United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
This bill directs the Department of State to offer a reward (pursuant to the Rewards for Justice program) of up to $10 million to an individual who furnishes information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual responsible for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit Equity for Puerto Rico Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make citizens of Puerto Rico eligible for the federal earned income tax credit and allow them to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit on the same basis as U.S. taxpayers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to award grants to states to carry out certain policies and procedures that restrict and penalize firearm possession by or transfer to a person subject to a domestic violence protection order or a person convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor.
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 · 21 October 2015
NICS Reporting Improvement Act This bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to revise the requirement for states to provide to the Department of Justice (DOJ), as an eligibility condition to receive a grant under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) and a waiver of the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program, estimates of firearms-related disqualifying records. It directs DOJ to establish a four-year state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). DOJ must reduce a state's allocation of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program for failing to comply with benchmarks. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the NARIP grant program and revises it, among other things, to: add state court systems to the list of eligible grant recipients; require a grant applicant to certify, as an eligibility condition, that no state law or court order prohibits the submission of mental health records to NICS; and create a preference for grant applicants that meet the benchmarks included in the state implementation plan. The bill repeals the grant program for state and tribal court systems to improve the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records.
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 · 7 October 2015
Electrify Africa Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa implement national power strategies and develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in order to reduce poverty and drive economic growth. The President may: (1) establish an interagency working group to coordinate the activities of U.S. government departments and agencies involved in carrying out the strategy, and (2) use U.S. influence to leverage international support to promote the strategy. The U.S. Agency for International Development, the Trade and Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Millennium Challenge Corporation are urged to prioritize efforts and assistance for power projects and markets in sub-Saharan Africa.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Streamlining and Investing in Broadband Infrastructure Act This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to issue best practices relating to broadband infrastructure and installation for state broadband coordination offices, with an emphasis on rural areas. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must require states to install broadband conduits, which support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service, in certain highway construction projects. DOT must ensure that: (1) standards are established that apply to all areas, including rural and remote areas with low population density; and (2) any requesting broadband provider has access to such installed conduits on a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory basis, for a charge not to exceed a cost-based rate. Federal easement and right-of-way procedures under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 are revised to allow an executive agency, a state, a person, a firm, or an organization to apply for the grant of a real property interest (including a lease, license, easement, or right-of-way) to, in, over, or on a building or other property owned by the federal government for the right to install, construct, modify, and maintain a communications facility installation. An executive agency that owns the building or other property on behalf of the federal government must grant to the applicant, if technically feasible, a real property interest to perform such installation, construction, modification, and maintenance. Requirements are set forth concerning the fees and terms of years for the grant of such real property interests. The bill provides for the collection of: (1) a standard fee established by the General Services Administration (GSA), or (2) agency-specific fees established by executive agencies. The GSA must also consult with designated agencies regarding the master application forms and standard contracts that executive agencies are required to accept for the placement of such facilities. If the GSA determines that master forms or contracts are not adequate for a specific building or property, it must coordinate with the agencies to address the inadequacies and provide an adequate alternative application form or contract to the applicant.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2016 This bill provides $1 billion in FY2016 supplemental appropriations to the Department of State's Migration and Refugee Assistance account for expenses to respond to the refugee crisis resulting from conflict in the Middle East, including costs associated with the resettlement of refugees in the United States. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. Prior to using funds provided by this bill, the State Department must submit to Congress a report including specified details regarding the refugees who have fled Syria and Iraq, the costs associated with resettlement, and the proposed uses of funds provided by this bill. The State Department may transfer funds provided by this bill to other federal agencies for the purpose of assisting in the resettlement in the United States of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East, subject to congressional notification requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Workplace Democracy Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify without an election an individual or labor organization as the exclusive representative of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining if a majority of the employees has signed valid authorizations designating the individual or labor organization specified in a properly filed petition as their bargaining representative and no other individual or labor organization is currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit. The NLRB shall develop guidelines and procedures for the designation by employees of a bargaining representative. Deadlines are prescribed for critical turns in collective bargaining to establish an initial agreement upon the request of an individual or labor organization that has been newly organized or certified as a representative. The first meeting shall convene within 10 days after the employer receives a request. Either party to a negotiation may, 90 days after commencement, notify the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of the existence of a dispute and request mediation. The Service shall refer the dispute to an arbitration board if the parties are not brought to agreement within 30 days after the request for mediation.