United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Farm to School Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to reauthorize the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Farm to School Program through FY2021 and modify the program. The program currently provides grants and technical assistance to schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers, and nonprofit entities to improve access to local foods in schools. The bill makes schools participating in the Summer Food Service Program for children, the early care and afterschool portions of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the School Breakfast Program eligible to participate in the program. It also permits USDA to provide land-grant colleges and universities with grants, research, and technical assistance under the program. The purposes for grants awarded under the program are expanded to include agricultural literacy and nutrition education. The bill requires USDA to provide technical assistance, research, and information to increase awareness of and participation in farm to school programs among agricultural producers. In awarding grants, USDA must improve local food procurement and distribution options for agricultural producers and eligible schools. USDA is permitted to fund projects that include innovative approaches to aggregation, processing, transportation, and distribution. The bill establishes new limitations on the amount and duration of grants. The bill also establishes reporting requirements and limits funds that may be used for administrative costs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Trade Adjustment Assistance Act of 2015 Amends the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 to repeal the declaration that trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program requirements in effect as of February 13, 2011, under the Trade Act of 1974 shall apply to petitions for certification to apply for TAA for workers, firms, and farmers that are filed before January 1, 2014. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend through December 31, 2020: (1) the TAA program, and (2) the reemployment trade adjustment assistance (RTAA) program. Makes funds available through FY2020, and for the period beginning October 1-December 31, 2020 (first quarter of FY2021), for training of adversely affected workers, employment and case management services, and job search expenses and relocation expenses. Reauthorizes appropriations: (1) through December 31, 2020, for the TAA program for workers; and (2) through FY2020, and for the first quarter of FY2021, for the TAA program for firms, communities, and farmers. Prescribes TAA eligibility requirements for adversely affected workers in public agencies. Revises trade readjustment allowance (TRA) program requirements. Increases from 65 to 78 additional weeks of TRA payments in a 91-week period the length of additional time permissible to complete training. Repeals the authority of a state to use funds for employment and case management services and relocation allowances to allow an adversely affected worker who is certified to file an application for a job search allowance and relocation allowance. (Continues to authorize adversely affected workers to apply for the job search allowance as well as the relocation allowance.) Increases from $1,250 to $1,500 the maximum job serach allowance and maximum relocation allowance that may be granted to an adversely affected worker. Revises the reemployment trade adjustment assistance (RTAA) program. Increases from: (1) $50,000 to $55,000 the maximum amount an RTAA-eligible worker may earn in wages from reemployment, and (2) $10,000 to $12,000 the maximum payment of RTAA (or wage subsidy) to an eligible older worker. Specifies criteria the Secretary must use to determine the eligibility of workers to apply for TAA if no determination has been made, upon enactment of this Act, as to whether to certify a group of workers or firms as eligible pursuant to a petition filed between January 1, 2014, and enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to reconsider any determination made before enactment of this Act not to certify such workers or firms, and to certify them as eligible if they meet the specified requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through calendar 2021, and increase from 72.5% to 80%, the tax credit for the health insurance coverage costs of Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension and TAA recipients and their dependents. Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Public Health Service Act to extend through December 31, 2020, the TAA pre-certification period rule disregarding, for a specified period, any 63-day lapse in creditable health care coverage for TAA workers. Extends also through December 31, 2020, the continued eligibility of certain qualified TAA-eligible individuals and PBGC pension recipients for COBRA premium assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
RESPONSE Act of 2015 Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council. Directs the Subcommittee to evaluate the following topics and develop recommendations, as appropriate, for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation for hazardous materials incidents involving railroads: the quality and application of training for local emergency first responders related to rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities near railroads; the effectiveness of funding levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities; a strategy for integration of commodity flow studies, mapping, and access platforms for local emergency responders and how to increase the rate of access to the individual responder in existing or emerging communications technology; the need for emergency response plans for rail, similar to existing law related to maritime and stationary facility emergency response plans for hazardous materials; the need for a rail hazardous materials incident database; increasing access to relevant, useful, and timely information for the local emergency responder for training purposes and in the event of a rail hazardous materials incident; and determining the most appropriate agencies and offices for the implementation of the recommendations. Terminates the Subcommittee not later than four years after this Act's enactment, subject to one year extensions.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: the United States has a long history of domestic and international engagement in preventing and responding to modern slavery; modern slavery involves extensive criminal activity and demands U.S. attention and commitment; there is a need for international public and private cooperation to increase resources for programs to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery by building the capacity of foreign governments to deter its perpetrators; and countries that fall within the first and second tiers of the Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons report could qualify as partner countries, and many countries on the Tier 2 watch list may also qualify and should be eligible for funding as partner countries. The bill declares U.S. policy to marshal resources to seek to end modern slavery through funding private grant-making institutions. The bill establishes the End Modern Slavery Initiative Foundation to work with government, civil society, and private institutions in partner countries and key jurisdictions of other countries supported by the Foundation with a high prevalence of modern slavery to identify and fund successful strategies to combat modern slavery. The Department of State may make grants to the Foundation or to another nonprofit organization meeting certain criteria that seeks to receive foreign government contributions in a ratio of two-to-one and private sector contributions in a ratio of three-to-one to U.S. government funding. The U.S. government shall seek other foreign governments providing Foundation support to provide additional support for projects in partner countries.