United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor child across a state line to obtain an abortion (deems such transporting to be a de facto abridgment of the right of a parent under any law in the minor’s state of residence that requires parental involvement in the minor’s abortion decision). Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution or civil action under this Act that a defendant: (1) reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the required parental consent or notification or judicial authorization took place; or (2) was presented with documentation showing that a court waived parental notification requirements or authorized the minor's abortion. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device: (1) to intentionally kill the unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant; or (2) to intentionally prematurely terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth or of preserving the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead unborn child. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs or induces an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements. Requires such physician to give 24-hour actual or constructive notice to a parent of the minor seeking an abortion, subject to certain exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
National Right-to-Work Act Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Depreciation Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period for qualified leasehold improvement property, qualified restaurant property, and qualified retail improvement property for purposes of the tax deduction for depreciation.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Designates the week of February 8-February 14, 2015, as Internet Governance Awareness Week to: increase public awareness of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's announcement on March 14, 2014, regarding its intent to transition stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority to the global multistakeholder community, and call the attention of the participants at the next global meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to the importance of designing accountability and governance reforms to prepare ICANN for executing the responsibilities that it may receive under such a transition. Prohibits this resolution from being construed as congressional approval of any ICANN transition proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2015
Declares that the Senate remains committed to protecting the human right and the fundamental freedom of religion, especially those of religious minorities. Recognizes that government policies prohibiting the freedom of thought and religion are designed to harass and intimidate religious groups. Urges the U.S. government lead the international effort in calling for the repeal of all existing apostasy and blasphemy laws.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal and receipts derived from borrowing. The amendment prohibits total outlays for any fiscal year from exceeding 18% of the gross domestic product of the United States, unless two-thirds of each house of Congress provides for a specific increase above this amount. The amendment requires a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress to impose a new tax, increase the statutory rate of any tax, or increase the aggregate amount of revenue. It requires a three-fifths vote of each chamber to increase the limit on the debt of the United States. The President is required to submit an annual budget in which total outlays do not exceed total receipts and 18% of the gross domestic product of the United States. The amendment prohibits a court from ordering a revenue increase to enforce the requirements. Congress is authorized to waive specified requirements when a declaration of war is in effect or the United States is engaged in a military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Vessel Incidental Discharge Act This bill requires the Coast Guard to establish and implement enforceable uniform national standards for the regulation of discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel into navigable waters. The Coast Guard's existing rule for ballast water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel are adopted until those performance standards are revised or a more stringent state standard is adopted. Ballast water is water taken aboard a vessel to control stability or during the operation of a vessel's ballast water treatment technology. Within two years, the Coast Guard must establish best management practices for discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel other than ballast water. By January 1, 2020, the Coast Guard must complete a feasibility review to determine whether revising ballast water performance standards will result in a scientifically demonstrable and substantial reduction in the risk of introduction or establishment of aquatic nuisance species. The Coast Guard must establish a revised standard based on the ballast water treatment technology available. Further revisions to the performance standards are to be considered every 10 years. This bill establishes a certification requirement for ballast water treatment technology. The Coast Guard may not approve a technology if it uses a biocide or generates a biocide that is a pesticide. This bill establishes a petition process for a state seeking to enforce a state or local statute or regulation related to ballast water discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel that is more stringent than federal performance standards.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 Defines a "covered civil action" as a civil action seeking to compel agency action and alleging that an agency is unlawfully withholding or unreasonably delaying an agency action relating to a regulatory action that would affect: (1) the rights of private persons other than the person bringing the action; or (2) a state, local, or tribal government. Defines a "covered consent decree" or a "covered settlement agreement" as: (1) a consent decree or settlement agreement entered into a covered civil action, and (2) any other consent decree or settlement agreement that requires agency action relating to such a regulatory action that affects the rights of such persons or governments. Requires an agency against which a covered civil action is brought to publish the notice of intent to sue and the complaint in a readily accessible manner, including by making such notice and complaint available online not later than 15 days after receiving service of such notice or complaint Requires an agency seeking to enter a covered consent decree or settlement agreement to publish such decree or agreement in the Federal Register and online not later than 60 days before it is filed with the court. Provides for public comment and public hearings on such decree or agreement. Requires the Attorney General