United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives 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 · 13 January 2015
Retired Pay Restoration Act Expresses the sense of Congress that military retired pay should not be reduced because a military retiree is also eligible for veterans' disability compensation awarded for a service-connected disability. Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Creating Options for Veterans Expedited Recovery Act or the COVER Act Establishes the Veterans Expedited Recovery Commission to examine the evidence-based therapy treatment model used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for treating mental health conditions of veterans and the potential benefits of incorporating complementary alternative treatments available in non-VA facilities and study the potential increase in claims relating to mental health issues submitted by veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. Directs the VA, upon a report by the Commission, to submit: (1) an action plan for implementing recommendations and a time frame for implementing complementary alternative treatments, or (2) a justification for any determination that a recommendation is not appropriate and an alternative solution to improve the efficacy of the therapy model.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2015 or the SAVE Act of 2015 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly: (1) advertising commercial sex acts involving a minor or an individual engaged in such an act through force, fraud, or coercion; or (2) benefitting financially or otherwise from such advertising knowing that the individual involved was a minor or victim of force, fraud, or coercion.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in specifying the electronic health record (EHR) reporting period under EHR electronic health record technology incentive payment programs under titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, to continue through 2015 (in the case of eligible professionals) and FY2015 (in the case of eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals) to permit the use of a three-month quarter EHR reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use without regard to the payment year or the stage of meaningful use criteria involved.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue an order directing a VA employee to repay the amount, or a portion of the amount, of an award or bonus paid to the employee if: (1) the Secretary determines that such repayment is appropriate, and (2) the employee is afforded notice and an opportunity for a hearing. Makes the Secretary's repayment decisions final and unreviewable by any other agency or any court. Makes this Act applicable to awards or bonuses paid before, on, or after the date of this Act's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the U.S. Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all businesses and residential customers.
United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2015
Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act Amends the Internet Tax Freedom Act to make permanent the ban on state and local taxation of Internet access and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to arrange for an independent third party evaluation, to be conducted by September 30, 2018, and each fiscal year thereafter, of the VA's mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Directs the Secretary to survey the VA's websites and information resources to publish a website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with information regarding the VA's mental health care services. Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine; demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA; and agree to a period of two or more years of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Limits the loan repayment to no more than $30,000 for each year an individual performs such obligated service. Directs the Secretary to establish a three-year pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network carried out in partnership with an entity that has experience in peer support programs, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN. Authorizes the Secretary to collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations to prevent suicide among veterans. Requires the Secretary and any such organization to exchange training sessions and best practices. Directs the Secretary to select a VA Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination to undertake any collaboration with nonprofit mental health organizations. Extends for one year combat veterans' eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for illnesses that have not been medically proven to be attributable to their service, provided they: (1) were discharged or released from active duty between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2011, and (2) did not enroll to receive such care during the five-year period of eligibility following their discharge or release.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
Respect for Marriage Act Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage. Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of "marriage" and "spouse" to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of "spouse" (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015
No Budget, No Pay Act Prohibits the payment of any pay to any Member of Congress (excluding the Vice President): (1) if both houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by such date, or (2) until both houses of Congress approve such a budget resolution and pass all such appropriations bills. Prohibits any retroactive pay for such a period.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include terrorism risk as a factor the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider under the electronic system for travel authorization (ESTA) in determining the eligibility of an alien to travel to the United States. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding: (1) the number of individuals, identified by their countries of citizenship or nationality, who were denied eligibility to travel, or whose eligibility was revoked, under the ESTA because the individual was determined to be a U.S. security threat; (2) steps to strengthen the ESTA; and (3) foreign government compliance with information sharing agreements concerning passport theft or loss and whether a country's citizens or nationals traveling to the United States pose a U.S. security threat. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend a country from the visa waiver program without prior notice if the country fails to comply with an agreement to share information regarding whether its citizens and nationals traveling to the United States pose a U.S. security threat.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Veteran's I.D. Card Act Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to issue a veteran's identification card to any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment. Requires such card, among other things, to: (1) display their name and photograph, and (2) serve as proof that the veteran honorably served in the Armed Forces and has a DD-214 form or other official document in their personnel file that describes their military service. Directs the Secretary to charge a card fee. States that such card shall not serve as proof of entitlement to any benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Save American Workers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "full-time employee" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide minimum essential health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from an employee who is employed on average at least 30 hours of service a week to an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours of service a week.