United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Cuba Trade Act of 2015 This bill repeals or amends current laws restricting trade with Cuba. The prohibition on assistance to Cuba, and the President's authority for the embargo on Cuba, under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 are eliminated. The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 is amended to eliminate: presidential authority to impose sanctions against Cuban trading partners, restrictions on transactions between U.S.-owned or controlled firms and Cuba, limitations on direct shipping between Cuban and U.S. ports, and restrictions on remittances. The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 is amended to eliminate: the enforcement of an economic embargo of Cuban provisions, and the prohibition on indirect financing of Cuba. The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 is amended to: remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions; eliminate the prohibition on U.S. assistance, including foreign assistance, export assistance, and any credit or guarantees being made available for exports to Cuba; eliminate the prohibition against a U.S. person's providing payment or financing terms for sales of agricultural commodities or products to Cuba; prohibit the United States from providing any foreign assistance to Cuba or any financial assistance, loans, loan guarantees, extension of credit, or other financing for exports to Cuba; and eliminate the prohibition on the U.S. entry of merchandise that is of Cuban origin is or has been located in or transported from or through Cuba, or is made or derived in whole or in part of any article which is the growth, produce, or manufacture of Cuba. The federal government may not obligate or expend any funds to promote trade with or develop markets in Cuba, except for certain commodity promotion programs.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Reinforcing American-Made Products Act of 2015 Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to require the Federal Trade Commission's regulation of the labeling of products as "Made in the U.S.A." or "Made in America" to supersede any state laws regarding the extent to which a product is introduced, delivered, sold, advertised, or offered for sale in interstate or foreign commerce with such a label in order to represent that the product was in whole or substantial part of domestic origin.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Power Efficiency and Resiliency Act or the POWER Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% energy tax credit for combined heat and power system property and increase the capacity limitations for such property, (2) extend until December 31, 2018, the placed-in-service deadline for such property, and (3) allow a 30% energy tax credit for waste heat to power property (property comprising a system generating electricity through the recovery of a qualified waste heat resource) placed in service before January 1, 2019. Includes within the definition of "qualified waste heat resource": (1) exhaust heat or flared gas from any industrial process; (2) waste gas or industrial tail gas that would otherwise be flared, incinerated, or vented; and (3) a pressure drop in any gas for an industrial or commercial process. Excludes from such definition any heat resource from a process the primary purpose of which is the generation of electricity utilizing a fossil fuel or nuclear energy.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Second Chance Reauthorization Act Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to revise and expand requirements for the Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects, including for planning and implementation and for promotion of employment opportunities, and to extend the program through FY2020. Sets forth criteria and priority considerations for DOJ to use in awarding grants. Amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to extend through FY2020 the authorization of appropriations for grants for: (1) family-based substance abuse treatment, (2) the careers training demonstration program, and (3) the offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration program. Renames the program of mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations for offender reentry as the program of community-based mentoring and transitional service grants to nonprofit organizations. Provides for enhanced services under such program to assist in the reintegration of offenders into the community. Extends the authorization of appropriations for such program through FY2020. Requires the DOJ Inspector General to conduct annual audits, beginning in FY2016, of grant recipients under the Second Chance Act of 2007 (covered grantees) to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of grant funds. Prohibits nonprofit organizations that hold money in offshore accounts from receiving grant funds. Imposes restrictions on: (1) DOJ conferences using more than $20,000 in DOJ funds; and (2) lobbying DOJ and other officials regarding the award of grant funding. Amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to: (1) modify and extend through FY2020 grant programs for reentry of federal prisoners into the community, including the program for placing aging offenders in home detention and for offender reentry research; (2) repeal programs under such Act relating to responsible reintegration of offenders, the study of the effectiveness of Depot Naltrexone for heroin addiction, and the satellite tracking and reentry training program; and (3) establish a program for partnering faith-based or community-based nonprofit organizations with prisons to conduct recidivism reduction activities. Directs DOJ, in consultation with specified federal officials and in collaboration with interested persons and entities, to coordinate on federal programs, policies, and activities relating to the reentry of individuals returning from incarceration to the community, with an emphasis on evidence-based practices and protection against duplication of services.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee to advise HHS on how to: (1) ensure coordination with other federal agencies, private organizations, and constituency groups regarding efforts to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases; (2) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints is considered in public health policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is based on the best available science; and (3) advise federal agencies on priorities related to tick-borne diseases. HHS must coordinate federal activities related to tick-borne diseases and conduct or support activities related to tick-borne diseases, including: developing diagnostic tools and tests, improving the efficient utilization of diagnostic tests, surveillance and reporting, providing and promoting access to a clearinghouse of information, increasing public education, creating a physician education program on the latest research and treatment options for Lyme disease, research on tick repellents and strategies for the control of ticks, exploring the potential for vaccines, establishing epidemiological research objectives, and determining the effectiveness of different treatments. HHS must report on scientific conferences that cost the federal government more than $100,000 and address tick-borne diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Celebrates the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut . Recognizes the value of the publicly funded family planning safety net in helping to realize the promise of Griswold and that: (1) birth control constitutes basic health care for women, (2) affordable contraceptives remain inaccessible to many poor and low-income women, and (3) investments in publicly funded family planning services help prevent unplanned pregnancies and abortions and help save taxpayer dollars. Encourages robust investment in publicly funded family planning services as a means to help women plan pregnancies and have healthier babies. Acknowledges that all women should have affordable access to the tools that help women plan and space their pregnancies.
