United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015
Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes, and (2) allow Native Corporations an increased tax deduction for donations of conservation easements related to lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2015
Supports: (1) the goals of observing the National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Month from January 1 through February 1, 2015, to recognize the vital role that the people of the United States have in ending modern slavery; (2) marking this observance with appropriate activities culminating in the observance on February 1 of National Freedom Day; and (3) all other efforts to raise awareness of, and opposition to, human trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2015 Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require physical therapists furnishing outpatient physical therapy services to use specified locum tenens arrangements for payment purposes in the same manner as such arrangements are used to apply to physicians furnishing substitute physicians services for other physicians. (Locum tenens [place holder], or substitute, physicians usually assume professional practices in the absence of a regular physician for reasons such as illness, pregnancy, vacation, or continuing medical education.)
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 350,000 $1 silver coins, and 300,000 half-dollar clad coins to commemorate the centennial of the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. Requires the design of the coins to be emblematic of the 100 years of Boys Town, one of the largest nonprofit child care agencies in the United States. Permits issuance of such coins only between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Subjects all coin sales to specified surcharges, which shall be paid to Boys Town to carry out its cause of caring for and assisting children and families in underserved communities across America. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) minting and issuing such coins will not result in any net cost to the federal government; and (2) no funds, including surcharges, will be disbursed to Boys Town until the total cost of designing and issuing all authorized coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2015
Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 This bill states that: the President may not prohibit or otherwise regulate travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel, including banking transactions; any regulation in effect on the date of enactment of this Act prohibiting or otherwise regulating such travel or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effective; but the prohibitions and requirements of this Act shall not apply if the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Federal Permitting Improvement Act of 2015 Establishes the Federal Permitting Improvement Council to be chaired by a Federal Chief Permitting Officer (Federal CPO) who is an officer of the Office of Management and Budget. Requires the Federal CPO to: (1) establish an inventory of covered projects for which the review or authorization of the head of any federal agency is pending; (2) develop nonbinding performance schedules for reviews and authorizations of each category of covered projects; and (3) maintain an online database, to be known as the Permitting Dashboard, to track the status of federal reviews and authorizations for any covered project. Defines "covered project" as any construction activity that requires authorization or review by a federal agency and that: (1) involves renewable or conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource projects, broadband, manufacturing, or any other sector as determined by the Federal CPO; and (2) is likely to require an initial investment of more than $25 million. Requires an agency with principal responsibility for review and authorization of a covered project (lead agency) to establish: (1) a plan for coordinating public and agency participation in, and completion of, any required federal review and authorization for a covered project and submit such plan to the Federal CPO; (2) a permitting timetable that includes intermediate and final deadlines for agency action on any federal review or authorization required for a project; and (3) a process for consultation with participating agencies early in the approval process to identify and address key issues of concern. Grants the consent of Congress for three or more contiguous states to enter into an interstate compact establishing regional infrastructure development agencies to facilitate authorization and review of covered projects. Requires agencies to complete environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for covered projects in a timely, coordinated, and environmentally responsible manner. Reduces the statute of limitations for judicial review of any authorization issued by an agency for a covered project from 6 years to 150 days after a notice is published in the Federal Register that authorization for a covered project is final. Requires a court, in issuing injunctive relief, to consider the potential for significant job losses or other economic harm from an order or injunction.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2015 or the ACE Kids Act of 2015 Amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance) (CHIP) of the Social Security Act to allow a state, at its option, to elect to provide medical assistance for items and services furnished to eligible children with medically complex conditions enrolled in a Medicaid Children's Care Coordination (MCCC) program. Requires an MCCC program, among other things, to coordinate, integrate, and provide for the furnishing of the full range of MCCC program services to enrolled children, as well as designate pediatric care management services and pediatric focused care coordination and health promotion. Requires a state to enroll eligible children prospectively in an MCCC program through an initial 90-day assignment to a nationally designated children's hospital network, unless the child opts not to participate in any MCCC program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015
Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes, and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) to avoid the filing of duplicative or otherwise improper claims.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) Act Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to state that, except with respect to high-risk or complex medical services requiring direct levels of supervision, if the Secretary of Health and Human Services requires supervision by a physician or non-physician practitioner for Medicare payment for therapeutic hospital outpatient services, that requirement is met if such services are furnished under the physician's or non-physician practitioner's general supervision. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for designating therapeutic hospital outpatient services for which direct supervision may be required for the entire service or direct supervision during the initiation of the service followed by general supervision for the remainder of the service. Declares without force or effect in law regarding Medicare requirements for direct supervision by physicians for therapeutic hospital outpatient services a specified restatement and clarification under the final rulemaking changes to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system and calendar year 2009 payment rates, which was published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2008.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2015
Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act Reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act through FY2020, generally at FY2009 levels. Modifies the Basic Center Grant (BCG) Program (for short-term emergency shelter and family reunification services to runaway and homeless youth) to require local centers to provide safe shelter and services, including trauma-informed services, for runaway and homeless youth, and (if appropriate) services for their families, including individuals they identify as family. Extends the maximum stay in a BCG shelter from 21 to 30 days, and requires a shelter to provide suicide prevention services. Allows shelter services to include: (1) trauma-informed and gender-responsive services for runaway or homeless youth, including victims of trafficking in persons or sexual exploitation; and (2) an assessment of family engagement in support and reunification (if appropriate), interventions, and services for parents or legal guardians of such youth, or individuals they identify as family. Revises plan applicant record keeping requirements. Requires plan applicants to: (1) provide age, gender, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services to runaway youth; and (2) assist youth in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Revises the Transitional Living Grant (TLG) Program (for longer-term residential services, life skills, education, and employment support to older homeless youth) to require information and counseling services in basic life skills to be age, gender, and linguistically appropriate. Requires TLG plan applicants to provide suicide prevention services, counseling to homeless youth, and aftercare services. Requires a TLG plan to ensure proper referral of homeless youth to mental health services, including programs providing comprehensive services to victims of trafficking in persons or sexual exploitation. Requires plan applicants to provide age, gender, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services that address the needs of homeless and street youth. Revises plan applicant record keeping requirements. Revises requirements for the coordination of activities among federal agencies, grants for technical assistance and training, and grants for research, evaluation, demonstration, and service projects. Revises the sexual abuse prevention program to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to public agencies (as well as nonprofit private agencies, as under current law) to provide street-based services to runaway and homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, violence, trafficking in persons, or sexual exploitation. Prohibits any person in the United States, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability, from being excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part under such Act, or funded with amounts appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, or other assistance administered by the HHS Administration for Children and Families.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2015
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2015 or the FAIR Act This bill modifies general rules governing civil forfeiture proceedings to: (1) ensure that a person contesting a civil forfeiture has legal representation without regard to whether the property subject to forfeiture is being used by such person as a primary residence; (2) increase the federal government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture proceedings to clear and convincing evidence; (3) require the government, in addition to showing a substantial connection between the seized property and an offense, to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of any interest in the seized property used the property with intent to facilitate the offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to the use of the property by another in connection with the offense; and (4) expand the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. To remove incentives for carrying out civil forfeitures, the bill requires proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. The bill adds a scienter requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. The bill requires: (1) a court to conduct a probable cause hearing to determine if there is a violation of the prohibition against structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements involving a monetary instrument and to return such instrument if probable cause is not established, and (2) the Attorney General to specify in reports to Congress and the public on forfeitures the amounts received from criminal and civil forfeitures.
