United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2015 Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV program (except a foreign school) to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment that includes: (1) a prohibition of harassment of students by other students, faculty, and staff; (2) a description of its programs to prevent harassment; (3) a description of the procedures that students should follow if harassment occurs; and (4) a description of the procedures it will follow once an incident of harassment has been reported. Defines "harassment" to include certain conduct undertaken through technological means that limits a student's ability to benefit from the IHE's programs, or creates a hostile or abusive educational environment at the school. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to: (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; and (3) train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs. Directs the Secretary to publish a report of best practices for combating harassment at IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize trauma care programs through FY2020. Grants for pilot projects of innovative models of emergency care and trauma systems can be allocated up to half of the remaining funds for trauma care after allocations for improvement of emergency medical services in rural areas and administrative purposes. State plans for emergency medical services are required to include the national standards and requirements of the American Burn Association for verified burn centers. The Department of Health and Human Services must update the model plan for designation of trauma centers and for triage, transfer, and transportation policies, taking into account standards from the American Burn Association.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2015 Establishes the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to identify, recommend, and promote initiatives, partnerships, and research that can be turned into strategies to prevent breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis while giving priority to those that are: (1) not prioritized in the public sector, and (2) unlikely to be achieved by the private sector due to technical and financial uncertainty. Requires the Commission to: (1) submit within six months to the President and to the relevant congressional committees a description of the Commission's strategic plan; (2) submit an annual report to the President, Congress, and the public; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and not duplicative of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act of 2015 Honors as a veteran any person who is entitled to retired pay for nonregular (reserve) service or who would be so entitled, but for age. Provides that such person shall not be entitled to any benefit by reason of such recognition.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2015
Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2015 This bill amends federal bankruptcy law to make privately issued student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy. Under current law, student loans (whether issued privately or by a governmental unit) are dischargeable only if excepting the loans from dischargeability would impose undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor's dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2015
Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemical Protection Act This bill amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to revise the regulation of chemicals. A safety standard is established to ensure with reasonable certainty that no harm to human health or the environment will result from exposure to a chemical under the intended or reasonable foreseeable conditions of use. The standard includes the protection of potentially exposed or susceptible populations. The standard does not take cost or other non-risk factors into consideration. The bill expands the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to require the development of new information about a chemical. By specified deadlines, the EPA must designate a certain number of existing chemicals as high or low priority for safety assessments and determinations and conduct risk-based safety assessments and determinations for high priority chemicals. Low-priority designations are subject to judicial review. The EPA must prohibit or restrict the manufacture, processing, use, distribution, or disposal of a new chemical, or a significant new use of an existing chemical, if the chemical will not likely meet the safety standard, or additional information is necessary to make a safety determination. If a chemical does not meet the safety standard, the EPA must impose restrictions to assure that it meets the standard, or ban or phase out the chemical when the safety standard cannot be met with the application of those restrictions. The EPA may declare a proposed rule effective upon publication to protect the public interest when certain activities involving chemicals are likely to result in a significant risk of serious or widespread injury to health or the environment. The EPA must: (1) list all forms of asbestos as high-priority chemicals; and (2) expedite identification, assessment, and action on persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic chemicals. Confidential business information claims to protect information related to chemicals must be substantiated by manufacturers or processors and reviewed by the EPA. The bill sets forth the types of information that are protected from disclosure and the duration of such protection. The EPA must require manufacturers of chemical substances to pay fees to defray the cost of administering this bill. The EPA must operate Regional Disease Cluster Information and Response Centers and Regional Disease Cluster Information and Response Teams and may award grants for technical assistance for the investigation and mitigation of a community-based disease cluster. A "disease cluster" means the occurrence of a greater-than-expected number of cases of a particular disease within a group of individuals, a geographic area, or a period of time.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Community Based Independence for Seniors Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a Community-Based Institutional Special Needs Plan demonstration program to target home and community-based care to eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act or the SOS Campus Act Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in the programs under title IV (Student Assistance) to designate an independent advocate for campus sexual assault prevention and response (Advocate) with experience in providing sexual assault victim services. Directs the Secretary of Education to prescribe regulations for IHEs to follow in appointing Advocates. Requires each Advocate to: (1) report to an individual outside the body responsible for investigating and adjudicating sexual assault complaints at the IHE, (2) submit to such individual an annual report summarizing how the resources supplied to the Advocate were used, and (3) represent the interests of each student victim even when they conflict with the IHE's interests. Directs each Advocate to: ensure that sexual assault victims at the IHE receive, with their consent, specified information and services; guide sexual assault victims who request assistance through the reporting, counseling, administrative, medical and health, academic accommodations, or legal processes of the IHE or local law enforcement; attend, at the request of a sexual assault victim, any administrative or IHE-based adjudication proceeding related to such assault as an advocate for the victim; maintain the privacy and confidentiality of the victim and any witness to such sexual assault, without notifying the IHE or any other authority of the identity of the victim or of any such witness or the alleged circumstances surrounding the reported sexual assault, unless otherwise required to do so by state law; and conduct a public information campaign to inform the students enrolled at the IHE of the existence of, contact information for, and services provided by the Advocate. Prohibits IHEs from retaliating against: (1) Advocates for representing the interests of a student victims, or (2) student victims for reporting sexual assaults to Advocates.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
