United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Supports the ideals of World Malaria Day. Recognizes the importance of reducing malaria to improve child and maternal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Commends the progress made toward reducing global malaria prevalence and deaths, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Welcomes public-private partnerships to develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination. Recognizes the goals to combat malaria in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. Supports continued U.S. leadership in bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat malaria and to work with developing countries to create long-term strategies to increase ownership over malaria programs. Encourages members of the international community to sustain and increase their support for efforts to combat malaria.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Designates April 2015 as Financial Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the importance of personal financial education in the United States and the serious consequences that may result from a lack of understanding about personal finances.
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 · 27 April 2015
Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act or the PACE Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and Public Health Service Act to include employers with 51 to 100 employees as large employers for purposes of health insurance markets. PPACA is amended to give states the option to treat these employers as small employers. Currently, employers with 51 to 100 employees are small employers, but before January 1, 2016, states have the option to treat them as large employers. (Under PPACA, health insurance offered in the small group market must meet certain requirements that do not apply to the large group market, including the requirement to cover the essential health benefits.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
International Insurance Capital Standards Accountability Act of 2015 This bill establishes at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System the Insurance Policy Advisory Committee on International Capital Standards and Other Insurance Issues, a 21-member committee representing diverse expert perspectives from the U.S. insurance industry (including life insurance, property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, agents and brokers, academics, consumer advocates, or experts on issues facing underserved insurance communities and consumers). The Secretary of the Treasury and the Board Chairman shall report annually to certain congressional committees on their efforts with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners regarding global insurance regulatory or supervisory forums. The Secretary, the Board Chairman, and the Director of the Federal Insurance Office, before supporting or consenting to the adoption of any key element in any international insurance proposal or international insurance capital standard, must study its impact upon U.S. markets and consumers. The Secretary and the Board Chairman must also report, as well as testify to Congress on their efforts to increase transparency at meetings of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
Pets on Trains Act of 2015 Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains. Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs. Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Condemns the government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights. Calls on the government of Iran to release the 7 imprisoned Baha'i leaders, the 12 imprisoned Baha'i educators, and all other prisoners held on account of their religion. Urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on officials of the government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove or demote a VA employee based on performance or misconduct. The VA may also remove such individual from the civil service or demote the individual through a reduction in grade or annual pay rate. An employee shall have the right to an appeal before the Merit Systems Protection Board within seven days of removal or demotion. An administrative law judge shall have to make a final decision within 45 days of such appeal or the original decision becomes final. The VA may not remove or demote an employee without the approval of the Special Counsel if the individual seeks corrective action from the Office of Special Counsel based on an alleged prohibited personnel practice. The appointment of an individual to a permanent position within the competitive service or as a career appointee within the Senior Executive Service shall become final after a 540-day probationary period, which the Secretary may extend. Final appointment to a permanent hire shall be made by the employee's supervisor. The Government Accountability Office shall study the amount of time spent by VA employees carrying out labor organizing activities and the amount of Department space used for such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for FY2016-FY2020. The Initiative must prioritize and carry out programs and projects for Great Lakes protection and restoration, including: (1) the remediation of toxic substances and areas of concern; (2) the prevention and control of invasive species and their impacts; (3) the protection and restoration of near-shore health and the prevention and mitigation of nonpoint source pollution (water pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, such as pollution on the ground picked up by rain or snow); and (4) habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. Funding made available to implement the Initiative may not be used for any water infrastructure activity (other than a green infrastructure project that improves habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes) for which funding is made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund program. Federal agencies must maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities without regard to funding under the Initiative and identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Data Breach Notification and Punishing Cyber Criminals Act of 2015 Requires certain commercial entities that acquire, maintain, store, or utilize individuals' nonpublic personal information to protect and secure any such data that is held unencrypted in electronic form. Directs entities that own or license such data, following discovery of a security breach, to notify each individual U.S. citizen or resident: (1) whose personal information is reasonably believed to have been accessed and acquired by an unauthorized person; or (2) who may be at risk of identity theft, fraud, actual financial harm, or other unlawful conduct. Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate a federal entity to receive information from commercial entities regarding breaches, incidents, threats, and vulnerabilities. Requires the DHS-designated entity to provide such information to: (1) the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (2) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for civil law enforcement purposes; and (3) other federal agencies for law enforcement, national security, or data security purposes. Directs entities to notify the DHS-designated entity if a breach involves: (1) the personal information of more than 1,000 individuals, (2) a data system containing the personal information of more than 250,000 individuals, (3) federal databases, or (4) the personal information of primarily federal employees and contractors involved in national security or law enforcement. Provides alternative compliance procedures for: (1) third parties that maintain personal data in electronic form on behalf of another entity, and (2) certain electronic data service providers. Sets forth FTC enforcement authority. Exempts from the requirements of this Act: (1) financial institutions subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and (2) entities subject to health information privacy regulations. Provides for the requirements of this Act to apply to certain entities in place of security practices and notification standards currently enforced by the Federal Communications Commission. Increases maximum fines or terms of imprisonment for certain cyber-related criminal offenses involving identity theft or fraud. Directs the Department of State to consult with governments of countries in which international cyber criminals are physically present (if the countries do not have a mutual legal assistance or an extradition treaty with the United States) to determine what actions those governments have taken to prosecute and prevent cyber or intellectual property crimes against U.S. interests or citizens. Preempts certain state data security laws.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Personal Care Products Safety Act This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require cosmetics companies to register their facilities with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to submit to the FDA cosmetic ingredient statements that include the amounts of a cosmetic's ingredients. Companies must pay a facility registration fee based on their annual gross sales of cosmetics. The collected fees can only be used for cosmetic safety activities. If the FDA determines that a cosmetic has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences, it may prohibit the cosmetic's distribution by suspending the cosmetic ingredient statement. If other cosmetics from the same facility may be affected, the FDA may prohibit distribution from the facility by suspending the facility's registration. The FDA must review the safety of at least five cosmetic ingredients each year, and it may establish conditions for safe use of an ingredient, including a limit on the amount of the ingredient or a requirement for a warning label. A cosmetic cannot be sold if it contains an ingredient that is not safe, not safe under the recommended conditions of use, or not safe in the amount present in the cosmetic. Cosmetics companies are required to report to the FDA any serious adverse health event associated with their cosmetics. The FDA must: develop and implement cosmetic manufacturing standards that are consistent with existing national and international standards, be allowed to inspect a company's cosmetic safety records, recall a cosmetic that is likely to cause serious adverse health consequences, and encourage cosmetic safety testing practices that minimize the use of animals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Preserving Freedom and Choice in Health Care Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the requirements for individuals to maintain minimum essential coverage and for large employers to pay penalties if a full-time employee: (1) must wait longer than 60 days to enroll in an employer-sponsored health plan, or (2) receives a premium assistance tax credit or reduced cost-sharing. Coverage reporting requirements for providers and large employers are also repealed. Individuals enrolled in a health plan purchased through the federal health insurance exchange at the time of enactment of this Act who are ineligible for a premium assistance tax credit solely as a result of a determination by the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell are eligible for the tax credit. This applies to coverage months beginning after December 2013 and before September 2017. Group health coverage in which an individual was enrolled during any part of the period beginning on the date of enactment of PPACA (March 23, 2010) and ending on December 31, 2017, is a grandfathered health plan under PPACA and is exempt from some coverage requirements. Essential health benefits are defined by states. This amendment takes effect as if included in PPACA.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) items designed or individually configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, or functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) designate CRT items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics), and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a formal process to allow submission of CRT code set modification requests by stakeholder groups for comprehensive coding changes related to entire policy groups. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment, if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate: (1) in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015; (2) that the President should work toward an Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes Turkey's full acknowledgment of the facts about the Armenian Genocide; and (3) that the President should ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act Directs the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe two minutes of silence on Veterans Day, beginning at 3:11 p.m. Atlantic standard time, in honor of the service and sacrifice of veterans throughout the history of the nation.
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
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
Safe Transport for Horses Act Prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Prescribes civil penalties for persons who knowingly violate such prohibition.