United States · United States Congress · 23 May 2015
FISA Reform Act of 2015 TITLE I--FISA BUSINESS RECORDS REFORMS Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to establish a new process to be followed when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) submits an application to a FISA court for an order requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities. Prohibits the FBI from applying for a tangible thing production order, and prohibits a court from authorizing the collection of tangible things, unless a specific selection term is used as the basis for the production. Maintains limitations under current law that prohibit the FBI from applying for tangible thing production orders for threat assessments. Establishes two separate frameworks for the production of tangible things with different standards that apply based on whether the FBI's application seeks: production on an ongoing basis of call detail records created before, on, or after the date of the application relating to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism, in which case the specific selection term must specifically identify an individual, account, or personal device; or production of call detail records or other tangible things in any other manner, in which case the selection term must specifically identify a person, account, address, personal device, or any other specific identifier that limits, to the greatest extent reasonably practicable, the scope of tangible things sought by the government consistent with the purpose and need to obtain foreign intelligence information but is prohibited from permitting bulk or indiscriminate collection of tangible things, such as by solely identifying an electronic communication or remote computing service provider, unless the provider is itself a subject of an authorized investigation, or by solely identifying a broad domestic geographic region (including the United States, a state, city, county, zip code, or area code) when not used as part of a specific identifier. Defines "call detail record" as session identifying information (including an originating or terminating telephone number, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity number, or an International Mobile Station Equipment Identity number), a telephone calling card number, or the time or duration of a call. Excludes from such definition: (1) the contents of any communication; (2) the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer; or (3) cell site or global position system location information. Requires the FBI, in applications for ongoing production of call detail records for investigations to protect against international terrorism, to show: (1) reasonable grounds to believe that the call detail records are relevant to such investigation; and (2) a reasonable, articulable suspicion that the specific selection term is associated with a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power or an individual engaged in international terrorism or activities in preparation for such terrorism. Allows the FBI to request the FISA court to require recipients of a tangible thing production order to retain call detail records for up to 24 months from the date the record was initially generated if: (1) the FBI certifies that the government has reason to believe the recipient is not retaining call records for such a duration and the absence of records for that period is resulting in, or is reasonably likely to result in, the loss of foreign intelligence information relevant to an authorized investigation; and (2) the call detail records retained solely for purposes of complying with such a requirement may only be produced pursuant to a tangible thing production order. Requires a judge approving such an ongoing release of call detail records for an investigation to protect against international terrorism to: limit such production to a period not to exceed 180 days but allow such orders to be extended upon application, with judicial approval; permit the government to require the production of an initial set of call records using the reasonable, articulable suspicion standard that the term is associated with a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power and then a subsequent set of call records using session-identifying information or a telephone calling card number identified by the specific selection term that was used to produce the initial set of records (thus limiting the government to what is commonly referred to as two "hops" of call records); and direct the government to adopt minimization procedures requiring prompt destruction of produced call records that are not foreign intelligence information. Allows a FISA court to approve other categories of FBI requests for the production of call detail records or tangible things (i.e., FBI call detail record and tangible thing applications that do not seek ongoing production of call detail records created before, on, or after the date of an application relating to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism) without subjecting the production to: (1) the reasonable, articulable suspicion standard for an association with a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power; (2) the 180-day or the two-hop limitation; or (3) the special minimization procedures that require prompt destruction of produced records only if the order approves an ongoing production of call detail records for investigations to protect against international terrorism. Authorizes the Attorney General to require the emergency production of tangible things without first obtaining a court order if the Attorney General: (1) reasonably determines that an emergency situation requires the production of tangible things before an order authorizing production can be obtained with due diligence, (2) reasonably determines that a factual basis exists for the issuance of such a production order, (3) informs a FISA judge of the decision to require such production at the time the emergency decision is made, and (4) makes an application to a FISA judge within seven days after the Attorney General requires such emergency production. Terminates the authority for such emergency production of tangible things when the information sought is obtained, when the application for the order is denied, or after the expiration of seven days from the time the Attorney General begins requiring such emergency production, whichever is earliest. Prohibits information obtained or evidence derived from such an emergency production from being received in evidence or disclosed in any proceeding in or before any court, grand jury, agency, legislative committee, or other authority of the United States, any state, or any political subdivision if: (1) the subsequent