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![Official portrait of Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b000711_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
9,405 records where Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2015
This bill amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a specified portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2015
Visa Waiver Program Security Enhancement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to prohibit a national of a program country who has traveled to Iraq or Syria at any time during the most recent five-year period from traveling to the United States without a visa. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may prohibit a national of a program country from traveling to the United States under the program if the national has traveled during the past five years to a country in which: (1) a designated foreign terrorist organization has a significant presence, and (2) prohibiting the national from traveling to the United States under the program is in U.S. national security interests. An alien must, at the time of application for program admission, have a valid, unexpired, tamper-resistant, machine-readable passport that incorporates biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Any alien applying for program admission must have a passport that meets these requirements. (The exception for pre-October 26, 2005, passports under the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 is eliminated.) A program country must: (1) enter into and comply with an agreement with the United States to assist in the operation of an air marshal program, and (2) comply with U.S. aviation and airport security standards. A country that does not fully implement information sharing agreements shall be terminated from the program. In determining whether to designate a country as a program country or whether a program country should retain its designation DHS shall consider: the country's capacity to collect, analyze, and share data concerning dangerous individuals; the country's screening and sharing of lost or stolen passport information; whether the country collects, analyzes, and shares biometric and other information about individuals other than U.S. nationals who are applying for asylum, refugee status, or another form of non-refoulement protection in such country; and whether a country shares intelligence about foreign fighters with the United States and with multilateral organizations. DHS shall: ensure that each alien traveling to the United States under an approved electronic system for travel authorization has submitted biometric information, including photographs and fingerprints, before boarding a U.S.-bound conveyance; prioritize implementation of these biometric requirements in program countries that have a significant number of nationals who have traveled to fight with, or to assist, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); and ensure within five years that such biometric information includes photographs and fingerprints. DHS may determine that a program country is in compliance with such biometric requirements if the country implements an agreement meeting specified criteria. Program fee provisions are revised.
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Recognizes the 60th anniversary of the refusal of Rosa Louise Parks to give up her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Visa Waiver Program Firearms Clarification Act of 2015 The bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the eligibility of certain foreign nationals to purchase and possess firearms in the United States. Current law prohibits firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national (i.e., alien) who is: (1) unlawfully present in the United States, or (2) lawfully present under a nonimmigrant visa (e.g., tourist visa). The prohibitions do not apply in certain circumstances. This bill expands the prohibition to bar firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national who was lawfully admitted to the United States without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. The prohibitions do not apply to a foreign national lawfully admitted under the Visa Waiver Program if that foreign national is a government official or law enforcement officer, or possesses a hunting license. Additionally, such foreign national may apply for a Department of Justice waiver to allow firearm possession.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Condemns the brutal attacks on the people of Paris that resulted in the death of at least 129 people, including one U.S. citizen, through shootings, hostage-taking, and suicide bombings of civilian targets. Expresses the Senate's condolences and deepest sympathies for the victims and their family members. Renews the solidarity of the people and government of the United States with the people and government of France. Pledges support for the government of France to pursue justice against those involved in these attacks and to prevent future attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Securing America's Future Energy: Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act or the SAFE PIPES Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2019 the gas and hazardous liquid pipeline and related programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT shall make periodic reports to Congress on the status of a final rule for required pipeline safety regulations for which no interim final rule or direct final rule has been issued, and any other significant rulemaking. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall report on the natural gas integrity management and hazardous liquid integrity management programs. After completion of any pipeline safety inspection, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), or the head of the agency leading the inspection, shall: conduct a post-inspection briefing with the operator outlining concerns; or issue the operator a final report, notice of amendment of plans or procedures, safety order, or corrective action order. DOT shall study improving damage prevention through technological improvements in location and communications practices to prevent accidental excavation damage to a pipe or its coating. The PHMSA shall review its staff resource management, and may certify the existence of any severe shortage of qualified candidates or a critical hiring need for a PHMSA position or group of positions. In developing a research and development program plan for pipeline facility integrity, the PHMSA shall: (1) create opportunities for joint research ventures with non-federal entities, and (2) permit collaborative research and development projects with appropriate non-federal organizations. DOT shall convene a working group to consider development of a voluntary no-fault information sharing system to encourage collaborative efforts to improve inspection information feedback and information sharing regarding natural gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipeline integrity risk analysis. DOT shall: report on the feasibility of a national integrated pipeline safety regulatory inspection database to improve communication and collaboration between the PHMSA and state