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act of 2015 This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work due to a lapse in appropriations beginning on February 28, 2015, to be compensated after the lapse in appropriations ends. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations are permitted to use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to begin after continuing FY2015 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security expire on February 27, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit (or revoke such license or permit) if the Attorney General: (1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be engaged in terrorism or has provided material support or resources for terrorism, and (2) has a reasonable belief that the transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearms or explosives license application has been denied to bring legal action to challenge the denial. Extends the prohibition against the sale or distribution of firearms or explosives to include individuals whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Imposes criminal penalties on individuals engaged in terrorist activities who smuggle or knowingly bring firearms into the United States. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation lawsuits and from employers if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Equitable Employee Accountability Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) suspend a VA employee without pay if the employee's performance or misconduct is a clear and direct threat to public health or safety; and (2) remove a suspended employee when, after investigation and review, removal is determined necessary for public health or safety interests. A suspended employee is entitled, after suspension and before removal, to: a written statement of the specific charges and an opportunity to answer the charges and submit affidavits, a case review by the VA before a decision adverse to the employee is made final, and a written statement of the VA's decision. A VA employee who is suspended or removed is entitled to: (1) appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board; and (2) back pay, less amounts otherwise earned during such period, if the suspension or removal is determined to be unwarranted. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to that conducted for VA Senior Executive Service employees; provide managers with training on the rights of whistle blowers and how to address reports of hostile work environment, reprisal, or harassment; and develop a promotional track for technical expert employees that allows for career advancement without being required to transition to management positions. Evaluation of VA managers shall include actions taken to address employee performance. Before terminating VA employment an official who has participated personally and substantially in a VA acquisition that exceeds $1 million or held a key acquisitions position at the VA shall obtain a written opinion from a VA ethics counselor regarding any restrictions on activities that the official may undertake on behalf of a contractor during the two-year period after the official terminates VA employment. A contractor may not knowingly provide compensation to such an individual during the two-year period unless the contractor determines that the individual has obtained or requested such written opinion. The VA may not place an individual subject to disciplinary action on administrative leave for more than 14 business days during any 365-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force to develop: (1) best practices for pain management and prescribing pain medication, and (2) a strategy for disseminating such best practices. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to: states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for first responders, health professionals, and family members administering naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses), local governments, and nonprofit organizations to expand educational efforts to prevent abuse of opioids, heroin, and other substances of abuse, understand addiction as a chronic disease, and promote treatment and recovery; organizations that have received a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies that address local drug crises; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for treatment alternative to incarceration programs for individuals who have come into contact with the juvenile or criminal justice system or have been arrested or charged with an offense, who have a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both, and who have been approved for participation in such a program; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies to create a demonstration law enforcement program to prevent opioid and heroin overdose death; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributor of prescription medications, retail pharmacies, registered narcotic treatment programs, hospitals or clinics with an on-site pharmacy, eligible long-term care facilities, or any other entity authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispose of prescription medications to expand or make available disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, and Indian tribes to implement medication assisted treatment programs through their criminal justice agencies; states, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes for educational programs for incarcerated offenders; state substance abuse and criminal justice agencies, jointly, to address the use of opioids and heroin among pregnant and parenting female offenders in a state to promote public safety, public health, family permanence, and well-being; establish or expand veterans treatment court programs, peer to peer services or programs for qualified veterans, practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, and transitional services to incarcerated veterans, and training programs to teach criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and appropriately respond to incidents involving veterans; and states to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an integrated opioid abuse response initiative. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to award grants to enable state substance abuse agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations that have a high rate of, or have had a rapid increase in, the use of heroin or other opioids to expand activities, including medication assisted treatment, for the treatment of addiction in the geographical areas affected. Authorizes the Recovery Branch of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to: (1) enable high schools and colleges with substance abuse recovery programs and nonprofit organizations to provide substance abuse recovery support services to high school and college students, to help build communities of support for young people in recovery, and to encourage initiatives designed to help young people achieve and sustain recovery; and (2) enable recovery community organizations to develop, expand, and enhance recovery services. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the Department of Education from including any question about the conviction of an applicant for the possession or sale of illegal drugs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Directs HHS to establish a bipartisan Task Force on Recovery and Collateral Consequences to: (1) identify collateral consequences for individuals with drug convictions who are in recovery for a substance use disorder, and (2) determine whether such consequences unnecessarily delay such individuals from resuming their personal and professional activities. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to direct the Attorney General to report annually on how grants awarded under such Act are used for family-based substance abuse treatment programs that serve as alternatives to incarceration for custodial parents to receive treatment and services as a family. Expresses the sense of Congress that the amounts expended to carry out this Act should be offset by a corresponding reduction in federal non-defense discretionary spending. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the impact that the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion (defined as the prohibition on federal matching payments under Medicaid for patients who have attained age 22, but have not attained age 65, in an institution for mental diseases) has on access to treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them. Requires the VA to: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician or gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetricians and gynecologists at VA medical facilities in not less than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Directs the VA to develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. Allows a veteran to elect to prevent their information from being shared. Directs the Government Accountability Office to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Protecting and Retaining Our Children's Health Insurance Program Act of 2015 This bill revises and extends through FY2019 at generally increased levels the program under title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSAct), and adjusts CHIP allotment requirements accordingly, including the rebasing and growth factor update rules for computing state allotments. Appropriations are made for certain allotments. Appropriations are made to the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund for FY2015-FY2018 (and for each of the semi-annual allotment periods for FY2019) for payments to eligible states. The aggregate cap to payments from the Fund is removed for such fiscal years and allotment periods. Additional specified amounts, with fiscal year limitation, are made available for payments from the Fund. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must make payments to shortfall states from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund in such fiscal years and allotment periods. Performance incentive payments are revised and extended through FY2019. Specified enrollment and retention provisions for children are outlined for FY2015 and each succeeding fiscal year. The option is extended through FY2019 of a qualifying state to be paid from the state's allotment for certain Medicaid expenditures related to low-income individuals under age 19. Title XI of the SSAct is also amended to extend through FY2019: (1) the quality care for children demonstration project, (2) childhood obesity demonstration project, and (3) pediatric quality measures program. Also extended through FY20019 are CHIP grants to improve outreach and enrollment and appropriations to award such grants. SSAct XIX (Medicaid) is amended to: (1) extend express lane eligibility through FY2019, and (2) allow use of income determinations under SSAct part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV or the supplemental nutrition assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to determine eligibility under the state Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to direct the court to impose a sentence for specified controlled substance offenses without regard to any statutory minimum sentence if the court finds that the criminal history category for the defendant is not higher than category two. (Currently, the court may disregard the statutory minimum if the defendant does not have more than one criminal history point.) Authorizes a court that imposed a sentence for a crack cocaine possession or trafficking offense committed before August 3, 2010, on motion of the defendant, the Bureau of Prisons, the attorney for the government, or the court, to impose a reduced sentence as if provisions of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 were in effect at the time such offense was committed, provided such sentence was not previously imposed or reduced under such Act or such a motion wasn't previously denied. Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act (CSIEA) to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, possessing, importing, or exporting specified controlled substances and for such violations by a courier (defined as a person whose role was limited to transporting or storing drugs or money). Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend its guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of such an offense under the CSA and CSIEA to ensure consistency with this Act and to consider specified factors, including: (1) its mandate to formulate guidelines to minimize the likelihood that the federal prison population will exceed federal prison capacity, and (2) the need to reduce and prevent racial disparities in sentencing. Requires the Attorney General to: (1) report on how the reduced expenditures on federal corrections and cost savings resulting from this Act will be used to help reduce overcrowding in the Bureau of Prisons, increase investment in law enforcement and crime prevention, and reduce recidivism; (2) report a list of all criminal statutory offenses and the potential criminal penalty, the number of prosecutions brought by the Department of Justice each year for the previous 15 years, and the mens rea requirement for each offense; and (3) establish a publicly accessible index of each criminal statutory offense.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Freedom to Export to Cuba 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 President's authority to continue direct restrictions on trade with Cuba under the Trading with the Enemy Act is eliminated, and any related regulations are no longer effective. 