United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2015
Reaffirms that it is U.S. policy that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that all instruments of U.S. power and influence must remain on the table to prevent this outcome. Supports the diplomatic efforts of the United States and the members of the P5+1 countries to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Affirms that Senate support for the reimposition of suspended sanctions as well as the imposition of additional sanctions against Iran would be strong if: (1) negotiations fail to achieve a comprehensive agreement, (2) Iran violates the Joint Plan of Action, or (3) Iran violates any final comprehensive agreement on its nuclear program. Agrees that future new sanctions against Iran may include measures further targeting Iran's energy, financial, and strategic economic sectors, and its foreign currency transactions, as well as the designation of additional government officials linked to its illicit nuclear program and sanctions evasion. Supports the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the people of Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Wendell H. Ford, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on January 22, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Senator Ford.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Community Broadband Act of 2015 Bars states or local governments from prohibiting or inhibiting states, local government agencies, entities affiliated with state or local agencies, or Indian tribes from providing telecommunications services or advanced telecommunications capabilities to any person or any public or private entity. Prohibits government providers of public telecommunications services from favoring themselves over competing providers in the application of regulations, ordinances, public rights-of-way, or permitting requirements. Directs local governments or affiliates intending to provide public telecommunications services to consider public-private partnerships. Requires local governments or affiliates, before providing telecommunications services to the public, to provide public notice and opportunities for public input and private-sector bidding. Provides an exemption from the prohibition on local governments favoring themselves in the application of regulations, and from the requirement to provide public notice and private bidding opportunities, during an emergency declared by the President, a governor, or an authorized elected local official.
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015
Expresses support for efforts to: ensure that women have access to the best available health care and information, including comprehensive, affordable insurance coverage and health care that fosters safe childbearing; ensure that women can make their own health care decisions; prohibit employers or government entities from interfering with reproductive health care services guaranteed by law; and guarantee the constitutionally protected right to safe, legal abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use the Secretary's existing authority to furnish health care to veterans at non-VA facilities to provide health care at non-VA facilities to veterans who reside more than 40 miles driving distance from the closest VA medical facility providing the care they seek.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2015 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidate's character, qualifications, or fitness for office. Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications. Prescribes disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities, including a political committee with an account established for the purpose of accepting donations or contributions that do not comply with the contribution limits or source prohibitions under FECA (but only with respect to such accounts). Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Women's Health Protection Act of 2015 This bill prohibits any government from imposing on abortion services: a requirement that a medical professional perform specific tests or medical procedures; a requirement that the same clinician who performs a patient's abortion also perform additional tests, services or procedures; a limitation on an abortion provider's ability to prescribe or dispense drugs or provide services via telemedicine; a requirement or limitation concerning the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hospital transfer arrangements of facilities where abortions are performed, or the credentials, hospital privileges, or status of personnel at those facilities; a requirement that, prior to obtaining an abortion, a patient make medically unnecessary in-person visits to any individual or entity; a limitation on medical training for abortion procedures; a prohibition prior to fetal viability; a prohibition after fetal viability when continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the woman's life or health; a restriction on a woman's ability to obtain an immediate abortion when a delay would pose a risk to the woman's health; or a restriction on obtaining an abortion prior to fetal viability based on a woman's reasons or perceived reasons or that requires her to state her reasons before obtaining an abortion. A measure or action that is similar to a requirement or limitation listed above is prohibited if it singles out abortion services or makes abortion services more difficult to access and does not significantly advance women's health or the safety of abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015