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2015-FY2022 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2015 Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to give preferential consideration in awarding Community Oriented Police Services grants to an application from an applicant in a state that has in effect a law that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged in, or has attempted to engage in, a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons; (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense based on such conduct; and (3) encourages the diversion of such an individual to appropriate service providers, including child welfare services, victim treatment programs, child advocacy centers, rape crisis centers, or other social services. Amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) to require the Attorney General's annual report on federal agencies that are implementing provisions relating to the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to include information on the activities of such agencies in cooperation with state, tribal, and local law enforcement officials to identify, investigate, and prosecute: (1) sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion or with a minor; (2) sexual exploitation of children; (3) the selling and buying of children; (4) transportation with intent that the victim engage in illegal sexual activity; (5) coercion or enticement to travel for illegal sexual activity; and (6) transportation of minors for illegal sexual activity. Amends the VTVPA to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, annually beginning in FY2017, to make grants for a national communication system to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons in communicating with service providers. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to include victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons among those eligible for the Job Corps without being required to demonstrate low-income eligibility. Authorizes the United States Marshals Service to assist state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies, upon request, in locating and recovering missing children.
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015
Close the Floodgates Act Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, to repeal certain limits on separate contributions by persons or multicandidate political committees to political committees of a national political party which are not the authorized political committees of any candidate. Specifies those contributions used to defray expenses for: a presidential nominating convention; the construction, purchase, renovation, operation, and furnishing of party headquarters buildings; and the preparation for and the conduct of election recounts, contests, and other legal proceedings.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Fiscal Responsibility Using Government Accountability Laws Act of 2014 or the FRUGAL Act - Requires the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to analyze the extent to which taxpayers are reporting existing foreign accounts and are circumventing or properly utilizing offshore voluntary disclosure initiatives and programs. Requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to: (1) increase educational outreach concerning taxpayer offshore tax obligations, and (2) report to Congress on closing offshore tax loopholes and increasing revenue collection from offshore sources. Requires the Federal Acquisition Regulation to be revised to include guidelines for federal agencies to use reverse auctions, an electronic auction in which offerors compete by submitting bids or revised bids for a contract, task, or delivery order until the award is made to the offeror with the lowest bid. States that the guidelines should ensure that reverse auctions uphold high quality standards and that small businesses can continue to participate in the procurement process. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to develop and implement a plan to reduce spending on coin inventory management.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Inspector General Vacancy Act of 2014 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide that if the President does not nominate an Inspector General within 180 days after a vacancy occurs in that position, the individual serving as interim Inspector General shall be deemed to be appointed, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Designates the United States Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, as the "Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry."
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Recognizes that members of the Armed Forces face changing battlefield threats and unique enemy challenges that call for proven equipment tested at the Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Supports the long term viability of Fort Huachuca and its Electronic Proving Ground. Expresses appreciation to soldiers and civilians for their 60 years of work at the Electronic Proving Ground and their service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2014
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2014 - Expands the TRICARE health care program managed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.) Prohibits cost-sharing from being imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program. Provides for such pregnancy prevention care to include all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling. Directs the DOD Secretary to: (1) ensure that every military treatment facility has a sufficient stock of a broad range of FDA-approved methods of contraception to dispense to any women members of the Armed Forces and female covered beneficiaries who receive care through such facility; (2) disseminate clinical practice guidelines and decision support tools to DOD-employed health care providers; (3) ensure that women members of the Armed Forces have access to contraception counseling during health care visits; and (4) establish an education program for all members of the Armed Forces, including both men and women members, consisting of a uniform standard curriculum on family planning. Requires questions regarding family planning services and counseling to be incorporated into DOD health surveys. Requires every military treatment facility, upon request, to provide emergency contraception, or information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, to any woman who: (1) states to personnel that she is a victim of sexual assault or is accompanied by another individual who states that the woman is a victim of sexual assault, or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2014
Amends the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to describe the organization as a national association of veterans (currently, an association of men) who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, served this Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters. Expands its purpose of assisting widows to that of assisting surviving spouses.
