United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Protecting Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) prevent 2016 increases to Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles for enrollees, and (2) authorize federal funding to offset the corresponding reduction in aggregate monthly premiums. Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must annually determine the monthly actuarial rate upon which Part B premiums and deductibles are based. The bill temporarily freezes that rate at the 2015 level for enrollees, effectively preventing increases to premiums and deductibles for those enrollees in 2016. (Current law already protects Part B enrollees whose benefits are deducted from their Social Security benefits from premium increases that would result in a smaller Social Security check.)
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2015
Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2016 This bill provides $1 billion in FY2016 supplemental appropriations to the Department of State's Migration and Refugee Assistance account for expenses to respond to the refugee crisis resulting from conflict in the Middle East, including costs associated with the resettlement of refugees in the United States. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. Prior to using funds provided by this bill, the State Department must submit to Congress a report including specified details regarding the refugees who have fled Syria and Iraq, the costs associated with resettlement, and the proposed uses of funds provided by this bill. The State Department may transfer funds provided by this bill to other federal agencies for the purpose of assisting in the resettlement in the United States of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East, subject to congressional notification requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2015
American Energy Innovation Act This bill encourages and establishes requirements concerning: energy efficiency in the electricity grid, the manufacturing sector, certain vehicles and trucks, buildings, homes, and the federal government; protection of the bulk-power system from cybersecurity threats; the security and resiliency of the energy network and applications, including electric, natural gas, and oil exploration, transmission, and delivery; the modernization of energy infrastructure at the federal and state level; the development or deployment of alternative energies; and water conservation measures. The bill establishes: (1) a nonbinding goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 2% per year on average through 2025, and (2) a federal energy efficiency resource standard for retail electricity and natural gas suppliers. The bill repeals royalty relief for leases in the Outer Continental Shelf with respect to the production of oil or gas from deep water production or ultra deep wells in shallow waters. The Department of Interior must: (1) prevent venting and flaring of gases in oil and natural gas production operations on federal land, and (2) promote the capture of beneficial use or reinjection of gas in those operations. Interior must establish an annual production incentive fee with respect to public land that is subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the Department of Energy's: (1) Weatherization Assistance Program, (2) State Energy Program, (3) basic research, and (4) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The bill also revises and reauthorizes the Water Desalination Act of 1996. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide tax incentives for producing clean energy and for reducing energy use in homes or commercial buildings, (2) extend through 2017 energy-related tax credits, (3) subject oil derived from tar sands to an excise tax, and (4) repeal certain oil and gas tax subsidies for major integrated oil companies. The bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Centennial Fund, and (2) permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
Designates the week of September 19-September 26, 2015, as National Estuaries Week. Acknowledges the importance of estuaries to sustaining employment in the United States and the nation's economic well-being and prosperity. Expresses the intent of the Senate to continue working to understand, protect, and restore U.S. estuaries.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2015
Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer's Act or the EUREKA Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish EUREKA prize competitions to achieve high-priority breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease and dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The NIH must: (1) convene an advisory council of nongovernmental experts in Alzheimer's disease and dementia to develop the EUREKA prize competitions, and (2) appoint a panel of judges to evaluate submissions. The council and panel are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Support for EUREKA prize competitions may be provided by private organizations and individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honors the extraordinary courage and heroism of U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, French-American Mark Moogalian, British consultant Chris Norman, and Frenchman Damien A. who selflessly risked their lives to prevent a terrorist attack that could have killed dozens aboard a passenger train bound for Paris. Extends best wishes for a full recovery to all innocent individuals who were injured during the attack, including U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone and French-American Mark Moogalian.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Richard Schultz Schweiker, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 9, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2015
Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 This bill amends the Administrative Procedure Act to revise requirements for federal agency rulemaking by requiring agencies, in making a rule, to consider: (1) the legal authority under which a rule may be proposed, including whether rulemaking is required by statute or is within the discretion of the agency; (2) the nature and significance of the problem the agency intends to address with a rule; (3) whether existing federal laws or rules have created or contributed to the problem; (4) reasonable alternatives for a new rule; and (5) for any major rule or high-impact rule (generally defined as rules having an annual cost to the economy of $100 million or $1 billion or more, respectively), the potential costs and benefits associated with potential alternative rules. The bill requires agencies that initiate a rulemaking that may result in a major rule or a high-impact rule to: (1) establish an electronic docket for that rulemaking, which may have a physical counterpart; and (2) publish a notice of initiation of rulemaking in the Federal Register. The bill requires agencies issuing a rule to notify the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget and publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register which shall include: (1) a text of the proposed rule; (2) a summary of rulemaking considerations; and (3) for any major rule or high-impact rule, a preliminary determination that the benefits of the proposed rule justify its costs and a discussion of the costs and benefits of alternatives to the rule. Similar notice requirements apply when an agency adopts a final rule. The bill expands agency requirements for allowing opportunities for public comment and sets forth requirements for providing public hearings for high-impact and major rules and for petitioning for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule. An agency must, in a rulemaking for a major rule or high-impact rule, adopt the least costly rule considered during the rulemaking that meets relevant statutory objectives. The bill requires the OIRA to establish and update guidelines for the assessment of: (1) the costs and benefits of proposed and final rules, and (2) other economic issues and risk assessments that are relevant to rulemaking. The bill revises the scope of judicial review to prohibit review of a determination of whether a rule is a major rule and to establish a substantial evidence standard for affirming agency rulemaking decisions. The bill sets forth criteria for issuing major guidance (agency guidance that is likely to lead to an annual cost to the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in cost or prices, or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or ability to compete).
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2015
Free Market Energy Act This bill amends: (1) the Federal Power Act to define "distributed energy resource" as a resource, technology, or service interconnected to the electricity distribution system that generates, manages, or reduces energy use; and (2) the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to provide that distributed energy resources shall have a general right of interconnection under such Act. States must ensure that electric distribution grid operators adopt requirements for interconnection rates and fees that are just and reasonable, that provide for the two-way benefit for the distributed energy resource and the electricity grid, and that are not punitive. Time frames for interconnection shall be well-defined, expeditious, and not unduly protracted. An interconnection may not be delayed or denied unless the electric utility demonstrates that the interconnection is unsafe or impracticable. A state regulatory authority that considers modifying the treatment of net energy metering customers must consider requiring that distributed energy resources be eligible to receive just and reasonable energy and rate treatment using dynamic pricing, which may account for locational benefit, to be provided on an unbundled basis, after accounting for the two-way valuation of dynamic rates, for services provided to or by the grid. Dynamic pricing considerations shall include: pricing for energy sold to, and pricing for energy purchased from, an electric utility, capacity, the provision of ancillary services, the societal value of distributed energy resources, and transmission and distribution losses. A state regulatory authority or applicable Regional Transmission Organization or Independent System Operator must consider nontransmission alternatives in instances in which an entity proposes transmission projects seeking cost-of-service rate recovery. To reduce the cost to the ratepayer of a potential transmission upgrade, the cost of the nontransmission alternative shall be recovered from the ratebase or regional recovery mechanism in the same manner as the transmission upgrade otherwise would have been.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Designates the week of September 13, 2015, as National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week. Commends direct support professionals as integral to long-term support and services for individuals with disabilities. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the successful implementation of the public policies affecting individuals with disabilities depends on the dedication of direct support professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Board Enhancement Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish: (1) a Small Business Advisory Board to advise and consult with the CFPB in the exercise of its functions under the federal consumer financial laws regarding financial products or services provided for use by consumers primarily for personal, family, or household purposes and to provide information on emerging practices of small businesses that provide such products or services; and (2) a Credit Union Advisory Council and a Community Bank Advisory Council to advise and consult with the CFPB on consumer financial products or services that impact credit unions and community banks, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Designates September 2015 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Declares that steps should be taken to: (1) raise awareness of prostate cancer, (2) encourage research so that screening and treatment for prostate cancer may be improved, and (3) improve access to care for prostate cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: Social Security earned benefits that are crucial to the economic security of our nation and must be preserved to ensure future generations of Americans are protected; with the strong support of the federal government, Social Security must continue to deliver guaranteed retirement and life insurance benefits for workers and their families, as well as serve as an indispensable safety net for the most vulnerable segments of American society; and while the trust funds that support Social Security are projected to pay all benefits through 2034, Congress should act to ensure this vital program can support workers and families far into the future, but should reject proposals that weaken or privatize Social Security and should consider proposals to strengthen Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Waterfront Community Revitalization and Resiliency Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Commerce to designate as a resilient waterfront community a unit of local government or Indian tribe that meets specified criteria and is: bound in part by the Great Lakes or the ocean, or bordered or traversed by a riverfront or an inland lake; self-nominated as a resilient waterfront community; and designated as one by Commerce on the basis of a community-developed