or an agency head, if an agency is litigating a matter independently, to certify to the court that the Attorney General or the agency head approves of: (1) any proposed covered consent decree that includes terms that convert into a nondiscretionary duty a discretionary authority of an agency to propose, promulgate, revise, or amend regulations, commit an agency to expend funds that have not been appropriated and budgeted or to seek a particular appropriation or budget authorization, divest an agency of discretion committed to it by statute or the Constitution, or otherwise afford any relief that the court could not enter under its own authority; or (2) any proposed covered settlement agreement that includes terms that provide a remedy for a failure by the agency to comply with the terms of the agreement other than the revival of the civil action resolved by the agreement, interfere with the authority of an agency to revise, amend, or issue rules, or commit the agency to expend funds that have not been appropriated and budgeted or to exercise in a particular way discretion which was committed to the agency by statute or the Constitution. Requires a court to grant de novo review of a covered consent decree or settlement agreement if an agency files a motion to modify such decree or agreement on the basis that its terms are no longer fully in the public interest due to the agency's obligations to fulfill other duties or due to changed facts and circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2015
Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to require the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that each chief executive officer of a federal penal or correctional institution: (1) provides a secure storage area located outside of the secure perimeter of the institution for qualified law enforcement officers employed by the Bureau to store firearms, or allows such officers to store firearms in a vehicle lockbox approved by the Bureau; and (2) allows such officers to carry concealed firearms on the premises outside of the secure perimeter of the institution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
ObamaCare Repeal Act This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and restores provisions of law amended by those Acts, effective 180 days after this bill is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
ObamaCare Repeal Act This bill repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 and restores provisions of law amended by those Acts, effective 180 days after this bill is enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 $1 silver coins, and 300,000 half-dollar clad coins to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the 100 years of Boys Town, one of the largest nonprofit child care agencies in the United States. Permits issuance of such coins only between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Subjects all coin sales to specified surcharges, which shall be paid to Boys Town to carry out its cause of caring for and assisting children and families in underserved communities across America. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) minting and issuing such coins will not result in any net cost to the federal government; and (2) no funds, including surcharges, will be disbursed to Boys Town until the total cost of designing and issuing all authorized coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
American Job Protection Act Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that: (1) impose fines on large employers (employers with 50 or more full-time employees) who fail to offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential health insurance coverage, and (2) require large employers to file a report with the Department of the Treasury on health insurance coverage provided to their full-time employees. Applies the Internal Revenue Code as if those provisions had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years on any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who willfully acts with the intent to injure, oppress, threaten, intimidate, or single out and subject to undue scrutiny for purposes of harassment any person or organization in any state: (1) based solely or primarily on the political, economic, or social positions held or expressed by such person or organization; or (2) because such person or organization has expressed a particular political, economic, or social position using any words or writing allowed by law.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise provisions governing citizen suits against the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, that allege a failure of the relevant department to perform an act or duty related to an endangered species or threatened species. Interior must publish the complaint in a citizen suit within 30 days of being served. Affected parties shall be given a reasonable opportunity to intervene in the suit. If affected parties intervene, the court must refer the action to a mediation program or magistrate judge to facilitate settlement discussions. The court is prohibited from: (1) awarding litigation costs in a citizen suit that is settled by a consent decree, or (2) awarding litigation costs to a plaintiff in a citizen suit that is settled. Interior must provide notice of a proposed settlement to each state or county in which an affected species occurs. A settlement can only be approved if states or counties approve the settlement or fail to respond.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, to make publicly available on the Internet the best scientific and commercial data available that are the basis for the determination of whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species, including each proposed regulation for the listing of a species. The departments are prohibited from making the information publicly available when: (1) the public disclosure of the information is prohibited by state law relating to the protection of personal information, and (2) the state makes a request to a department to withhold the information.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to expand the definition of "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of provisions governing mandatory restitution of victims of offenses involving sexual exploitation and other abuse of children to include medical services, physical and occupational therapy or rehabilitation, and lost income for the victim's lifetime, as well as any losses suffered by the victim from any sexual act or conduct in preparation for or during the production of child pornography depicting the victim involved in the offense. Sets forth guidelines for determining restitution where the victim of of a specified child pornography offense was harmed by one defendant (requiring restitution for not less than the full amount of the victim's losses) or by more than one defendant (requiring restitution for not more than the full amount of the victim's losses and not less than specified minimum amounts for certain offenses). Requires joint and several liability where there are multiple defendants and allows each defendant who is ordered to pay restitution and who has made full payment to the victim equal to or exceeding the specified minimum amount to recover contribution from any other defendant ordered to pay. Sets forth contribution claim procedures. Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress within one year after enactment of this Act on any progress of the Department of Justice in obtaining restitution for victims of such offenses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Pro Football Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5-gold coins, 400,000 $1-silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar coins emblematic of the game of professional football. Requires all sales of such coins to include specified surcharges, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to help finance the expansion and renovation of Pro Football Hall of Fame facilities. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) minting and issuing such coins will not result in any net cost to the government, and (2) no proceeds are disbursed until the total cost of designing and issuing such coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise requirements for the detention and removal of aliens ordered removed. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) constitutional rights should be upheld and protected, (2) Congress intends to uphold the constitutional principle of due process, and (3) due process of the law is a right afforded to everyone in the United States. Expands the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to take a criminal alien into custody pending a determination of removability. Provides that the alien, unless eligible for bond release, may be detained without limitation until subject to a final order of removal. Limits the Attorney General's review of DHS custody determinations to whether the alien may be detained, released with no bond, or released on bond of at least $1,500. Limits the Attorney General's review of DHS custody determinations for an alien in certain categories to whether the alien was properly included in such category. Begins the removal period on the latest of: the date the removal order becomes administratively final; the date the alien is taken into DHS custody if the alien is not in DHS custody on the date the removal order becomes administratively final; or if the alien is detained or confined (except under an immigration process) on the date the removal order becomes administratively final, the date the alien is taken into DHS custody after the alien is released from detention or confinement. Extends the removal (and detention) period beyond 90 days if: the alien fails or refuses to comply with the removal order or to fully cooperate with DHS efforts to establish the alien's identity and carry out the removal order; a court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or an immigration judge orders a stay of removal of an alien subject to a final removal order; DHS transfers custody of the alien to another federal agency or to a state or local agency; or a court or the Board of Immigration Appeals orders a remand to an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals while the case is pending a decision on remand. Begins a new removal period in the case of such an extended removal on the date: (1) the alien makes all reasonable efforts to comply with the removal order or to cooperate fully with DHS efforts to establish the alien's identity and carry out the removal order, (2) the stay of removal is no longer in effect, or (3) the alien is returned to DHS custody. Requires mandatory detention for an alien who is inadmissible or deportable under specified criminal or terrorist grounds. Directs the Secretary to establish a detention review process for cooperative aliens. Authorizes DHS to detain indefinitely, subject to six-month review, an alien under a removal order who cannot be removed if: the alien will be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future; the alien would have been removed but for his or her refusal to cooperate with DHS identification and removal efforts; the alien has a highly contagious disease that poses a public safety threat; release would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences or would threaten national security; or release would threaten the safety of the community or any person and the alien has been convicted of either one or more aggravated felonies or crimes of violence and, because of a mental or personality condition, is likely to engage in future acts of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2015 Requires the Internal Revenue Service standards and definitions in effect on January 1, 2010, for determining whether an organization qualifies for tax-exempt status as an organization operated exclusively for social welfare to apply to such determinations after enactment of this Act. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury, or any delegate of the Secretary, from issuing, revising, or finalizing any regulation (including proposed regulations), revenue ruling, or other guidance not limited to a particular taxpayer relating to such standards and definitions. Terminates this Act after February 28, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exemption of political organizations, to revise the definition of "political organization" to mean a party, committee, association, fund, or other organization (whether or not incorporated) that: (1) is registered as a political committee with the Federal Election Commission (FEC); (2) has been determined to be a political committee in administrative or judicial proceedings; or (3) is organized and operated primarily to accept contributions or make expenditures to influence, or attempt to influence, the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to state or local public office, is not required to register with the FEC, and is required to register with the appropriate state agency as a political committee. Defines "promotion of social welfare," for purposes of the tax-exemption for social welfare organizations, to include: (1) any political activity in furtherance of American democracy, provided that such activities do not exceed 50% of the organization's total activities; (2) any activities for educating individuals on issues of public importance and on the behavior of public officials, including participation in ballot initiatives and referenda; and (3) certain activities described in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 as not being expenditures for political purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Designates the U.S. courthouse located at 200 NW 4th Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as the "William J. Holloway, Jr. United States Courthouse."