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2014
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act - Declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013. Amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to: provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form; make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB; redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ); and study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Campus Accountability and Safety Act - Amends provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV (Student Assistance) programs to include in their annual campus security reports provided to current and prospective students and employees: the memorandum of understanding that this Act requires IHEs to enter into with local law enforcement agencies (and update every two years) to clearly delineate responsibilities and share information about certain serious crimes, including sexual violence, occurring against students or other individuals on campus; and specified information regarding the disposition of sexual offense cases by the IHE. Requires the crime statistics that IHEs are to compile and provide in such reports to be compiled in accordance with: definitions used by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 for the offenses of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; and definitions for other offenses that are available under the National Incident-Based Reporting System or the Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or, if not available there, that are provided by the Secretary of Education. Prohibits the statistics for such other crimes from identifying the victims or persons accused of such crimes. Requires IHEs to provide new students and employees with a statement that identifies domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as crimes which will be reported and with respect to which, based on the victim's wishes, the IHE will cooperate with local law enforcement. Directs the Secretary to develop and administer through an online portal a standardized, online, and annual survey of students regarding their experiences with sexual violence and harassment. Omits survey responses from the annual crime statistics IHEs must report, but requires the Secretary to publish survey information that includes campus-level data for each school on the Department of Education's website annually. Requires the Department to make publicly available guidance regarding the intersection of the campus security and crime statistics reporting requirements under title IV and requirements under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Authorizes the Secretary to impose a civil penalty upon IHEs that fail to carry out campus security and crime statistics reporting requirements. Requires each IHE that receives federal funding to establish a campus security policy that includes: the designation of one or more confidential advisors at the IHE to whom victims of crime can report anonymously or directly; authorization for the IHE to provide an online reporting system to collect anonymous disclosures of crimes; provision on the IHE's website of the telephone number and URL for a hotline providing information to sexual violence victims and the name and location of the nearest medical facility where an individual may have a rape kit administered by a trained sexual violence forensic nurse, including information on transportation options and reimbursement for a visit to such facility; and an amnesty clause for any student who, in good faith, reports sexual violence to a responsible employee, with respect to a student conduct violation revealed in the course of such a report. Amends the Education Amendments of 1972 to require the Secretary to establish a title IX website that includes: the name and contact information for the title IX coordinator at each IHE, including a brief description of the coordinator's role and the roles of other officials who may be contacted regarding sexual harassment; and the Department's pending investigations and the actions it has taken regarding all title IX complaints and compliance reviews related to sexual harassment. Requires each IHE to employ an individual who shall complete minimum training requirements and be responsible for: (1) reporting cases of sexual harassment to the title IX coordinator; and (2) providing students and employees who report having been a victim of sexual harassment on or off campus with a written explanation of their rights and options. Requires each individual who is involved in implementing an IHE's grievance procedures to have training or experience in handling sexual violence complaints and the operations of the IHE's grievance procedures. Sets forth minimum training requirements. Requires each IHE that receives federal funding to establish and carry out a uniform process for disciplinary proceedings relating to claims of sexual violence that shall not vary based on the status or characteristics of a student involved in the process. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary or the Attorney General (DOJ) to impose a civil penalty on IHEs that violate or fail to carry out title IX requirements regarding sexual violence, and (2) individuals to file a complaint regarding such a violation with the Department's Office for Civil Rights. Amends the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 to: (1) increase the minimum grant that may be provided to IHEs to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campuses; and (2) authorize the use of such grants to train campus personnel in conducting victim-centered, trauma-informed (forensic) interviews.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