application for court approval is denied, or (2) the production is terminated and no order is issued approving the production. Bars information concerning any U.S. person acquired from such production from being used or disclosed in any other manner by federal officers or employees without the consent of such person, except with approval of the Attorney General if the information indicates a threat of death or serious bodily harm. Requires a FISA court, as a condition to approving an application for a tangible thing production order, to find that the minimization procedures submitted with the application meet applicable FISA standards. Authorizes the court to impose additional minimization procedures. Allows a nondisclosure order imposed in connection with a tangible thing production order to be challenged immediately by filing a petition for judicial review. Removes a requirement that a judge considering a petition to modify or set aside a nondisclosure order treat as conclusive a certification by the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, an Assistant Attorney General, or the FBI Director that disclosure may endanger national security or interfere with diplomatic relations. Extends liability protections to persons who retain call detail records under a tangible thing production order or provide information, facilities, or technical assistance for the production of tangible things. Requires the government to compensate a person for reasonable expenses incurred in producing tangible things or providing technical assistance to the government to implement production procedures. Requires this title to take effect 180 days after its enactment unless the President certifies that a longer transition period of up to one year is necessary to make the new procedures operational. Provides for FISA court orders in effect on May 31, 2015, to continue in effect until the expiration of such orders. Authorizes the FISA court to extend the order of February 26, 2015, in Docket No. BR 15-24, until the effective date of this title. Prohibits this Act from being construed to authorize the production of the contents of any electronic communication from an electronic communication service provider under such tangible thing requirements. TITLE II--FISA PEN REGISTER AND TRAP AND TRACE DEVICE REFORM Requires the government's FISA applications for orders approving pen registers or trap and trace devices to include a specific selection term as the basis for the use of the register or device. Directs the Attorney General to ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to safeguard nonpublicly available information concerning U.S. persons that is collected, retained, or used through a pen register or trap and trace device installed with FISA court approval. TITLE III--NATIONAL SECURITY LETTER REFORM Amends the federal criminal code, the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require the FBI and other government agencies to use a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies. Requires the government to identify: (1) a person, entity, telephone number, or account for requests for telephone toll and transactional records; (2) a customer, entity, or account when requesting financial records for certain intelligence or protective functions; or (3) a consumer or account when requesting consumer reports for counterintelligence or counterterrorism purposes. TITLE IV--FISA TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Requires the Attorney General to expand an annual report to Congress regarding tangible thing applications to include a summary of compliance reviews and the total number of: (1) applications made for the daily production of call detail records created before, on, or after the date of an application relating to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism; and (2) orders approving such requests. Consolidates various FISA reporting requirements of the Attorney General into a combined semiannual report. Makes additional information about FISA activities and the decisions of FISA courts available to every Member of Congress. Requires unclassified reports to be made available to the public. Permits a person who is subject to a nondisclosure requirement accompanying a FISA order, directive, or national security letter to choose one of four methods to report publicly, on a semiannual or annual basis, the aggregate number of orders, directives, or letters with which the person was required to comply. Specifies the categories of orders, directives, and letters to be itemized or combined, the details authorized to be included with respect to contents or noncontents orders and the number of customer selectors targeted, and the ranges within which the number of orders, directives, or letters received may be reported aggregately in bands under each permitted method. Expands the categories of FISA court decisions, orders, or opinions that the Attorney General is required to submit to Congress within 45 days after issuance of the decision to include: (1) a denial or modification of an application under FISA; and (2) a change of the application, or a novel application, of any FISA provision. Revises reporting requirements regarding electronic surveillance, physical searches, and tangible things to include the House Judiciary Committee as a recipient of such reports. Requires the Attorney General to identify in an existing semiannual report each agency on behalf of which the government has applied for orders authorizing or approving the installation and use of pen registers or trap and trace devices under FISA. TITLE V--OTHER PROVISIONS Establishes criminal penalties to be imposed for unauthorized disclosure or removal of classified information by officers, employees, contractors, or consultants of: (1) the United States, or (2) a recipient of a tangible thing production order. Allows FISA courts to appoint amicus curiae to assist in the consideration of certain matters. Allows the FISA court of review to certify a question of law to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. Permits the Supreme Court to appoint FISA amicus curiae or other persons to provide briefings or other assistance upon such a certification. Establishes procedures for a lawfully authorized targeting of a non-U.S. person previously believed to be located outside the United States to continue for a period not to exceed 72 hours from the time that the non-U.S. person is reasonably believed to be located inside the United States. Requires an element of the intelligence community, as a condition to exercising such authority, to: (1) determine that the target of the acquisition has communicated or received, or will communicate or receive, foreign intelligence information relevant to an existing