Constitutional Amendment Authorizes Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. Grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. Allows them to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections. Declares that nothing in this amendment shall be construed to grant Congress or the states the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions, biennial appropriations Acts, and biennial government strategic and performance plans. States that budget biennium is the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires the Office of Management and Budget to report to Congress on the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for an independent third party evaluation, to be conducted by September 30, 2018, and each fiscal year thereafter, of the VA's mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Directs the Secretary to survey the VA's websites and information resources to publish a website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with information regarding the VA's mental health care services. Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine; demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA; and agree to a period of two or more years of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Limits the loan repayment to no more than $30,000 for each year an individual performs such obligated service. Directs the Secretary to establish a three-year pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network carried out in partnership with an entity that has experience in peer support programs, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN. Authorizes the Secretary to collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations to prevent suicide among veterans. Requires the Secretary and any such organization to exchange training sessions and best practices. Directs the Secretary to select a VA Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination to undertake any collaboration with nonprofit mental health organizations. Extends for one year combat veterans' eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for illnesses that have not been medically proven to be attributable to their service, provided they: (1) were discharged or released from active duty between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2011, and (2) did not enroll to receive such care during the five-year period of eligibility following their discharge or release.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015
Immigration Innovation Act of 2015 or the I-Squared Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an annual cap on H-1B nonimmigrant visas (specialty occupations) at between 115,000 and 195,000 visas depending upon market conditions and existing demand. (The current annual H-1B cap is 65,000.) Sets forth allocation provisions. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) authorize the accompanying spouse of an H-1B alien to work in the United States, and (2) provide such spouse with an appropriate work permit. Prohibits the Secretary of DHS or the Secretary of State from denying a subsequent petition or application for a previously approved visa petition or admission application to extend the status of an H-1B or L-visa (intra-company transferee) nonimmigrant involving the same alien and petitioner unless: there was a material error in the previous petition approval, a substantial change in circumstances has taken place that renders the nonimmigrant ineligible for such status, or new information has been discovered that adversely impacts the eligibility of the employer or the nonimmigrant. Deems an H-1B nonimmigrant whose employment relationship ends (voluntarily or involuntarily) before the expiration of his or her period of authorized admission to have retained such legal status for 60 days if an employer files a petition to extend, change, or adjust the person's status during such period. Directs the Secretary of State to authorize a qualifying alien admitted under an E-visa (treaty traders and investors), H-visa (temporary workers), L-visa (intracompany transferees), O-visa (extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, athletics, or the arts or films or television), or P-visa (athletes, artists, and entertainers) to renew his or her nonimmigrant visa in the United States. Eliminates the foreign student visa requirement that an individual has no intention of abandoning his or her foreign residence. Eliminates the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and increases the per country family category limit. Applies such provisions beginning with FY2016. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. Provides for the recapture of unused employment-based immigrant visas. Directs the Secretary of State to ensure that all authorized immigrant visas are issued to qualified applicants. Excludes from employment based immigrant limitations aliens: (1) who are the spouse or child of an employment-based immigrant; (2) who have a master's or higher degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and math) from a school qualified under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (3) for whom a priority worker petition for an employment-based immigrant visa has been approved. Increases H-1B employer fees and establishes a fee on employment-based visa petitions. Provides that such fees shall be used for STEM education and training. Establishes in the Treasury the Promoting American Ingenuity Account to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness by: (1) strengthening STEM education and ensuring that schools have access to well-trained STEM teachers; (2) strengthening the elementary and secondary curriculum, including efforts to increase computer science course availability; and (3) helping colleges and universities produce more graduates in fields needed by American employers. Allocates 3% of Account deposits for grants to establish American Dream Accounts. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) fund allocations, (2) state grant applications, and (3) approved grant activities. States that nothing in such STEM funding provisions shall be construed to permit the Secretary of Education or any other federal official to approve the content or academic achievement standards of a state.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to be made available at no charge to, and for the lifetime of, any veteran with a service-connected disability. (The Pass is currently made available at no charge to, and for the lifetime of, any U.S. citizen or person domiciled in the United States who has been medically determined to be permanently disabled.) Requires the entrance fees charged those who do not have a free National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to be adjusted to maintain total receipts.