United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies, childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Grants are allotted to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. "High-quality prekindergarten programs" are those that serve children three or four years of age and meet criteria concerning: class size; learning environments; teacher qualifications, salaries, and professional development; program monitoring; and accessibility to comprehensive health and support services. States may apply to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level. ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall develop a process to: (1) provide Head Start program services to children younger than age four in states or regions that already provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs, or (2) convert programs to serve infants and toddlers. ED shall award competitive matching grants to states to increase their capacity to offer high-quality prekindergarten programs. States must provide assurances that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. The bill amends the Head Start Act to direct HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to assist them in meeting program performance standards. Such partnerships may serve children through age three. The bill reauthorizes the programs providing: (1) preschool grants for special education and related services, and (2) early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The bill expresses the sense of the Senate concerning the value of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act TITLE I--RECLAMATION RURAL WATER CONSTRUCTION AND SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION FUND Establishes the Reclamation Rural Water Construction and Settlement Implementation Fund, which shall consist of the Rural Water Project Account and the Reclamation Infrastructure and Settlement Implementation Account. Directs the Department of the Treasury to deposit into such Accounts for each of FY2015-FY2035 specified amounts of revenues that would otherwise be deposited in the reclamation fund established by the Reclamation Act of 1902. Prohibits making deposits in, or making funds available from, the Fund if doing so would increase the deficit. Terminates the Fund on September 30, 2035, and requires the unexpended and unobligated balance to be transferred to the reclamation fund. TITLE II--RURAL WATER PROJECTS Permits the Department of the Interior to use specified amounts available in the Rural Water Project Account, for each of FY2015-FY2035, to complete construction of rural water projects: (1) authorized to be carried out on or before this Act's enactment date, or (2) for which a feasibility study was submitted by February 27, 2015, pursuant to the Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 and an Act of Congress after enactment of this Act has authorized construction. Prohibits Interior from using any amounts from the Fund to pay for operation and maintenance costs of an authorized rural water project. Prohibits Interior from expending any amounts from the Fund to carry this out until development of: (1) programmatic goals that would enable the completion of construction of the authorized rural water projects as expeditiously as practicable and that reflect the goals and priorities identified in the laws authorizing the projects and the goals of the Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006; and (2) funding prioritization criteria to serve as a methodology for distributing funds that take into account specified factors, including an evaluation of the urgent and compelling need for potable water supplies in the affected rural and tribal communities and the potential economic benefits of the expenditures on job creation and general economic development in such communities. TITLE III--RECLAMATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND SETTLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION Directs Interior to use specified amounts authorized to be expended from the Reclamation Infrastructure and Settlement Implementation Account for each of FY2015-FY2035 to: (1) provide authorized compensation to extinguish or otherwise resolve all monetary claims of an Indian tribe against the United States relating to use of tribal land by the United States for the generation of hydropower; or (2) complete construction, planning, and design of projects and implement provisions authorized under one or more Acts of Congress that resolve litigation involving the United States and the rights of federally recognized Indian tribes to access, use, or manage water resources or that implement approved agreements pursuant to which such tribes agree to some limitation on the exercise of such rights.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2015
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for producing electricity from an Indian coal production facility, to eliminate: (1) the requirement that such a facility be placed in service before January 1, 2009, and (2) the limitation on the period during which such coal is required to be produced and sold.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution (EFC) used to determine financial need in the case of a Pell Grant-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty as a police officer, firefighter, or other public safety officer. Such student is eligible to receive an automatic zero EFC and qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award if the student was less than 24 years old or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of the parent or guardian's death.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
This bill amends the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014 to establish a general effective date for the pay provisions of such Act as the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2016, except that the provision in such Act relating to administering elections and making advance assignments to a regular tour of duty shall be applicable before such effective date to the extent deemed necessary by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM is authorized to issue regulations as necessary prior to such effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act Amends the federal judicial code with respect to the jurisdiction of federal courts over civil actions pending in, or on appeal from, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (USCFC) when the plaintiff also has pending in another federal court a civil action that includes a claim against the United States (or an agency or officer of the United States) arising from the same set of operative facts. Requires the court presiding over the action that was filed later to stay the later action until the action that was filed first is no longer pending. (Currently, the USCFC is prohibited from having jurisdiction of any claim in which the plaintiff has pending in any other court any suit or process against the United States or any person who was acting or professing to act under the authority of the United States.) Provides an exception to the requirement to stay the later action if: (1) the parties in each of the actions agree; or (2) in exceptional circumstances the court finds, upon the motion of any party, that termination or modification of the stay is necessary to preserve material evidence or to prevent irreparable prejudice to that party. Provides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit with jurisdiction of an appeal from an interlocutory order terminating or modifying such a stay.