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that: it is U.S. policy that Iran not be allowed to develop or acquire nuclear weapon capabilities; Iran does not have an inherent right to enrichment and reprocessing capabilities under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; the goal of international negotiations with Iran should be to conclude a long-term comprehensive solution that will reverse the development of Iran's illicit nuclear infrastructure; and the United States should continue to impose sanctions on Iran and its terrorist proxies, and on Iran and other governments and persons for the procurement, sale, or transfer of technology, services, or goods that support the development of weapons of mass destruction. Directs the President, within five days after entering into a long-term comprehensive solution or any agreement to extend the Joint Plan of Action (signed in 2013 by Iran and the P5-plus-1 countries), to transmit to Congress: (1) the text of the agreement, (2) a verification assessment report, and (3) an economic sanctions relief assessment report. Prohibits the President, except in certain circumstances, from exercising any waiver of sanctions on Iran or taking any other action to alter or limit the application of sanctions until the date that is 30 days of continuous session of Congress after the President transmits these comprehensive solution and assessment reports. Reinstates as of July 6, 2015, any sanctions imposed pursuant to statute or executive action that are deferred, waived, or otherwise suspended by the President if the President has not transmitted the comprehensive solution and reports to Congress by that date. Revises exceptions to certain sanctions with respect to financial transactions for purchases of Iranian-origin petroleum (currently, only crude oil). Declares that it is U.S. policy to seek to ensure that all countries reduce their purchases of crude oil, lease condensates, fuel oils, and other unfinished oils from Iran or of Iranian origin to a de minimis level by the end of the 240-day period beginning on September 7, 2015. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to authorize a country that purchased petroleum from Iran or of Iranian origin during the one-year period preceding September 7, 2015, to continue to receive a sanction exception on or after the date that is 240 days after September 7, 2015, only if the country reduces its purchases of Iranian or Iranian origin petroleum: to a de minimis level by the end of that 240-day period; or during the one-year period beginning 240 days after September 7, 2015, reduces such purchases by at least 30% during that 240-day period, and is expected to reduce them to a de minimis level within 2 years after September 7, 2015. Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to exclude from U.S. entry: any individual who engages in sanction evasion activities for or on behalf of the government of Iran, any individual acting on behalf of the government of Iran who is involved in corrupt activities of that government or the diversion of humanitarian goods, or any senior official who was involved in the activities of an entity designated for sanctions in connection with Iran's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or Iran's support for international terrorism. Expands the list of designated senior officials of the government of Iran. Directs the President to block the U.S. or U.S.-controlled property and property transfers of specified senior officials and family members who received such property from a listed official. Directs the President to prohibit the opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining in the United States, of any correspondent account or any payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducted or facilitated a significant currency transaction (including through another person) with or on behalf of the Central Bank of Iran or another Iranian sanctioned financial institution. Authorizes the President to impose sanctions pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act against any other person that knowingly conducts or facilitates such a currency transaction. Excludes from such sanctions any transactions for: (1) the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine or medical devices to Iran; or (2) humanitarian assistance to the people of Iran. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions for 180 days, with additional 180-day waivers, if important to the U.S. national interest, and if notice is provided to Congress. Amends the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 to include the construction, engineering, automotive, and mining sectors of Iran within the scope of sanctions. Designates as entities of proliferation concern, in lieu of certain current entities, any that operate special economic zones, free economic zones, and entities in strategic sectors. Directs the President to block the property of: (1) entities in strategic sectors, and (2) entities that operate special economic zones or free economic zones. Defines "strategic sector" as: (1) the energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and mining sectors of Iran; (2) the construction and engineering sectors of Iran (except for projects to construct or engineer schools or hospitals); and (3) any other sector the President determines to be of strategic importance to Iran. Authorizes the President to suspend the application of sanctions under this Act for 30 days, with additional 30-day waivers, if the President reports to Congress: that the waiver or renewal is in the U.S. national security interest and is necessary to achieving a long-term solution with Iran; that Iran is not making further progress on its nuclear weapons program and is in compliance with all interim agreements; and on the status of the negotiations toward a long-term comprehensive solution. Authorizes the President to make an exception from the imposition of sanctions for reconstruction assistance or economic development for Afghanistan if in the U.S. national interest and if notice is provided to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress concerning budgetary resources for the enforcement of sanctions against Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act or the CHOICE Act Amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act to: (1) require the Secretary of Education to use funds appropriated under the Act that are carried over from one fiscal year to the next to provide opportunity scholarships to eligible students who have not yet received them; and (2) include among the eligibility criteria for such a scholarship a requirement that a student in the District of Columbia is enrolled, or will be enrolled for the next school year, in a public or private elementary or secondary school. (Opportunity scholarships are provided to low-income students in the District of Columbia to enable them to attend the District of Columbia private elementary or secondary school of their choice.) Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to allow states that have established a program allowing the parents of disabled children to use public or private funds to send their children to a private school to use their allocation of special education funds to supplement those funds. Authorizes grants for the improvement of special education services to be used for the planning, design, and initial implementation, during a period of up to three years, of state programs that allow the parents of a disabled child to make a genuine independent choice of the appropriate public or private school for their child. Sets forth requirements for those programs, including that they: (1) permit parents to receive state funds to pay some or all of the costs of their disabled child's attendance at the selected school, or (2) permit persons to receive a state tax credit for donations to an entity that provides funds to enable parents to pay some or all of the costs of their disabled child's attendance at that school. Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a five-year pilot program to award scholarships to enable military dependent students who live on military installations to attend the public or private elementary or secondary schools their parents choose rather than those assigned to them. Requires the Secretary of Defense to select at least five military installations to participate in the program and choose those where military students would most benefit from expanded education options. Directs the Secretary of Defense to use a random process to select scholarship recipients if more students apply for the scholarships than can be accommodated. Requires the Secretary of Education to return to the Treasury specified amounts made available for Department of Education salaries and expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the 96-hour physician certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under which a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act Establishes the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children in the Office of Tribal Justice of the Department of Justice. Requires the President and Congress to appoint to the Commission individuals who have significant experience and expertise in Indian affairs and matters to be studied by the Commission, including health care issues facing Native children, Indian education, juvenile justice programs, and social service programs used by Native children. Requires the Commission to establish a Native Advisory Committee consisting of representatives of Indian tribes from each region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a native Hawaiian. Requires members of the Committee to be experienced in matters to be studied by the Commission. Requires the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of federal, state, local, and tribal programs that serve Native children, including an evaluation of: the impact of concurrent jurisdiction on child welfare systems; barriers Indian tribes and Native Hawaiians face in using public and private grant resources; obstacles to nongovernmental financial support for programs benefitting Native children; issues relating to the validity and statistical significance of data on Native children; barriers to the development of sustainable, multidisciplinary programs designed to assist high-risk Native children and their families; cultural or socioeconomic challenges in communities of Native children; examples of successful program models and use of best practices in programs that serve children and families; barriers to interagency coordination; and the use of memoranda of agreement or interagency agreements to facilitate or improve agency coordination. Directs the Commission to use the results of the study and analyses of existing federal data to: develop recommendations for goals, and plans for achieving them, for federal policy relating to Native children in the short-, mid-, and long-term informed by the development of accurate child well-being measures, except as specified; recommend modifications and improvements to programs that serve Native children (on the condition that such recommendations recognize the diversity in cultural values) that integrate the cultural strengths of Native communities and result in improvements to the child welfare system, the mental and physical health of Native children, educational and vocational opportunities, and tribal juvenile detention programs; recommend improvements to the collection of data regarding Native children and the programs that serve them; and identify models of successful federal, state, and tribal programs in the areas studied by the Commission. Prohibits the Commission, when developing recommendations and plans for federal policy on Native children, from considering or recommending recognition or establishment of a government-to-government relationship with: (1) any entity not recognized on or before the date of enactment of this Act by the Federal Government through an Act of Congress, Executive action, judicial decree, or any other action; or (2) any entity not included in the authorized list under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994. Requires the Commission to report to the President, Congress, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for legislative and administrative action. Terminates the Commission 90 days after the report is submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to issue oleoresin capsicum spray to: (1) any Bureau officer or employee employed in a prison that is not a minimum or low security prison who may respond to an emergency situation in such prison; and (2) such additional prison officers and employees as the Director deems appropriate, subject to specified requirements. Requires any such officer or employee to complete a training course before being issued such spray and annual training on the use of such spray. Authorizes Bureau officers and employees issued such spray to use it to reduce acts of violence committed by prisoners and prison visitors against themselves, other prisoners and visitors, and Bureau officers and employees. Directs the Comptroller General, not later than three years after the date on which the Director begins to issue oleoresin capsicum spray to Bureau officers and employees, to submit to Congress a report that includes: (1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of issuing such spray on reducing crime in such prisons and acts of violence committed by prisoners against themselves and others, (2) an evaluation of the advisability of issuing such spray, and (3) recommendations to improve the safety of Bureau officers and employees in prisons.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015 Amends the National Labor Relations Act to provide that any enterprise or institution owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on its lands is not considered an employer (thus excluding such enterprises or institutions from coverage by such Act).
