United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2015
Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Black Lung Benefits Act to revise requirements for miners' claims for pneumoconiosis (black lung) benefits. A mine operator must give a copy of the examining physician's report to miners required to have a medical examination of their respiratory condition. The Department of Labor must pay the attorneys' fees of prevailing parties on a qualifying black lung benefit claim. This bill revises: (1) the standards of medical evidence that establish a presumption that a miner is totally disabled by black lung, and (2) payments to miners (including their dependents) totally disabled by black lung. Black lung clinics may use federal funds to help individuals file black lung benefit claims. A person may not: (1) make a false statement or misrepresentation in increasing or reducing black lung benefits, or (2) threaten or mislead a participant in a proceeding regarding black lung benefits. Labor, upon request, must give a claimant the opportunity to substantiate a claim for benefits through a pulmonary evaluation of the miner. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) must establish a pilot program to assure accurate classifications of chest radiographs in black lung cases where the diagnosis is at issue. Labor, in coordination with NIOSH, must educate certain individuals who work on black lung benefits about medical evidence relevant to claims. A previously denied claimant may file a claim for black lung benefits within one year after enactment of this Act. Labor must report to Congress a strategy to reduce the backlog of black lung cases pending before the Office of Administrative Law Judges. The Government Accountability Office must report on any barriers to health care faced by coal miners with black lung. The bill amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to direct Labor to use data from continuous personal dust monitors to determine whether to make changes to respirable dust concentration standards, controls, and measurements. Establishment of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is codified.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2015
No Government No Pay Act of 2015 A Member of Congress may not receive pay, during a government shutdown, equal to the product of the Member's daily rate of pay and the number of 24-hour periods during which the government shutdown is in effect. This prohibition shall apply on and after the convening of the 115th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honors the extraordinary courage and heroism of U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, French-American Mark Moogalian, British consultant Chris Norman, and Frenchman Damien A. who selflessly risked their lives to prevent a terrorist attack that could have killed dozens aboard a passenger train bound for Paris. Extends best wishes for a full recovery to all innocent individuals who were injured during the attack, including U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone and French-American Mark Moogalian.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Richard Schultz Schweiker, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 9, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if unable to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under other authorized contracts or sharing agreements, to enter into a Veterans Care Agreement with an eligible provider to furnish such care and services. The VA shall review Agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years. The VA shall establish a process for the certification of eligible providers. An eligible provider is: a physician or provider of services that has entered into a provider agreement under the Social Security Act; a provider of items and services receiving payments under a state Medicaid plan; an aging and disability resource center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living; or any other health care provider the VA considers appropriate. The VA shall establish a system or systems to monitor the quality of care and services furnished to veterans, which shall be used in assessing whether to renew an Agreement. An Agreement may be made with a health care provider to provide veterans with nursing home care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died in theater in the Korean War; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: Social Security earned benefits that are crucial to the economic security of our nation and must be preserved to ensure future generations of Americans are protected; with the strong support of the federal government, Social Security must continue to deliver guaranteed retirement and life insurance benefits for workers and their families, as well as serve as an indispensable safety net for the most vulnerable segments of American society; and while the trust funds that support Social Security are projected to pay all benefits through 2034, Congress should act to ensure this vital program can support workers and families far into the future, but should reject proposals that weaken or privatize Social Security and should consider proposals to strengthen Social Security benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2015
Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to establish: (1) an inter-agency working group, led by the Child and Maternal Survival Coordinator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and (2) a 10-year strategy to achieve with partner countries and donors the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths by 2035. The President shall designate a current USAID employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for: (1) overseeing maternal and child health and nutrition funding managed by the Bureau of Global Health of USAID, and (2) leading the inter-agency working group. The U.S. government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies, shall develop a financing framework to leverage public and private capital to expand delivery of high-impact, evidence-based interventions for maternal, newborn, and child health.