StartUp Visa Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an employment-based, conditional immigrant visa (StartUp visa) for a sponsored alien entrepreneur: (1) with required amounts of financial backing from a qualifying investor or venture capitalist; and (2) whose commercial activities will generate required levels of employment, revenue, or capital investment. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate the status of a sponsored entrepreneur (and the alien spouse and children of such entrepreneur) if not later than three years after the date on which such permanent resident status was conferred: (1) the sponsoring venture capitalist or investor fails to meet investment requirements; or (2) the entrepreneur fails to meet job creation, capital investment, or revenue requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to pay the fees charged by any governmental authority associated with obtaining the birth certificate or state residence identification card in order to obtain a replacement Social Security card for certain victims of domestic violence residing in a shelter and their dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Mental Health Exposure Military Official Record Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish a significant event tracker (SET) system to track and report individual exposures to traumatic events for members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, to show evidence of possible trauma incurred during their service and to address mental health issues. Authorizes reportable events to be entered by: (1) unit commanders and subunit leaders when an event affects the entire unit or subunit, (2) a medical treatment facility when an event affects a member undergoing treatment for an injury identified by military medical personnel or as reported by a member to such an individual, and (3) military law enforcement when an event involves victimization or witnessing of a sexual assault. Defines "reportable event" to include: (1) kinetic combat patrol; (2) witnessed loss of life, dismemberment, or significant physical injury in a combat operation, expeditionary operation, or peacetime regular training; (3) traumatic brain injury; and (4) victimization or witnessing of a sexual assault. Requires a secure central tracking database to be established as the central repository for all reportable events. Requires a unit's commanding officer to review and determine the disposition of certain reportable events by assigning designations indicating whether an event is approved, contested, or denied. Requires all reportable events to be entered in the central database regardless of designation. Permits access to such database by: (1) medical treatment facilities consulting for diagnosis; and (2) military law enforcement and criminal investigative services for purposes of obtaining a limited summary (excluding specific information about events, evidence, or members' private personal information) to diagnose patterns and trends related to crimes committed inside their jurisdiction. Allows, with the member's consent, a member's complete SET record to be reviewed by the member's: (1) military and civilian legal representatives, unit commander, or military judge in military disciplinary or judicial proceedings; and (2) civilian legal representatives in non-military proceedings. Directs the Secretary to provide guidance for accessing records of servicemembers who are mentally incapable of providing their own consent. Requires the official SET record of a member to be used by: (1) the Medical Evaluation Board or Physical Evaluation Board in the case of a member preparing for medical retirement due to injury or other conditions, (2) the medical officer of the member's parent unit in the case of a member preparing for a non-medical discharge or retirement, and (3) a benefits specialist in the case of a member initiating a Benefits Delivery at Discharge claim. Requires, upon a member's separation from service in the Armed Forces, that copies of the member's SET record be distributed to: (1) the separating member; (2) the separating member's service personnel and medical file; (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and (4) if specifically designated by the member, the veteran affairs agency of the veteran's state and any other veterans service organization.
United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2014
Condemns: (1) all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval over political events, and (2) the comparison of Israel to Nazis perpetrating a Holocaust or genocide. Applauds those foreign leaders, especially in France, Italy, and Germany, who have condemned anti-Semitic acts, and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so. Reaffirms support for the mandate of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Supports Holocaust educational programs at home and abroad. Urges the Secretary of State to: maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a U.S. foreign policy priority, urge governments to ensure that adequate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence and hate crimes as well as establish mechanisms to investigate and punish perpetrators, continue U.S. reporting on anti-Semitism as a human rights and religious freedom issue, provide training for diplomatic and law enforcement personnel posted abroad to report on anti-Semitic incidents, deepen engagement with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and support its specialized efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, and oppose efforts to prevent any individual from exercising his or her religion without fear of prosecution or violence.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2014
Pet and Women Safety Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order. Defines "pet" to mean a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. Requires the "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to award grants to eligible entities to carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services, and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets. Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the person in domestic violence protection orders.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2014
Stop Wasteful Bonuses in Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 2014 or the VA Bonus Accountability Act - Prohibits a federal agency from awarding a bonus to any employee for five years after the end of a fiscal year in which the Inspector General of the agency or another senior ethics official or the Comptroller General (GAO) makes an adverse finding relating to the employee. Requires repayment of a bonus awarded in any year in which an adverse finding is made.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2014