pipeline regulators; and issue minimum uniform safety standards for the operation, environmental protection, and integrity management of underground natural gas storage facilities. The PHMSA and an operator shall each consider the impact of a worst-case discharge of hazardous liquid, or the substantial threat of one, into or on any navigable waters or adjoining shorelines that may be covered by ice. DOT shall revise certain regulations to state explicitly that the Great Lakes are a U.S.A. ecological resource for purposes of determining whether a pipeline is in a high consequence area. The GAO shall report on the staffing, resource allocation, oversight strategy, and management of the Transportation Security Administration's pipeline security program and other surface transportation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Restoration Act of 2015 This bill declares that, if a veteran is forced to discontinue a course as a result of an educational institution's permanent closure and did not receive credit or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period of time, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill applies to school closures beginning with FY2015. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on an executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure, but only until the earlier of: (1) the date of the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure occurred; and (2) the date that is four months after the school closure.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Fred Thompson, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on November 5, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Fair Playing Field Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Department of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; direct Treasury to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; exempt certain individuals who perform professional services from treatment as employees for employment tax purposes; require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor). The IRS Commissioner must issue reports each fiscal year providing information and data on worker classification as an employee or an independent contractor.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Keep It in the Ground Act of 2015 This bill states as U.S. policy that: (1) federal land and waters should be managed for the benefit of the people of the United States to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change and to promote a rapid transition to a clean energy economy; and (2) the government should pursue management of federal land and waters for the benefit of the people of the United States by not issuing any new lease or renewing any nonproducing lease for coal, oil, or natural gas in any such land or waters. The bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a new lease, renewing, reinstating, or extending any nonproducing lease under such Act, or issuing any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other fossil fuel in the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or any other area of the outer Continental Shelf. Interior shall: (1) cancel any lease issued under such Act before the date of enactment of this Act in the Beaufort Sea, Cook Inlet, or Chukchi Sea; and (2) not conduct any lease sale, enter into any new lease, reoffer for lease any land covered by an expiring lease, or renew, reinstate, or extend any nonproducing lease in existence before such date for onshore fossil fuels, including coal, oil, tar sands, oil shale, and gas on land subject to the Mineral Leasing Act. Interior may exempt any provision of this Act if it determines that there is an imminent national security threat and that issuing an exemption would significantly reduce such threat, but only for as long as the threat persists. Interior may allow a nonproducing lease to be renewed or extended if: (1) the nonproducing lease contract was signed before enactment of this Act, and (2) Interior determines that giving effect to any provision of this Act is likely to lead to a court ruling that there was a material breach of the contract. Such a renewal or extension shall be for the shortest time practicable under the terms of the contract.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act or the Healthy MOM Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act and Internal Revenue Code to require health insurers, health insurance exchanges, and group health plans to offer a special enrollment period to pregnant individuals. The special enrollment period offered by an insurer or exchange must begin when the pregnancy is reported to the insurer or exchange. The special enrollment period offered by a group health plan must begin when the pregnancy is reported to the plan or is confirmed by a health care provider. Coverage offered by a group health plan or health insurer that covers dependents must provide coverage for maternity care to all covered individuals. The Office of Personnel Management must ensure that eligible pregnant women are allowed to enroll in federal employee health benefit plans outside of the open enrollment period. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to revise the range in which a state must establish a maximum level of family income for pregnant women and infants to be eligible for Medicaid. The upper limit of the range is eliminated and the lower limit is set to the level in place, or specified in an amendment to a state plan, on January 1, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Background Check Completion Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to completion of a background check. (Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2015
Commemorates the life of Yitzhak Rabin and extends deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and the people of Israel on the 20th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's death. Supports the close ties and special relationship between the people and governments of the United States and Israel. Reaffirms the Senate's commitment to the process of building a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on two states for two peoples. Calls on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to quell the current outbreak of terrorism and violence, and to resume work toward a negotiated two-state solution.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
End of Suffering Act of 2015 This bill prohibits any federal or state law, regulation, or agency action from restricting the right of a mentally competent adult who is suffering from an advanced illness with intolerable pain or a terminal illness to receive pain relief treatment from a physician. A physician who treats such an individual is not subject to criminal or civil prosecution or professional disciplinary action if the physician obtains the written informed consent of the patient through a form that must be developed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of Medicare competitive acquisition rates to complex rehabilitative wheelchairs and accessories. (A competitive bidding program has replaced the use of established fee schedule amounts to determine payments under Medicare for certain durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs.)