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to create a private civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. Specifically, the bill authorizes a trade secret owner to file a civil action in a U.S. district court seeking relief for trade secret misappropriation related to a product or service in interstate or foreign commerce. It establishes remedies, such as an injunction and damages. The statute of limitation is set at five years from the date of discovery of the misappropriation. A trade secret owner may apply for and a court may grant a seizure order to prevent dissemination of the trade secret if the court makes specific findings, including that an immediate and irreparable injury will occur if seizure is not ordered. A court must take custody of the seized materials and hold a seizure hearing within seven days. Any party harmed by the order may move to dissolve or modify the order and may also seek relief against the applicant of the seizure order for wrongful or excessive seizure. The Department of Justice must submit to Congress and publish a biannual report on trade secret theft outside the United States. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) trade secret theft occurs in the United States and around the world, (2) trade secret theft harms owner companies and their employees, and (3) the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 applies broadly to protect trade secrets from theft.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to: (1) redesignate the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking as the Bureau to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and (2) require an Assistant Secretary to head the Bureau.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) August 30, 2015, should be designated as 1890 Land-Grant Institutions Quasquicentennial Recognition Day; and (2) the Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture should remain committed to supporting the goals of the Second Morrill Act and the Smith-Lever Act, which have helped the United States develop agricultural leaders.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Condemns the attack at the Grand Theatre 16 movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, on July 23, 2015. Honors the memory of the two Louisiana citizens who lost their lives. Recognizes the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who responded to such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Condemns the attacks of July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Honors the sacrifice and memory of the five members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives. Recognizes the skill and heroism of the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who came to the aid of others. Commends the efforts of those who are working to care for the injured and investigate this horrific incident. Extends condolences and prayers to the families of the fallen, and to all those affected in Chattanooga and in the United States. Pledges to work together to prevent future attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Consumer Financial Choice and Capital Markets Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to authorize any open-end investment company to elect, in its registration statement, to be a money market fund and to compute the current price per share, for purposes of distribution or redemption and repurchase, of any redeemable security issued by the company using the amortized cost method of valuation or the penny-rounding method of pricing, regardless of whether its shareholders are limited to natural persons, if: the company's objective is the generation of income and preservation of capital through investment in short-term, high-quality debt securities; the company elects to maintain a stable net asset value per share or stable price per share, by virtue of such methods, and the board of directors of the company has determined in good faith that it is in the best interests of the company and its shareholders to do so and that the money market fund will continue to use such method(s) only as long as the board believes that the resulting share price fairly reflects the market-based net asset value per share of the company; and the company agrees to comply with such quality, maturity, diversification, and liquidity requirements as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prescribes as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, if consistent with this Act. The bill prohibits covered federal assistance from being provided directly to any money market fund. The bill defines: (1) "covered federal assistance " as federal assistance used for the purpose of making any loan to, or purchasing any stock, equity interest, or debt obligation of, any money market fund, guaranteeing any loan or debt issuance of any money market fund, or entering into any assistance arrangement, loss sharing, or profit sharing with any money market fund; and (2) "federal assistance" as insurance or guarantees by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, transactions involving the Secretary of the Treasury, or the use of any advances from any Federal Reserve credit facility or discount window that is not part of a program or facility with broad-based eligibility established in unusual or exigent circumstances. No principal underwriter of a redeemable security issued by a money market fund nor any dealer shall offer or sell any such security to any person unless the prospectus of the money market fund and any advertising or sales literature for such fund prominently discloses such prohibition against direct covered federal assistance. A company that elects to be a money market fund shall remain subject to the provisions of this Act and SEC rules and regulations that would otherwise apply to a registered open-end company, if consistent with this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015 This bill amends the nonhazardous waste provisions of subtitle D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) to establish a federal permit program for coal combustion residuals (coal ash) that states may elect to administer. The program outlines the criteria that a state must use if it chooses to adopt and enforce a permit program regulating the management and disposal of coal ash generated by electric utilities and independent power producers. The program applies to the disposal of coal ash into: (1) landfills or surface impoundments, (2) sand or gravel pits, (3) quarries, or (4) lateral expansions of the previously mentioned structures. A state that chooses to adopt a coal ash program is given sole enforcement authority. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must implement a program for a state if: (1) a state's program fails to meet those criteria, or (2) a state does not implement a program. A coal ash permit program implemented by the EPA may not apply to the utilization, placement, and storage of coal ash at surface or underground coal mining and reclamation operations. The bill revises the EPA rule governing the disposal of coal ash, entitled "Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System; Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals from Electric Utilities." The rule may be implemented only through the permit program established by the bill. When the requirements of the bill and the rule conflict, the requirements of the bill must be followed. Under the program, the implementing agency must use baseline criteria, including criteria with respect to coal ash for: structures' design, location, and structural integrity; groundwater and surface water protections; structures closing; and air quality with respect to fugitive dust. The agency implementing the permit program must ensure that certain information concerning the program is publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
National Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax relief for disasters declared in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 by: allowing an election to expense qualified disaster expenses (i.e., for the abatement of hazardous substances, removal of debris, demolition, and repair of business-related property); increasing the tax deduction for charitable contributions for disaster relief for individual and corporate taxpayers; allowing through 2015 the deduction of losses and net operating losses attributable to disasters; allowing waivers of requirements relating to mortgage revenue bonds; extending through 2015 the additional allowance for depreciation of business property (bonus depreciation); allowing an increase through 2015 of the new markets tax credit limitation amount within a federally-declared disaster area; permitting the use of tax-exempt retirement plan funds in federally-declared disasters without penalty; allowing an additional tax exemption for individuals who are displaced as a result of a federally-declared disaster; allowing an exclusion from gross income of imputed income from the cancellation of indebtedness resulting from federally-declared disasters; providing a special rule to allow individuals affected by a disaster in 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015 to claim a full earned income tax credit; increasing the rehabilitation tax credit for buildings affected by a federally-declared disaster; permitting one additional advance refunding of a tax-exempt bond that is outstanding on the date on which a federally-declared disaster occurs; allowing the issuance of qualified disaster area recovery bonds; allowing an additional allocation of the low-income housing tax credit in 2016 to states affected by a federally-declared disaster occurring in 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015; allowing payments of disaster assistance to tax-exempt mutual ditch or irrigation companies without affecting their tax-exempt status; allowing an exclusion from gross income for disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments; allowing a tax deduction for payments to a tax-exempt natural disaster fund; allowing a five-year replacement period for property located in a disaster area for purposes of the exclusion of gain from an involuntary conversion; allowing employers a business-related tax credit for up to 40% of wages paid to employees in a disaster area; and allowing an enhanced tax deduction for medical expenses related to an injury occurring in a disaster area.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a full-service community schools grant program. A “full-service community school” is a public elementary or secondary school that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate, integrate, and provide year-round access to educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services for students, families, and the community. ED must require each grant recipient to provide matching funds based on a sliding scale that accounts for the grantee’s ability to obtain matching funds and the relative poverty of the grantee’s targeted population. However, ED may not consider an applicant’s ability to match funds when determining which applicants will be awarded grants under the program. The duration of each renewable grant is five years. With respect to program guidance, the bill also establishes principles of effectiveness as well as a Full-Service Community Schools Advisory Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change provisions that refer to married couples to make such provisions equally applicable to legally married same sex couples.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting total outlays for a fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year unless Congress authorizes the excess by a three-fifths roll call vote of each chamber. The prohibition excludes outlays for repayment of debt principal, receipts derived from borrowing, and receipts or outlays of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The resolution requires the President to annually submit to Congress a budget in which total outlays do not exceed total receipts. The balanced budget requirement does not apply if: a declaration of war is in effect or if the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security, or during the fiscal year or preceding fiscal year, the U.S. economy grew by less than 0% in real gross domestic product during two or more consecutive quarters or the unemployment rate was more than 7% during two or more consecutive months. The resolution prohibits a court from enforcing the requirements by ordering cuts to Social Security or Medicare payments unless the funds available to the trust fund for a program are not sufficient to cover the outlays that would occur during the year if the fund were fully solvent.