International Violence Against Women Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to: (1) develop or update annually for five years (after the 2012 United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally which shall be deemed to be the first required strategy) a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, and (2) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large and Senior Coordinator to: (1) include in each strategy an analysis of best practices for preventing and addressing violence against women and girls internationally; and (2) develop a plan for monitoring programs, projects, and activities carried out under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Mental Health First Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to initiate and sustain mental health first aid training programs. Requires such a program to include training on: (1) the skills, resources, and knowledge necessary to assist individuals in crisis to connect with appropriate local mental health care services; (2) mental health resources, including the location of community mental health centers; and (3) protocols for referral to mental health resources. Sets forth the categories of individuals to be trained under the program, including first responders, law enforcement personnel, teachers and school administrators, human resources professionals, nurses and other primary care personnel, students enrolled in school, parents of students, and veterans and veteran stakeholders. Requires such programs to train individuals to accomplish safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and timely referral to mental health services in the early stages of developing mental disorders. Requires SAMHSA to ensure that grants are equitably distributed geographically, and to pay particular attention to the mental health training needs of rural areas.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act of 2015 or the CARERS Act of 2015 Amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to provide that control and enforcement provisions of such Act relating to marijuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with state law relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, laboratory testing, or delivery of medical marijuana. Transfers marijuana from schedule I to schedule II of the CSA. Excludes "cannabidiol" from the definition of "marijuana" and defines it separately as the substance cannabidiol, as derived from marijuana or the synthetic formulation, that contains not greater than 0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis. Deems marijuana that is grown or processed for purposes of making cannabidiol, in accordance with state law, to meet such concentration limitation unless the Attorney General determines that the state law is not reasonably calculated to comply with such definition. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from: (1) terminating or limiting the deposit insurance of a depository institution solely because it provides or has provided financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business; or (2) prohibiting, penalizing, or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from providing financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from recommending, motivating, providing incentives, or encouraging a depository institution not to offer financial services to an individual, or to downgrade or cancel financial services offered to an individual, solely because: (1) the individual is a manufacturer of marijuana, (2) the individual is or later becomes an owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business, or (3) the depository institution was not aware that the individual is the owner or operator of a marijuana-related legitimate business. Prohibits a federal banking regulator from taking any adverse or corrective supervisory action on a loan to an owner or operator of: (1) a marijuana-related legitimate business soley because the owner or operator is such a business, or (2) real estate or equipment that is leased to a marijuana-related legitimate business solely because it is leased to such a business Provides depository institutions that provide financial services to a marijuana-related legitimate business protection under federal law from federal criminal prosecution or investigation, criminal penalties, and forfeiture of legal interest in collateral solely for providing financial services to such a business. Directs: (1) the Department of Health and Human Services to terminate the Public Health Service interdisciplinary review process described in the guidance entitled "Guidance on Procedures for the Provision of marijuana for Medical Research" (issued on May 21, 1999), and (2) the Drug Enforcement Administration to issue at least three licenses under CSA registration requirements to manufacture marijuana and marijuana-derivatives for research approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to authorize VA health care providers to provide veterans with recommendations and opinions regarding participation in state marijuana programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Lena Horne Recognition Act Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 442 East 167th Street in Bronx, New York, as the "Herman Badillo Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) with respect to the hospital readmissions reduction program under the inpatient (hospital) prospective payment system (IPPS). The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges occurring during FY2016-FY2017, is required to make a risk adjustment to the ratio that takes into account both: (1) a hospital's proportion of inpatients who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid under SSAct title XIX), and (2) the socioeconomic status of patients served by the hospital. The Secretary must base the risk adjustment under the readmission program for subsequent fiscal years on specified reports required by the Improving Medicare Post Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 as well as a report the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shall submit on the appropriateness of using a threshold of 30 days for readmissions under the program. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must then incorporate report recommendations in carrying out risk adjustments for discharges occurring in such fiscal years in order to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are not unfairly penalized by the program. The Secretary shall consider the use of V or other International Classification of Diseases-related codes for potential exclusion of noncompliant patient cases when promulgating related regulations for FY2017. The Secretary must: (1) assess whether to exclude from the calculation of excess readmissions any patients whose clinical conditions or diagnoses may require frequent hospitalizations; then (2) exclude, starting in FY2018, any relevant clinical conditions identified in the assessment recommendations when determining a hospital's publicly reported readmission rate and excess readmissions ratio. The Secretary is directed to make a payment adjustment to subsection (d) hospitals necessary to ensure that the implementation of this Act does not result in any increase in aggregate expenditures under the IPPS. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payment under the IPPS when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2015 Requires the Department of the Treasury to: (1) establish a plan to reduce the administrative time required to process and resolve cases of tax-related identity theft in connection with tax returns and refunds to no more than 90 days, on average; (2) ensure that taxpayers who have been adversely affected by identity theft have a single point of contact at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); (3) issue a personal identification number to any individual requesting protection from identity theft-related fraud after such individual's true identity has been established and verified; (4) implement a program to prevent the processing of a tax return by an identity thief; (5) issue regulations that restrict the delivery or deposit of multiple tax refunds to the same individual in the same tax year; (6) notify a taxpayer if there has been an unauthorized use of such taxpayer's identity or if a person has been criminally charged for such unauthorized use; and (7) submit a report on options for creating a tax system that reduces burdens on taxpayers and decreases tax fraud through information matching. Imposes restrictions on the use of prepaid debit cards for tax refunds. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Health Information Technology Committee to develop, incorporate, and report on a plan to provide for a reliable nationwide health information technology infrastructure that does not use a social security account number for data matching, coordination of benefits, billing, and research purposes. Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish and implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of social security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries; (2) ensure that newly-issued Medicare identification cards meet certain security standards; and (3) establish a pilot program to evaluate the applicability of smart card technology to Medicare beneficiaries or providers and whether such cards would be effective in preventing Medicare fraud. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the display, sale, or purchase of social security numbers without the consent of the account holder. Imposes criminal penalties for obtaining a social security number for purposes of locating or identifying an individual with the intent to physically injure, harm, or use the identity of an individual for any illegal purpose. Allows civil remedies to enjoin and recover losses from violations of this Act and sets forth civil penalties for such violations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a criminal penalty for willful misappropriation of another person's taxpayer identity; (2) increase the civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information by paid tax return preparers; (3) allow the use of an identifying number, instead of a social security number, for an employee on a W-2 form; and (4) impose a penalty on tax return preparers who fail to verify the identity of a taxpayer who is filing a tax return or claiming a refund. Authorizes the IRS Commissioner to transfer appropriated funds to be used solely to prevent and resolve potential cases of tax fraud. Directs the Commissioner to: (1) establish in the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS the position of Local Law Enforcement Liaison to coordinate the investigation of tax fraud with state and local law enforcement agencies, and (2) establish a program to verify the identity of any individual opening an e-Services account. Grants Treasury: (1) enhanced authority to regulate and sanction paid tax return preparers, and (2) access to information in the National Directory of New Hires for purposes of administering the tax code.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Global Democracy Promotion Act Declares that foreign nongovernmental organizations: (1) shall not be ineligible for assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 solely on the basis of health or medical services (including counseling and referral services) provided by them with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided, and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States; and (2) shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
21st Century Worker Tax Cut Act This bill allows a married taxpayer who files a joint tax return and has at least one qualifying child under the age of 12 a tax credit for 10% of the lesser of $10,000 or the earned income of the spouse with the lower amount of earned income for the taxable year. The credit is denied to nonresident aliens and to taxpayers who fail to include certain identifying information on their tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2015
Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for employment-related expenses incurred for the care of a taxpayer's dependent, to: (1) increase to $110,000, the adjusted gross income threshold level above which such credit is incrementally reduced; (2) increase the dollar limit on the allowable amount of such credit; (3) allow an inflation adjustment to the threshold amount and the maximum credit amounts, beginning after 2016; and (4) make such credit refundable.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Improving Access to Maternity Care Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Health Resources and Services Administration to designate maternity care health professional shortage areas and review these designations at least annually. The Department of Health and Human Services must collect and publish data on health professional shortage areas so availability of maternal health professionals can be compared by professional category and geographic region. A maternity care health professional shortage area is: (1) an area determined to have a shortage of providers of full scope maternity care health services or of hospital or birth center labor and delivery units, or (2) a population group determined to have a shortage of such providers or facilities. Full scope maternity care health services include care during labor, birthing, prenatal care, and postpartum care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests (in order to cover 100% of their cost under Medicare part B [Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits for the Aged and Disabled]), regardless of the code billed for a diagnosis as a result of a test, or for the removal of tissue or other procedure furnished in connection with, as a result of, and in the same clinical encounter as the screening test.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2015
Making the Education of Nurses Dependable for Schools Act or the MEND Act Requires the Department of Health and Human Services, for any reimbursements to providers under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for the costs of nursing and allied health education activities, to apply the regulation establishing the payment methodology for such reimbursements by treating a provider as meeting the requirements: for consideration as operating an approved nursing or allied health education program if the provider or a wholly owned subsidiary educational institution singly or collectively meets all such requirements; for payment for certain nonprovider-operated programs at wholly owned subsidiary educational institutions if the provider meets all such requirements except that the transfer of a nursing or allied health education program to that wholly owned subsidiary educational institution to meet accreditation standards occurred after October 1, 2003, and if the provider or its wholly owned subsidiary educational institution has been in continuous operation since October 1, 2003. Defines "wholly owned subsidiary educational institution" as one that: (1) is organized as a legal entity distinct from the provider, (2) has the provider as its sole owner or sole member, and (3) is organized in the same state in which the provider is organized or registered to do business.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2015
Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to refuse a new animal drug application if the drug is a medically important antimicrobial (used to treat humans) and the applicant fails to demonstrate that the drug meets specified criteria for use in animals, including that: (1) the drug is effective, (2) the drug is targeted to animals at risk of developing a specific bacterial disease, (3) the drug has a defined duration of therapy, and (4) there is reasonable certainty of no harm to human health from microbial resistance to the drug. Sponsors of certain medically important antimicrobials already approved for use in food-producing animals must submit evidence to the FDA that demonstrates that their drug meets the criteria described above for approved indications. The FDA must withdraw approval for any indication for which the FDA determines there is insufficient evidence that the drug meets the criteria. This bill expresses the sense of the Senate that a veterinarian-client-patient relationship should ensure that medically important antimicrobials are used in food-producing animals in a manner consistent with best practices.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 This bill amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to direct the President, within five days after reaching an agreement with Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program, to transmit to Congress: the text of the agreement and all related materials and annexes; a related verification assessment report of the Secretary of State; a certification that the agreement includes the appropriate terms, conditions, and duration of the agreement's requirements concerning Iran's nuclear activities, and provisions describing any sanctions to be waived, suspended, or otherwise reduced by the United States and any other nation or entity; and a certification that the agreement meets U.S. non-proliferation objectives, does not jeopardize the common defense and security, provides a framework to ensure that Iran's nuclear activities will not constitute an unreasonable defense and security risk, and ensures that Iran's permitted nuclear activities will not be used to further any nuclear-related military or nuclear explosive purpose. The Secretary of State is directed to prepare a report assessing: the Secretary's capacity to verify Iran's compliance with the agreement, the adequacy of the agreement's safeguards to ensure that Iran's permitted activities will not be used to further any nuclear-related military or nuclear explosive purpose, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's capacity to implement the required verification regime. The foreign relations committees shall, during the 60-day period following transmittal by the President of an agreement, hold hearings and briefings to review the agreement. During such review period the President may not waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of statutory sanctions with respect to Iran, except for any deferral, waiver, or other suspension of statutory sanctions pursuant to the Joint Plan of Action that is made: (1) consistent with the law in effect on the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) not later than 45 days before the transmission by the President of an agreement, assessment report, and certification. An action involving statutory sanctions relief by the United States: may be taken if, during the 60-day review period, Congress adopts a joint resolution in favor of the agreement; may not be taken if, during such period, Congress adopts a joint resolution not in favor of the agreement; or may be taken if, following such period, no joint resolution is enacted. The President shall: within 10 days of receiving information relating to a potentially significant breach or compliance incident by Iran submit it to Congress; within 10 days after submitting such information determine whether it constitutes a material breach or compliance incident and report that determination to Congress as well as Iran's action or failure to act that led to the material breach, actions necessary for Iran to cure the breach, and the status of Iran's efforts to cure the breach; and at least every 180 days thereafter report to Congress on Iran's nuclear program and compliance with the agreement. The President shall keep Congress fully informed of any initiative or negotiations with Iran concerning Iran's nuclear program. The President shall, not less than every 90 days, determine whether the President is able to certify to Congress that: Iran is fully implementing the agreement, Iran has not committed a material breach of the agreement, Iran has not taken any action that could significantly advance its nuclear weapons program, Iran has not directly supported or carried out an act of terrorism against the United States or a U.S. person, and suspension of sanctions against Iran is appropriate and proportionate to measures taken by Iran with respect to terminating its illicit nuclear program and vital to U.S. national security interests. If the President does not submit such certification or has determined that Iran has materially breached an agreement, Congress may initiate within 60 days expedited consideration of legislation reinstating statutory sanctions against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Summer Meals Act of 2015 Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to redefine "areas in which poor economic conditions exist," where the summer food service program for children may operate, as areas in which at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children have been determined to be eligible for free or reduced price school meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs. Reimburses service institutions (other than school food authorities) for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar. (Currently, such institutions are reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children over the summer months or to children who are on vacation under a continuous school calendar.) Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation in the summer food service program for children at congregate feeding sites through innovative approaches to limited transportation and mobile meal trucks. Allows service institutions that are participating in the summer food service program for children to serve up to three meals, or two meals and one snack, during each day of operation. (Currently, this option is reserved for camps and service institutions that serve meals primarily to migrant children.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow sponsors of certain deferred compensation plans to elect to include length of service award plans for bona fide volunteers providing firefighting and fire prevention services, emergency medical services, ambulance services, and emergency rescue services. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue guidance clarifying that a length of service award program is not an employee pension benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2015
Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, to extend the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of indebtedness on a principal residence that was discharged subject to an arrangement entered into and evidenced in writing before January 1, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Campus Accountability and Safety Act Amends provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV (Student Assistance) programs to include in their annual campus security reports provided to current and prospective students and employees: the memorandum of understanding that this Act requires IHEs to enter into with local law enforcement agencies (and update, as necessary, every two years) to clearly delineate responsibilities and share information about certain serious crimes, including sexual violence, occurring against students or other individuals on campus; and specified information regarding the number of sex offenses reported to the IHE and the IHE's disposition of sex offense cases. Requires IHEs to provide new students and employees with a statement that identifies domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as crimes which will be reported and with respect to which, based on the victim's wishes, the IHE will cooperate with local law enforcement. Requires an IHE's disciplinary procedures for such offenses to comply with its campus security policy and provide both the accuser and accused written notice of the outcome of such procedures or a change in an outcome within 24 hours after it occurs. Directs the Secretary to develop and administer through an online portal a standardized, online, and biannual survey of students regarding their experiences with sexual violence and harassment. Omits survey responses from the annual crime statistics IHEs must report, but requires the Secretary to publish survey information that includes campus-level data for each school on the Department of Education's (ED's) website biannually. Requires IHEs to publish the campus-level results of the survey on their websites and in their annual security reports. Requires ED to make publicly available guidance regarding the intersection of the campus security and crime statistics reporting requirements under title IV and requirements under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Requires each IHE that receives funding under the HEA to establish a campus security policy that includes: the designation of one or more confidential advisors at the IHE to whom non-employee victims of sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking can report, including anonymously; provision on the IHE's website of specified information to assist the victims of such crimes, including contact information for the confidential advisor; authorization for the IHE to provide an online reporting system to collect anonymous disclosures of crimes and track patterns of crime on campus; an amnesty policy for any student who, in good faith, reports sexual violence to a higher education responsible employee, with respect to a non-violent student conduct violation revealed in the course of such a report; a training program, developed by the Secretary, for IHE employees who are involved in implementing the school's student grievance procedures or responsible for interviewing alleged sexual assault victims; a uniform process (for each of the IHE's campuses) for student disciplinary proceedings relating to claims of sexual violence against a student attending the IHE; the annual provision of information to ED's Office for Civil Rights and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the IHE's title IX coordinator; the provision of written notice to the accuser and accused student within 24 hours of the IHE's decision to proceed with an institutional disciplinary process regarding an allegation of sexual misconduct; and the provision of written notice to the accuser and accused student within 24 hours of the determination of responsibility made by the disciplinary board and any sanctions. Directs the Secretary to establish a title IX website that includes: the name and contact information for the title IX coordinator at each IHE, including a brief description of the coordinator's role and the roles of other officials who may be contacted regarding sexual harassment; and ED's pending investigations and the actions it has taken regarding all title IX complaints and compliance reviews related to sexual harassment. Directs the Secretary to develop online training materials for training higher education responsible employees, title IX coordinators, and individuals involved in implementing an IHE's student conduct grievance procedures. Authorizes the Secretary to impose civil penalties upon IHEs that fail to: (1) enter into memorandums of understanding with their local law enforcement agencies, (2) carry out campus security and crime statistics reporting requirements, or (3) establish the requisite campus security policy. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to: (1) increase the minimum grant that may be provided to IHEs to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campuses; and (2) authorize the use of such grants to train campus personnel in how to use victim-centered, trauma-informed interview techniques. Amends the HEA to authorize the Secretary, using amounts collected under this Act's penalty provisions, to award competitive grants to IHEs to enhance their ability to address sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, on campus. Amends the Education Amendments of 1972 to authorize the Secretary or DOJ to impose civil penalties on IHEs that violate or fail to carry out title IX requirements regarding sexual violence. Gives individuals 180 days after their graduation or disaffiliation with an IHE to file a complaint regarding such a violation with ED's Office for Civil Rights.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Medicare payments for dialysis services provided to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and acute kidney injury. Makes individuals with ESRD eligible for Medicare Advantage. Allows dialysis facilities to provide kidney disease education services and allows physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists to refer individuals to those services. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ESRD Care Coordination program to provide higher Medicare payments to nephrologists, dialysis facilities, and other providers that reduce spending on ESRD by being part of a coordinated care organization. Amends the Public Health Service Act to include dialysis as a service provided by the National Health Service Corps in health professional shortage areas. Makes nephrologists and non-physician practitioners who provide dialysis eligible for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and Loan Repayment Program. Requires the Government Accountability Office to submit a report identifying gaps in chronic kidney disease research and comparing research funding to expenditures on disease treatment. Requires HHS to report on: (1) the causes of kidney disease and efforts to treat kidney disease in disproportionately affected minority populations, and (2) disincentives in Medicare payment systems that create barriers to kidney transplants and post-transplant care for beneficiaries with ESRD.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission to evaluate and recommend solutions regarding better coordination and leveraging of federal programs that relate to supporting appropriate clinical care for people with pre-diabetes, diabetes, and the chronic diseases and conditions that are complications of or caused by diabetes. The duties of the Commission include: evaluating HHS programs regarding the utilization of preventive health benefits, identifying current activities and critical gaps in federal efforts to support clinicians in providing integrated care, making recommendations regarding the development and coordination of federally funded clinical practice support tools, recommending clinical pathways for new technologies and treatments, evaluating and expanding education and awareness to health care professionals regarding prevention of diabetes, and reviewing and recommending appropriate methods for outreach and dissemination of educational resources. The Commission must submit an operating plan to HHS and Congress within 90 days of its first meeting.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner, (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law, (3) a certified nurse-midwife, or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the new markets tax credit, (2) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for such credit after 2014, and (3) allow an offset against the alternative minimum tax for such credit (determined with respect to qualified equity investments initially made after the enactment of this Act).