United States · United States Congress · 14 May 2015
Access to Quality Diabetes Education Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to recognize state-licensed or -registered certified diabetes educators or state-licensed or -registered health care professionals who specialize in teaching individuals with diabetes to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to manage the individual's diabetic condition and are certified as a diabetes educator by a recognized certifying body. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study the barriers that exist for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes in accessing diabetes self-management training services under the Medicare program. Requires the Director of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality of the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a series of recommendations on effective outreach methods to educate primary care physicians and other health care providers as well as the public about the benefits of diabetes self-management training.
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
Parental Bereavement Act of 2015 or the Sarah Grace-Farley-Kluger Act Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to entitle an eligible employee to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period because of the death of a son or daughter. Allows such an employee to substitute any available paid leave for any leave without pay. Applies the same leave entitlement to federal employees.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2015
Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act Reauthorization of 2015 Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and revise a research, training, and technical assistance resource center to prevent suicides (the Suicide Prevention Resource Center). Expands the program's focus from youth suicides to suicides among all ages, particularly among groups that are at high risk for suicide. Repeals authority for grants to establish research, training, and technical assistance centers related to mental health, substance abuse and the justice system. Reauthorizes a program of grants for the development of state or tribal youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies. Reauthorizes and revises a grant program to enhance services for students with mental health or substance use disorders at institutions of higher education. Requires the Center for Mental Health Services to award grants to enhance such services and to develop best practices for the delivery of such services. Permits grant funds to be used for the provision of such services to students and to employ appropriately trained staff. Requires special consideration be given to applications for grants that describe programs that demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional mental and substance use disorder services and the greatest potential for replication.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2015
Designates the week of May 10-May 16, 2015, as National Police Week. Expresses support for law enforcement officers across the United States for their efforts to build safer and more secure communities. Recognizes: (1) the need to ensure that law enforcement officers have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to protect their health and safety; and (2) members of the law enforcement community for their selfless acts of bravery. Calls for honoring officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
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 · 6 May 2015
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an S corporation-sponsored employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Directs the Department of the Treasury to establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. Amends the Small Business Act to define "ESOP business concern" and allow such a concern to continue to qualify for loans, preferences, and other programs under such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Native American Languages Reauthorization Act of 2015 Amends the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize through FY2020 and revise a grant program administered by the Administration for Native Americans at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages. Decreases the required minimum number of enrollees in educational programs funded by the grant program from: 10 to 5 enrollees in Native American language nests, and 15 to 10 enrollees in the Native American language survival schools. Changes the duration of grants provided under the program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2019, provisions requiring the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special postage stamp for first-class mail that costs more than the regular first-class stamp to raise funds for breast cancer research. Agencies receiving these funds from the Postal Service must use them on breast cancer research.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Public Lands Service Corps Act of 2015 Amends the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 to rename: (1) the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 as the Public Lands Service Corps Act of 1993, and (2) the Public Lands Corps as the Public Lands Service Corps (the Corps). Establishes the Corps in the Department of Commerce (as well as in the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, as under current law). Requires: (1) establishment of a department-level office within the Department of the Interior, Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the coordination of Corps activities; and (2) designation of a Corps coordinator for each agency within the Departments of the Interior, of Agriculture, and of Commerce that administers such activities. Establishes an Indian Youth Service Corps liaison. Permits the enrollment of resource assistants and consulting interns. Sets a maximum enrollment term of two years. Requires a recruitment program for the Corps. Instructs the Department concerned, for purposes of training, to take into account training already received by Corps participants enrolled from qualified youth or conservation corps. Describes the types of natural and cultural resources conservation projects that may be carried out by the Corps. Authorizes the Corps to provide certain visitor and interpretation services. Authorizes each Department to make: (1) arrangements for temporary housing for Corps participants in conservation centers, and (2) individual placements of consulting interns to perform management analysis activities for agencies under the Department's jurisdiction carrying out appropriate natural and cultural resources conservation projects. Authorizes cooperative agreements and competitive grants for Indian tribes and qualified youth or conservation corps to establish Indian Youth Service Corps programs. Requires the Secretary to issue management guidelines for programs of the Corps. Revises requirements for: (1) participant living allowances to include certain travel costs; and (2) noncompetitive hiring status to cover Indian Youth Service Corps participants, resource assistants, and consulting interns. Removes resource assistants from eligibility for national service educational awards.