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Miners Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to address potential shortages in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan for payment of health care benefits to retired coal miners by expanding the eligible uses of interest transferable to such plan from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and supplemental payments from the General Fund of the Treasury. The calculation of such interest and payments shall be made by taking into account only those beneficiaries who are actually enrolled in the plan as of the enactment of this Act, as well as those retirees whose health care benefits, payable directly by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement, would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer to the trustees of the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan additional funds to pay pension benefits required under that plan, if the $490 million cap on certain transfers to the UMWA Combined Benefit Fund and distributions to states and Indian tribes exceed the aggregate amount required to be transferred to them. The bill also expands the annual reporting requirements of the trustees of the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan on plan solvency and value of plan assets.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Fairness in Respondent Selection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the administering authority (i.e., the Secretary of Commerce, or any other officer of the United States to whom the responsibility for carrying out duties under such Act regarding countervailing and antidumping duties are transferred by law) to determine an individual countervailable subsidy rate for an exporter or producer, upon the request of such exporter or producer, if four or fewer exporters and producers are involved in the investigation or review. The bill shall apply to any investigation or review initiated by such authority on or after March 1, 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Carried Interest Fairness Act of 201 5 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) set forth a special rule for the inclusion in gross income of partnership interests transferred in connection with the performance of services, (2) treat as ordinary income the net capital gain with respect to an investment services partnership interest except to the extent such gain is attributable to a partner's qualified capital interest, (3) exempt income from investment services partnership interests from treatment as qualifying income of a publicly traded partnership, (4) exempt certain family partnerships from the application of this Act; (5) increase the penalty for underpayments of tax resulting from failure to treat income from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income, and (6) include income and loss from an investment services partnership interest for purposes of determining net earnings from self-employment and applicable self-employment taxes. Defines "investment services partnership interest" as any interest in a partnership held by a person who provides services to a partnership by: (1) advising the partnership about investing in, purchasing, or selling specified assets; (2) managing, acquiring, or disposing of specified assets; or (3) arranging financing with respect to acquiring specified assets.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Condemns the attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Offers condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and to the staff and congregation of Mother Emanuel.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2015
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to jointly update the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, including guidelines regarding: prescribing opioids for outpatient treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain; contraindications for opioid therapy; treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatric disorders, or a history of substance abuse or addiction; case management for patients transitioning between inpatient and outpatient health care; routine and random urine drug tests to help prevent substance abuse; and options to augment opioid therapy with other clinical and complementary and integrative health services to minimize opioid dependence. The VA shall: expand the Opioid Safety Initiative to include all VA medical facilities, including providing employees with pain management training, and establishment of pain management teams; track and monitor opioid use, including through the use of state program information; increase the availability of Food and Drug Administration-approved opioid receptor antagonists; modify the Computerized Patient Record System to ensure that any health care provider that accesses a veteran's record will be immediately notified whether the veteran is receiving opioid therapy and has a history of substance use disorder or opioid abuse; establish a Pain Management Board in each Veterans Integrated Service Network; conduct a feasibility study for a program under which veterans at risk for prescription drug abuse receive prescription drugs only from certain VA pharmacies; establish the Office of Patient Advocacy; expand research and education on, and delivery and integration of, complementary and integrative health services into veterans' health care services, including services provided to veterans with mental health or chronic conditions; assess the feasibility of using wellness programs to complement pain management and related health care services to veterans and their families; carry out a program of internal audits to improve health care services to veterans and their families; and provide to the medical board of each state in which a VA health care provider is licensed information about such provider's medical license violations. A working group on pain management and opioid therapy for individuals receiving VA or DOD health care is established within the Health Executive Committee of the VA-DOD Joint Executive Committee. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the VA's: (1) Opioid Safety Initiative and the opioid prescribing practices of VA health care providers, and (2) the Patient Advocacy Program. The VA shall request from the medical board of each state in which a prospective health care provider has a medical license: (1) information on medical license violations during the past 20 years, and (2) information on whether the health care provider has entered into any settlement agreement for a medical-related disciplinary charge.