exigent circumstance; (2) notify the Attorney General; and (3) request, as soon as practicable, the employment of emergency electronic surveillance or emergency physical search under appropriate FISA standards. Directs each head of an element of the intelligence community to review, at least every five years, the Attorney General-approved procedures required by the intelligence collection provisions of Executive Order 12333. Requires the heads of such elements, in coordination with the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, to propose any appropriate modifications to existing procedures and to provide any modified procedures to Congress. Expands the definition of "agent of a foreign power" to include a non-U.S. person who: (1) acts in the United States for or on behalf of a foreign power engaged in clandestine intelligence activities in the United States contrary to U.S. interests or as an officer, employee, or member of a foreign power, irrespective of whether the person is inside the United States; or (2) knowingly aids, abets, or conspires with any person engaging in an international proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on behalf of a foreign power or conducting activities in preparation for such proliferation. Amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to extend until December 15, 2019, FISA authorities concerning: (1) the production of business records, including call detail records and other tangible things; (2) roving electronic surveillance orders; and (3) a revised definition of "agent of a foreign power" that includes any non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or preparatory activities (commonly referred to as the "lone wolf" provision). Provides for such authorities, upon the enactment of this Act, to read as they read on May 31, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act or the TREAT Act Amends the Controlled Substances Act to increase the number of patients that a qualifying practitioner dispensing narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment is initially allowed to treat from 30 to 100 patients per year. Allows a qualifying physician, after one year, to request approval to treat an unlimited number of patients under specified conditions, including that he or she: (1) agrees to fully participate in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program of the state in which the practitioner is licensed, (2) practices in a qualified practice setting, and (3) has completed at least 24 hours of training regarding treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients for substance use disorders provided by specified organizations. Revises the definition of a "qualifying practitioner" to include: (1) a physician who holds a board certification from the American Board of Addiction Medicine; and (2) a nurse practitioner or physicians assistant who is licensed under state law to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain, who has specified training or experience that demonstrates specialization in the ability to treat opiate-dependent patients, who practices under the supervision of, or prescribes opioid addiction therapy in collaboration with, a licensed physician who holds an active waiver to prescribe schedule III, IV, or V narcotic medications for opioid addiction therapy, and who practices in a qualified practice setting. Directs the Comptroller General to initiate an evaluation of the effectiveness of this Act, including an evaluation of: (1) changes in the availability and use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction, (2) the quality of medication-assisted treatment programs, (3) diversion of opioid addiction treatment medication, and (4) changes in state or local policies and legislation relating to opioid addiction treatment.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Access to Community Care for Veterans Act of 2015 This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 regarding the veterans choice program to allow a veteran to access a non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, if the VA facility within 40 miles driving distance of the veteran's home does not offer the needed hospital or medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish national energy storage standards for certain electric power suppliers (utilities) that sell at least 500,000 megawatt hours of electric energy annually. Each supplier must have energy storage devices that have the capacity to provide at least 1% of its annual average peak power demand by 2021 and 2% by 2025. Suppliers must also meet a secondary standard. Energy storage devices include those used to store energy using pumped hydropower, compressed air, batteries or other electrochemical forms, thermal forms, flywheels, capacitors, and superconducting magnets. The standards do not apply to rural electric cooperatives or government-owned suppliers. An energy storage device placed in operation before January 1, 2009, may not be used to achieve compliance with the standards. The Department of Energy may provide one-year waivers from the deadlines if achieving the standard by the deadline would present undue hardship to the supplier or its ratepayers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants for consumer education about opioid abuse. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain prescription painkillers.) This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to require medical practitioners to be trained in the treatment of opioid-dependent patients, pain management, and early detection of opioid addiction before they can be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense opioids. Opioid treatment programs that close on any day must make arrangements for each patient to receive treatment during the closure, as necessary. A report must be submitted to SAMHSA for each individual who dies while receiving treatment in an opioid treatment program. In states receiving funding for controlled substance monitoring programs, deaths where an opioid drug is detected in the body must be reported to SAMHSA. The National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must establish a National Opioid Death Registry to track opioid-related deaths. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must develop and apply prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment quality measures. This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors to limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. PDP sponsors must have a utilization management tool to prevent drug abuse. Medicare Drug Integrity Contractors may accept prescription and medical records to determine whether a beneficiary is at risk for prescription drug abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Small Business Stability Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the definition of "applicable large employer," for purposes of the mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to provide employees with minimum essential health care coverage, to mean an employer who employed an average of at least 101 (currently, 50) full-time employees during the preceding calendar year. Excludes from such definition a small employer that is eligible to purchase a qualified health plan in the small group health insurance market, as defined in PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Housing for Homeless Students Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify low-income building units that provide housing for homeless students and veterans who are full-time students for the low-income housing tax credit. To qualify for the credit the student must have been a homeless child or youth during any portion of the seven-year period prior to occupying the housing unit and the veteran must have been homeless for a similar five-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Small Hydropower Dependable Regulatory Order Act of 2015 or the Small HyDRO Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Power Act to prescribe the licensing procedures for a project that: (1) does not alter the existing flowrate of the body of water the project is on, and (2) either has a power production capacity not exceeding 5 megawatts or is used to power a nonpowered dam. The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that a license shall be issued following application. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shall resolve any conflict over environmental analyses that may arise between it and any other federal or state agency. Licenses shall be issued for a term of 10 years. FERC must approve or disapprove a license application within 180 days of its receipt.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
HUBZone Revitalization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Act to redefine HUBZones (historically underutilized business Zones) eligible for certain assistance to include a qualified disaster area (a specified census tract or nonmetropolitan county located in a major declared disaster area or in an area where a catastrophic incident has occurred). A qualified disaster area shall be treated as a HUBZone for 5 years after it has been declared a major disaster area or for 10 years after a catastrophic incident has occurred within it. The Federal Emergency Management Agency shall provide the Small Business Administration with any data it needs to verify a small business's eligibility for the HUBZone small business loan program. HUBZones shall now also include areas that can be used by small businesses whose principal offices are located in base closure HUBZones, with at least 35% of their employees residing in: a HUBZone, a census tract in which the base closure HUBZone is wholly contained, a census tract that intersects the boundaries of the base closure HUBZone, or census tract contiguous with these census tracts. HUBZone eligibility assistance for base closure areas is extended from five years to eight years after their closure.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency, when taking an action regarding air emissions from an energy source or facility that uses forest biomass, to assume that forest biomass emissions do not increase overall carbon accumulations in the atmosphere if: (1) a Department of Agriculture's Forest Inventory and Analysis that is current at the time the action is taken shows that forest carbon stocks in the United States are stable or increasing; or (2) the forest biomass is derived from mill residuals, harvest residuals, or forest management activities.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
HUBZone Expansion Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Act to expand the HUBZone (historically underutilized business zone) program of Small Business Administration loans to small businesses in HUBZone areas for communities affected by base realignment and closure . The expansion includes the areas that can be used by small businesses whose principal offices are located in base closure HUBZones, with at least 35% of their employees residing in: a HUBZone, a census tract in which the base closure HUBZone is wholly contained, a census tract that intersects the boundaries of the base closure HUBZone, or a census tract contiguous with these census tracts. HUBZone eligibility assistance for base closure areas is extended from five years to eight years after their closure.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2015
Grid Modernization Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a program of research and development of electric grid energy storage that addresses the principal challenges identified in the 2013 Department of Energy Strategic Plan for Grid Energy Storage. DOE shall establish and facilitate a collaborative process to develop model grid architecture and a set of future scenarios for the electric system to examine the impacts of different combinations of resources on the electric grid (including different quantities of distributed energy resources and large-scale, central generation). DOE shall also: conduct modeling based upon the scenarios developed; and analyze and evaluate the technical and financial impacts of the models to assist states, utilities, and other stakeholders in enhancing strategic planning efforts, avoiding stranded investments, and maximizing the cost-effectiveness of future grid-related investments. DOE shall: (1) conduct six demonstration projects to expand the application of technologies to improve observability, advanced controls, and prediction of system performance on the distribution system; and (2) establish a program for the development and promotion of grid-scale energy storage with microgrids to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 establishes a new resilience standard requiring each electric utility, each state authority regulating one, and each nonregulated electric utility to incorporate consideration of electric grid resilience (the ability of the electric grid to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruptions) into its integrated resource planning. DOE shall: (1) initiate development of voluntary model pathways for modernizing the electric grid through a collaborative, public-private effort; and (2) establish a steering committee to facilitate development of the pathways. DOE must develop baseline, voluntary model performance metrics to facilitate and promote the adoption of best practices and processes for electricity infrastructure providers to design, build, and implement a modernized electric grid and maximize opportunities to enhance progress in grid technologies and capabilities, consumer engagement, and policy. DOE shall also, upon request, partner with the states and regional organizations to facilitate development of state and regional distribution plans.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2015
