum percentage of a declarant's entitlement to share in the recovery by the United States from a judgment, order, or settlement that was based in whole or in part on the information contained in a valid declaration, and allows a 30-day window in which to appeal any award determination. The bill prescribes specified relief in a civil action intended to protect declarants from employer reprisals including reinstatement with the same seniority status. The Department of Justice shall require employers to provide education and training to employees regarding declarant rights and remedies. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to extend similar protections to employees of banking agencies, together with the same minimum and maximum rewards for information leading to recoveries or civil penalties. Both the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act are amended to: (1) remove the definition of whistleblower, and (2) prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commissions) from denying eligibility for an award if the information basic to the award is submitted within 90 days after obtaining knowledge of the disclosed misconduct. The Commissions shall presume that reports are timely and shall not reduce an award due to delay, unless disclosure was deliberately postponed either because of culpability, interference with internal investigative processes, or attempts at self-enrichment. The prohibition against employer retaliation shall cover acts by the whistleblower in: (1) objecting to, or refusing to participate in, any activity, policy, practice which the whistleblower reasonably believed to be in violation of Commission-enforceable law, rule, order, standard, or prohibition; or (2) providing information relating to any violation within Commission jurisdiction. Relief for an individual prevailing in an enforcement action shall include compensatory damages and up to $250,000 in punitive damages. The bill prohibits employers from: (1) taking specified actions to impede an individual who undertakes a protected activity, or (2) engaging in any other discrimination that would chill the exercise of a protected activity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2016
Acknowledges the lifetime of service of Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Commends his 29-year tenure on the Court and extends sympathy to his family and friends on his death.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2016
Drinking Water Safety and Infrastructure Act This bill provides additional assistance for a public health emergency related to a contaminated public drinking water supply system. Assistance may be provided through grants under the drinking water state revolving fund and loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Program. Upon the request of a state or local health official, the National Center for Environmental Health's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry must conduct voluntary surveillance activities to evaluate any adverse health effects on individuals exposed to lead from drinking water in affected communities. The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by requiring public water systems to notify their customers of lead concentration levels in drinking water that exceed lead limits. The Environmental Protection Agency must notify the public within 15 days of the lead levels exceeding those limits if the public water system or the state does not notify the public. The EPA may notify the public or the local or state health department of the result of lead monitoring conducted by a public water system. The Department of Health and Human Services must establish a lead exposure registry to collect data on the lead exposure of residents of a city on a voluntary basis. The Treasury must transfer funds to: (1) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds for the childhood lead poisoning prevention program, (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development for its Healthy Homes Initiative, and (3) the Health Resources and Services Administration for the Healthy Start Initiative. The bill prohibits further spending by the Department of Energy on or after October 1, 2020, for the subsidy costs of loans issued through the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2016
Recognizes the historical significance of: (1) February 19, 1942, as the date on which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which restricted the freedom of Japanese Americans; and (2) February 19, 1976, as the date on which President Gerald Ford issued Presidential Proclamation 4417, which formally terminated such executive order. Expresses support for the goals of the Japanese American community in recognizing a National Day of Remembrance to increase public awareness about the unjust measures taken to restrict the freedom of Japanese Americans during World War II. Expresses the sense that: (1) such Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of upholding justice and civil liberties for all people of the United States and to oppose hate, xenophobia, and bigotry; and (2) policies that discriminate against any individual based on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion of that individual would be a repetition of the mistakes of Executive Order 9066 and contrary to U.S. values. Recognizes the positive contributions that people of every race, ethnicity, religion, and national origin have made to the United States. Confirms the dedication of the Senate to the rights and dignity of all people of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2016
Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct critical monitoring, scientific assessments, and research in support of fisheries within the Great Lakes Basin between the United States and Canada. In support of the fisheries within the Great Lakes Basin, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center shall: (1) execute a comprehensive, multi-lake, freshwater fisheries science program; (2) work cooperatively with regional, state, tribal, and local governments; and (3) consult with interested groups, including academia and Canadian agencies. To protect and improve the Great Lakes, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center may provide: deep-water ecosystem research, fish behavior and habitat reports, fish population assessments, invasive species research, use of biological equipment and laboratory capabilities necessary to support fishery management decisions, and studies that assess impacts on Great Lakes Fishery resources.