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2015, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Cider Investment and Development through Excise Tax Reduction (CIDER) Act Amends the Internal Revenue to revise the definition of "hard cider," for purposes of the excise tax on distilled spirits, wines, and beer, to mean a wine: (1) containing not more than .64 gram of carbon dioxide per hundred milliliters of wine (subject to necessary tolerances); (2) which is derived primarily from apples, apple juice concentrate, pears, or pear juice concentrate, and water; (3) which contains no fruit product or fruit flavoring other than apple or pear; and (4) which contains at least one-half of 1% and less than 8.5% alcohol by volume.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act of 2015 or the STREAM Act of 2015 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to direct the Department of the Interior to make publicly available the scientific products used in developing a rule under the Act or any related environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, or economic assessment when the rule or assessment is published. If those scientific products received federal funds, Interior must also make publicly available the data used and the background information of its authors. If Interior does not comply, the notice and comment period for the rules and assessments will be extended by specified periods. A rule or an assessment must be withdrawn if Interior fails to comply for more than 180 days. In carrying out the Act, Interior: (1) may not make any determination regarding certain agency action subject to specified mining and environmental Acts, and (2) shall defer to the determinations of an agency or state authority implementing those Acts with respect to any agency action under the jurisdiction of that agency or state.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants for consumer education about opioid abuse. (Opioids are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin or certain prescription painkillers.) This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to require medical practitioners to be trained in the treatment of opioid-dependent patients, pain management, and early detection of opioid addiction before they can be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense opioids. Opioid treatment programs that close on any day must make arrangements for each patient to receive treatment during the closure, as necessary. A report must be submitted to SAMHSA for each individual who dies while receiving treatment in an opioid treatment program. In states receiving funding for controlled substance monitoring programs, deaths where an opioid drug is detected in the body must be reported to SAMHSA. The National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must establish a National Opioid Death Registry to track opioid-related deaths. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality must develop and apply prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment quality measures. This bill amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors to limit the access of certain beneficiaries to frequently abused drugs. PDP sponsors must have a utilization management tool to prevent drug abuse. Medicare Drug Integrity Contractors may accept prescription and medical records to determine whether a beneficiary is at risk for prescription drug abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2015
Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution of 2015 Expresses the sense of the Senate that conversion therapy directed at minors is discredited and ineffective, has no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and is dangerous and harmful. Defines "conversion therapy" as any practice by a licensed, certified, or registered mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor seeking or purporting to impose change of an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Excludes from such definition counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression if such counseling provides: (1) acceptance, support, and understanding of an individual; (2) facilitation for coping, social support, and identity exploration and development of an individual; (3) developmentally appropriate counseling for an individual undergoing gender transition; or (4) sexual orientation- and gender identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Encourages states to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Trade Transparency Act of 2015 This bill declares that expedited congressional procedures for consideration (fast track for approval) of implementing bills for trade agreements shall not apply to such bills unless the President makes available to the public the scrubbed bracketed text of the trade agreement at least 60 days before enactment of an Act giving the President trade promotion authority.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
American Crude Oil Export Equality Act Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to repeal the authority of the President to restrict exports of: coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks; and materials or equipment which he determines necessary for either exploration, production, refining, or transportation of energy supplies, or for construction or maintenance of energy facilities within the United States. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to repeal limitations on exports of oil. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to repeal limitations on export of Outer Continental Shelf oil or gas on the lands within its purview. Declares without force or effect: the limitation placed upon crude oil exports by the Export Administration Act of 1979, and a specified regulation relating to crude oil (but retains its full force and effect with respect to crude oil exports from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve [SPR]). Requires a license from the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce for export to a country of crude oil only if: the country is subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States, the President or Congress has designated the country as subject to exclusion for reasons of national security, or the export concerns the withdrawal of crude oil from the SPR. Authorizes the President to ban crude oil exports from the United States during a national emergency for a maximum period of one year (renewable for additional one-year periods) if certain circumstances exist. Directs the Governmental Accountability Office to conduct annual reviews of: energy production in the United States; and the effects, if any, of crude oil exports from the United States on consumers, independent refiners, and shipbuilding and ship repair yards.