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Wendell H. Ford, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on January 22, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Senator Ford.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
American Liberty Restoration Act Repeals provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that require individuals to maintain minimum essential health care coverage. Applies the Internal Revenue Code as if such provisions had never been enacted.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015 States that the purpose of this Act is to increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations. Revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to Congress and to the Comptroller General a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule. Requires a joint resolution of approval of major rules to be enacted before such rules may take effect. Provides that if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days, as applicable, after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the major rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for one 90-calendar day period without such approval if the President determines it is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement. Sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules. Requires the introduction of a joint resolution addressing a report classifying a rule as a major rule within three legislative days in the House of Representative and three session days in the Senate. Prohibits any amendments to such a joint resolution at any stage of the legislative process. Provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution of approval and requires a vote on such resolution in the Senate within 15 session days after it is reported by the committee to which it was referred, or after such committee has been discharged from further consideration of the resolution. Allows a court to review whether an agency has completed the necessary requirements under this Act for a rule to take effect. Limits the effect of a joint resolution of approval of a major rule. Prohibits an agency from allowing a major rule to take effect without the congressional review procedures set forth in this Act. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to provide that any congressional approval procedure set forth in this Act affecting budget authority, outlays, or receipts shall be assumed to be effective unless it is not approved in accordance with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015 This bill requires the President, before a national monument can be designated on public land, to obtain congressional approval, certify compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and determine that the state in which the monument is to be located has enacted legislation approving its designation. The Department of the Interior may not implement restrictions on the public use of a national monument until the expiration of an appropriate review period providing for public input and congressional approval.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Accurate Budgeting Act This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to prepare a macroeconomic impact analysis for major revenue legislation. The estimates are required for revenue legislation considered on the floor of the House or Senate or reported by the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee. The macroeconomic impact analysis, commonly referred to as dynamic scoring, includes: the changes in economic output, employment, interest rates, capital stock, and tax revenues expected to result from the proposal; revenue feedback (changes in revenue resulting from changes in economic growth as a result of the proposal); and the assumptions and data used for the estimate. The bill requires JCT to prepare the analysis as a supplement to the revenue estimates currently required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015
Jobs and Premium Protection Act This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on a health insurance provider based on its net premium income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015
Taxpayer Accountability Act Requires the Internal Revenue Service: (1) to provide a substantive written response (not merely an acknowledgment letter) to any written correspondence from a taxpayer not later than 30 days after receiving such correspondence; (2) within 30 days after disclosing taxpayer information to any federal, state, or local governmental entity, to provide to the taxpayer a written notification describing the information, to whom it was disclosed, and when it was disclosed; and (3) to conclude any audit of an individual taxpayer not later than 1 year after the audit is initiated and to not assess any tax with respect to such audit after it is concluded.