Regional Gas Consumer Protection Act This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, before approving or disapproving an application for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, to consider: (1) regional constraints in the U.S. natural gas supply, and (2) whether the application includes provisions of benefit to the regional consumers that would be affected by the exportation of natural gas.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2015
This bill amends the Natural Gas Act with respect to liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals to prohibit the Department of Energy, as of the date the total quantity of natural gas cumulatively exported by fully permitted LNG terminals is at least equal to 8 billion cubic feet per day, from either taking into consideration or approving any proposal submitted by an LNG terminal to: initiate the export of natural gas to a foreign country from an LNG terminal that does not export natural gas as of the date of the proposal's submission, or increase the quantity of natural gas exported to a foreign country by an LNG terminal that does export natural gas as of the date of the proposal's submission.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2015
Free Market Energy Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Power Act to identify the elements of a distributed energy resource, including fuel cells, microgrids, and combined heat and power systems. Distributed energy resources shall have a general right of interconnection under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), and all rates and fees for interconnection shall provide for the two-way benefit for the distributed energy resource and the electricity grid. Each state regulatory authority shall consider requiring that distributed energy resources be eligible to receive just and reasonable energy and rate treatment for time-of-use pricing and other specified features and values. A state regulatory authority or nonregulated electric utility acting under state authority must consider specified interconnections standards that include: setting rates that exceed the incremental cost of alternative electric energy for purchases from any distributed energy resource that is a qualifying facility for electricity generated, demand reduced, or service provided by the qualifying facility interconnected under this Act; and making any distributed energy resource project exempt from filing requirements with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). A state regulatory authority must also consider: designation, through a competitive process, of a regulated utility, other party, or a combination of regulated utilities and other parties to be a smart grid coordinator or distribution system operator for the state; and nontransmission alternatives when a regulated utility proposes transmission projects.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2015
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an S corporation-sponsored employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Directs the Department of the Treasury to establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. Amends the Small Business Act to define "ESOP business concern" and allow such a concern to continue to qualify for loans, preferences, and other programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing tax credit, to make permanent the minimum 9% credit rate for new buildings that are not federally-subsidized and to establish a minimum 4% credit rate for existing buildings that are not federally-subsidized.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to prohibit the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing any regulation that would require a reduction in the quantity of sodium contained in federally reimbursed meals, foods, and snacks sold in schools below specified July 2014 maximum levels allowed in school breakfasts for school year 2014-2015. With respect to grain contents, USDA shall only require that half of all grains in such food items are whole grain-rich. School food authorities must comply with the applicable grain component or standard with respect to the school lunch or school breakfast program in effect before July 1, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015 Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require drug manufacturers to pay the Secretary of Health and Human Services drug rebates for rebate eligible (low-income) individuals. Excludes from Medicare coverage as a part D drug any drug or biological manufactured by a manufacturer that has not entered into and have in effect a rebate agreement with the Secretary. Requires a rebate agreement to require a drug or biological manufacturer to provide to the Secretary a rebate, determined according to a specified formula, for each rebate period ending after December 31, 2015, for any covered Medicare part D drug dispensed after that date to any rebate eligible individual for which payment was made by a prescription drug plan sponsor or MedicareAdvantage organization for such period. Specifies a formula for determination of Medicaid rebate amounts for such drugs or biologicals. Amends SSAct title XIX (Medicaid) to exclude any amounts paid under a rebate agreement from the determination of best price and average manufacturer price under the Medicaid program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act of 2015 This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to revise and reauthorize through FY2019 the program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to accelerate the introduction of marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy production. The program must give priority to fostering accelerated research, development, and commercialization of technology. The meaning of "marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy" is expanded to include all forms of energy, not just electricity, from: (1) waves, tides, and currents in oceans, estuaries, and tidal areas; (2) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, and streams; (3) free flowing water in man-made channels; and (4) differentials in ocean temperature (ocean thermal energy conversion). National Marine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Centers must support in-water testing and demonstration of marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies, including facilities capable of testing: (1) marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy systems of various technology readiness levels and scales, (2) a variety of technologies in multiple test berths at a single location, and (3) arrays of technology devices.