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Affordable Reliable Electricity Now Act of 2015 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet certain conditions prior to issuing, implementing, or enforcing a rule under the Clean Air Act that: (1) establishes a performance standard for greenhouse gas emissions from new, modified, or reconstructed fossil fuel-fired power plants (new power plants); and (2) addresses carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired power plants (existing power plants). Specified rules issued by the EPA concerning greenhouse gases from power plants under the Clean Air Act are nullified. In issuing those rules for new power plants, the EPA must: (1) place power plants fueled with coal and natural gas into separate categories, and (2) establish a separate subcategory for power plants using coal below a specified average heat content. Before the EPA can establish a greenhouse gas standard based on the best system of emission reduction for new power plants, the standard must first be achieved for at least one year at representative power plants throughout the country. The EPA may not use results obtained from demonstration projects when setting the standard. In order to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, the EPA must issue state-specific model plans demonstrating how each state can meet the required greenhouse gas emission reductions. States need not adopt or implement a state plan, or be subject to a federal plan, that addresses carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants upon a determination that the plan would negatively affect: (1) economic growth, competitiveness, and jobs; (2) the reliability of its electricity system; or (3) electricity ratepayers by causing rate increases. The bill extends the compliance dates of those rules for existing power plants pending final judicial review. State noncompliance with any of those rules for new or existing power plants does not constitute a reason for imposing a highway project sanction. The EPA may regulate an existing power plant for either hazardous air pollutants or non-hazardous pollution, but not both.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2015
Knife Owners' Protection Act of 2015 Allows any individual who is not otherwise prohibited by federal law from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a knife to transport a knife from any state or place where such individual may lawfully possess, carry, or transport such a knife to any other state or place where such individual may lawfully do so: (1) by motor vehicle if the knife is not directly accessible from the passenger compartment or is in a closed container, glove compartment, or console; or (2) by other means over land or through water or the air if the knife is in a closed container. Excludes the transport of a knife with the intent to commit an offense punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year involving the use or threatened use of force against another person or with knowledge, or reasonable cause to believe, that such an offense is to be committed in the course of, or arising from, the journey. Allows an individual to carry a knife or tool that is designed for enabling escape in an emergency and that incorporates a blunt tipped safety blade or a guarded blade or both for cutting safety belts in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle without being secured in a closed container, glove compartment, or console, except in the passenger cabin of aircraft whose passengers are subject to airport screening procedures of the Transportation Security Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Energy Independence Investment Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to study and report on the effectiveness of the advanced fossil loan guarantee incentive program and other DOE incentive programs for advanced fossil energy. In carrying out the study, DOE must: solicit industry and stakeholder input; evaluate the effectiveness of the advanced fossil loan guarantee incentive program in advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology; review each incentive provided by federal agencies for CCS demonstration projects to determine the adequacy and effectiveness of the combined federal incentives in advancing CCS and advanced fossil energy technologies; assess whether combinations of existing incentive programs could be effective to advance CCS and advanced fossil energy technologies; and evaluate the impact of implementing the recommendations described in the January 2015 National Coal Council report entitled, "Fossil Forward: Revitalizing CCS, Bringing Scale and Speed to CCS Deployment," on the effectiveness of the advanced fossil loan guarantee program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
This bill designates the Department of Energy (DOE) as the lead agency to coordinate all federal requirements under the Clean Air Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Safe Drinking Water Act regarding clean coal and advanced coal technology generating projects which: install and operate an advanced carbon capture and storage technology or carbon capture utilization and storage technology at a new or existing steam generating unit; or increase the efficiency of converting coal to either a useful energy, or to a feedstock for the manufacture of other products. DOE is also required to establish a schedule for all federal authorizations with respect to such projects, including: setting binding intermediate milestones and deadlines to ensure expeditious completion of all proceedings and final action on all pertinent federal authorizations, requiring all permit decisions and related environmental reviews to be completed within one year after the date on which a complete application for each environmental review is submitted, and coordinating state permitting and environmental requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