plan. In making such a designation and promulgating criteria and best practices, Commerce must work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the heads of other federal agencies to provide comparable services to waterfront communities not located on Great Lakes or ocean coasts. Commerce must: (1) develop a resilient waterfront communities network to facilitate the sharing of best practices and technical assistance among waterfront communities, and (2) recognize such communities formally and publicly to promote tourism, investment, or other benefits. Commerce must also establish a program to provide planning and implementation grants of between $50,000 and $1 million that leverage other sources of public and private investment to assist with development of resilient waterfront community plans, including planning and feasibility analysis costs, and implementation of strategic components of an approved plan. At regular intervals Commerce must give a list of resilient waterfront communities to the applicable states and the heads of national and regional offices of interested federal agencies. Commerce shall give designated resilient waterfront communities preferential status in its select grant and loan programs, including those of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Economic Development Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Act to allow an Indian tribe to assume, from a nearby local educational agency (LEA) and in lieu of a state, responsibility for administration of the school breakfast program, the school lunch program, the child and adult care food program, or the summer food service program for children. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must identify, for optional use in LEAs on or near Indian reservations, alternatives to current program requirements related to the daily counting of meals by category, the use of annual applications to determine program eligibility, and the use of universal meal service. USDA may implement such alternatives, as limited by the bill, as well as further test them in demonstration projects. The bill also amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require USDA to increase the amount of administrative funds paid to an Indian tribe that agrees to assume responsibility for the administration of one of the aforementioned food programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act or the PALS Act This bill requires that any provision of law referring to current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention be administered as if: (1) the provision referred to USPSTF recommendations last issued before 2009; and (2) those recommendations applied to any screening mammography modality, including any digital modality of such a procedure. (In 2009, USPSTF updated its guidelines to recommend against routine screening mammography for women between 40 to 49 years of age and to recommend biennial, instead of annual, screening mammography for most women between 50 to 74 years of age.) In addition, the bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to preserve Medicare coverage for screening mammography, without a requirement for coinsurance, and expand the definition of screening mammography to include any digital modality of such a procedure. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid may not revise the frequency with which screening mammography may be paid by Medicare for a woman over 39 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
This bill extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Program through FY2021 at FY2011 funding levels. This Program provides payments to state jurisdictions to compensate for the cost of providing services in tax-exempt federal lands within such jurisdictions. The bill eliminates the fiscal year limitation on funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Program. This Program compensates local governments for tax revenue lost due to tax-exempt federal lands within their boundaries. The bill amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act to make permanent the authorization for the Land and and Water Conservation Fund. Amounts in such Funds remain available for expenditure to carry out such Act without further appropriation or fiscal year limitation. Not less than 1.5% the annual authorized funding amount under such Act shall be made available for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2015
Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security to authorize employment for an asylum applicant who is not in detention and whose asylum application has not been determined to be frivolous. Employment authorization shall be: (1) for a period of one year, and (2) renewable for additional one-year periods for the entire period necessary to adjudicate the applicant's asylum claim.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to create a private civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. Specifically, the bill authorizes a trade secret owner to file a civil action in a U.S. district court seeking relief for trade secret misappropriation related to a product or service in interstate or foreign commerce. It establishes remedies, such as an injunction and damages. The statute of limitation is set at five years from the date of discovery of the misappropriation. A trade secret owner may apply for and a court may grant a seizure order to prevent dissemination of the trade secret if the court makes specific findings, including that an immediate and irreparable injury will occur if seizure is not ordered. A court must take custody of the seized materials and hold a seizure hearing within seven days. Any party harmed by the order may move to dissolve or modify the order and may also seek relief against the applicant of the seizure order for wrongful or excessive seizure. The Department of Justice must submit to Congress and publish a biannual report on trade secret theft outside the United States. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) trade secret theft occurs in the United States and around the world, (2) trade secret theft harms owner companies and their employees, and (3) the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 applies broadly to protect trade secrets from theft.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2015 This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer one or more Medicare-operated prescription drug plan options. In doing so, CMS must: (1) negotiate prices with drug manufacturers; (2) establish an appeals process for denials of plan benefits, including the option for external review and determination by an independent entity; and (3) establish and apply a formulary and formulary incentives. In general, a Medicare-operated drug plan must meet the same requirements as apply to any other prescription drug plan.