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Military Family Stability Act of 2015 This bill allows a member of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent change of station and the member's spouse to jointly elect that the spouse may relocate to the new location at the time during the covered relocation period as the member and spouse jointly select. The following families are eligible: the spouse is employed, or enrolled in a degree, certificate or license-granting program, at the beginning of the covered relocation period; the member and spouse have one or more children in school; the spouse or children are covered under the Exceptional Family Member Program; the member and spouse are caring for an immediate family member with a chronic or long-term illness; or the member is undergoing a permanent change of station as an individual augmentee or other deployment arrangement. Families with other needs may receive exceptions granted by military commanders on a case-by-case basis. A member undergoing a permanent change of station who has one or more specified dependents and is no longer married to the individual who is or was the parent of such dependents at the beginning of the covered period of relocation may elect that such dependents relocate to the new location as follows: by the member alone if the former spouse is dead or has no custodial rights, or by the member and the former spouse jointly in all other circumstances. Housing provisions are as follows: if a member's spouse relocates first the member shall be assigned to quarters or other U.S. housing facilities as a bachelor until the date of the member's permanent change of station; if a member's spouse and dependents reside in U.S. housing at the beginning of the covered relocation period, the spouse and dependents may continue to reside in such housing throughout the covered period of relocation regardless of the date of the member's permanent change of station; and if a member's spouse and dependents are eligible to reside in U.S. housing following the member's permanent change of station, the spouse and dependents may commence residing in such housing at any time during the covered relocation period regardless of the date of the member's permanent change of station. In the case of a member undergoing a permanent change of station who is paid basic housing allowance at the "with dependents" rate at the beginning of the covered relocation period, the member shall be paid at such rate for months beginning during the covered relocation period regardless of the date on which the member's spouse and dependents relocate or the member is assigned to bachelor's quarters or facilities. The geographic location of the dependents shall govern in determining the portion of basic housing allowance payable to a member with respect to the member's dependents. A member shall be provided with housing reimbursement if quarters are not available for the member's assignment until the date on which the member and the member's spouse reside in the same geographic area after the permanent change of station. Transportation allowances authorized for personal property of a member and spouse may be allocated as the member and spouse select. The Department of Defense shall establish a single application approval process for coverage under this Act which shall apply uniformly among the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Enhancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Act to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation to designate a senior employee to serve as the broadband and emerging information technology (BEIT) coordinator. The Office must also provide SBA employees BEIT training to assist small businesses in the use of such technologies. The SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy shall evaluate the impact of broadband speed and price on small businesses. Services provided by a small business development center shall include accessing and using BEIT as an authorized activity of small business development centers.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2015
Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 This bill permits a court to reduce the mandatory minimum prison term imposed on certain non-violent defendants convicted of a high-level first-time or low-level repeat drug offense (including unlawful import, export, manufacture, or distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance). It expands safety valve eligibility to permit a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain non-violent, cooperative drug defendants with a limited criminal history. It also reduces the enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for certain defendants who commit a high-level repeat drug offense, use a firearm in a crime of violence or drug offense after a prior conviction for such offense, or unlawfully possess a firearm after three or more prior convictions. It permits retroactive application of such reductions, after a court considers certain factors. The bill makes the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive to permit resentencing of a convicted crack cocaine offender sentenced before August 3, 2010. The legislation creates new mandatory minimum prison terms for: (1) interstate domestic violence that results in a victim's death, and (2) providing goods and services to terrorists, to any person to develop weapons of mass destruction, or to a country subject to an arms embargo. Corrections Oversight, Recidivism Reduction, and Eliminating Costs for Taxpayers In Our National System Act of 2015 or the CORRECTIONS Act This bill requires the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to make available appropriate recidivism reduction programming and productive activities to all eligible prisoners. The Department of Justice must develop the Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System. It requires presentence investigation reports to contain certain information such as substance abuse history, military service, and veteran status. It directs the BOP to issue pepper spray to its officers and employees. The bill makes permanent the pilot program to release nonviolent elderly offenders from prison facilities to home detention and expands eligibility for such release. Courts must automatically seal and expunge certain records of juvenile nonviolent offenses. It prohibits juvenile solitary confinement, except in limited circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2015
Women's Pension Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to: (1) extend spousal consent requirements to defined contribution pension plans, and (2) allow certain long-term part-time workers to participate in pension plans that include either a qualified cash or deferred arrangement or a salary reduction agreement. Financial product or service providers who sell retirement financial products or services must provide purchasers of their products or services an easily accessible link to the website of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to obtain information relating to retirement planning or later life economic security. The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor shall award grants to certain community-based organizations to improve the financial literacy of women who are working age or in retirement.