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations within 180 days permitting individuals to import a prescription drug purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy that: is dispensed by a pharmacist licensed in Canada; is purchased for personal use in quantities not greater than a 90-day supply; is filled using a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice in the United States; and has the same active ingredient or ingredients, route of administration, dosage form, and strength as a prescription drug approved under the FFDCA. Sets forth exceptions, including for controlled substances and biological products. Establishes a certification process for approving Canadian pharmacies. Requires HHS to publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: all efforts to improve Medicare and Medicaid under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act must support and build upon President Johnson's vision "to assure the availability of and accessibility to the best health care to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status"; Medicare should not be transformed into a voucher program, leaving seniors and people with disabilities vulnerable to higher out-of-pocket costs; and Medicaid should not be dismantled by policies that slash funding, shift costs to states, reduce benefits, and erode the safety net relied on by millions of individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Repay Act of 2015 Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a simplified income-driven repayment program for students who become new borrowers of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) on or after July 1, 2015. Sets a student's annual repayment obligation under the program at: 10% of the borrower's discretionary income (gross income that exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level) that is less than $25,000, adjusted for inflation; plus 15% of the borrower's discretionary income that is equal to or greater than $25,000, adjusted for inflation. Directs the Secretary to cancel the outstanding balance on a DL under the repayment program if the borrower: for 20 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that did not exceed a specified amount; or for 25 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that exceeded a specified amount. Requires the Secretary to offer borrowers of DLs made on or after July 1, 2015, the following repayment plans: (1) a fixed repayment plan (currently referred to as a standard repayment plan), or (2) a simplified income-driven repayment plan, but this plan is only available to student borrowers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an alternative repayment plan to a borrower of a DL made on or after July 1, 2015, if the borrower demonstrates that these repayment options do not accommodate the borrower's exceptional circumstances. Continues to allow borrowers of DLs to accelerate, without penalty, their repayment of such loans. Makes public service employees who make 120 monthly payments on their DL under a simplified income-driven repayment plan eligible for the public service employee loan forgiveness program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income debt the Secretary discharges on a borrower's subsidized Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or DL due to the borrower's death or disability. Directs the Secretary to require servicers of FFELs and DLs to: (1) provide borrowers with information regarding their loan repayment options, and (2) offer to enroll borrowers in alternative plans for which they are eligible. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) study the feasibility of simplifying the process for enrolling in, and verifying annual eligibility for, this Act's simplified income-driven repayment program; and (2) provide recommendations for the efficient administration of income-based repayment programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Financial Aid Simplification and Transparency Act of 2015 Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to make a free application available for individuals to use in applying for a Federal Pell Grant or a loan under this Act's One Loan program. Requires specified identifying information and, in the case of Pell Grant applicants, income and family size information to be included in the application. Requires the Secretary to provide an applicant under the One Loan program specified information regarding the terms of the loan, including the anticipated monthly payment. Makes a student automatically eligible for a Pell Grant if the student or the student's family received benefits under a means-tested federal benefit program at some time during the previous 24 months. Lists, for award year 2015, the Pell Grant awards available to students based on their income and family size. Adjusts those amounts each subsequent award year by the percentage by which the maximum Pell Grant for such award year exceeds or falls below the maximum Pell Grant for award year 2015. Allows students who complete the coursework equivalent to one academic year before the end of a Pell Grant award year to receive all, or a portion of, the Pell Grant they would otherwise be eligible for in the following award year to cover their enrollment in additional courses during the current award year. Allows students who have not completed the coursework equivalent to one academic year before the end of a Pell Grant award year to receive up to two Pell Grants during an award year to complete the coursework required for them to receive a certificate or degree on time. Limits the total amount of the Pell Grants awarded to such students for the award year to 150% of the maximum Pell Grant for such award year. Terminates the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program on the June 30 following this Act's enactment. Establishes the One Loan program. Makes loans under such program available to undergraduate students, parents of such students, and graduate or professional students on the same terms as Direct Loans were made available to such individuals, unless otherwise specified in this Act. Sets annual and aggregate limits on the amounts undergraduate and graduate or professional students may borrow. Authorizes institutions of higher education (IHEs) to limit the annual amount that students enrolled in an identified program of study at the IHE may borrow if: (1) the IHE can show that student debt levels are excessive, and (2) the prorating or limiting of loan amounts are applied in the same manner to all students enrolled in the IHE or program of study. Gives One Loan program borrowers the option of choosing either a 10-year repayment plan or an income-based repayment plan. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a plan to disseminate title IV financial aid eligibility information to local educational agencies and middle and secondary schools that serve students at least 25% of whom are eligible for free or reduced price school lunches under the school lunch program.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