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2015 This bill amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to permit a person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to provide payment or financing for sales of agricultural commodities to Cuba or to an individual or entity in Cuba.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to: (1) make permanent the reduction in the income threshold (from $10,000 to $3,000) for determining the refundable portion of the child tax credit, (2) eliminate the inflation adjustment to such amount, and (3) allow an annual inflation adjustment after 2014 to the $1,000 maximum credit amount and the adjusted gross income threshold amounts used to reduce the allowable amount of such credit. Modifies the earned income tax credit to: (1) make permanent the increase in the rate of such credit for taxpayers with three or more children, (2) increase the credit for taxpayers with no qualifying children, (3) reduce from 25 to 21 the qualifying age for such credit, (4) revise eligibility rules relating to married individuals living apart and qualifying children claimed by another family member, and (5) repeal the denial of such credit for taxpayers with excess investment income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Steve Gleason Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as durable medical equipment any eye tracking and gaze interaction accessories for speech generating devices furnished to individuals with a demonstrated medical need for them. Payment for speech generating devices or accessories furnished during FY2015-FY2018 shall be made on a rental basis, or in a lump-sum amount for the purchase of the item, without a cap on the amount.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act or the HALOS Act Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to amend Regulation D (governing the limited offer and sale of securities without registration under the Securities Act of 1933) to make the prohibition against general solicitation or general advertising inapplicable to events with specified kinds of sponsors (including angel investor groups not connected to broker-dealers or investment advisers) where: presentations or communications are made by or on behalf of an issuer, the advertising does not refer to any specific offering of securities by the issuer, the sponsor does not engage in certain activities (such as offering investment recommendations or advice to attendees), and no specific information regarding a securities offering is communicated (other than that the issuer is in the process of offering or planning to offer securities, including the type and amount of securities being offered).
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to increase from $500 million to $1 billion the asset size of small insured depository institutions eligible for 18-month on-site examination cycles. A federal banking agency is granted discretion to increase the asset ceiling amount from $100 million to $1 billion (currently from $100 million to $500 million) if the greater asset size would be consistent with the principles of safety and soundness.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2015 Directs the Commissioner of Social Security, for purposes of determining cognitive, behavioral, and physical disability under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act (SSAct), to amend specified Listings of Impairments by providing medical and evaluation criteria for Huntington's Disease. Amends SSAct title II to waive the 24-month waiting period for coverage under the program under SSAct title XVIII (Medicare) for individuals diagnosed with Huntington's Disease.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
Veterans Entrepreneurship Act Amends the Small Business Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) from assessing a guarantee fee in connection with a loan made under the SBA Express Program to a veteran or spouse of a veteran on or after October 1, 2015. Directs the Administrator to report to Congress on: (1) the feasibility of providing financial planning and counseling to owners of small business concerns who are members of a reserve component prior to deployment; (2) the level of outreach to and consultation with female veterans by women's business centers and veterans business outreach centers; and (3) the Military Reservists Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, which shall include a discussion of SBA outreach efforts to increase participation, the number of loans made, and an analysis of the effectiveness of, and recommendations for improving, the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2015
FDA Accountability for Public Safety Act This bill requires the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to ensure that an advisory committee of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates each new drug application for an opioid (a drug with effects similar to opium, such as morphine) and issues a recommendation regarding approval of the drug. If the decision to approve the drug is inconsistent with the committee's recommendation, the Commissioner must make the final decision on approval. If the committee recommends a drug not be approved but the Commissioner decides to approve the drug, the Commissioner must: (1) submit a report to Congress that includes the evidence regarding patient safety that supports the Commissioner's decision and a disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest of FDA officials involved in the decision to approve the drug; and (2) testify before Congress regarding the decision, upon request. Such a drug cannot be sold until the Commissioner has submitted the required report.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund indefinitely and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 anytime after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