Supports the people of South Sudan and the region. Condemns attacks on civilians and civilian humanitarian assistance workers. Urges the President to work with the international community to provide technical support to the African Union Commission of Inquiry into human rights abuses, and to consider creation of a tribunal to ensure those responsible for civilian attacks and grave human rights abuses are held accountable. Emphasizes the need for the government of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition to implement the January 23, 2014, cessation of hostilities agreement. Encourages the government of South Sudan to implement the June 10, 2014, transitional government agreement. Supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's mediation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Unified Savings and Accountability Act or the USA Act - Title I: Provisions Relating to Federal Property, Federal Contracts and Information Technology - Requires: (1) the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to issue guidance to federal agencies for reinvigorating the role of the competition advocate, and (2) agency chief information officers to use transparency mechanisms to report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), annually, on efforts to identify and eliminate potentially duplicative information technology investment. Requires the Director of OMB to: issue a policy requiring consistency among all agencies in identifying information technology investments in any required reporting, issue government-wide savings goals for the strategic sourcing of goods and services by executive agencies required to have a Chief Financial Officer, require each executive agency to develop a policy consistent with OMB guidance for performing analysis to measure how well each operational/steady state information technology investment is achieving expected goals and to determine whether the investment provides the most cost effective way of delivering business value, issue guidance for specified agencies to complete their commodity IT baselines, require specified agencies to report quarterly on progress in the migration of enterprise IT systems and IT infrastructure to a shared service, and direct the Federal Chief Information Officer (Federal CIO) to require agencies to report on specified IT actions as part of integrated data collection quarterly reporting. Requires: (1) the Federal Acquisition Regulation to be revised to address reverse auctions by federal agencies, and (2) the OMB Director to issue government-wide guidance advising agencies to collect and analyze data on the level of interactive bidding and fees paid to determine the cost effectiveness of using reverse auctions in procurement and on best practices to maximize competition and savings in the use of reverse auctions. Requires the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to develop and use criteria to prioritize potential long-term ownership solutions to current high-value leases among other capital investments and to use this ranking to create long-term cross agency strategy that facilitates consideration of targeted investments in ownership Requires the Federal CIO to develop, implement, and report annually on agency progress in carrying out a Federal Data Center Optimization Initiative. Requires each agency included in the Initiative to: (1) use specified methods to achieve maximum server utilization and maximum energy efficiency for federal data centers, (2) use the most cost-effective measures to implement the Initiative, and (3) report to the Federal CIO annually on resulting costs and savings. Requires agency savings to be used to enhance information technology capabilities and services. Requires OMB to issue, and executive agencies to implement, recommendations for reducing or consolidating the number of federal data centers by at least 40% by the end of FY2018 and by at least 80% by the end of FY2023. Title II: Other Matters - Amends the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on: (1) efforts to finalize plans and schedules for fully implementing and expanding the use of the Integrated Data Repository and actions taken to define expected financial benefits; and (2) actions taken to plan, schedule, and conduct training on the One Program Integrity System used to analyze and extract data from such Repository and actions taken to define expected financial benefits. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, upon receiving certification by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (IRS) that any individual has a seriously delinquent tax debt in excess of $50,000, with specified exceptions, to transmit such certification and disclose certain tax return information to the Secretary of State for action with respect to denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport for such individual pursuant to the Passport Act of 1926. Prohibits the Secretary of State, upon receiving such certification, from issuing a passport to such individual, except in emergency circumstances or for humanitarian reasons. Requires the Secretary to revoke a passport previously issued to such individual, but authorizes limiting such a passport to return travel to the United States. Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from minting or issuing any circulating coin, or engraving or printing any U.S. currency, that costs more to produce than its denomination. Directs the Public Printer to make any House or Senate document available only in an electronic format that is accessible through the Internet, with specified exceptions. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to: (1) sequester all $1 coins bearing the design common to those $1 coins minted and issued from 1979 through 1981 and in 1999; (2) undertake and report on efforts to improve the circulation of the $1 coin, other than those sequestered; (3) continuously conduct education programs to help businesses using or accepting cash to choose the best mix of $1 coins and bank notes to facilitate and reduce transaction costs; and (4) work with the Departments of State and Treasury to ensure that countries that have adopted the dollar as a base unit of exchange and that place orders for supplies of $1 monetary units are fully briefed on the durability and longevity of $1 coins in high-circulation economies. Declares it to be U.S. policy that after $1 coins achieve sufficient market penetration, $1 coins should replace $1 Federal Reserve notes. Allows Federal Reserve banks to continue to place $1 Federal Reserve notes into circulation until the number of $1 coins placed into circulation exceeds 600 million annually, or until four years after enactment of this Act, whichever is earlier. Directs the IRS Commissioner to develop a long-term strategy to improve web services provided to taxpayers. Directs the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), and Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) analyze, annually, the effectiveness and long-term costs and benefits of their programs, actions, and strategies for avoidance or mitigation of foreclosure losses regarding loans for and mortgages on one- to four-family homes made, insured, or guaranteed by such Department; and (2) provide additional guidance on loss mitigation efforts to servicers of such loans and mortgages.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2014