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Veteran Education Empowerment Act Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award up to 30 four-year grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs to establish, maintain, and improve Veteran Student Centers. Permits a grantee to use a portion of the grant to provide veteran students with supportive instruction services. Requires a grantee to be an IHE or consortium that: (1) enrolls in undergraduate or graduate courses a significant number or percentage of veterans or members of the Armed Forces, and (2) presents a sustainability plan demonstrating that its Veteran Student Center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant ends. Defines a "Veteran Student Center" as a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, and veterans in the community; (2) a centralized office for veteran services that is staffed by trained employees and volunteers and serves as a single point of contact to coordinate veterans support services; and (3) comprehensive academic and tutoring services to veterans. Requires that office to provide such students with assistance in: transitioning from the military to student life, transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, networking with other veteran students and veterans in the community, understanding and obtaining benefits provided by the IHE and federal and state government for which they may be eligible, understanding how to succeed in the IHE, and understanding their disability-related rights and protections under specified federal laws. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a website for veteran student services at IHEs, which details best practices for serving veteran students at IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2015
Recognizes Black History Month as an opportunity to reflect on U.S. history and recognize the contributions of African Americans. Calls for the United States to: (1) honor the contribution of pioneers who helped to ensure its legacy; and (2) move forward as "one Nation . . . indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Urges the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and other relevant U.S. government agencies and officials to work with the European Union and European governments to encourage further efforts to address anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Farm to School Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to reauthorize the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Farm to School Program through FY2021 and modify the program. The program currently provides grants and technical assistance to schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers, and nonprofit entities to improve access to local foods in schools. The bill makes schools participating in the Summer Food Service Program for children, the early care and afterschool portions of the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the School Breakfast Program eligible to participate in the program. It also permits USDA to provide land-grant colleges and universities with grants, research, and technical assistance under the program. The purposes for grants awarded under the program are expanded to include agricultural literacy and nutrition education. The bill requires USDA to provide technical assistance, research, and information to increase awareness of and participation in farm to school programs among agricultural producers. In awarding grants, USDA must improve local food procurement and distribution options for agricultural producers and eligible schools. USDA is permitted to fund projects that include innovative approaches to aggregation, processing, transportation, and distribution. The bill establishes new limitations on the amount and duration of grants. The bill also establishes reporting requirements and limits funds that may be used for administrative costs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 February 2015
Trade Adjustment Assistance Act of 2015 Amends the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 to repeal the declaration that trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program requirements in effect as of February 13, 2011, under the Trade Act of 1974 shall apply to petitions for certification to apply for TAA for workers, firms, and farmers that are filed before January 1, 2014. Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend through December 31, 2020: (1) the TAA program, and (2) the reemployment trade adjustment assistance (RTAA) program. Makes funds available through FY2020, and for the period beginning October 1-December 31, 2020 (first quarter of FY2021), for training of adversely affected workers, employment and case management services, and job search expenses and relocation expenses. Reauthorizes appropriations: (1) through December 31, 2020, for the TAA program for workers; and (2) through FY2020, and for the first quarter of FY2021, for the TAA program for firms, communities, and farmers. Prescribes TAA eligibility requirements for adversely affected workers in public agencies. Revises trade readjustment allowance (TRA) program requirements. Increases from 65 to 78 additional weeks of TRA payments in a 91-week period the length of additional time permissible to complete training. Repeals the authority of a state to use funds for employment and case management services and relocation allowances to allow an adversely affected worker who is certified to file an application for a job search allowance and relocation allowance. (Continues to authorize adversely affected workers to apply for the job search allowance as well as the relocation allowance.) Increases from $1,250 to $1,500 the maximum job serach allowance and maximum relocation allowance that may be granted to an adversely affected worker. Revises the reemployment trade adjustment assistance (RTAA) program. Increases from: (1) $50,000 to $55,000 the maximum amount an RTAA-eligible worker may earn in wages from reemployment, and (2) $10,000 to $12,000 the maximum payment of RTAA (or wage subsidy) to an eligible older worker. Specifies criteria the Secretary must use to determine the eligibility of workers to apply for TAA if no determination has been made, upon enactment of this Act, as to whether to certify a group of workers or firms as eligible pursuant to a petition filed between January 1, 2014, and enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to reconsider any determination made before enactment of this Act not to certify such workers or firms, and to certify them as eligible if they meet the specified requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through calendar 2021, and increase from 72.5% to 80%, the tax credit for the health insurance coverage costs of Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension and TAA recipients and their dependents. Amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Public Health Service Act to extend through December 31, 2020, the TAA pre-certification period rule disregarding, for a specified period, any 63-day lapse in creditable health care coverage for TAA workers. Extends also through December 31, 2020, the continued eligibility of certain qualified TAA-eligible individuals and PBGC pension recipients for COBRA premium assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: the United States has a long history of domestic and international engagement in preventing and responding to modern slavery; modern slavery involves extensive criminal activity and demands U.S. attention and commitment; there is a need for international public and private cooperation to increase resources for programs to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery by building the capacity of foreign governments to deter its perpetrators; and countries that fall within the first and second tiers of the Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons report could qualify as partner countries, and many countries on the Tier 2 watch list may also qualify and should be eligible for funding as partner countries. The bill declares U.S. policy to marshal resources to seek to end modern slavery through funding private grant-making institutions. The bill establishes the End Modern Slavery Initiative Foundation to work with government, civil society, and private institutions in partner countries and key jurisdictions of other countries supported by the Foundation with a high prevalence of modern slavery to identify and fund successful strategies to combat modern slavery. The Department of State may make grants to the Foundation or to another nonprofit organization meeting certain criteria that seeks to receive foreign government contributions in a ratio of two-to-one and private sector contributions in a ratio of three-to-one to U.S. government funding. The U.S. government shall seek other foreign governments providing Foundation support to provide additional support for projects in partner countries.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