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; and repeal 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.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for health insurance coverage costs by extending the eligible coverage month in which a taxpayer and the taxpayer's family members are covered by qualified health insurance to any month beginning before January 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Career Ready Act of 2015 Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to include certain career readiness indicators in their determination as to whether students are making adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards. Allows states to include on their annual report cards on student progress toward those standards: the number and percentage of their public secondary school students who attain state and local adjusted levels of career and technical education performance, as defined by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006; the number and percentage of their public secondary school students that attain a recognized postsecondary credential, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; and high school graduation, enrollment, remediation, persistence, and completion rates. Requires local educational agencies awarded a grant for elementary and secondary school counseling programs under part D of title V of the ESEA to use the funds for additional activities that include: developing and implementing comprehensive school counseling programs that are aligned with their grant applications; identifying regional workforce trends, in collaboration with entities experienced in identifying such trends, and enabling school counselor programs at the secondary school level to access that data; training counselors to effectively provide labor market information to secondary school students; developing and implementing integrated, job-embedded, and ongoing professional development programs for educators who prepare students for postsecondary opportunities and careers; and developing personalized learning plans for each student that map a defined program of study based on the student's academic and career goals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Healthy Families Act Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Authorizes small employers with fewer than 15 employees to provide the same paid sick time, but allows them to opt out. Requires any small employer that opts out to provide at least 56 hours of unpaid sick time to each employee per calendar year. Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit. Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members (including a domestic partner or the domestic partner's parent or child); or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by this Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board. Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act. Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act. Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to compile information annually on paid sick time and the Comptroller General to study related matters. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the purpose of the Act to include achieving the goals established in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy. This bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the Great Lakes Legacy Act for the remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Great Lakes National Program Office, and EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Initiative must prioritize work done by non-federal partners in specified focus areas. Initiative funding may not be used for a water infrastructure activity that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund programs, except green infrastructure projects that improve habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes. Federal agencies must maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities and identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative. The bill codifies the establishment of the Great Lakes Advisory Board and the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, which were previously established by the EPA. The Board must provide advice and recommendations to the EPA on matters pertaining to Great Lakes restoration and protection. The Task Force must collaborate with Canada and coordinate the development of federal policy on Great Lakes restoration and protection.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
No Child Left Inside Act of 2015 Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships to support the implementation of state environmental literacy plans that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Includes in the eligible partnerships a local educational agency (LEA) and at least one institution of higher education, another LEA, an elementary or secondary school, or a government or nonprofit entity experienced in environmental literacy. Requires use of the subgrants for one or more of the following activities: providing targeted, job-embedded professional development that improves teachers' environmental content knowledge and pedagogical skills; establishing and operating environmental education summer workshops or institutes for teachers; developing or redesigning more rigorous environmental education curricula; designing programs that prepare teachers to provide environmental education mentoring and training to other teachers in their school; establishing and operating programs to bring teachers and students into contact with working professionals in environmental fields; creating initiatives that incorporate environmental education within teacher training programs or accreditation standards; and promoting the integration of outdoor environmental education lessons into the regular school curriculum and schedule. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to eligible partnerships for one or more of the following activities: developing and implementing state curriculum frameworks for environmental education that meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards for environmental education, replicating or disseminating information about proven and tested model environmental education programs, and developing and implementing new approaches to advancing environmental education and the adoption and use of environmental education content standards. Amends part B (Mathematics and Science Partnerships) of title II of the ESEA to: (1) include nonprofit environmental education organizations and government science, environmental, or natural resource management agencies among the entities eligible to participate in part B partnerships; and (2) allow the use of part B funds to train teachers to use environmental education to enhance student understanding of science and mathematics. Amends part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) of title IV of the ESEA to include environmental literacy activities among the before and after school activities that such program funds at community learning centers. Directs the Secretary to: request all federal agencies to provide information on any environmental literacy assistance program that they operate, sponsor, or support; make that information searchable and accessible through the Department of Education's website and cross-referenced with the United States Green Ribbon School application information; coordinate environmental literacy activities between the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Commerce; and appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders to advise and support interagency environmental literacy planning and assessment activities.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Designates Friday, February 13, 2015, as $2.13 Day. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the cash wage that an employer is required to pay a tipped employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) should be increased to 70% of the federal minimum wage for a FLSA-covered nonexempt employee.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2015
Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to furnish fertility treatment and counseling, including through the use of assisted reproductive technology, to a spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate of a severely wounded, ill, or injured member of the Armed Forces who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces. Requires provision of fertility treatment and counseling to a spouse, partner, or gestational surrogate of a member of the Armed Forces without regard to the member's sex or marital status. States that, if a member of the Armed Forces is unable to provide gametes for fertility treatment purposes, the Secretary shall, at the member's election, allow the member to be treated with donated gametes and pay or reimburse the reasonable costs of procuring donor gametes. Directs DOD to: establish procedures for gamete retrieval from a member of the Armed Forces in cases in which the fertility of such member is potentially jeopardized as a result of an injury or illness incurred or aggravated while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces; and give members of the Armed Forces on active duty the opportunity to cryopreserve and store their gametes prior to deployment to a combat zone at no cost to the member. Directs DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to share best practices and facilitate fertility treatment and counseling referrals to eligible individuals. Includes fertility counseling and treatment within authorized VA medical services. Authorizes the VA to pay the adoption expenses (for up to three adoptions) for a severely wounded, ill, or injured veteran who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and who is enrolled in the VA health care system. Directs the VA to report annually to Congress on the counseling and treatment provided under this Act; and (2) prescribe regulations on the furnishing of such counseling, treatment, and adoption assistance. Directs the VA to facilitate research conducted collaboratively by DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services in order to improve the VA's ability to meet the long-term reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty that affects the veterans' reproductive ability. Requires the VA to enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans contact center to: (1) respond to requests for assistance with accessing VA health care and benefits, and (2) refer such veterans to federal or community resources to obtain assistance not furnished by the VA. Amends the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 regarding a pilot program of group retreat reintegration and readjustment counseling for women veterans recently separated from service to: (1) increase the number of counseling locations, and (2) extend the program. Establishes VA programs to provide assistance to qualified veterans to obtain child care so that such veterans can receive: (1) regular mental health care services, intensive mental health care services, or other intensive health care services; and (2) readjustment counseling and related mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2015
Exascale Computing for Science, Competitiveness, Advanced Manufacturing, Leadership, and the Economy Act of 2015 or the ExaSCALE Computing Leadership Act of 2015 Renames the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 as the Exascale Computing for Science, Competitiveness, Advanced Manufacturing, Leadership, and the Economy Act of 2015. Defines "exascale computing" as computing through the use of a computing machine that performs near or above 10 to the 18th power floating point operations per second. Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: conduct a research program to develop exascale computing machine architectures to promote DOE missions; establish national laboratory partnerships with industry partners and institutions of higher education (IHEs) for the research and development of exascale computing systems across all applicable DOE organizations; provide, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, access for researchers in U.S. industries, IHEs, National Laboratories, and other federal agencies to the exascale computing systems developed under this Act; select members for such partnerships through a competitive, peer-review process; and execute the program through an integration of application, computer science, and computer hardware architecture using those partnerships to ensure that exascale computing machine architectures are capable of solving DOE target applications and broader scientific problems.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2015
Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2015 Replaces part D (Enhancing Education Through Technology) of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) with a new part D (Achievement Through Technology and Innovation). Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to strengthen state and local technological infrastructure and professional learning that supports digital learning. Allocates grant funds among states in proportion to each state's share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the ESEA. Requires states to use at least 90% of their grant to award subgrants to LEAs. Requires LEAs to use: (1) at least 40% of those funds to support the acquisition of technology that addresses their technology infrastructure and access needs; and (2) at least 40% of those funds to provide digital age professional learning opportunities for teachers, principals, school leaders, paraprofessionals, library and media personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, technology coordinators, and administrators. Allows states to form purchasing consortia with other states, and allows LEAs to form purchasing consortia with other LEAs, to carry out grant and subgrant activities, including the purchase of technology.