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2015 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer to improve the understanding of these cancers and of the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2020 and revised to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to states to improve tracking of childhood cancers. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs to publish policies for compassionate use of the drugs. The Department of Health and Human Services must: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors, (3) establish a task force on standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (4) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. The NIH must support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Encourages celebration of the advancement of freedom and the expansion of opportunity made possible by its enactment. Pledges continued work on a bipartisan basis to support opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and the full participation of individuals in the United States who have disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Condemns the attack at the Grand Theatre 16 movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, on July 23, 2015. Honors the memory of the two Louisiana citizens who lost their lives. Recognizes the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who responded to such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Designates September 2015 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Equality Act Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. Defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. Expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. Prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Requires employers to recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. Provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Authorizes DOJ to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Requires protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. Prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. Prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. Amends the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) and Trade Enhancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to revise country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Under current law, country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity. The bill repeals the mandatory requirements for beef, pork, and chicken and permits a packer to voluntarily designate any raw single-ingredient beef, pork, or chicken intended for retail sale as exclusively having a U.S. country of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Designates July 26, 2015, as United States Intelligence Professionals Day. Acknowledges the courage, fidelity, sacrifice, and professionalism of the men and women of the U.S. intelligence community.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015
Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) cover marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare, (2) exclude such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system, and (3) authorize marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Northern Border Security Review Act Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to specified congressional committees a northern border threat analysis, which shall include analyses of: terrorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and organized groups seeking to enter the United States through the northern border or to exploit border vulnerabilities on such border; improvements needed at and between ports of entry along the northern border to prevent terrorists and instruments of terror from entering the United States and to reduce criminal activity, as measured by the total flow of illegal goods and illicit drugs, related to such border; and vulnerabilities in law, policy, cooperation between state, tribal, and local law enforcement, international agreements, or tribal agreements that hinder border security, counterterrorism, anti-human trafficking efforts, and the flow of legitimate trade along the northern border. Directs the Secretary, for such analysis, to consider and examine: technology needs and challenges; personnel needs and challenges; the role of state, tribal, and local law enforcement in general border security activities; the need for cooperation among federal, state, tribal, local, and Canadian law enforcement entities relating to border security; and the geographic challenges of the northern border.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality Act of 2015 or the STARS Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt seasonal employees from the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide employees with minimum essential health care coverage. Defines "seasonal employee" as an employee who is employed in a position for which the customary annual employment is not more than six months and which requires performing labor or services that are ordinarily performed at certain seasons or periods of the year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
School Lunch Price Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to alter the formula that school food authorities are required to use to establish the price for a paid lunch (a lunch provided to children who are not eligible for free or reduced price meals). Specifically, the bill makes the formula applicable only to school food authorities that had a negative balance in their nonprofit school food service account for the previous school year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Condemns the attacks of July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Honors the sacrifice and memory of the five members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives. Recognizes the skill and heroism of the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who came to the aid of others. Commends the efforts of those who are working to care for the injured and investigate this horrific incident. Extends condolences and prayers to the families of the fallen, and to all those affected in Chattanooga and in the United States. Pledges to work together to prevent future attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Connect with Veterans Act of 2015 Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a program to facilitate VA outreach to veterans, primary state agencies for the administration of veterans' benefits and services, political subdivisions of states, and Indian tribes. Requires the VA, to carry out such program, to: (1) establish a national veterans directory, and (2) share directory information with any such entities from which a participating individual has expressed interest in receiving information. Prohibits: (1) the VA from selling information collected under this Act, (2) the VA or any participating entity from sharing such information with a non-participating entity, or (3) any participating entity from using any such information for any political communication or from requiring any participating individual to purchase any product or service. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to: (1) provide to each member of the Armed Forces separating from service a form for the collection of information to be included in the directory, (2) ensure that completion of the form is voluntary, and (3) take steps to protect the privacy of individuals and the security of information. Directs DOD and the Department of Labor jointly to take steps to integrate the collection of information under this Act into the Transition Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same sex couples.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Department of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors. Requires Treasury to review credits allocated under this Act periodically and authorizes Treasury to make additional allocations and reallocations of such credits upon determining that: (1) the limit on the total amount of megawatt capacity for offshore facilities with respect to which credits may be allocated under the program has not been attained, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant for certification will not meet the required timeline.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Mayflower Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to 50,000 $5 gold commemorative coins, and up to 100,000 $1 silver commemorative coins, whose design is emblematic of the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. These coins shall be issued only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2020. The Department must pay all surcharges received from sales of the coins to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants for educational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
This bill prohibits until January 1, 2016, enforcement against any person of integrated disclosure requirements for mortgage loan transactions under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, the Truth in Lending Act, and regulations issued under such Acts. No suit may be filed against any person for a violation of such requirements occurring before that date, as long as the person has made a good faith effort to comply with them.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
21st Century Glass-Steagall Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to prohibit an insured depository institution from: (1) being or becoming an affiliate of any insurance company, securities entity, or swaps entity; (2) being in common ownership or control with any insurance company, securities entity, or swaps entity; or (3) engaging in any activity that would cause the insured depository institution to qualify as an insurance company, securities entity, or swaps entity. Prohibits any individual who is an officer, director, partner, or employee of any securities entity, insurance company, or swaps entity, except in specified circumstances, from serving simultaneously as an officer, director, employee, or other institution-affiliated party of any insured depository institution. Makes certain technical and conforming amendments to the Banking Act of 1933 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to limit the business of national banks to receiving deposits, extending credit, discounting and negotiating evidences of debt, loaning money on personal security, engaging in coin and bullion exchange, and investing in investment securities. Limits the purchase and sale of investment securities and stock by a national banking association to the accounts of customers, but in no case for its own account. Prohibits an association from underwriting any issue of securities or stock. Prohibits a national banking association from investing in structured or synthetic products, defined as financial instruments in which a return is calculated based on the value of, or by reference to the performance of, a security, commodity, swap, other asset, or an entity, or any index or basket composed of such items. Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to repeal the authority of federal savings associations to invest in, redeem, or hold shares or certificates issued by any open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if their portfolios are restricted by the management company's investment policy solely to investments in which a federal savings association may deal. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 with respect to prohibitions against bank holding company ownership or control of voting share interests in nonbanking organizations. Revises exemptions from such prohibitions in the case of nonbanking organizations whose activities are so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident to them. Specifies activities of a nonbanking organization that shall not be considered closely related to banking, and so disqualify a bank holding company from owning or controlling voting share interests in such an organization. Includes among such nonbanking activities: (1) serving as an investment advisor to an investment company, (2) agency transactional services for customer investments, (3) investment transactions as principal, and (4) management consulting and counseling activities. Exempts from application of the prohibitions against nonbanking activities, with respect to a bank holding company, the purchase, as an end user, of swaps to hedge against certain exposures, including changes in either interest rates or in the value of currency. Prohibits a bank holding company from engaging in the business of a securities or a swaps entity, including: (1) dealing or making markets in securities, repurchase agreements, exchange traded and over-the-counter swaps, and structured or synthetic products; (2) engaging in proprietary trading; (3) owning, sponsoring, or investing in a hedge fund, or private equity fund, or any other fund which exhibits the characteristics of a fund that takes on proprietary trading activities or positions; (4) holding ineligible securities or derivatives; and (5) engaging in either market-making or prime brokerage activities. Requires the appropriate federal regulatory agency to pursue certain actions to enforce this Act. Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 to repeal provisions (of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) that: (1) permit a financial holding company to engage in activities that are either financial in nature or constitute expanded financial activities, (2) prescribe corrective actions for financial holding companies that fail to meet certain requirements, (4) authorize certain financial holding companies to retain limited nonfinancial activities and affiliations, and (5) authorize certain financial holding companies to own or control shares of a company engaged in activities related to the trading, sale, or investment in commodities and underlying physical properties that were not previously permissible for bank holding companies. Amends the Revised Statutes of the United States to repeal the authority of national banks to control or hold an interest in financial subsidiaries. Amends the International Banking Act of 1978 to repeal the permission granted certain foreign banks to continue to engage in nonbanking activities in the United States. Revises bankruptcy law to repeal the prohibition against staying, avoiding, or limiting the exercise of a contractual right of financial entities to either liquidate, terminate, or accelerate the following financial instruments: a securities contract, a repurchase agreement, a swap agreement, a master netting agreement, and across contracts. Repeals requirements for the timing of damage measurement in connection with such financial instruments, including commodity contracts and forward contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Fairness in Respondent Selection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority (i.e., the Secretary of Commerce, or any other officer of the United States to whom the responsibility for carrying out duties under such Act regarding countervailing and antidumping duties are transferred by law) to determine an individual countervailable subsidy rate for an exporter or producer, upon the request of such exporter or producer, if four or fewer exporters and producers are involved in the investigation or review. The bill shall apply to any investigation or review initiated by such authority on or after March 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Requirements are revised for determining which states and political subdivisions are or are not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to such requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Any specific political subdivision of a state shall also be subject to those requirements for a 10-year period if 3 or more violations occurred in it during the previous 25 calendar years. A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless new violations occur after the declaratory judgment was issued. Each state and each political subdivision shall: (1) identify any newly enacted or adopted law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a voting-related standard, practice, or procedure (covered practice); and (2) ensure that no such covered practice is implemented unless or until the state or political subdivision complies with certain preclearance requirements. This bill prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions, including authority to assign observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of "qualifying income" for such partnerships to include income and gains from renewable and alternative fuels (in addition to fossil fuels), including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Condemns the attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Offers condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and to the staff and congregation of Mother Emanuel.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to repeal the government pension offset requirement applicable to and reducing husband's and wife's insurance benefits, widow's and widower's insurance benefits, and divorced mother's and divorced father's insurance benefits with respect to federal, state, or local government employees who receive a government pension and did not pay Social Security taxes during their years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years. Repeals also the windfall elimination requirement with respect to computation of an individual's primary insurance amount under which OASDI retirement or disability benefits are reduced if the individual receives a federal, state, or local government pension, did not pay Social Security taxes during the years of government service, and so did not earn entitlement to Social Security benefits for those years.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of the millions of refugees and displaced persons who flee war, persecution, and torture. Calls upon the U.S. government to: (1) continue its international leadership role in response to those who have been displaced, including the most vulnerable populations who endure sexual violence, human trafficking, forced conscription, and genocide; and (2) find political solutions to existing conflicts and prevent new conflicts from beginning. Commends those who have risked their lives working individually and for nongovernmental organizations and international agencies that have provided assistance and protection for persons displaced by conflict.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Domestic Refugee Resettlement Reform and Modernization Act of 2015 Requires the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs. Requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement to: (1) ensure that refugee assistance is provided to qualifying refugees who are secondary migrants; (2) report to Congress regarding states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration; and (3) expand the Office's data analysis, collection, and sharing activities to include data on mental and physical medical cases, housing needs, and refugee employment. Requires the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide refugee resettlement guidance to appropriate national, state, and local entities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Digital Learning Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a digital learning equity demonstration program that awards grants for developing, implementing, and evaluating strategies and methods to increase students' home access to the Internet and digital learning resources. This may include such practices as: (1) providing a targeted distribution of technology, such as a modem, that provides out-of-school Internet access to eligible students; (2) educating and training students, parents, and educators regarding the appropriate use of that technology outside of the classroom; and (3) evaluating the effectiveness of relevant strategies and methods. The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences must complete and publicly disseminate the finding of a national study on the educational trends and behaviors associated with access to digital learning resources outside of the classroom.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
![Official portrait of Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000383_200.jpg)