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 · 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 · 13 April 2015
Declares the sense of the House of Representatives that: the Canadian government should not allow a permanent nuclear waste repository to be built within the Great Lakes Basin, the President and the Secretary of State should take appropriate action to work with the Canadian government to prevent a permanent nuclear waste repository from being built there, and the President and the Secretary should work together with their Canadian government counterparts on a safe and responsible solution for the long-term storage of nuclear waste.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2015 Directs the Architect of the Capitol to: (1) enter into an agreement to obtain a chair featuring the logo of the National League of POW/MIA Families, and (2) place it in the U.S. Capitol in a suitable permanent location within two years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Health Care Safety Net Enhancement Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to deem a hospital or an emergency department and a physician or physician group of a hospital or emergency department to be an employee of the Public Health Service with liability protection provided by the United States for purposes of any civil action that may arise due to providing emergency and post-stabilization services on or after January 1, 2016.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act of 2015 Requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to amend the rules concerning the factors it considers when evaluating a governor's request for a major disaster declaration to provide that, with respect to the evaluation of the need for public assistance: (1) specific weighted valuations shall be assigned to the estimated cost of the assistance (10%), localized impacts (40%), insurance coverage in force (10%), hazard mitigation (10%), recent multiple disasters (10%), programs of other federal assistance (10%), and economic circumstances (10%); and (2) FEMA shall consider the economic circumstances of both the local economy of the affected area (including the local assessable tax base and local sales tax, median income, and poverty rate) and the state economy (including the unemployment rate). Requires such rules to provide that, with respect to the evaluation of the severity, magnitude, and impact of the disaster and the evaluation of the need for assistance to individuals: (1) specific weighted valuations shall be assigned to concentration of damages (20%), trauma (20%), special populations (20%), voluntary agency assistance (10%), insurance (20%), average amount of individual assistance by state (5%), and economic considerations (5%); and (2) FEMA shall consider the economic circumstances of the affected area (including the local assessable tax base and local sales tax, median income, and poverty rate). Makes such rules applicable to any disaster for which a governor requested a major disaster declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and was denied on or after January 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (2) make permanent the maximum 35% gift tax rate and the lifetime gift tax exemption. Provides for an inflation adjustment to such exemption amount.
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 · 25 March 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States Postal Service should issue a postage stamp honoring the holiday of Diwali, and (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to: (1) enhance and expand infrastructure and activities to track the epidemiology of neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease; and (2) incorporate information obtained through those activities into a National Neurological Diseases Surveillance System. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the System facilitates further research on neurological diseases. Requires HHS to provide for the collection and storage of information on neurological diseases, including the incidence, prevalence, and other information, to the extent practicable. Requires HHS to: (1) make information and analysis in the System available to federal agencies and to the public, including researchers; and (2) ensure that privacy and security protections applicable to the System are at least as stringent as the protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Commends the work of Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin in developing effective, safe vaccines for polio. Supports the Global Polio Eradication Initiative's goals and ideals and the international community in remaining committed to the eradication of polio. Encourages continued funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and scientific research so that more life-saving discoveries can be made.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2015 Prohibits a person from transporting a horse in interstate commerce in a motor vehicle (except a vehicle operated exclusively on rail or rails) containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Prescribes civil penalties for persons who knowingly violate such prohibition.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Small Business Regulatory Sunset Act of 2015 Requires each federal agency to establish a plan for the periodic review (every nine years) of: (1) its rules that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, and (2) any small entity compliance guide required to be published by an agency. Sets forth criteria for review of a rule, including the continued need for the rule, the complexity of the rule, and the economic impact of the rule on small entities. Requires: (1) each agency to publish in the Federal Register and on the agency website a list of the rules and small entity compliance guides to be reviewed under the plan, and (2) the agency Inspector General to determine whether the agency has conducted the required review. Provides that each covered rule (i.e., any rule for which an agency is required to prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis and which is a major rule) promulgated by an agency shall cease to have effect seven years after the final version of such rule is published unless renewed by the agency using the notice and comment rulemaking process.