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Maya Angelou.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2014
Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to subject the Financial Stability Oversight Council (Council) to the Administrative Procedure Act. Requires the Council to make publicly available any final report study or analysis it has prepared, unless exempt from disclosure. Requires the Council, when determining whether to subject a U.S. or a foreign nonbank financial company to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and to prudential standards, to consider the appropriateness of imposing such standards as opposed to other forms of regulation to mitigate identified risks to U.S. financial stability. Requires the Council, when reevaluating determinations with respect to a nonbank financial company under Federal Reserve Board supervision, to provide written notice to the company and afford it opportunity to submit written materials to contest the determination. Directs the Council, upon identifying a nonbank financial company for comprehensive analysis of its potential to pose a threat to U.S. financial stability, to provide: (1) written notice that explains with specificity the basis for the identification, and (2) an opportunity to submit written materials for Council consideration. Prescribes procedural requirements for proposed determinations and final decisionmaking by the Council, including periodic review of individual determinations. Directs the Council every five years to study: (1) the impact of its determinations to subject nonbank financial companies to Federal Reserve Board supervision and prudential standards, and (2) whether such determinations have the intended result of improving domestic financial stability.
United States · United States Congress · 17 July 2014
Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency III Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue software licensing policies for federal agencies. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to expand the definition of "energy or water conservation measure" under such Act to include, in the case of a contract in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is a party: (1) the purchase or lease of low emission and fuel efficient vehicles; (2) the upgrade of USPS vehicles to increase average fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions; or (3) the construction of infrastructure to support such vehicles, including electric vehicle charging stations. Directs the Postmaster General to develop guidelines for USPS vehicles that provide for specified carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy standards. Requires the head of each federal agency to ensure that agency desktop computers are shut down for at least 4 hours out of each 24-hour time period, except for certain computers that are in use for 16 or more hours per day. Denies payment of civil service retirement benefits and requires forfeiture of thrift saving plan (TSP) agency contributions for federal employees who are convicted of certain public corruption offenses. Requires the Secretary of Defense to implement specified criteria in requests for overseas contingency operations. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to direct each federal facility energy manager, not later than two years after completion of a comprehensive energy evaluation of a federal agency's facilities, to consider: (1) implementing any energy-saving or conservation measure that the agency identified in the evaluation that is life cycle cost-effective, and (2) bundling individual measures of varying paybacks together into combined projects. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to examine, and report to Congress on, which payments may be made under both the Medicare Advantage Program and the veterans health care system or the TRICARE program for health care furnished to individuals eligible under such health care programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare beneficiaries with an option to receive statements of benefits in a electronic format.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2014
Condemns the use of innocent civilians as human shields, including Hamas's use of this illegal tactic. Calls on: (1) the international community to recognize Hamas's grave breaches of international law by using human shields, and (2) Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields. Places responsibility for launching the rocket attacks on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, in Gaza. Supports Israel's sovereign right to defend its territory and stop the rocket attacks on its citizens. Expresses condolences to the families of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict. Supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all forms of terrorism and who desire to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Amends the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 to direct the House Committee on Ethics to conduct ongoing ethics training and awareness programs for Members, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner of the House of Representatives (Members). Requires the ethics training program to be completed by: (1) new Members within 60 days after commencing service; and (2) Members serving on or after noon, January 3, 2015, during each session of a Congress, beginning with the 1st session of the 114th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2014