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 · 29 September 2015
Jobs Originated through Launching Travel Act of 2015 or JOLT Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to admit into the United States a qualifying Canadian citizen over 50 years old and spouse for a period not to exceed 240 days (in a single 365-day period) if the person maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay. Revises the secure travel partnership program (the visa waiver program as renamed by this Act) to: (1) authorize DHS to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions. Expresses the sense of Congress that DHS should, in evaluating countries participating in the secure travel partnership program, give review priority to countries where circumstances indicate that such a review is necessary or desirable. Directs the Department of State to require U.S. diplomatic and consular missions to: (1) conduct nonimmigrant visa application interviews expeditiously, consistent with national security requirements and in recognition of resource allocation considerations; and (2) set a goal of interviewing 90% of all nonimmigrant visa applicants, worldwide, within 10 days of application receipt. Directs the State Department to: (1) develop and conduct a pilot program for processing visas using secure remote videoconferencing technology, and (2) seek to coordinate enrollment and interview processes for individuals eligible for both a U.S. visa and enrollment in the Global Entry program. Requires an alien at the time of application for U.S. entry under the secure travel partnership program to have a valid, unexpired electronic passport that incorporates biometric and document authentication identifiers that comply with internationally accepted practices.
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 · 28 September 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 Cornell Street in Kingston, New York, at the "Staff Sergeant Robert H. Dietz Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2015
Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer's Act or the EUREKA Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish EUREKA prize competitions to achieve high-priority breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease and dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The NIH must: (1) convene an advisory council of nongovernmental experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia to develop the EUREKA prize competitions, and (2) appoint a panel of judges to evaluate submissions. The council and panel are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Support for EUREKA prize competitions may be provided by private organizations and individuals.
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
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act This bill amends the federal judicial code to narrow the scope of foreign sovereign immunity by authorizing U.S. courts to hear cases involving claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages that occur inside the United States as a result of a tort, including an act of terrorism, committed anywhere by a foreign state or official. It amends the federal criminal code to permit civil claims against a foreign state or official for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism. Additionally, the bill authorizes federal courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over and impose liability on a person who commits, or aids, abets, or conspires to commit, an act of international terrorism against a U.S. national.
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
Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2015 This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work due to a lapse in appropriations beginning on or after October 1, 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 occur if FY2016 appropriations legislation is not enacted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2015.
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
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2015 or the Fair Chance Act This bill prohibits federal agencies and federal contractors from requesting that applicants for employment disclose criminal history record information before receiving a conditional offer (an offer of employment conditioned upon the results of a criminal history inquiry). The bill sets forth positions to which such prohibition shall not apply, such as positions for which prior consideration of criminal history record information is otherwise required by law, positions with law enforcement and national security duties, and positions requiring access to classified information. The bill prohibits agencies from requiring an individual or sole proprietor who submits a bid for a contract to disclose criminal history record information regarding that individual or sole proprietor before determining the apparent awardee. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Administrator of General Services, and the Secretary of Defense must: (1) establish procedures for submitting complaints about, and taking adverse actions against, agency employees and contractors for violating such prohibitions and for appealing such an adverse action; and (2) issue regulations to implement this Act. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement the requirements of this Act. The Department of Labor, in coordination with the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, must study and report every five years on the employment of individuals who are released from federal prison after completing a term of imprisonment for a federal criminal offense.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business-related tax credit for up to $5,000 for the training of a qualified individual in a qualified apprenticeship program or a qualified multi-employer apprenticeship program. The bill defines a "qualified individual" as an individual who: (1) is an apprentice participating in a qualified apprenticeship program or a qualified multi-employer apprenticeship program, (2) has been employed in either program for a period of at least seven months that ends within the taxable year, and (3) is not a highly compensated employee or a seasonal worker. The bill defines "qualified apprenticeship program" as a program that: (1) provides qualified individuals with on-the-job training and instruction for a qualified occupation (i.e., a skilled trade occupation in a high-demand mechanical, technical, health care, or technology field); (2) is registered with the Office of Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor; and (3) maintains records relating to the qualified individual. A "qualified multi-employer apprenticeship program" is a program in which multiple employers are required to contribute and that is maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a premature distribution, without penalty, from a tax-qualified retirement plan to an employee who is serving as a mentor. A "mentor" is defined as a working individual who: (1) has attained age 55; (2) works reduced hours and engages in mentoring activities for at least 20% of such hours; and (3) is responsible for the training and education of employees or students in an area of expertise for which such individual has a professional credential, certificate, or degree.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Responsible Transfer of Firearms Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to sell or transfer a firearm to prohibited person, unless the transferor takes reasonable steps to determine that the recipient is not prohibited from firearm possession. (Current law makes it a crime to sell or transfer a firearm to a prohibited person if the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe the recipient is prohibited from firearm possession.)