United States · United States Congress · 22 February 2016
Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to revise requirements for and limitations on practitioners who dispense narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish grant programs to: (1) encourage prescribing and purchase of opioid overdose reversal drugs (e.g., naloxone), and (2) develop prescribing guidelines for such drugs. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain pain medications.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must provide support to improve drug overdose surveillance and reporting capabilities. HHS may support syringe exchange programs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must provide support to reduce drug overdose deaths. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women. HHS must: (1) carry out a pilot program to support services for pregnant and postpartum women with a substance use disorder; (2) award grants to expand treatment activities in areas with a high rate of, or a rapid increase in, the use of opioids; (3) support increasing the capacity of substance use disorder services for adolescents; and (4) develop, expand, and enhance substance use recovery support services. This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and Internal Revenue Code to direct HHS and the Departments of Labor and the Treasury to require disclosures, issue guidance, conduct audits, and publish information regarding the requirement for group health plans and health insurance coverage to have parity between mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical and surgical benefits. HHS must establish a consumer parity portal website. HHS must establish a loan repayment program for substance use disorder health professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2016 This bill states that it is U.S. policy to regard the prevention of mass atrocities and genocide as a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President may establish an interagency Atrocities Prevention Board, which shall: (1) ensure that atrocities and the risk of atrocities throughout the world are adequately considered and addressed, and (2) oversee the development and execution of policies and tools to enhance the capacity of the United States to prevent and respond to atrocities. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to provide for the training of Foreign Service Officers in conflict and atrocity prevention. The bill establishes in the Treasury the Complex Crises Fund to enable the U.S. Agency for International Development to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign challenges and complex crisis overseas, including potential mass atrocities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2016
Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint or provide counsel at government expense to aliens in removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall provide an alien in removal proceedings with all relevant documents in its possession, unless the alien has knowingly waived the right to such documents. In the absence of a waiver a removal proceeding may not proceed until the alien has received, and had time to review, the documents. DOJ may appoint or provide counsel to aliens in any INA proceeding. DHS shall ensure that aliens have access to counsel inside all immigration detention and border facilities. DOJ shall appoint counsel, at government expense if necessary, for an unaccompanied alien child or a particularly vulnerable individual. DHS shall: (1) facilitate access to counsel for all aliens detained in facilities under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and (2) establish procedures to ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all detained aliens, including aliens held in CBP facilities. DOJ shall develop and administer a two-year pilot program at not fewer than two immigration courts to grant access to legal information to non-detained aliens with pending asylum claims. DHS shall establish a pilot program to increase the court appearance rates of unaccompanied alien children and particularly vulnerable individuals by contracting with nongovernmental, community-based organizations to provide such aliens with case management services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2016
Child Care Access to Resources for Early-learning Act or the Child CARE Act This bill amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to make appropriations for FY2017-FY2021 to the Department of Health and Human Services for allotments to states to: expand access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers from low-income families who do not receive child care funded through the Child Care and Development (CCD) Fund, and increase the quality of such care for infants and toddlers who do receive child care funded through the CCD Fund. The state shall reserve at least 80% of funds for direct services provided through grants, contracts, or certificates, to expand access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers and to increase parental options for and access to such care. The state shall use the cost of a mandatory triennial high-quality child care study to ensure that for all infant and toddler child care slots: (1) the child care is of sufficient quality, (2) the care providers are supported along a career pathway to achieve higher levels of training and education, and (3) the provider rates are sufficient. The state shall also ensure that all infant and toddler child care providers participating in CCD Fund-supported activities meet certain quality standards by the end of FY2026. The state shall: (1) identify underserved geographic areas and special populations; and (2) develop and implement a plan to increase the availability of high-quality child care in such areas and populations, especially those which are hard-to-serve. The state shall reserve certain funds to carry out specified activities to increase the quality of child care programs for infants and toddlers in eligible families. An Indian tribe or tribal organization that receives a grant through an allotment for Indian and Native Hawaiian Child Care shall use the grant funds to provide, by the end of FY2026, access to high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate child care for infants and toddlers for eligible families in the tribal community. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after February 10, 2016, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and so subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition, it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group).
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2016
Designates February 2016 as Career and Technical Education Month. Expresses support for the goals and ideals of such month. Recognizes the importance of career and technical education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce. Encourages educators, counselors, and administrators to promote career and technical education as an option to students.