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a direct loan program for high risk geothermal exploration wells, and gives preference to loans to carry out projects that are likely to lead to successful new geothermal development leading to electricity production. Data from exploratory wells must be provided to DOE and the Department of the Interior for use in mapping national geothermal resources and other uses. DOE must determine the number of wells for each selected geothermal project for which a loan may be made. The Geothermal Investment Fund is established to carry out the program. Amounts repaid on loans must be deposited in the Fund. The bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require DOE to establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy. In carrying out the program, DOE must identify and mitigate potential environmental impacts. DOE must make grants to promote the development of geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy, giving priority to proposals that apply to large buildings, commercial districts, and residential communities. The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to allow the holder of an oil and gas lease of public land to also lease the land for the production of geothermal energy if: (1) the holder of the oil and gas lease has an approved drilling permit, (2) the geothermal energy will be produced from a well producing or capable of producing oil and gas, (3) the geothermal lease would serve the public interest, and (4) oil and gas production is currently occurring under the existing lease.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to distribution of additional resident positions as they affect calculation of payments for direct graduate medical education costs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of FY2017-FY2021 (and each succeeding fiscal year if additional residency positions are available to distribute), to increase the otherwise applicable resident limit for each qualifying hospital. Requires the aggregate number of increases in the otherwise applicable resident limit to be 3,000 in each of FY2017-FY2021, of which 1,500 in each such fiscal year shall be used for full-time equivalent residents training in a shortage specialty residency program. Specifies the process for distributing positions. Declares that, for discharges occurring on or after July 1, 2017, the indirect teaching adjustment factor, with respect to additional payments for subsection (d) hospitals with indirect costs of medical education, insofar as those additional payments are attributable to resident positions distributed to a hospital according to such process, shall be computed in a specified manner with respect to those resident positions. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) Directs the National Health Care Workforce Commission established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to study the physician workforce. Directs the Comptroller General to study strategies for increasing the diversity of the health profession workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Same Day Registration Act Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states with a voter registration requirement to make same-day voter registration available at the polling place on the date of election itself (or on the day of voting under early voting).
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Expresses sympathy to, and support for, the people of Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China who face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of the April 25, 2015, earthquake, and sympathy for the families of the U.S. citizens who perished in the disaster. Applauds the mobilization by President Obama to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Nepal, and the hard work of the people at the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Department of Defense in marshaling resources to address Nepal's needs. Urges that all efforts be made to secure the safety of orphans in Nepal, and to support the people of Nepal with humanitarian, developmental, and infrastructure assistance needed to overcome the earthquake's effects. Expresses appreciation for the international community's commitment to Nepal's recovery and development. Calls on the government of Nepal to take all necessary actions to enable a faster and more sustainable recovery. Supports the U.S. Embassy team in Kathmandu, Disaster Assistance Response Team members, other federal agencies, and the U.S. non-governmental organizations who are working to assist thousands of people in Nepal under adverse conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2015
Expresses support for the designation of the week of May 3 through May 9, 2015, as Public Service Recognition Week. Commends public servants, government employees, and members of the uniformed services for their public service and honors those who have given their lives in service. Calls upon a new generation to consider a career in public service as an honorable profession. Encourages efforts to promote public service careers at all levels of government.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Congress affirms that, for the purposes of modernizing the C-130 aircraft fleet, the Air Force has authority to undertake safety and compliance upgrades in lieu of the C-130 aircraft avionics modernization program of record to meet applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations by 2020. The Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 is amended to declare that, if the Secretary of the Air Force implements the alternative communication, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management program, that implementation shall be coordinated with the FAA in order to satisfy applicable safety and compliance airspace regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