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Senate supports efforts to: (1) provide childcare assistance to each working family that needs it; (2) make childcare affordable; (3) ensure that childcare is available so that parents in the 24-hour economy can access high-quality care; (4) guarantee that each family eligible for childcare receives it by creating a system that expands with need; (5) improve the quality of childcare; and (6) provide sufficient federal, state, and local investment to ensure resources for high-quality jobs and affordable childcare.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins (to be made of "pink gold" containing at least 75% gold), 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Offers condolences to the families and friends of individuals who were murdered by an armed gunman on the Umpqua Community College campus in Roseburg, Oregon, on October 1, 2015. Expresses hope for the swift and complete recovery of individuals who were wounded by the gunman. Applauds the swift response and professional conduct of the first responders and investigating officers. Remains committed to reducing the likelihood of this kind of event happening again.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Designates October 2015 as Filipino American History Month. Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: (1) a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans, and (2) a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that federal requirements that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) review unreasonable premium increases in health care coverage do not prohibit a state from imposing additional rate requirements on health insurance issuers that are more protective of consumers. The review is expanded to include all rate increases, not only premium increases. HHS or the relevant state insurance commissioner or state regulator must ensure that any excessive, unjustified, or unfairly discriminatory rates are corrected before, or as soon as possible after, implementation, including through mechanisms such as denying rates, modifying rates, or requiring rebates to consumers. HHS may apply civil monetary penalties to health insurance issuers that fail to comply with a corrective action taken by HHS and may make the plan involved ineligible for classification as a qualified health plan. HHS must determine whether HHS or the state insurance commissioner or regulator will undertake such corrective actions based on whether the state can adequately undertake the actions. This Act applies to health plans grandfathered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Safety for Airports and Firefighters by Ensuring Drones Refrain from Obstructing Necessary Equipment Act of 2015 or the SAFE DRONE Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly operate a drone in a restricted area. A "restricted area" is an area that is: within a two-mile radius of a hub airport or an ongoing firefighting operation, or subject to a temporary flight restriction issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The prohibition does not apply to government operations in response to a fire or emergency. Violators are subject to fines, up to one year in prison, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Protecting Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prevent 2016 increases to Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles for enrollees, and (2) authorize federal funding to offset the corresponding reduction in aggregate monthly premiums. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must annually determine the monthly actuarial rate upon which Part B premiums and deductibles are based. The bill temporarily freezes that rate at the 2015 level for enrollees, effectively preventing increases to premiums and deductibles for those enrollees in 2016. (Current law already protects Part B enrollees whose benefits are deducted from their Social Security benefits from premium increases that would result in a smaller Social Security check.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Tobacco to 21 Act This bill prohibits the sale or distribution of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 21. The Department of Health and Human Services must enforce this prohibition by taking necessary actions including, as appropriate, conducting undercover compliance checks, performing retailer inspections, initiating enforcement actions for noncompliance, and establishing requirements that retailers check identification.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2015
American Energy Innovation Act This bill encourages and establishes requirements concerning: energy efficiency in the electricity grid, the manufacturing sector, certain vehicles and trucks, buildings, homes, and the federal government; protection of the bulk-power system from cybersecurity threats; the security and resiliency of the energy network and applications, including electric, natural gas, and oil exploration, transmission, and delivery; the modernization of energy infrastructure at the federal and state level; the development or deployment of alternative energies; and water conservation measures. The bill establishes: (1) a nonbinding goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 2% per year on average through 2025, and (2) a federal energy efficiency resource standard for retail electricity and natural gas suppliers. The bill repeals royalty relief for leases in the Outer Continental Shelf with respect to the production of oil or gas from deep water production or ultra deep wells in shallow waters. The Department of Interior must: (1) prevent venting and flaring of gases in oil and natural gas production operations on federal land, and (2) promote the capture of beneficial use or reinjection of gas in those operations. Interior must establish an annual production incentive fee with respect to public land that is subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the Department of Energy's: (1) Weatherization Assistance Program, (2) State Energy Program, (3) basic research, and (4) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The bill also revises and reauthorizes the Water Desalination Act of 1996. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide tax incentives for producing clean energy and for reducing energy use in homes or commercial buildings, (2) extend through 2017 energy-related tax credits, (3) subject oil derived from tar sands to an excise tax, and (4) repeal certain oil and gas tax subsidies for major integrated oil companies. The bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Centennial Fund, and (2) permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2015
Social Security Earned Benefits Payment Act This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require allocations to the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund equal to: (1) 2.65% of the amount of wages and self-employment income paid between December 31, 2015, and January 1, 2021; and (2) 1.80% of wages and self-employment income paid after December 31, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
American Worker Health Care Tax Relief Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit (high-cost plans). The bill expresses the sense of the Senate that the revenue loss resulting from the repeal of such excise tax should be offset by corresponding revenue.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
No Government No Pay Act of 2015 A Member of Congress may not receive pay, during a government shutdown, equal to the product of the Member's daily rate of pay and the number of 24-hour periods during which the government shutdown is in effect. This prohibition shall apply on and after the convening of the 115th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Designates the week of September 19-September 26, 2015, as National Estuaries Week. Acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment in the United States and the nation's economic well-being and prosperity. Expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working to understand, protect, and restore U.S. estuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Recognizes: the scale and complexity of the Syrian refugee crisis and the need for the international community to work together to provide resources and capacity to aid refugees; the humanitarian commitment of Syria's neighbors who have worked to absorb the vast majority of refugees, as well as the European nations who have made commitments to share in the refugee resettlement effort; and that the refugee crisis is a symptom of the broader conflict in Syria, the persecution of persons based on identity groups, including Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen, and Kurds, and instability in the Middle East and North Africa, and that efforts to resolve those challenges are a necessary component of any plan to address the refugee crisis. Welcomes the President's decision to admit at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, and to increase the overall number of refugees received by the United States to 85,000 in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Expresses the strong support of the Senate for the continuation of the Federal Perkins Loan program in order to provide educational opportunities to future generations of students who need low-cost financing to make their dreams of higher education possible.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2015
Recognizes: (1) the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the September 2015 conference at the United Nations to empower women; and (2) that many women will not be able to participate in the dialogue about such conference because they are imprisoned. Reiterates support for efforts to empower women and secure universal human rights for women. Welcomes the release of Ta Phong Tan of Vietnam on September 19, 2015, and calls for the release of the women mentioned in the preamble of this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Recognizes the patriotism and historic contributions to the United States by Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver. Commends their character, courage, and tenacity as the first women to earn the Ranger tab signifying graduation from Ranger School. Congratulates them for their inspiring and ground breaking accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honors the extraordinary courage and heroism of U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, French-American Mark Moogalian, British consultant Chris Norman, and Frenchman Damien A. who selflessly risked their lives to prevent a terrorist attack that could have killed dozens aboard a passenger train bound for Paris. Extends best wishes for a full recovery to all innocent individuals who were injured during the attack, including U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone and French-American Mark Moogalian.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to restore a student's Pell Grant eligibility for any period of time during which the student qualified for, or would have qualified for, federal student loan forgiveness due to school closure, assertion of a defense against repayment, or institutional fraud or misconduct. Specifically, this bill provides that Pell Grants received by a student during that period of time do not count toward the student's lifetime limit on Pell Grant eligibility (currently 12 full-time semesters).