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 · 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
Career-Ready Student Veterans Act of 2015 This bill adds the following new criteria for state approval, for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance, of applications of educational institutions providing veterans with non-accredited courses: any program designed to prepare an individual for state licensure or certification must meet state instructional curriculum licensure or certification requirements, and any program designed to prepare an individual for employment pursuant to standards developed by a state board or agency in an occupation requiring approval or licensure must be approved or licensed by that state board or agency. The VA may waive either of these two requirements if: the educational institution is accredited by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of Education; the program did not meet the requirements at any time during the two-year period preceding the waiver date; the waiver furthers the purposes of the educational assistance programs or would further the education interests of individuals eligible for assistance under such programs; and the educational institution does not provide any incentive payment based on securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance, except for recruitment of foreign students residing in foreign countries who are ineligible for federal student assistance. The criteria added by this Act also apply to approval of accredited courses at for-profit educational institutions. The VA shall disapprove a course of education added by this Act unless the educational institution providing the course publicly discloses any conditions or additional requirements, including training, experience, or exams, required to obtain the license, certification, or approval for which the course of education is designed to provide preparation.
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
Equal Employment for All Act of 2015 Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a current or prospective employer from using a consumer report or an investigative consumer report, or from causing one to be procured, for either employment purposes or for making an adverse action, if the report contains information that bears upon the consumer's creditworthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity. Makes exceptions to such prohibition when: (1) the consumer applies for, or currently holds, employment that requires a national security clearance; or (2) a consumer report is otherwise required by law.
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
Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act of 2015 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) legislation is necessary to provide consumers information on products that are free of child labor, forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking; and (2) businesses and consumers, by means of publicly available disclosures, can avoid inadvertently promoting or sanctioning these crimes through production and purchase of raw materials, goods, and finished products that have been tainted in the supply chains. The bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), within one year after enactment of this Act, to promulgate regulations requiring any covered issuer of a registered security to include in its mandatory annual report a disclosure of whether the issuer has taken any measures during the year to identify and address conditions of forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor within the issuer's supply chains. The term "covered issuer" means an issuer that has annual worldwide global receipts in excess of $100 million. The regulations shall mandate that the required information be disclosed on such issuer's Internet website through a conspicuous and easily understandable link to the relevant information labeled "Global Supply Chain Transparency." The SEC must make available to the public in a searchable format on its website: (1) a list of covered issuers required to disclose such information, and (2) a compilation of the information disclosed.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Family Stability and Kinship Care Act of 2015 This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) (renamed by this Act Federal Payments for Foster Care and Permanency) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to give states the option of providing certain time-limited family services, including parenting and family skills training and counseling, to a child meeting certain criteria or the child's parents or kin caregivers. SSAct title IV part B is also amended to: eliminate the time-limit for family reunification services, increase the mandatory funding authorization for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, and extend funding for Family Connection Grants for one year.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Improving the Treatment of the U.S. Territories Under Federal Health Programs Act of 2015 This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to: (1) terminate limitations on general Medicaid funding, as well as the specific federal medical assistance percentage, for U.S. territories ; (2) extend to additional U.S. territories the authority to waive or modify certain Medicaid requirements; and (3) establish a formula for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to the territories. Federal financial participation shall generally not be available to a territory for medical assistance for an individual whose family income exceeds 100% percent of the official poverty line for a family of that size. The bill also amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the SSAct to: (1) revise the formula for the Medicare inpatient hospital services payment rate for hospitals in Puerto Rico to increase the applicable federal percentage from 75% to 100%, (2) apply Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) payments to certain hospitals in Puerto Rico, (3) establish a formula element for calculating Medicare DSH payments under the inpatient prospective payment system for certain hospitals in Puerto Rico, (4) allow residents of Puerto Rico to enroll under Medicare hospital services, (5) increase the geographic adjustment practice expense index for Puerto Rico, and (6) alter how U.S territories are treated under Medicare Advantage and the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act or Christopher's Law This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a private student loan lender to disclose clearly and conspicuously in writing a cosigner's obligations regarding a private student loan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) must publish a model form for such disclosure. The bill prohibits a