End Pay Discrimination Through Information Act This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit an employer from discriminating against an employee who inquires about, discusses, or discloses the wages of the employee or another employee. This protection does not apply to an employee who has access to wage information as part of the employee's essential job functions, unless the disclosure is in response to a sex discrimination complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Respect for Marriage Act Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to Medicare part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors and MedicareAdvantage (MA) organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a PDP or under an MA-Prescription Drug plan.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Edward W. Brooke, III, former member of the U.S. Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on January 6, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Brooke.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2014
Designates December 13, 2014, as Wreaths Across America Day. Honors the Wreaths Across America project, the Patriot Guard Riders, the trucking industry, and all of the volunteers and donors involved in the tradition of placing remembrance wreaths at national cemeteries and veterans' memorials. Recognizes the service and sacrifices made by veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Super Pollutants Act of 2014 - Establishes requirements for agencies to evaluate, mitigate, reduce, and report on the following short-lived climate pollutant emissions (non-carbon dioxide pollutants that contribute to global warming even though they stay in the atmosphere for only a short time): black carbon (soot emissions that absorb sunlight, reduce the reflectivity of snow and ice when deposited on them, and generate heat), methane, and high global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons (high-GWP HFC). Requires the President to establish the Interagency Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Mitigation to address these pollutants through an action plan. Directs the Department of State to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black carbon emissions from international shipping. Requires the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize black carbon mitigation activities as part of aid distribution activities. Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the availability of high-GWP HFC alternatives. Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the manufacture of any uncharged hydrochlorofluorocarbon-22 air-conditioning condensing equipment for residential use. Requires the EPA to determine whether the sale of R-134a automotive air-conditioning recharge kits to consumers represents an environmentally significant source of high-GWP HFC emissions. Requires the State Department, the DOE, the EPA, and the Department of Commerce to provide other countries with technical guidance on containing emissions from gas drilling, landfills, coal mining, and agriculture. Directs the EPA to establish an inspection and maintenance program for equipment that has high leak rates of methane gas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Digital Coast Act of 2014 - Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a constituent-driven Digital Coast program. (This program currently exists under NOAA to provide data, tools, and training that communities use to manage their coastal resources.) Directs the program to: (1) provide an online resource that integrates geospatial data, decision-support tools, training, and best practices to address coastal management issues and needs and to enhance resilient communities, ecosystem values, and coastal economic growth and development; and (2) provide for the documentation, dissemination, and archiving of the data. Requires NOAA to focus on filling data needs and gaps for critical coastal management issues, support continued improvement in existing efforts to coordinate the acquisition and integration of key data sets needed for coastal management and other purposes, and enter into financial agreements to carry out the program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
On the Job Training Act - Amends title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) of the Social Security Act, with respect to grants to states by the Secretary of Labor for reemployment demonstration projects, to allow grants to up to 10 states per year instead of a maximum of 10 states altogether. Allows a designee of a state governor, instead of only the governor, to apply for such a grant. Requires any project to be commenced by December 31, 2017. Allows direct disbursements under a project to employers who hire individuals receiving unemployment compensation to include disbursements promoting retention. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) approve completed grant applications in the order of receipt; (2) determine, before approving an application, whether its assurances are credible that the project would not result in increased costs to the state's account in the Unemployment Trust Fund; and (3) disapprove any application making assurances determined not credible. Revises requirements for termination of a project to require the Secretary to: (1) notify a state in writing with sufficient detail describing any violation of the substantive terms or conditions of a project justifying its termination, and (2) determine that the state has not taken action to correct the violation within 90 days after notification. Authorizes appropriations for FY2015-FY2020 for additional payments to states for the administrative costs of demonstration projects. Directs the Secretary to evaluate the impact of each demonstration project, using existing data sources and methodology appropriate to determine project effects, including the effect on individual skill levels, earnings, and employment retention.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources, to allow a taxpayer to elect the application of such credit to open-loop biomass and trash facilities during the period beginning after December 31, 2013, and ending before January 1, 2016 (in lieu of the 10-year period after the facilities are originally placed in service). Limits the aggregate period during which a taxpayer can claim a tax credit with respect to a facility to 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the week of September 20-September 27, 2014, 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 · 18 September 2014
Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Commends the work of the individuals and organizations involved in building and maintaining the National Wilderness Preservation System.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Congratulates sailors of the U.S. Submarine Force upon the completion of 4,000 ballistic missile submarine deterrent patrols. Honors and thanks the crews and their families for their dedication and sacrifice.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates October 17, 2014, as National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day to promote programs and activities that will lead to the greater use of cleaner, more efficient transportation that uses new sources of energy. Urges the people of the United States to: (1) increase the personal and commercial use of, and promote public sector adoption of, cleaner and more energy-efficient alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles; and (2) encourage the adoption of federal policies to advance and adopt alternative, advanced, and emerging vehicle and fuel technologies to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Expresses the sense of the Senate that legislation regarding Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts or that may lead to their use by the federal government should receive congressional scoring treatment making it more likely that the legislation will be scored as budget neutral. Supports allowing future discretionary spending savings to be counted against the mandatory spending attributed to entering into the contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Repay Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a simplified income-driven repayment program for students who become new borrowers of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) on or after July 1, 2015. Sets a student's annual repayment obligation under the program at: 10% of the borrower's discretionary income (gross income that exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level) that is less than $25,000, adjusted for inflation; plus 15% of the borrower's discretionary income that is equal to or greater than $25,000, adjusted for inflation. Directs the Secretary to cancel the outstanding balance on a DL under the repayment program if the borrower: for 20 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that did not exceed a specified amount; or for 25 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that exceeded a specified amount. Requires the Secretary to offer borrowers of DLs made on or after July 1, 2015, the following repayment plans: (1) a fixed repayment plan (currently referred to as a standard repayment plan), or (2) a simplified income-driven repayment plan, but this plan is only available to student borrowers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an alternative repayment plan to a borrower of a DL made on or after July 1, 2015, if the borrower demonstrates that these repayment options do not accommodate the borrower's exceptional circumstances. Continues to allow borrowers of DLs to accelerate, without penalty, their repayment of such loans. Makes public service employees who make 120 monthly payments on their DL under a simplified income-driven repayment plan eligible for the public service employee loan forgiveness program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income debt the Secretary discharges on a borrower's subsidized Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) due to the borrower's death or disability. Directs the Secretary to require servicers of FFELs and DLs to: (1) provide borrowers with information regarding their loan repayment options, and (2) offer to enroll borrowers in alternative plans for which they are eligible.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2014
Designates November 29, 2014, as Small Business Saturday. Expresses support for efforts to: (1) encourage consumers to shop locally, and (2) increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses and the impact of such businesses on the U.S. economy.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2014
Declares that specified lands in Acadia National Park in Maine, which were conveyed by the National Park Service to the town of Tremont, Maine, for school purposes, shall no longer be required to be used exclusively and perpetually for such purposes, and upon their discontinuance of such a use, shall no longer be required to revert to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2014
Patient Centered Quality Care for Life Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Patient-Centered Health Care and Quality of Life Stakeholder Strategic Summit to analyze health system barriers to patient-centered care and make recommendations to improve patient-centered care and address quality of life concerns for individuals with serious, complex, and chronic illness and their families. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants to increase demand for and delivery of integrated, patient-centered care to improve the quality of life of seriously ill patients. Directs the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award health care professional workforce training grants to promote quality of life focused clinical core competencies across clinical specialties that serve patients who are seriously ill or have complex chronic disease. Requires the Secretary to update and expand the September 2002 HRSA report "The Supply, Demand and Use of Palliative Care Physicians in the United States" and to establish a Quality of Life Cross-Agency Advisory Committee to disseminate findings on best practices and to assist the CDC and HRSA in conducting the grant programs established by this Act. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop and implement a strategy to expand national research programs in symptom management, palliative, psychosocial, and survivorship care in accordance with the Advisory Committee's recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2014
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable James M. Jeffords, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns September 9, 2014, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Jeffords.
United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2014
Designates September 2014 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 · 31 July 2014
Housing for Homeless Students Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify low-income building units that provide housing for full-time students who were homeless youth or homeless veterans during a five-year period prior to occupying a low-income housing unit for the low-income housing tax credit.
![Official portrait of Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000383_200.jpg)