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015
Learning Opportunities Created At Local Level Act or the LOCAL Level Act Expresses the sense of Congress that state and local prerogatives over elementary and secondary education need to be preserved. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit any federal officer or employee from directly or indirectly, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements under the ESEA: mandating, directing, or controlling a state's, local educational agency's (LEA's), or school's specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction; incentivizing such an entity's adoption of any specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction; mandating a state or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under the ESEA; or conditioning the availability of financial support on a state's, LEA's, or school's adoption of any specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction, even if such conditions are specified under any other Act. Prohibits any funds provided to the Department of Education under the ESEA from being used by the Department directly or indirectly, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements, to endorse, approve, develop, require, or sanction any elementary or secondary school curriculum. Prohibits conditioning any state's receipt of ESEA assistance on the approval or certification of its academic standards by the federal government. Includes in the prohibition against the use of ESEA funds on federally sponsored testing and testing materials such use on any assessment or testing materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards or any other academic standards common to a significant number of states. Prohibits the use of Race to the Top funds, provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, on such aligned assessment or testing materials.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act of 2015 Revises and extends (until two years after enactment of this Act) prohibitions on the use of funds available to any U.S. agency (currently, to the Department of Defense [DOD]) to: construct or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to house individuals detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as of October 1, 2009, who are not U.S. citizens or members of the U.S. Armed Forces and who are in the custody or control of DOD or otherwise under detention in the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo for the detention or imprisonment in the custody or control of the U.S. government, unless authorized by Congress; or transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and who was held on (currently, on or after) January 20, 2009, in Guantanamo Bay by DOD. Supersedes and repeals existing prohibitions under National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (NDAA) concerning such construction and U.S. transfers that are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2015. Prohibits until two years after enactment of this Act the transfer or release of any Guantanamo detainee in DOD custody or control to: (1) the Republic of Yemen or any entity within Yemen; or (2) any other foreign country or foreign entity if the individual has ever been determined or assessed by Joint Task Force Guantanamo to be a high-risk or medium-risk to the United States, its interests, or its allies. Makes the prohibition on the transfer or release of high-risk or medium-risk individuals inapplicable to a U.S. agency head's actions to effectuate an order affecting the disposition of the individual that is issued by a U.S. court or tribunal. Repeals provisions under the NDAA concerning DOD transfers of Guantanamo detainees to foreign countries. Replaces the repealed provisions with previous authority from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that prohibits use of DOD funds to transfer Guantanamo detainees to foreign countries or entities unless DOD certifies that the government of the country or the recognized leadership of the entity: is not a designated state sponsor of terrorism or foreign terrorist organization, maintains control over detention facilities and is not facing threats likely to affect its control over the individual, agrees to take actions to ensure that the individual cannot engage in terrorist activities or threaten U.S. citizens or allies, and agrees to share with the United States information regarding the individual or the individual's associates that could affect security of the United States or its allies. Prohibits transfers to a country or entity if any Guantanamo detainee transferred to that country or entity subsequently engaged in any terrorist activity. Authorizes DOD to waive certain certification requirements or prohibitions in the interest of national security. Delays DOD transfer procedures from applying to high-risk or medium-risk Guantanamo detainees until after the two-year prohibition on such transfers. Prohibits terrorist activity recidivism exceptions and national security waivers from authorizing transfers to Yemen during the two-year prohibition on Yemen transfers. Directs DOD to submit a list of Guantanamo detainees determined by the Task Force to be high-risk or medium-risk.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for an independent third party evaluation, to be conducted by September 30, 2018, and each fiscal year thereafter, of the VA's mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Directs the Secretary to survey the VA's websites and information resources to publish a website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with information regarding the VA's mental health care services. Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine; demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA; and agree to a period of two or more years of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Limits the loan repayment to no more than $30,000 for each year an individual performs such obligated service. Directs the Secretary to establish a three-year pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network carried out in partnership with an entity that has experience in peer support programs, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN. Authorizes the Secretary to collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations to prevent suicide among veterans. Requires the Secretary and any such organization to exchange training sessions and best practices. Directs the Secretary to select a VA Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination to undertake any collaboration with nonprofit mental health organizations. Extends for one year combat veterans' eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for illnesses that have not been medically proven to be attributable to their service, provided they: (1) were discharged or released from active duty between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2011, and (2) did not enroll to receive such care during the five-year period of eligibility following their discharge or release.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Fair Tax Act of 2015 This bill is a tax reform proposal that imposes a national sales tax on the use or consumption in the United States of taxable property or services in lieu of the current income and corporate income tax, employment and self-employment taxes, and estate and gift taxes. The rate of the sales tax will be 23% in 2017, with adjustments to the rate in subsequent years. There are exemptions from the tax for used and intangible property, for property or services purchased for business, export, or investment purposes, and for state government functions. Under the bill, family members who are lawful U.S. residents receive a monthly sales tax rebate (Family Consumption Allowance) based upon criteria related to family size and poverty guidelines. The states have the responsibility for administering, collecting, and remitting the sales tax to the Treasury. Tax revenues are to be allocated among: (1) the general revenue, (2) the old-age and survivors insurance trust fund, (3) the disability insurance trust fund, (4) the hospital insurance trust fund, and (5) the federal supplementary medical insurance trust fund. No funding is allowed for the operations of the Internal Revenue Service after FY2019. Finally, the bill terminates the national sales tax if the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution (authorizing an income tax) is not repealed within seven years after the enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Medical Device Access and Innovation Protection Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