Coal with Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Energy to enter into 25-year binding contracts that provide price stabilization support for electricity generated at either an electric generation unit (that uses coal-based generation technology) or carbon dioxide captured from such unit and subsequently sold to a purchaser for either crude oil recovery or other commercial market purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal: (1) the coal and related technologies program; (2) the carbon capture research, development and demonstration program; and (3) the Clean Coal Power Initiative. In lieu of those programs the Department of Energy (DOE) shall establish a coal technology program encompassing: (1) research and development, (2) large-scale pilot projects, and (3) demonstration projects. DOE must develop performance standards that include: ensuring reliable, low cost power from new and existing coal plants; addressing carbon dioxide emissions through high efficiency platforms and carbon capture from new and existing coal plants; support flexible baseload operations for new and existing applications of coal generation; and validate geologic storage of large volumes of anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide and the infrastructure needed to support a carbon dioxide use and storage industry.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Department of Energy to consider the objective of improving the conversion, use, and storage of carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuels when carrying out certain research, development, demonstration, and commercial application programs in fossil energy.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2015
Wireless Telecommunications Tax and Fee Collection Fairness Act of 2015 Prohibits a state or a local jurisdiction from requiring a person to collect from, or remit on behalf of, any other person a state or local tax, fee, or surcharge imposed on the purchase or use of any wireless telecommunications service within the state unless the collection or remittance is in connection with a financial transaction between: (1) the person that the state or local jurisdiction requires to collect or remit the tax, fee, or surcharge; and (2) the purchaser or user of the wireless telecommunications service. Allows any person who is aggrieved by a violation of such prohibition to bring a civil action in U.S. district court for equitable relief.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2015
21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act Revises or adds requirements for the submission of veterans' claims for benefits administered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including by: modifying the Transition Assistance Program to enable online participation; requiring claim decisions to explain the benefits of filing claim appeals within 180 days; and requiring hearings before the Board of Veterans' Appeals to be conducted, as the Board considers appropriate or upon appellant request, in person or through picture and voice transmission by electronic or other means. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense (DOD) should establish a process by which a veterans service organization representative may be present at any portion of the program relating to the submittal of VA claims for: (1) compensation for service-connected disability or death, or (2) dependecy or indemnity compensation for service-connected death. Revises or adds requirements for the practices of VA regional offices, including by requiring: the Government Accountability Office to complete an audit of Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) regional offices, management training for veterans service center managers, VA to ensure that systemic operations evaluations include an analysis of communications between regional offices and veterans service organizations and congressional caseworkers, extension of the authority for the performance of medical disability examinations by contract physicians, the VA Inspector General to conduct a review of the practices of regional offices regarding the use of suspense dates during the disability claim assessment process, VA to submit semiannual reports on progress in implementing the Veterans Benefits Management System, VA to submit an annual report on VBA capacity to process benefits claims, VA to report on plans to reduce the inventory of claims for dependency and indemnity compensation and pension claims, VA to include in each Monday Morning Workload Report the number of claims for benefits that have been received by a regional office and that are pending a decision, and VA reports entitled "Appeals Pending" and "Appeals Workload By Station" to be made available to the public on a VA website. Requires DOD, the Social Security Administration, and the National Archives and Records Administration to appoint liaisons with VA to expedite the provision of information required to process VA benefits claims. Requires DOD and VA to jointly submit a report that sets forth a time line with milestones for achieving interoperability between DOD's and VA's electronic health records systems.
United States · United States Congress · 5 May 2015
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2015 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct any prescription drug plan that has in its network one or more pharmacies located in a health professional shortage area, in a medically underserved area, or among a medically underserved population, and that provides a reduction in coinsurance or copayments for covered part D drugs, to extend to any pharmacy located in that area, or among that population, the option to be an in-network pharmacy under terms and conditions comparable to those the plan has agreed upon with other in-network pharmacies located in the area or among that population.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Federal Water Quality Protection Act This bill requires the Department of the Army and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in the interest of protecting traditional navigable waters from water pollution, to adhere to certain principles and take specified actions in proposing any regulation revising the definitions of "waters of the United States" and "navigable waters." Nothing in this Act: limits the authority of the Department or EPA to require a permit for any discharge of pollutants to a navigable water under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or to take any enforcement action with respect to an unpermitted discharge under such Act; affects a determination of whether the transfer of water from one body of water to another requires a specified permit under such Act; and limits the scope of water subject to state jurisdiction under state law.