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional liquidated damages equal to double the back pay, without any reduction, to any employee against whom an employer has discriminated with regard to hiring or because the employee has filed charges or given testimony or if the employer has committed an unfair labor practice resulting in the employee's discharge or other serious economic loss. Civil penalties are established for violations of posting requirements and any violations causing serious economic loss to employees. Whenever it is charged that an employer has engaged in an unfair labor practice that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of guaranteed rights and involves discharge or other serious harm to an employee, the preliminary investigation of the charge shall be made forthwith and given priority generally over all other cases. The U.S. district court shall: (1) have jurisdiction to grant injunctive relief or a temporary restraining order to protect the rights guaranteed, and (2) shall grant the relief requested unless the court concludes that there is no reasonable likelihood that the NLRB will succeed on the merits of the NLRB's claim. A person injured by an unfair labor practice may bring a civil action in the appropriate district court. Unauthorized aliens may be paid back pay under a court order directing reinstatement of an employee. In any case where the NLRB finds that an election to determine a collective bargaining representative should be set aside because the employer committed a violation or otherwise interfered with a fair election, it shall issue an order requiring the employer to collectively bargain with the labor organization. The NLRB shall dismiss any petition to represent a unit if in an election a majority of the valid votes cast in an appropriate unit have not been cast in favor of representation by the labor organization. The NLRB shall promulgate regulations requiring each employer to post and maintain, in conspicuous places, a notice setting forth the rights and protections afforded employees under such Act. Each order of the NLRB shall take effect 30 days after notice of an NLRB order is given, unless the NLRB directs otherwise. The NLRB shall apply to the district court in which an unfair labor practice or other subject of the order occurred for the enforcement of an order if any person or entity fails or neglects to obey it.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2015
Recognizes the achievements and goals of Hispanic-serving educational institutions across the United States. Designates the week beginning September 14, 2015, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2015
Recognizes the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15, 2015, through October 15, 2015. Esteems the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2015
Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to prohibit an insured credit union from making any member business loan that would result in the total amount of such loans outstanding at that credit union at any one time exceeding either: (1) 1.75 times the actual net worth of the credit union, or (2) 12.25% of the total assets of the credit union. Authorizes the National Credit Union Administration Board to approve an application by an insured credit union to make one or more member business loans that would result in a total amount of such loans outstanding at any one time of up to 27.5 % of the total assets of the credit union, if the credit union meets specified safety and soundness criteria. Prohibits an insured credit union that has made such a member business loan but that is not well capitalized from making any new member business loans until it becomes well capitalized and obtains Board approval. Directs the Board to develop a tiered approval process, including lending standards, under which an insured credit union gradually increases the amount of member business lending in a manner that is consistent with safe and sound operations. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study the status of member business lending by insured credit unions.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out certain leases at the VA's West Los Angeles Campus in Los Angeles, California, for: (1) supportive housing; (2) health, education, family support, vocational training, and other services that principally benefit veterans and their families; and (3) a lease of real property to a California institution that has had a long-term medical affiliation with the VA at such Campus.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Richard Schultz Schweiker, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 9, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Expedited Disability Insurance Payments for Terminally Ill Individuals Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prescribe formulae for payment of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits over a period of 24 consecutive calendar months for individuals determined to be under a disability upon submission of a diagnosis of a terminal illness.