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2015 Prohibits public school students from being excluded from participating in, or subject to discrimination under, any federally-assisted educational program on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or that of their associates. Considers harassment to be a form of discrimination. Prohibits retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct made unlawful under this Act. Authorizes federal departments and agencies to enforce these prohibitions by cutting off the educational assistance of recipients found to be violating them. Allows an aggrieved individual to assert a violation of this Act in a judicial proceeding and recover reasonable attorney's fees should they prevail. Authorizes the Attorney General to institute a civil action in any appropriate U.S. district court for a violation of this Act. Deems a state's receipt of federal educational assistance for a program to constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity for conduct prohibited under this Act regarding such program.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Family-Based Foster Care Services Act Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend medical assistance coverage to therapeutic foster care services. Requires a qualified therapeutic foster care program to be state-licensed and provide: foster care children under 21 with structured daily activities, including the development of age-appropriate social, communication and behavioral skills, trauma-informed and gender-responsive services, crisis intervention and crisis support services, medication monitoring, counseling, and case management; and biological parents, kinship caregivers, and foster care parents with specialized training and consultation in the management of children with mental illness, trauma, other emotional or behavioral disorders, medically fragile conditions, or developmental disabilities, the impact of trauma on child and caregiver, and specific additional training on the needs of each child provided such services.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments under the federal veterinary medicine loan repayment program or any other state loan repayment or forgiveness program that is intended to provide for increased access to veterinary services in such state.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2015
Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act of 2015 Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require a state Medicaid plan to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual, regardless of age. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) identify methods that promote the retention of individuals who are enrolled under the state plan or under a waiver of such plan and remain eligible for medical assistance beyond the 12-month period, (2) actively promote the adoption of such enrollment retention methods by states, (3) publish the procedures that states are expected to use to provide annual enrollment and retention reports, and (4) publish annually enrollment and retention performance results for all states. Amends SSAct title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) to: (1) require a state CHIP plan also to provide 12-month continuous enrollment for an eligible individual, and (2) prohibit eligibility standards from applying a waiting period for a targeted low-income child (including a child provided dental-only supplemental coverage). Amends SSAct title XIX to allow a state to qualify for performance bonuses for the enrollment and retention in Medicaid of certain low-income individuals. Directs the Secretary to make bonus payments to eligible states adopting certain policies and demonstrating improvement in the continuity of enrollment.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act This bill amends the National Trails System Act to revise the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail to extend it to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and to modify the route in northeastern Minnesota.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act of 2015 Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 to require a program under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs provides chiropractic care and services to veterans through Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and clinics to be carried out at: (1) no fewer than 75 medical centers by December 31, 2016, and (2) all medical centers by December 31, 2018. Includes chiropractic examinations and services within required VA medical, rehabilitative, and preventive health care services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
All Students Count Act of 2015 Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require information on the annual state report cards on student achievement at each proficiency level to be disaggregated by the same major racial groups as the decennial census of the population. (Currently, that information is to be disaggregated by race, but the racial groups are not specified.) Requires the proficiency information which is disaggregated by such racial groups and by ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, and status as economically disadvantaged to be cross-tabulated across all of those subgroups by gender and by disability. Provides that such disaggregation and cross-tabulation shall not be required when the number of students in a subgroup is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2015 Prohibits the wages or other remuneration earned by an employee who performs employment duties in more than one state from being subject to income tax in any state other than: (1) the state of the employee's residence, and (2) the state within which the employee is present and performing employment duties for more than 30 days during the calendar year. Exempts employers from withholding of tax and information reporting requirements for employees not subject to income tax under this Act. Allows an employer, for purposes of determining penalties related to employer withholding or reporting requirements, to rely on an employee's annual determination of the time such employee will spend working in a state in the absence of fraud or collusion by such employee. Exempts from the definition of "employee" for purposes of this Act professional athletes, professional entertainers, and public figures who are persons of prominence who perform services for wages or other remuneration on a per-event basis.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a provider of remote computing service or electronic communication service to the public from knowingly divulging to a governmental entity the contents of any communication that is in electronic storage or otherwise maintained by the provider, subject to exceptions. Revises provisions under which the government may require a provider to disclose the contents of such communications. Eliminates the different requirements applicable under current law depending on whether such communications were: (1) stored for fewer than, or more than, 180 days by an electronic communication service; or (2) held by an electronic communication service as opposed to a remote computing service. Requires the government to obtain a warrant from a court before requiring providers to disclose the content of such communications regardless of how long the communication has been held in electronic storage by an electronic communication service or whether the information is sought from an electronic communication service or a remote computing service. Requires a law enforcement agency, within 10 days after receiving the contents of a customer's communication, or