School Food Modernization Act Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue loan guarantees to local educational agencies (LEAs) or school food authorities administering or operating a school lunch program, tribal organizations, or consortia of such entities to finance the construction, remodeling, or expansion of infrastructure or the purchase of durable equipment that will facilitate their provision of healthy meals through the school lunch program. Requires USDA to give a preference to applicants that demonstrate a substantial or disproportionate need for food service infrastructure or durable equipment. Prohibits a loan guarantee from covering more than 80% of a loan's principal. Requires USDA to establish fees for the loan guarantee program that: (1) are sufficient to cover the federal government's administrative costs in operating the program, and (2) may be based on the risk premium associated with the particular loan or loan guarantee. Directs USDA to award competitive matching grants to assist LEAs or school food authorities administering or operating a school lunch program, tribal organizations, or consortia of such entities in purchasing the durable equipment and infrastructure they need to serve healthier meals and improve food safety. Requires USDA to give grant priority to applicants that: (1) have identified and are reasonably expected to meet an unmet local or community need, and (2) are located in states that have enacted funding measures to assist them with such purchases. Prohibits such a grant from covering more than 80% of the total cost of the durable equipment and infrastructure. Directs USDA to award competitive matching grants to experienced third-party training institutions to provide school food service personnel with the training and technical assistance they need to: (1) meet school lunch program nutrition standards, and (2) improve the efficacy and efficiency of the school lunch and breakfast programs. Prohibits such a grant from covering more than 80% of the total cost of the training and technical assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act of 2015 This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work due to a lapse in appropriations beginning on February 28, 2015, to be compensated after the lapse in appropriations ends. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations are permitted to use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to begin after continuing FY2015 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security expire on February 27, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit (or revoke such license or permit) if the Attorney General: (1) determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be engaged in terrorism or has provided material support or resources for terrorism, and (2) has a reasonable belief that the transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism. Allows any individual whose firearms or explosives license application has been denied to bring legal action to challenge the denial. Extends the prohibition against the sale or distribution of firearms or explosives to include individuals whom the Attorney General has determined to be engaged in terrorist activities. Imposes criminal penalties on individuals engaged in terrorist activities who smuggle or knowingly bring firearms into the United States. Authorizes the Attorney General to withhold information in firearms and explosives license denial revocation lawsuits and from employers if the Attorney General determines that the disclosure of such information would likely compromise national security.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2015
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the existing caps on physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Equitable Employee Accountability Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) suspend a VA employee without pay if the employee's performance or misconduct is a clear and direct threat to public health or safety; and (2) remove a suspended employee when, after investigation and review, removal is determined necessary for public health or safety interests. A suspended employee is entitled, after suspension and before removal, to: a written statement of the specific charges and an opportunity to answer the charges and submit affidavits, a case review by the VA before a decision adverse to the employee is made final, and a written statement of the VA's decision. A VA employee who is suspended or removed is entitled to: (1) appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board; and (2) back pay, less amounts otherwise earned during such period, if the suspension or removal is determined to be unwarranted. The VA shall: conduct an annual performance plan for each political appointee that is similar to that conducted for VA Senior Executive Service employees; provide managers with training on the rights of whistle blowers and how to address reports of hostile work environment, reprisal, or harassment; and develop a promotional track for technical expert employees that allows for career advancement without being required to transition to management positions. Evaluation of VA managers shall include actions taken to address employee performance. Before terminating VA employment an official who has participated personally and substantially in a VA acquisition that exceeds $1 million or held a key acquisitions position at the VA shall obtain a written opinion from a VA ethics counselor regarding any restrictions on activities that the official may undertake on behalf of a contractor during the two-year period after the official terminates VA employment. A contractor may not knowingly provide compensation to such an individual during the two-year period unless the contractor determines that the individual has obtained or requested such written opinion. The VA may not place an individual subject to disciplinary action on administrative leave for more than 14 business days during any 365-day period.
United States · United States Congress · 23 February 2015
Recognizes Black History Month as an opportunity to reflect on U.S. history and recognize the contributions of African Americans. Calls for the United States to: (1) honor the contribution of pioneers who helped to ensure its legacy; and (2) move forward as "one Nation . . . indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force to develop: (1) best practices for pain management and prescribing pain medication, and (2) a strategy for disseminating such best practices. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to: states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for first responders, health professionals, and family members administering naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses), local governments, and nonprofit organizations to expand educational efforts to prevent abuse of opioids, heroin, and other substances of abuse, understand addiction as a chronic disease, and promote treatment and recovery; organizations that have received a grant under the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997 to implement comprehensive community-wide strategies that address local drug crises; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations for treatment alternative to incarceration programs for individuals who have come into contact with the juvenile or criminal justice system or have been arrested or charged with an offense, who have a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both, and who have been approved for participation in such a program; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies to create a demonstration law enforcement program to prevent opioid and heroin overdose death; state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, distributors, or reverse distributor of prescription medications, retail pharmacies, registered narcotic treatment programs, hospitals or clinics with an on-site pharmacy, eligible long-term care facilities, or any other entity authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispose of prescription medications to expand or make available disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications; states (with priority to states that provide civil liability protection for administering naloxone), local governments, and Indian tribes to implement medication assisted treatment programs through their criminal justice agencies; states, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes for educational programs for incarcerated offenders; state substance abuse and criminal justice agencies, jointly, to address the use of opioids and heroin among pregnant and parenting female offenders in a state to promote public safety, public health, family permanence, and well-being; establish or expand veterans treatment court programs, peer to peer services or programs for qualified veterans, practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, and transitional services to incarcerated veterans, and training programs to teach criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and appropriately respond to incidents involving veterans; and states to prepare a comprehensive plan for and implement an integrated opioid abuse response initiative. Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to award grants to enable state substance abuse agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations that have a high rate of, or have had a rapid increase in, the use of heroin or other opioids to expand activities, including medication assisted treatment, for the treatment of addiction in the geographical areas affected. Authorizes the Recovery Branch of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to award grants to: (1) enable high schools and colleges with substance abuse recovery programs and nonprofit organizations to provide substance abuse recovery support services to high school and college students, to help build communities of support for young people in recovery, and to encourage initiatives designed to help young people achieve and sustain recovery; and (2) enable recovery community organizations to develop, expand, and enhance recovery services. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the Department of Education from including any question about the conviction of an applicant for the possession or sale of illegal drugs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Directs HHS to establish a bipartisan Task Force on Recovery and Collateral Consequences to: (1) identify collateral consequences for individuals with drug convictions who are in recovery for a substance use disorder, and (2) determine whether such consequences unnecessarily delay such individuals from resuming their personal and professional activities. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to direct the Attorney General to report annually on how grants awarded under such Act are used for family-based substance abuse treatment programs that serve as alternatives to incarceration for custodial parents to receive treatment and services as a family. Expresses the sense of Congress that the amounts expended to carry out this Act should be offset by a corresponding reduction in federal non-defense discretionary spending. Directs the Comptroller General to report on the impact that the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease exclusion (defined as the prohibition on federal matching payments under Medicaid for patients who have attained age 22, but have not attained age 65, in an institution for mental diseases) has on access to treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2015 Amends the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 to include as a purpose of state-administered controlled substance monitoring systems ensuring access to prescription history information for the investigative purposes of appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and state professional licensing authorities. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and reauthorize through FY2020 the controlled substance monitoring program, including to: allow grants to be used to maintain and operate existing state controlled substance monitoring programs, require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to redistribute any funds that are returned among the remaining grantees, require a state to provide HHS with aggregate data and other information to enable HHS to evaluate the success of the state's program, and expand the program to include any commonwealth or territory of the United States. Allows the Drug Enforcement Administration, HHS, a state Medicaid program, a state health department, or a state substance abuse agency receiving nonidentifiable information from a controlled substance monitoring database for research purposes to make that information available to other entities for research purposes. Requires a state receiving a grant to: (1) facilitate prescriber and dispenser use of the state's controlled substance monitoring system, and (2) educate prescribers and dispensers on the benefits of the system both to them and society.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish standards to ensure that all VA medical facilities have the structural characteristics necessary to adequately meet the gender-specific health care needs of veterans at such facilities, including privacy, safety, and dignity; (2) integrate such standards into its prioritization methodology with respect to requests for funding major medical facility projects and major medical facility leases; and (3) report on such standards, including regarding the facilities that fail to meet such standards and the costs of projects and leases required to meet them. Requires the VA to: (1) use health outcomes for women veterans furnished health care by the the VA in evaluating the performance of VA medical center directors, (2) publish on its website information on such performance and on health outcomes for women veterans for each VA medical facility, (3) ensure that every VA medical center has a full-time obstetrician or gynecologist, and (4) carry out a pilot program to increase the number of residency program positions and graduate medical education positions for obstetricians and gynecologists at VA medical facilities in not less than three Veterans Integrated Service Networks. Directs the VA to develop procedures to share information that includes military service and separation data, personal email addresses and telephone numbers, and mailing addresses of veterans with state veterans agencies in electronic format as a means of facilitating the furnishing of assistance and benefits to such veterans. Allows a veteran to elect to prevent their information from being shared. Directs the Government Accountability Office to carry out an examination of whether VA medical centers are able to meet the health care needs of women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
This bill directs the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals.
United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2015
Protecting and Retaining Our Children's Health Insurance Program Act of 2015 This bill revises and extends through FY2019 at generally increased levels the program under title XXI (State Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act (SSAct), and adjusts CHIP allotment requirements accordingly, including the rebasing and growth factor update rules for computing state allotments. Appropriations are made for certain allotments. Appropriations are made to the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund for FY2015-FY2018 (and for each of the semi-annual allotment periods for FY2019) for payments to eligible states. The aggregate cap to payments from the Fund is removed for such fiscal years and allotment periods. Additional specified amounts, with fiscal year limitation, are made available for payments from the Fund. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must make payments to shortfall states from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund in such fiscal years and allotment periods. Performance incentive payments are revised and extended through FY2019. Specified enrollment and retention provisions for children are outlined for FY2015 and each succeeding fiscal year. The option is extended through FY2019 of a qualifying state to be paid from the state's allotment for certain Medicaid expenditures related to low-income individuals under age 19. Title XI of the SSAct is also amended to extend through FY2019: (1) the quality care for children demonstration project, (2) childhood obesity demonstration project, and (3) pediatric quality measures program. Also extended through FY20019 are CHIP grants to improve outreach and enrollment and appropriations to award such grants. SSAct XIX (Medicaid) is amended to: (1) extend express lane eligibility through FY2019, and (2) allow use of income determinations under SSAct part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV or the supplemental nutrition assistance program of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to determine eligibility under the state Medicaid program.
![Official portrait of Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000555_200.jpg)