National Park Access Act Requires the Director of the National Park Service to refund to each state all of the funds that it used to reopen and temporarily operate a unit of the National Park System during the period in October 2013 in which there was a lapse in appropriations for that unit.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Public Access to Public Land Guarantee Act Directs the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture, with respect to land under their respective jurisdictions, pursuant to a state or local government offer, to enter into an agreement under which the United States may accept funds from the state or local government to reopen any unit of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, or the National Forest System within the state or local government during any period in which there is a lapse in appropriations for that unit. Makes such authority effective only during a period in which the department is unable to operate and manage covered units at normal levels. Requires the appropriate department to refund to the state or local government all amounts it provided to the United States under such an agreement: (1) upon enactment of an Act retroactively appropriating amounts sufficient to maintain normal operating levels at the reopened covered unit, or (2) on the date on which the state or local government establishes that the department collected entrance or user fees for the covered units during the period in which the agreement was in effect. Allows the appropriate department, if such refund requirements are not met, to reimburse the state or local government voluntarily for any amounts it provided to the United States under such an agreement.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2015
Local Leadership in Education Act Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit a federal officer or employee, either directly or indirectly through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements under ESEA, from: mandating, directing, or controlling a state's, local educational agency's (LEA's), or school's academic standards, curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of state or local resources; mandating a state or subdivision to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under ESEA; incentivizing a state's, LEA's, or school's adoption of any specific academic standards or a specific curriculum or program of instruction; conditioning the availability of financial support on such an entity's adoption of specific instructional content, academic standards, or curricula, or on the administration of assessments or tests, even if such requirements are specified in ESEA; or mandating or requiring states to administer assessments or tests to students. Requires the school improvement program under part A of title I of ESEA to be carried out without regard to any requirement that a state carry out academic assessments or that LEAs and elementary and secondary schools make adequate yearly progress. Prohibits the Secretary of Education from conditioning the provision of a statutory or regulatory waiver under ESEA on a state, LEA, Indian tribe, or school: (1) getting their academic standards approved by the federal government, or (2) administering assessments or tests to students. Makes that prohibition applicable to future and previously issued waivers. Amends the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit a department, agency, officer, or federal employee from: (1) exercising any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum (including its development), program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system or over the selection of library resources, textbooks, or other printed or published instructional materials by any educational institution or school system; or (2) requiring the assignment or transportation of students or teachers in order to overcome racial imbalance. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to prohibit the use of Race to the Top funds to develop, pilot test, field test, implement, administer, or distribute any assessment or testing materials.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Repeals sections of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (and restores provisions of law amended by those sections) related to the establishment of an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop proposals to reduce the per capita rate of growth in spending under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015 States that it is U.S. policy to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to eliminate the President's authority to waive certain funding limitations for Department of State acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened. Requires any official U.S. document which lists countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Limits appropriations that may be obligated in FY2015 for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened. States that for each of FY2016-FY2017, of funds authorized to be appropriated for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad, necessary sums should be made available until expended only for construction and other costs associated with the establishment in Jerusalem of the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Child Tax Credit Integrity Preservation Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the identification requirements for the child tax credit to require taxpayers to provide a valid identification number (i.e., a Social Security account number issued by the Social Security Administration) on their tax returns in addition to the name and identification number of each qualifying child.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Government Neutrality in Contracting Act Directs the head of any federal agency that awards or obligates funds for any construction contract, or that awards grants, provides financial assistance, or enters into cooperative agreements for construction projects, to ensure that bid specifications, project agreements, or other controlling documents do not: (1) require or forbid a bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor to enter into or adhere to agreements with a labor organization with respect to that construction project or another related construction project; or (2) otherwise discriminate against such a party because it did or did not become a signatory or otherwise adhere to such an agreement. Allows exemptions to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve national security. Allows additional exemptions for certain projects. Directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act with respect to the applicable federal contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Helping Individuals Regain Employment Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "full-time employee," for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage, any individual who is a long-term unemployed individual. Defines "long-term unemployed individual" as an individual who begins employment after enactment of this Act and has been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.
![Official portrait of Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/i000024_200.jpg)