private student loan lender from taking an adverse action against a borrower (e.g., placing a loan in default or accelerating a loan balance) upon a cosigner's death, disability, or bankruptcy. It also prohibits adverse actions against a cosigner for a borrower's death, disability, or bankruptcy. The CFPB must establish and a private student loan lender must disclose criteria for releasing a cosigner from a private student loan obligation. A private student loan lender must also: provide prompt notice of a cosigner's release; allow a borrower to designate a legal representative to make decisions upon the death or disability of such borrower; and ensure a borrower and cosigner receive comprehensive counseling on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of a private student loan. Additionally, this bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the required elements of entrance counseling for a federal student loan borrower to include: conditions for loan discharge upon the death or disability of a borrower, options for loan repayment and forgiveness upon the death or disability of a borrower or cosigner, and obligations of a borrower or cosigner upon the death or disability of a borrower. It requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of a student's option to designate a legal representative to make decisions about a federal student loan upon such student's death or disability.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Mental Health Reform Act of 2015 This bill creates the position of Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders to oversee the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Mental health programs are extended and training regarding mental health is expanded. SAMHSA must establish the National Mental Health Policy Laboratory and the Interagency Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institute of Mental Health to translate evidence-based interventions and the best available science into systems of care. The Health Resources and Services Administration must support the creation and expansion of child psychiatry access programs. Certain mental health care professional volunteers are provided liability protection. Pediatric mental health subspecialists are eligible for National Health Service Corps programs. An underserved population of children or a site for training in child psychiatry can be designated as a health professional shortage area. SAMHSA must award primary care and behavioral health care integration grants to state entities to fund improvements in settings with integrated care. The Department of Health and Human Services must develop a model program and materials for training health care providers regarding the disclosure of the protected health information of patients with a mental illness. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to conditionally expand coverage of mental health services.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: Social Security earned benefits that are crucial to the economic security of our nation and must be preserved to ensure future generations of Americans are protected; with the strong support of the federal government, Social Security must continue to deliver guaranteed retirement and life insurance benefits for workers and their families, as well as serve as an indispensable safety net for the most vulnerable segments of American society; and while the trust funds that support Social Security are projected to pay all benefits through 2034, Congress should act to ensure this vital program can support workers and families far into the future, but should reject proposals that weaken or privatize Social Security and should consider proposals to strengthen Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a scale-up manufacturing investment company (SUMIC) program under which it shall provide leverage to participating investment funds (PIFs) to support debt and equity investments in qualifying manufacturing projects of specified small and emerging manufacturers. Within 60 days after SBA approves and issues a license to operate as a PIF under SUMIC, it may provide up to $1 of leverage for every $1 of private capital raised by the PIF. The maximum amount of outstanding leverage made available in any given fiscal year: to any PIF may not exceed $500 million, and to all PIFs in aggregate may not exceed $1 billion. The private capital of a PIF must be at least $250 million. Any national bank, or any member bank of the Federal Reserve System or nonmember insured bank, to the extent permitted under state law, may invest in any one or more PIFs, or in any entity established to invest solely in PIFs. In no event must the total amount of such investments exceed 5% of the bank's capital and surplus. The SBA must charge a leverage fee of between 3% and 5.5% of the face amount of the leverage issued. Each PIF shall have authority to borrow money and issue debentures and preferred securities, subject to SBA limitations and regulations. Of the SBA leverage provided to a PIF: (1) at least 70% must be issued as debentures, and (2) up to 30% may be issued as preferred securities. The Federal Financing Bank may acquire such a debenture. A PIF must use its SBA leverage to make debt and equity investments in small and emerging manufacturers to carry out qualifying manufacturing projects. The SBA shall issue policy directives to provide for enhanced outreach efforts to increase investments by PIFs in small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and by women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. The SBA may establish a SUMIC Credit Council.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act or the PALS Act This bill requires that any provision of law referring to current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention be administered as if: (1) the provision referred to USPSTF recommendations last issued before 2009; and (2) those recommendations applied to any screening mammography modality, including any digital modality of such a procedure. (In 2009, USPSTF updated its guidelines to recommend against routine screening mammography for women between 40 to 49 years of age and to recommend biennial, instead of annual, screening mammography for most women between 50 to 74 years of age.) In addition, the bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to preserve Medicare coverage for screening mammography, without a requirement for coinsurance, and expand the definition of screening mammography to include any digital modality of such a procedure. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid may not revise the frequency with which screening mammography may be paid by Medicare for a woman over 39 years of age.
![Official portrait of Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000555_200.jpg)