a governmental entity, within 3 days, to provide a customer whose communications were disclosed by the provider a copy of the warrant and a notice that such information was requested by, and supplied to, the government entity. Allows the government to request delays of such notifications. Prohibits disclosure requirements that apply to providers from being construed to limit the government's authority to use an administrative or civil discovery subpoena to require: (1) an originator or recipient of an electronic communication to disclose the contents of such communication, or (2) an entity that provides electronic communication services to its employees or agents to disclose the contents of an electronic communication to or from such employee or agent if the communication is on an electronic communications system owned or operated by the entity. Allows the government to apply for an order directing a provider, for a specified period, to refrain from notifying any other person that the provider has been required to disclose communications or records. Requires a Government Accountability Office report regarding disclosures of customer communications and records under provisions: (1) as in effect before the enactment of this bill, and (2) as amended by this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require mammography facilities to include up-to-date information about breast density in both the written report of the results of a mammography examination provided to a patient's physician and the summary of that written report given to the patient. Requires the summary to convey: (1) the effect of breast density in masking the presence of breast cancer on a mammogram, and (2) that individuals with dense breasts should talk with their physicians about any questions or concerns regarding the summary and whether they would benefit from additional tests. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify research on breast density, the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of supplemental imaging relating to breast density, and best practices concerning mammograms and supplemental screening for those with dense breasts.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2015 Expands the TRICARE health care program managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Prohibits cost-sharing from being imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Provides for such pregnancy prevention care to include all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling. Directs the DOD Secretary to: (1) ensure that every military treatment facility has a sufficient stock of a broad range of FDA-approved methods of contraception to dispense to any women members of the Armed Forces and female covered beneficiaries who receive care through such facility, (2) disseminate clinical practice guidelines and decision support tools to DOD-employed health care providers, (3) ensure that women members of the Armed Forces have access to comprehensive counseling on contraception during health care visits, and (4) establish uniform curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces. Requires questions regarding family planning services and counseling to be incorporated into DOD health surveys. Requires every military treatment facility, upon request, to provide emergency contraception, or information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, to any woman who: (1) states to personnel that she is a victim of sexual assault or is accompanied by another individual who states that the woman is a victim of sexual assault, or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act or the Small BREW Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the rate of the excise tax on beer produced within or imported into the United States for brewers who produce not more than 6 million barrels of beer a year.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the religious conscience exemption under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to exempt individuals who rely solely on a religious method of healing and for whom the acceptance of medical health services would be inconsistent with their religious beliefs from the requirement to purchase and maintain minimum essential health care coverage.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes, and (2) allow Native Corporations an increased tax deduction for donations of conservation easements related to lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make permanent the Medicare-dependent, small rural subsection (d) hospital program and increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. Requires LEAs to also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect state data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2015 or the PRE-K Act Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs to states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) use nationally-established, or better, best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to have at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; (4) require such programs to operate for at least a full academic year; and (5) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or have such degree in a related field, but have also completed specialized training in early childhood education. Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive process for awarding grants to other states that demonstrate that they will meet such requirements within two fiscal years. Prohibits state grantees from reducing their preschool or child care expenditures. Requires states to give priority, in using grant funds, to preschool programs in communities with high concentrations of impoverished children. Includes among grant uses: (1) increasing the qualifications of, and benefits provided to, teachers, teacher aides, and program directors; (2) decreasing class size and improving teacher-to-student ratios; (3) providing certain comprehensive services that support healthy child development; (4) extending program duration; (5) improving program monitoring and learning environments; and (6) providing classroom supplies or equipment. Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 This bill states that: the President may not prohibit or otherwise regulate travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel, including banking transactions; any regulation in effect on the date of enactment of this Act prohibiting or otherwise regulating such travel or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effective; but the prohibitions and requirements of this Act shall not apply if the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Accelerating Biomedical Research Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2016-FY2021 to accommodate increases in appropriations to the National Institutes of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Medical Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require certain drug manufacturers to make payments to fund research supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A drug manufacturer with over $1 billion in net income in a fiscal year that has entered into a settlement agreement in the previous five years with a federal agency regarding specified violations