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to require the Department of Labor, in conducting health and safety related accident investigations in coal or other mines, to: (1) determine why an accident occurred and whether there were violations of law, mandatory health and safety standards, or other requirements; (2) in cases involving violations of federal criminal law, refer them to the Attorney General; and (3) make recommendations to avoid any recurrence. Requires an independent accident investigation by an independent panel appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services for any serious accident meeting certain criteria. Allows participation in a mine inspection by the closest relative of a miner entrapped, disabled, killed, or otherwise prevented by an accident to designate a representative. Prohibits an attorney from representing both a mine operator and miner during an inspection, investigation, or litigation, unless the miner knowingly waives all possible conflicts of interest. Requires Labor to: (1) revoke the approval of mine operator plans or programs based on certain criteria; and (2) order withdrawal of all persons from a mine or mine area, and prohibit them from entering it, until the operator submits and Labor approves a new plan. Revises civil and criminal penalties and related administrative procedures. Revises certain miner protections against discrimination. Entitles a miner to full compensation by a mine operator at the regular rate of pay for the entire period (not to exceed 60 days) for which the miner is idled because of a Labor withdrawal order. Prohibits an underground coal mine operator for three years after receiving notice of a pattern of violations from discharging (or constructively discharging) a miner without reasonable grounds based on certain failures to perform job duties satisfactorily if the miner is paid on an hourly basis and has completed the employer's probationary period of up to six months. Requires each underground coal mine operator to implement a communication program to ensure that each miner is orally briefed on and made aware of current mine conditions before traveling to or arriving at the mine work area and commencing assigned tasks. Directs Labor to promulgate regulations to require each operator of an underground coal mine to install atmospheric monitoring systems. Revises mine operator health and safety training program requirements. Requires Labor to order a mine operator to provide additional training to miners if a serious or fatal accident has occurred at a mine or certain other circumstances exist. Amends the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 to require Labor to give special emphasis in the award of competitive grants for education and training (Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants) to programs and materials that provide underground mine accident rescue simulation training to workers in smaller mines. Authorizes Labor to make grants to states to assist them in developing and implementing miner certification programs. Authorizes Labor to double encumber a position or utilize early replacement hiring for authorized representatives and technical positions in the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Amends the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to expand its coverage to federal, state, and local government employees, especially protections against discrimination. Prescribes certain employee's victim rights before Labor or before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Prescribes administrative requirements for an employer's correction of a serious, willful, or repeated violation of federal occupational safety and health standards. Subjects to certain increased criminal penalties an employer who knowingly violates a federal occupational safety and health standard or regulation that causes or contributes to the death of an employee.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Grants Oversight and New Efficiency Act or the GONE Act Directs the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to submit to Congress and the head of each federal agency a report that: (1) lists each covered grant account held by the federal government, (2) recommends which of such grants should be immediately closed, and (3) explains why any covered grant account that has been expired for more than 90 days has not been closed out. Requires each federal agency head that manages a covered grant account recommended for closure in such report to close such account not later than 180 days after the report is submitted. Defines "covered grant account" as a grant account in a federal agency payment management system that has a zero balance for more than 180 days and for which the grant award period has expired.
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 · 22 April 2015
ROV In-Depth Examination Act of 2015 This bill denies the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) authority to establish recreational off-highway vehicle (ROV) performance or configuration standards, or to require ROV manufacturers to provide performance and technical data to prospective purchasers and to the first purchaser of an ROV for purposes other than resale, until the study required by this Act is completed. The CPSC shall contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to complete within two years after enactment of this Act a study of the lateral stability and vehicle handling requirements proposed by the CPSC in a notice of proposed rulemaking published on November 19, 2014. Such study shall determine: the technical validity of such proposed requirements for reducing the risk of ROV off-road rollovers, the number of ROV rollovers that would be prevented if the proposed requirements were adopted, whether there is a technical basis for the proposal to provide information on a point-of-sale hangtag about a vehicle's rollover resistance on a progressive scale, and the effect on the utility of ROVs used by the Armed Forces if the proposed requirements were adopted. The CPSC must consider the results of the study in any subsequent rulemaking regarding the performance or configuration of ROVs or the provision of point-of-sale information regarding ROV performance. If the CPSC is unable to enter into an acceptable agreement for the study with NAS within a specified time frame, it shall seek to enter into such agreement with another appropriate organization that is not part of the government, that operates as a not-for-profit entity, and that has expertise and objectivity comparable to NAS.
![Official portrait of Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/m001183_200.jpg)