United States · United States Congress · 8 February 2016
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day. Recognizes and reaffirms the commitment to fighting heart disease and stroke by promoting awareness about the causes, risks, and prevention, supporting research, and expanding access to medical treatment. Encourages individuals to learn about their risk for heart disease.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Restoring Statutory Rights and Interests of the States Act of 2016 This bill amends the Federal Arbitration Act to invalidate arbitration agreements between parties in certain commercial contracts or transactions if they require arbitration of a claim for damages or injunctive relief brought by an individual or small business arising from the alleged violation of a federal or state statute, the U.S. Constitution, or a state constitution, unless the written agreement to arbitrate is entered into by both parties after the claim has arisen and pertains solely to an existing claim. The grounds upon which a contract with an arbitration agreement is revocable shall include federal or state statutes or court findings that prohibit an agreement to arbitrate if the agreement is unconscionable, invalid because there was no meeting of the minds, or otherwise unenforceable as a matter of contract law or public policy. A court, rather than an arbitrator, shall determine whether an arbitration agreement is enforceable.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2016
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Marlow Cook, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on February 4, 2016, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Senator Cook.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2016
Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify: (1) VA mental health care and suicide prevention programs that are most effective for women veterans, and (2) such programs with the highest satisfaction rates among women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2016
Federal Intern Protection Act of 2015 This bill extends protections against discrimination in a federal workplace based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability to interns (individuals who perform uncompensated voluntary service in a federal agency to earn credit awarded by an educational institution or to learn a trade or occupation) and applicants for internships.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2016
Save Access to a Valuable Investment Needed to Generate Savings Act of 2016 or the SAVINGS Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to allow: (1) an individual taxpayer to use a portion or all of a tax refund to purchase U.S. savings bonds in paper form for the taxpayer or for any individual designated by the taxpayer; or (2) an option for a tax return that allows for the gifting of such bonds and that serves individuals who rarely, if ever, have held a bank account and individuals who lack access to the Internet.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2016
Congratulates the Farm Credit System (FCS) on its 100th anniversary and commends the service of the cooperative owners and employees of the FCS in helping to meet the credit and financial services needs of rural communities and agriculture. (The FCS is a network of borrower-owned lending institutions that operates as a government-sponsored enterprise to provide credit and other services to agricultural producers and farmer-owned agricultural and aquatic cooperatives. It also makes loans for agricultural processing and marketing activities, rural housing, farm-related businesses, rural utilities, and companies involved in international agricultural trade.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2016
Express Appeals Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) carry out a five-year pilot program to provide the option of an alternative appeals process to determine appeals of claims for disability compensation more quickly, and (2) inform claimants about such program. Appeals filed under the pilot program are described as "fully developed appeals." A claimant may elect to file a fully developed appeal by filing with the VA: (1) a notice of disagreement along with the claimant's written election to have the appeal determined under the pilot program, (2) all evidence that the claimant believes is needed for the appeal, and (3) a statement of the argument in support of the claim. A claimant who elects the pilot program may elect to revert to the standard appeals process at any time. Such reversion, however, shall be final. Such a claimant or an electing claimant who is later determined to be ineligible for the pilot program shall revert to the standard appeals process without any penalty other than the loss of docket number. The VA shall transfer jurisdiction over a fully developed appeal directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The Board shall: maintain fully developed appeals on a separate docket; hear fully developed appeals in the order received; decide not more than one fully developed appeal for each four traditional appeals decided, though this ratio may be adjusted for fairness purposes beginning one year after the pilot program begins; and decide each fully developed appeal within one year of a claimant's filing the notice of disagreement. A claimant may not submit or identify to the Board any new evidence relating to a fully developed appeal after filing such appeal unless the claimant reverts to the standard appeals process. The Board shall establish an office to develop necessary federal records, independent medical opinions, and new medical exams. The Board may not provide hearings for fully developed appeals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2016
Condemns the terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali, on November 20, 2015. Honors the memory of Anita Ashok Datar, the U.S. citizen who was killed in the attack. Recognizes Anita Ashok Datar's commitment to international development and public health, including her work to connect low-income women to quality health services. Extends heartfelt condolences and prayers to: (1) Anita Ashok Datar's family, friends, and colleagues, and particularly to her son, Rohan; and (2) the individuals touched by her life or affected by her death, including the dedicated development professionals and volunteers that continue to engage in humanitarian and development efforts. Pledges to continue to work to counter violent extremism, including through education and health care, in the United States and abroad.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2016
Advancing Standards in Regenerative Medicine Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to facilitate the establishment of a public-private Standards Coordinating Body in Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Therapies. The FDA must work with this body to develop standards to support the development and review of regenerative medicine products.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2016
Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Army to ensure that the cremated remains of persons who served as Women's Air Forces Service Pilots are eligible for inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2016
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Dale Bumpers, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on January 11, 2016, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Senator Bumpers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2015
Finds that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), its affiliated organizations, and supporters are parts of an expanding worldwide criminal network. Finds that ISIS and its affiliated organizations maintain publishing and social media networks that seek to attract others to join their efforts and to incite the murder of Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Jews, and any religious believers who refuse to convert to their jihadist ideology. Declares that ISIS and its leaders should be charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Calls upon: the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute any U.S. citizens or residents alleged to be perpetrators of or complicit in these crimes; and the Department of the Treasury to investigate and sanction any person, organization, business, or financial institution alleged to be perpetrators of or complicit in these crimes. Calls on the President, the Department of State, and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, working through the Security Council and its member states, to provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians, and help reestablish livelihoods for displaced and persecuted persons in their communities of origin. Calls upon the contracting parties to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and other similar international agreements to join with the United States to investigate, arrest, and prosecute individual and organizational perpetrators responsible for such crimes. Calls upon the Secretary-General to urge member states to cooperate in an international effort to investigate, try, and prosecute all cases in which the accused have committed such crimes. Appeals to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf to collaborate on establishment of domestic, regional, and hybrid international tribunals with jurisdiction to punish the individuals and organizations responsible for or complicit in such crimes. Commends the governments of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and every other country sheltering individuals fleeing the violence of ISIS.
United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2015
This bill directs the Department of State to: (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and at other related activities, and (2) instruct INTERPOL Washington to request observer status for Taiwan in INTERPOL and urge INTERPOL members to support Taiwan's observer status and participation.
![Official portrait of Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001230_200.jpg)