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Stop Sexual Abuse by School Personnel Act of 2015 Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require each state and local educational agency (LEA) that receives funds under the ESEA to have policies and procedures in effect that require a criminal background check for each school employee in the LEA's public elementary and secondary schools. Requires the background check to be conducted and administered by the state or the LEA. Authorizes states or LEAs to use ESEA funds to establish, implement, or improve policies and procedures on background checks for school employees. Lists the policies and procedures to be implemented using that assistance, including training for school employees on how to recognize, respond to, and prevent child abuse. Requires state and LEA school improvement plans (required for receipt of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the ESEA) to describe the laws, regulations, or policies and procedures in effect in the state that: terminate individuals who fail to pass the criminal background check, improve the reporting of those failures, reduce the instances of a school employee being transferred following the employee's failure to pass the background check, provide a school employee with a requested copy of the employee's criminal background check and a timely process for appealing its results, provide the results of the criminal background check to the employer in a statement that indicates whether a school employee is eligible for employment, and make the background check policies and procedures publicly available. Directs the Secretary of Education, in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General, to provide technical assistance and support to states, LEAs, and schools that shall include, at a minimum: a comprehensive package of materials that outlines the steps that can be taken to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse by school personnel; the most cost-effective way to disseminate federal information so states, LEAs, child welfare agencies, and criminal justice entities are aware of such information and have access to it; and mechanisms to better track and analyze the prevalence of child sexual abuse by school personnel through existing federal data collection systems.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Enhancing the Stature and Visibility of Medical Rehabilitation Research at the NIH Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements for medical rehabilitation research. The purpose of the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) is revised to include coordination of research and research training. The NCMRR must develop and periodically update a comprehensive research plan for medical rehabilitation research. Currently, this research plan is developed and updated by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The NCMRR must: (1) annually report on progress in achieving the objectives, benchmarks, and guiding principles described in the research plan; and (2) develop guidelines governing the funding for medical rehabilitation research by the National Institutes of Health. The Medical Rehabilitation Coordinating Committee must periodically host a scientific conference or workshop on medical rehabilitation research. The Department of Health and Human Services must enter into interagency agreements to coordinate medical rehabilitation research.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reduce, for each of FY2015-FY2019, the authorized aggregate amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import Bank may have outstanding at any time. The Bank shall build to and hold in reserve, to protect against future losses, at least 5% of its aggregate amount of disbursed and outstanding loans, guarantees, and insurance. The Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 (EIBRA) is amended to require the Government Accountability Office's quadrennial review of the adequacy of the design and effectiveness of the Bank's fraud controls to include review of the Bank's compliance with these controls. An Office of Ethics is established within the Bank to recommend administrative actions to establish or enforce standards of official conduct. A Chief Risk Officer of the Bank is established to oversee all issues relating to risk within the Bank. A Risk Management Committee is also established to: oversee periodic stress testing on the entire Bank portfolio and the monitoring of industry, geographic, and obligor exposure levels; and review all required reports on the Bank's default rate. The Bank's Inspector General shall conduct an audit or evaluation of the Bank's portfolio risk management procedures, including its implementation of the duties assigned to the Chief Risk Officer. The Bank may establish a pilot program under which it may enter into contracts and other arrangements to share risks associated with its provision of guarantees, insurance, or credit, or participation in the extension of credit. The Bank shall: (1) increase from 20% to 25% of its lending authority the amount made available to finance direct exports by small business concerns, and (2) include in its annual report to Congress a report on its programs for U.S. businesses with less than $250 million in annual sales. The Bank may use a portion of its surplus through FY2019 to update its information technology systems. The Bank, the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee, and authority for dual use exports (of nonlethal defense articles or services primarily for civilian use) are reauthorized through FY2019. The principal amounts of medium-term financing by the Bank are limited to $25 million Increased from a minimum of $10 million to a minimum of $25 million are the amounts of: long-term loans or loan guarantees the Bank may insure, working capital export loans and guarantees to small businesses, and long-term support for projects to which certain procedures apply regarding the potential beneficial and adverse environmental effects of goods and services for which direct lending and guarantee support is requested. The Bank may never: deny an application for financing based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns; or promulgate or implement policies that discriminate against an application based solely on the industry, sector, or business that the application concerns. The EIBRA is amended to require the President instead of the Department of the Treasury to initiate and pursue negotiations to end export credit financing. The President shall propose to Congress a strategy the U.S. government will pursue with other major exporting countries, including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members and non-OECD members, to eliminate over a period of 10 years subsidized export-financing programs, tied aid, export credits, and all other forms of government-supported export subsidies. The Bank shall study the extent to which products it offers are available and used by companies that export information and communications technology services and related goods.