Supports the goals and ideals of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, now in its 40th year of continuous service. Recognizes the benefits the CDBG program has provided to urban, suburban, and rural communities. Acknowledges the importance of this federal grant program to states and local communities throughout the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD), at least annually, to each arrange for an independent third party evaluation of, respectively, the VA and DOD mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Requires a board reviewing the discharge or dismissal of a former member of the Armed Forces whose application for relief is based at least in part on post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to military operations or sexual trauma, to: (1) review the medical evidence from the VA or a civilian health provider that is presented by the former member; and (2) review the case, with a presumption of administrative irregularity, and place the burden on the VA or DOD to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that no error or injustice occurred. Directs the VA Secretary to publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with regularly updated information regarding all of the VA's mental health care services. Requires the VA Secretary and the DOD Secretary to enter into certain strategic relationships to facilitate: the mental health referrals of members of the reserve components who have a service-connected disability and are being discharged or released from the Armed Forces, timely behavioral health services for such members, communication when such members are at risk for behavioral health reasons, and the transfer of documentation for line-of-duty and fitness-for-duty determinations. Requires the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine, demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA, and agree to a period of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine. Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a program, as part of the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program, under which the VA Secretary and an institution of higher education (IHE) agree to cover the full cost of charges not covered by post-9/11 educational assistance that are incurred by veterans who: (1) are pursuing an advanced degree in mental health at the IHE, and (2) intend to seek employment as a mental health professional in the VA. Allows the VA Secretary to cover up to 64% of those charges, if the school covers the remainder. Requires the DOD Secretary to submit to Congress a zero-based review of the staffing requirements for individual State National Guard Commands with respect to Directors of Psychological Health. Directs the VA Secretary to establish a pilot program at not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to assist veterans transitioning from active duty and to improve the access of veterans to mental health services. Requires the pilot program at each VISN to include: (1) a community oriented veteran peer support network, and (2) a community outreach team for each medical center in such VISN.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2014
Partnership to Strengthen Homeownership Act of 2014 - Amends the National Housing Act to remove the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and establish it as an independent entity, with a Director in place of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Transfers to Ginnie Mae the powers, duties, personnel, and property of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which is hereby abolished. Establishes within Ginnie Mae the Issuing Platform, available for use only by eligible originators and aggregators of mortgages, to issue standardized mortgage-backed securities. Requires Ginnie Mae to establish: (1) a method of assessing a national average single-family house price for use in calculating the loan limits for single-family mortgage loans, and (2) an insurance fund and insure 100% of each security issued by the Platform. Prescribes requirements for: (1) a participating mortgage originator or aggregator to deliver to the Platform a pool of eligible mortgage loans; and (2) the Platform, upon receiving a pool of eligible mortgages, to create standardized mortgage-backed securities collateralized by such mortgages and transfer them to the mortgage originator or aggregator. Exempts standardized mortgage-backed securities issued by the Platform from federal securities laws. Outlines requirements for: (1) servicing rights, representations, and warranties; (2) insurance for securities issued by the Platform, (3) capital and related solvency standards, and (4) Fund reserve balance. Prescribes requirements for Ginnie Mae's actions if unusual and exigent circumstances have created or threaten to create an anomalous lack of mortgage credit availability within the housing market that could materially and severely disrupt the functioning of the housing finance system of the United States. Prohibits Ginnie Mae, in exercising such authority, from: (1) bailing out approved entities or affiliates, or (2) assisting companies to avoid bankruptcy. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to make any lender of home mortgage loans eligible to become a member of a Federal Home Loan Bank. Requires each such Bank to provide pooling services to both members and non-members who wish to pool eligible mortgages for purposes of securitizing them through the Issuing Platform. Directs the Director of Ginnie Mae to: (1) prohibit the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) (Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]) after a specified certification date from issuing, guaranteeing, or purchasing any security backed by mortgages on 1- to 4-family residences except as specifically authorized by this Act; (2) permit a GSE to act until a certain time as a participating aggregator of eligible mortgages for securitization if the business volume of their originators is insufficient to allow them to aggregate and securitize such mortgages; and (3) allow a GSE to act as a reinsurer for a mortgage-backed security until the GSE goes into receivership under this Act. Requires each GSE to establish a risk-sharing pilot program to develop private sector first-loss positions on mortgage-backed securities. Continues the current conservatorships of the GSEs until the commencement of mandatory receivership under this Act. Requires the Director to appoint Ginnie Mae as receiver of the GSEs by a certain date. Prescribes requirements for winding down the GSEs. Directs the Director to direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to develop a plan to establish a multifamily subsidiary for purposes of providing sufficient multifamily housing financing and establishing a competitive multifamily housing market for multifamily housing guarantors engaging in multifamily covered securities. Makes necessary transfers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac functions to the multifamily subsidiary. Directs the Director to develop, adopt, publish, and enforce standards for the approval of multifamily guarantors to: (1) issue securities collateralized by eligible multifamily mortgage loans, and (2) guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on such securities collateralized by eligible multifamily mortgage loans and insured by Ginnie Mae. Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to allow Ginnie Mae to securitize multifamily loans insured or reinsured under such Act under certain circumstances. Requires the Platform in each fiscal year to: (1) charge and collect a certain fee for the outstanding principal balance of all eligible mortgage loans that collateralize securities insured under this Act and all other mortgage loans collateralizing securities on which Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest; and (2) allocate or otherwise transfer on an annual basis specified percentages of such fee amounts to fund the Housing Trust Fund, the Capital Magnet Fund, and the Market Access Fund (which Ginnie Mae is directed to establish). Amends the Safety and Soundness Act with respect to the Housing Trust Fund and housing for Indians. Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to authorize Federal Home Loan Banks to make long-term secured advances to their members to provide funds to community development financial institutions. Requires a Federal Home Loan Bank, at the time of origination or renewal of a loan or advance, to obtain and maintain a security interest in collateral eligible pursuant to any secured loan for a community development financial institution.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2014
Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014 - Affirms requirements, notwithstanding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, that: (1) an employer that establishes or maintains a group health plan for its employees must provide coverage of a specific item or service for the employees or their dependents where the coverage is required under federal provisions or regulations pursuant to those provisions; and (2) group health plans sponsored by an employer or employee organization, and any health insurance coverage, must provide coverage required under the Public Health Service Act, including preventive health services. Authorizes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury to modify regulations concerning coverage of contraceptive services by group health plans of religious employers consistent with the purposes and findings (regarding coverage of birth control services and the Supreme Court decisions in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell ) of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Social Security Caregiver Credit Act of 2014 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to determining entitlement to and the amount of any monthly benefit, including any lump-sum death payment, payable under OASDI on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of any individual. Deems such an individual to have been paid a wage (according to a specified formula) during each month during which the individual was engaged for at least 80 hours in providing care to a dependent relative without monetary compensation for up to five years of such service. Makes this Act inapplicable in the case of any monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment if a larger benefit or payment would be payable without its application.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2014
Reaffirms the support of the House of Representatives for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens. Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Making Every Representative's Integrity Transparent Act of 2014 or the MERIT Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a candidate's authorized committee from employing any of the candidate's relatives in a paid position. Prohibits a leadership political action committee (PAC) from employing in a paid position any relative of the candidate or any individual holding federal office who establishes, finances, maintains, or controls the leadership PAC. Limits the interest rate an authorized committee may pay on a loan accepted from the candidate to an annual rate no higher than the prime rate plus 2%. Revises political committee disclosure requirements about: loans made by candidates, expenditures to relatives of candidates for operating expenses, and disbursements received by a candidate's relative or a business organization one of whose officers or dicrectors is a relative of the candidate. Applies the prohibition against the conversion to personal use of contributions accepted by candidates also to contributions accepted by political committees. Allows the use of contributions accepted by political committees for authorized expenditures in connection with political activities. Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to: (1) require lobbying registrations to contain, for each employee of the registrant who has acted or who the registrant expects to act as a lobbyist on behalf of the client, the name of each relative of the employee who serves currently or who has served previously as a covered executive or legislative branch official, including the Congressional Bioguide Identifier of any covered official who is or was a Member of Congress; (2) require updates to registrations for employees who become relatives of covered officials, and (3) include lobbying contacts with relatives who are covered officials in quarterly reports on lobbying activities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Restoring Accountability in Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to annually determine, and publish in the Federal Register, the five occupations of health care providers for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, based upon such determination, to recruit and appoint highly qualified health care providers to positions in those occupations. Requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility, including: (1) information on wait times and workload levels, (2) a plan to fill staffing shortages, and (3) an analysis of succession planning. Directs the Secretary to implement a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities, including training on how to: (1) manage the schedules of health care providers, (2) optimize the use of technology, (3) use data to meet the demand for health care, (4) use the VA appointment scheduling system, and (5) use physical plant space at VA facilities to ensure efficient flow and privacy for patients and staff.
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2014
Voices for Veterans Act - Expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Terminates the Commission on December 31, 2017 (currently, 2014).
![Official portrait of Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [I-AZ]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001191_200.jpg)