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died in theater in the Korean War; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Sewall-Belmont House Act of 2015 This bill establishes the Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site (the former headquarters of the National Woman's Party of the women's suffrage movement) as a unit of the National Park System (NPS). The Site shall not be established as an NPS unit, however, until the Department of the Interior determines that: (1) the National Woman's Party has transferred to Interior the land and any improvements within the boundaries of the Site, and (2) Interior and the National Woman's Party have entered into a management agreement. The national historic site shall consist of the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, located at 144 Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Pechanga Settlement Agreement, entered into by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, the Rancho California Water District (RCWD), and the United States, except to the extent that it is modified by or conflicts with this Act. Confirms a Tribal Water Right that must be held in trust by the United States on behalf of the Band and its allottees. (Allottees are individuals who hold a beneficial real property interest in an Indian allotment that is located within the reservation and held in trust by the United States.) Authorizes allottees to lease their lands together with any water right. Requires the Band to enact a Pechanga Water Code that governs the storage, recovery, and use of the Tribal Water Right, subject to the Department of the Interior's approval. Directs the Band and the United States (acting as trustee for the Band and allottees), to waive all claims for water rights within the Santa Margarita River Watershed. States that the Band and the United States (acting as trustee for the Band), waive specified claims against the RCWD. Authorizes the waiver of claims by the Band against the United States regarding specified water rights and damages. Establishes in the Treasury the Pechanga Settlement Fund. Makes this Act enforceable on the date Interior publishes specified findings regarding despoits and approved agreements. Repeals this Act and voids any related agreements on May 1, 2021, or an alternative later date agreed to by the Band and Interior, if Interior does not publish those findings. Prohibits Interior from being liable for failing to carry out any obligation or activity under this Act if there are insufficient appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act This bill expands the boundary of the California Coastal National Monument to include specified federal lands in Humboldt, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo Counties in California. The Department of the Interior shall amend the Monument management plan for the long-term protection and management of the federal land so added. Interior may acquire nonfederal land or interests within or adjacent to the added federal land only through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller. Interior must ensure the protection of Indian sacred sites and traditional cultural properties in the Monument and provide access by members of Indian Tribes for traditional cultural and customary uses. The Monument shall be managed as part of the National Landscape Conservation System. Interior shall establish an advisory council for each unit of the added federal land to advise on the implementation of the management plan. Certain rocks, pinnacles, reefs, and islands in the Pacific Ocean within a mile of the coast of Orange County, California, are made part of the California Coastal National Monument, and their current temporary reservation is repealed. Likewise repealed is the lighthouse reservation with respect to the San Juan and San Mateo Rocks and the two rocks in the vicinity of Laguna Beach, off the coast of Orange County.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has improved and saved the lives of countless women worldwide and must remain intact for this and future generations; (2) there remain striking sex and gender differences in many diseases and conditions, on which the ORWH should continue to focus; (3) the ORWH must continue to focus on ensuring that NIH funds biomedical research that considers sex as a basic biological variable; and (4) the NIH should continue to consult and involve the ORWH on all matters related to the influence of sex and gender on health.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Alice Paul to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Gun Violence Intervention Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit an individual who has been issued a gun violence prevention order from owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving any firearms. In addition, no person may sell ammunition to any individual subject to a prevention order. The bill is designed to allow family members and associates to petition a court to issue a gun violence prevention order to any individual who may pose a danger to themselves or others. States are allowed to temporarily seize firearms from individuals who have been issued a prevention order. Individuals who have their firearms seized are given an opportunity to petition the court for an order allowing them to regain possession of their firearms. The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services is authorized to issue grant funds to assist states in implementing this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Mobile Device Theft Deterrence Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly: (1) removing, obliterating, tampering with, or altering a mobile device identification number; or (2) using, producing, trafficking in, having control or custody of, or possessing hardware or software, knowing it has been configured to engage in such conduct. Exempts the manufacturer of a mobile device, a person that engineers, tests, repairs, or refurbishes a mobile device, or a person that implements technologies for the purpose of protecting the security and privacy of mobile device end users while allowing the transmission of the mobile device identification number to service providers, unless such manufacturer or person knows that the mobile device or part involved is stolen.