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory Relief Act of 2015 or the CLEAR Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to exempt from its rules regarding management assessment of internal controls the following institutions which, as of the end of the preceding fiscal year, had total consolidated assets of $1 billion or less (adjusted annually according to a certain formula): (1) a bank holding company, (2) a savings and loan holding company, or (3) an insured depository institution. Amends the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to exempt from requirements governing escrow or impound accounts affecting certain consumer credit transactions any loans secured by a first lien on the principal dwelling of a consumer, if such loans are held by an insured depository institution having assets of $10 billion or less. Includes as a qualified mortgage, with respect to the presumption that a qualified residential mortgage loan meets certain minimum standards, any mortgage loan originated and retained in portfolio for at least three years by a depository institution having less than $10 billion in total assets. Requires the CFPB (which currently is merely authorized) to provide by regulation that a "qualified mortgage" includes a balloon loan extended by an insured depository institution that: (1) originates and retains balloon loans in portfolio for at least three years, and (2) together with its affiliates has less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 194th anniversary of the independence of Greece. Supports the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed. Notes Greece's important role in the wider European region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence 194 years ago.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Railroad Infrastructure Financing Improvement Act This bill amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to make direct loans and loan guarantees to: joint ventures that include, instead of at least one railroad, at least one railroad, state or local government, interstate compact, or government sponsored authority or corporation (entity); and any obligor, as designated by such an entity, including a special purpose entity receiving user fees or other payments or revenues from dedicated sources for debt service and maintenance of the equipment or facilities to be acquired or improved. Direct loans and loan guarantees may also be solely for a public-private partnership, private entity, a consortium that specializes in real estate development, or an economic development project physically or functionally related to a passenger rail station or multimodal station. DOT shall notify direct loan or loan guarantee applicants if their applications are incomplete, and within another 60 days approve or disapprove a resubmitted application. Charges may be collected for certain costs additional to the evaluation of applications. The current formula cap on such a charge is repealed. The term for repayment of a direct loan or loan guarantee may extend from a maximum of 35 years to a maximum of the lesser of 50 years or 90% of the estimated useful life of the rail equipment or facilities to be acquired, rehabilitated, improved, developed, or established. DOT may allow an obligor to add unpaid principal and interest to the outstanding balance if at any time after the date of substantial completion the project is unable to generate sufficient revenues to pay the scheduled loan repayments of principal and interest on a direct loan. Prepayments without penalty are also allowed. Authority for cohorts of loans is repealed. A direct loan or loan guarantee applicant may propose, and DOT may accept as collateral, as a basis for determining the amount of a credit risk premium any of the following in lieu of the value of any tangible asset: a rate covenant; adequate coverage requirements to ensure repayment, on a non-recourse basis, from cash flows generated by the project or any other dedicated revenue source; an investment-grade rating on debt senior to the direct loan or loan guarantee; or a rating on the direct loan or loan guarantee. DOT may enter into a master credit agreement (to make one or more direct loans or loan guarantees at future dates for a program of related projects secured by a common security pledge) if: the common security pledge receives an investment-grade rating (BBB minus, Baa 3, bbb minus, BBB[low], or higher) from a rating agency before entry into the master credit agreement; and all specified conditions for the provision of direct loans or loan guarantees, as applicable, are satisfied. DOT must require the applicant for an economic development project to pay, in addition to interest, a fee to provide an equitable share of revenue to support capital or operating costs of routes serving the passenger rail station or multimodal station where the development is located.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2015
Fair Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act or the Fair BEER Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the excise tax on beer brewed or produced, and removed for consumption or sale, within the United States or imported into the United States. The revised tax ranges from $0 for an amount not exceeding 7,143 barrels to $18 per barrel on an amount exceeding 2 million barrels.