Women on the Twenty Act This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to convene a panel of private citizens to advise and make recommendations regarding the likeness of a woman to appear on the face of $20 federal reserve notes. Requires the Secretary and the panel to consider and weigh input from the American people.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include optometry services in primary health services for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Optometrists are eligible for the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a voluntary loan program to provide support to a state, territory, and tribal organization (eligible entity) in establishing or expanding programs that provide financing to residential property owners or tenants (recipient households) for energy efficiency upgrades of residential buildings. DOE must establish favorable terms for a loan provided to an eligible entity. An eligible entity shall use a loan to establish or expand one or more financing programs that: (1) enable recipient households to undertake residential energy efficiency upgrades, (2) may require an outlay of capital by recipient households, and (3) incorporate a consumer-friendly repayment approach. To offset the cost of this bill, the bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to decrease the authorization of appropriations for the Zero Net Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative for FY2016-FY2018.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Ruth Moore Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in any case in which a veteran claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active duty, to: (1) accept as sufficient proof of service-connection a diagnosis by a mental health professional together with satisfactory lay or other evidence of such trauma and an opinion by the mental health professional that such condition is related to such trauma if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service; and (2) resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows such service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Includes as a "covered mental health condition" post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health diagnosis that the Secretary determines to be related to military sexual trauma. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress in each of 2016 through 2020 on covered claims submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease care planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2015 Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require an intermediate provider that offers the capability to transmit certain voice communications and signaling information from one destination to another, and that charges a rate to any other entity (including an affiliated entity) for the transmission, to: (1) register with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and (2) comply with service quality standards to be established by the FCC. Defines "intermediate provider" as any entity that: (1) carries or processes traffic that is generated from the placement of a call from a connection using a North American Numbering Plan resource or a call placed to a connection using such a numbering resource, and (2) does not itself originate or terminate such traffic in the context of the carriage or processing. Prohibits certain long-distance voice service providers (including local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, commercial mobile radio services, interconnected voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] services, and certain non-interconnected VoIP services) from using an intermediate provider to transmit voice communications and signals unless the intermediate provider is so registered. Directs the FCC, in promulgating rules for such standards, to: (1) ensure the integrity of the transmission of voice communications to all customers in the United States, (2) prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such voice communications, and (3) make a registry of intermediate providers publicly available on the FCC website. Prohibits this Act from being contrued to preempt the authority of a state agency or public utility commission to collect data, or enforce state law and regulations, regarding the completion of intrastate voice communications.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015 This bill requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to report on prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome (symptoms of withdrawal in a newborn). (An opioid is a drug with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain pain medications.) The report must include: an assessment of existing research on neonatal abstinence syndrome; an evaluation of the causes, and barriers to treatment, of opioid use disorders among women of reproductive age; an evaluation of treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorders and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome; and recommendations on preventing, identifying, and treating opioid dependency in women and neonatal abstinence syndrome. The Department of Health and Human Services must review its activities related to prenatal opioid use and neonatal abstinence syndrome and develop a strategy to address gaps in research and programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must provide technical assistance to states to improve neonatal abstinence syndrome surveillance and make surveillance data publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) issue a revised safety assessment for food containers composed in whole or in part of bisphenol A (BPA), taking into consideration different types and uses of such containers; and (2) determine whether there is reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure to BPA through food containers or other items composed in whole or in part of BPA, taking into consideration potential adverse effects from low-dose exposure and the effects of exposure on vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly, and populations with high exposure to BPA. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale of a food if its container is composed in whole or in part of BPA unless the label includes the following statement: "This food packaging contains BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, according to the National Institutes of Health."
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015 - This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices furnished to a CGM qualified individual. The Department of Health and Human Services must establish a fee schedule and ensure that CGM qualified individuals are furnished with appropriate device components.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Steve Gleason Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as durable medical equipment any eye tracking and gaze interaction accessories for speech generating devices furnished to individuals with a demonstrated medical need for them. Payment for speech generating devices or accessories shall be made on a rental basis, or in a lump-sum amount for the purchase of the item, without a cap on the amount.
![Official portrait of Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000383_200.jpg)