must pay 1% of its net income to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for each of its covered blockbuster drugs. A covered blockbuster drug is a drug that has at least $1 billion in net sales in a year and was developed, in whole or in part, through federal investments in medical research, including a drug for which a patent contains information that relates to, or is based upon, federally-funded research. Each fiscal year, HHS must publish a list of manufacturers that make payments, each manufacturer's covered blockbuster drugs, and payment amounts. Payments are divided between the FDA and the NIH in proportion to the discretionary funding of those agencies, excluding FDA user fees. Payments are not disbursed if appropriations for the FDA or the NIH are lower than in the prior fiscal year. The FDA's priority use for payments must include advancing regulatory science for medical products. The NIH's priority use for payments must include supporting: (1) research that fosters radical innovation, (2) research that advances fundamental knowledge, (3) research related to diseases that disproportionately account for federal health care spending, and (4) early career scientists. A covered blockbuster drug for which a manufacturer has not made a required payment is considered misbranded and cannot be sold until payment is made.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
After School for America's Children Act Amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program under part B of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). (21st Century Community Learning Centers provide students with before and after school programs to improve their academic performance.) Requires the Centers to provide: (1) students with activities that are targeted to their academic needs and aligned with the instruction they receive during the school day, and (2) students' families with opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education. Includes Indian tribes or organizations among the local public or private entities that are eligible for grants from states to establish the Centers. Requires states to use at least 93% (currently 95%) of their allotment from the Secretary of Education to provide grants to those entities. Allows states to use up to 5% (currently, 3%) of their allotment for certain state activities. Requires states to: (1) award grants to local entities that serve students who primarily attend schools that are eligible for schoolwide programs under part A of title I of the ESEA, and (2) favor applicants that propose to serve students that have not achieved proficiency in accordance with state academic achievement standards. Requires states to use a rigorous peer review process in reviewing grant applications. Allows states to renew a grant under part B based on the grantee's performance during the original grant period. Prohibits the Secretary or states from giving funding priority to applicants that propose to use the funds to extend the regular school day. Includes among the activities grants may fund: (1) core academic subject education activities, including those that allow students to recover or attain credits; (2) literacy education programs; (3) programs that support a healthy, active lifestyle; (4) services for the disabled; (5) cultural programs; and (6) programs that build science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and support innovative STEM teaching methods. Reauthorizes the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program through FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of State to establish in the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Peoples who shall: direct U.S. government efforts regarding the human rights of LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender); represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBT people, including discrimination and violence against LGBT people; serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State regarding human rights for LGBT people; and implement activities regarding support, education, resettlement, and empowerment of LGBT people. Directs the Special Envoy to develop or update annually for five years a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide assistance to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against LGBT people.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Designates January 2015 as National Blood Donor Month. Acknowledges the important role of volunteer blood donors in protecting the health and emergency preparedness of the United States. Recognizes the need to promote a safe, stable blood supply and to increase volunteer participation of blood donors. Endorses efforts to update blood donation policies in a safe and scientifically sound manner. Recognizes the roles of America's Blood Centers, AABB, and the American Red Cross in ensuring the safety of the blood supply and delivering lifesaving blood and blood products to health providers and patients.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
American Cures Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2016-FY2021 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that perform biomedical research. Adjustments are required for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense health program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of the programs and agencies referenced in this bill to be at least the amount appropriated in FY2015. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to revise the mission statement for the Institute of Education Sciences of the Department of Education to ensure access to, and opportunities for, adult education and literacy activities. Revises the composition of presidential appointees to the National Board for Education Sciences to include adult educators. Revises the mission statement for the Institute's National Center for Education Research (Research Center) to include improving the literacy and numeracy skills of individuals who need adult education. Revises also the Research Center's duties to include research on successful state and local adult education and literacy activities that: result in increased literacy, numeracy, and educational attainment for adult learners, or prepare students for postsecondary education or employment. Directs the Research Commissioner to support, through national research and development centers or through other means, research on adult education and digital literacy skills. Revises duties of the National Center for Education Statistics to require it to include in the statistical data on education in the United States it collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on access to, and opportunity for, adult education and literacy activities. Requires the National Center for Education and Regional Assistance to disseminate widely certain educational information with respect to educational practices that improve digital literacy skills. Amends the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 to revise the composition of regional advisory committees to include representatives of local or regional adult education providers.
![Official portrait of Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001230_200.jpg)