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
Manufacturing Universities Act of 2015 Authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a program to designate up to 25 institutions of higher education as U.S. manufacturing universities that are to be awarded funds over a four-year period. Requires an institution applying for such program to submit a plan describing its engineering programs, its relationship to manufacturing industries, and its ability to positively impact local and regional economic development. Requires NIST to recommend adaptations to certain Small Business Act programs to assist small businesses that collaborate with such universities.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2015
Medication Therapy Management Empowerment Act of 2015 This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to make a targeted beneficiary under the medication therapy management program of a part D eligible individual who has a single chronic disease of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2015
This bill prohibits increases in Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) guarantee fees from being used in the Senate to determine the budgetary impact for evaluating budget points of order. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase mortgages and charge the fees to guarantee the payment of principal and interest. This bill prevents the fee increases from being used to offset provisions that increase the deficit in determining whether a budget point of order applies to legislation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2015
Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2015 Establishes the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020. Directs the Commission to identify, recommend, and promote initiatives, partnerships, and research that can be turned into strategies to prevent breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis while giving priority to those that are: (1) not prioritized in the public sector, and (2) unlikely to be achieved by the private sector due to technical and financial uncertainty. Requires the Commission to: (1) submit within six months to the President and to the relevant congressional committees a description of the Commission's strategic plan; (2) submit an annual report to the President, Congress, and the public; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and not duplicative of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies. Directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the Commission's progress. Terminates the Commission on June 1, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
International Violence Against Women Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to: (1) develop or update annually for five years (after the 2012 United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally which shall be deemed to be the first required strategy) a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, and (2) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy. Directs the Ambassador-at-Large and Senior Coordinator to: (1) include in each strategy an analysis of best practices for preventing and addressing violence against women and girls internationally; and (2) develop a plan for monitoring programs, projects, and activities carried out under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2015
Restoring Access to Medication Act of 2015 Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that limit payments for medications from health savings accounts, medical savings accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to only prescription drugs or insulin (thus allowing distributions from such accounts for over-the-counter drugs).
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act Provides that for purposes of medical professional liability insurance or civil and criminal malpractice liability determinations, a physician or athletic trainer (covered sports medicine professional) who is authorized to practice medicine in a state (primary state) and who provides medical services to an athlete or athletic team in a state where such professional is not authorized to practice (secondary state) shall be deemed to have provided such medical services in the primary state, provided that prior to providing the covered medical services such professional has disclosed the nature and extent of such services to the entity that provides such professional with medical professional liability insurance in the primary state.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2015
Establishing Beneficiary Equity in the Hospital Readmission Program Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) with respect to the hospital readmissions reduction program under the inpatient (hospital) prospective payment system (IPPS). The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in determining a hospital's excess readmission ratio for purposes of making payments for discharges occurring during FY2016-FY2017, is required to make a risk adjustment to the ratio that takes into account both: (1) a hospital's proportion of inpatients who are full-benefit dual eligible individuals (eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid under SSAct title XIX), and (2) the socioeconomic status of patients served by the hospital. The Secretary must base the risk adjustment under the readmission program for subsequent fiscal years on specified reports required by the Improving Medicare Post Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 as well as a report the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shall submit on the appropriateness of using a threshold of 30 days for readmissions under the program. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must then incorporate report recommendations in carrying out risk adjustments for discharges occurring in such fiscal years in order to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are not unfairly penalized by the program. The Secretary shall consider the use of V or other International Classification of Diseases-related codes for potential exclusion of noncompliant patient cases when promulgating related regulations for FY2017. The Secretary must: (1) assess whether to exclude from the calculation of excess readmissions any patients whose clinical conditions or diagnoses may require frequent hospitalizations; then (2) exclude, starting in FY2018, any relevant clinical conditions identified in the assessment recommendations when determining a hospital's publicly reported readmission rate and excess readmissions ratio. The Secretary is directed to make a payment adjustment to subsection (d) hospitals necessary to ensure that the implementation of this Act does not result in any increase in aggregate expenditures under the IPPS. (Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payment under the IPPS when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2015
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015 Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
![Official portrait of Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/k000360_200.jpg)