Legal Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2015 This bill revises whistle blower protections for members of the Armed Forces. Prohibited personnel actions shall include: a superior's failure to respond to retaliatory action or harassment taken against a subordinate; and action that could be understood as an attempt to dissuade a service member from making or preparing a communication, or participating in any other activity. A service member may opt out of a military branch investigation in favor of an investigation by the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (DODIG). An investigating Inspector General (IG) may impose a 90-day stay of a personnel action, which may be extended by the military department concerned to complete an investigation, in order to prevent undue hardship to a service member if reasonable grounds exist to believe that a prohibited personnel action has occurred. Periodic notice must be given to service members on the progress of IG investigations. IG recommendations for disposition of complaints must include recommendations for disciplinary actions against the person who committed the prohibited personnel action, against a superior who knew or should have known but failed to address the action, or both. An investigating IG shall submit a substantiated investigation to the appropriate military corrections board unless the service member requests otherwise. Service members may request a corrections board hearing under specified circumstances. DODIG shall prescribe uniform standards for: (1) investigation of allegations of prohibited personnel actions, and (2) staff training. The investigative evidentiary burden of proof shall be "clear and convincing evidence." Provisions are revised for improvements to authorities and procedures for correction of military records, including permitting a claimant to seek judicial review of a board's determination in an appropriate U.S. court. The Inspector General Act of 1978 is amended to include the Inspectors General of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, the National Guard Bureau, and the Coast Guard in the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2015
State Partnership Program Enhancement Act of 2015 Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to revise and extend indefinitely the authority of the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish exchange programs for members of the National Guard under the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP). (Currently, the authority is scheduled to terminate on September 30, 2016.) Requires the National Guard Bureau to: (1) maintain a list of core competencies of the National Guard to support SPP activities, and (2) designate a director for each state and territory. Requires DOD to coordinate SPP regulations with combatant commanders to ensure that program activities meet theater security cooperation objectives. Requires the Department of State to coordinate such regulations with relevant chiefs of mission to meet diplomatic objectives. Establishes the National Guard State Partnership Program Fund in the Treasury, into which appropriated amounts shall be credited and transferred for program activity uses, including payment of costs for personnel, training, operations, and equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2015 Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Blackfeet-Montana water rights Compact to the extent it does not conflict with this Act. Requires the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana and the Fort Belknap Indian Community to enter into an agreement for the exercise of the respective water rights on the respective reservations of the Tribe and the Community in the Milk River. Requires the Department of the Interior to contract with the Tribe for the delivery of 5,000 acre-feet per year of the St. Mary River water right through Milk River Project facilities to the Tribe or an entity specified by it. Requires specified appraisal and feasibility studies regarding the management and development of water supplies in the St. Mary River Basin and Milk River Basin. Requires the Bureau of Reclamation to implement the Swift Current Creek Bank Stabilization Project and offer to enter into an agreement with the Tribe to resolve all issues regarding federal Milk River Project property interests located on tribal lands. Gives the Tribe, subject to specified limitations and only if the St. Mary Storage Unit of the Milk River Project is rehabilitated, the exclusive right to develop and market hydroelectric power from the Unit. Directs Interior to allocate to the Tribe 50,000 acre-feet per year of water stored in Lake Elwell for use by the Tribe for any beneficial purpose on or off the Reservation. Authorizes the Tribe to enter into leases or other agreements for the use of that water, provided its use occurs within the Missouri River Basin and the agreement does not permanently alienate the allocation. Requires the Bureau of Reclamation, with respect to the Blackfeet Irrigation Project, to carry out: (1) deferred maintenance; (2) Four Horns Dam safety improvements; and (3) rehabilitation and enhancement of the Four Horns Feeder Canal, Dam, and Reservoir in accordance with the Birch Creek Agreement. Requires the Bureau of Reclamation to construct the water diversion and delivery features of the MR&I System. Requires the Tribe, upon request by Interior, to grant, at no cost to the United States, such easements and rights-of-way over tribal land necessary for the construction of the irrigation activities related to the Blackfeet Irrigation Project and for the design and construction of the MR&I System. Prescribes requirements and funding for the Blackfeet Water, Storage, and Development Project. Requires the tribal water rights to be held in trust by the United States for the Tribe and its allottees. Requires the Tribe to enact a tribal water code, subject to Interior approval, in accordance with the Compact and this Act. Establishes the Blackfeet Settlement Trust Fund. Confirms the instream flow water rights of the Tribe in the Lewis and Clark National Forest and Glacier National Park. Requires the Tribe to waive and release water rights claims against Montana and the United States in return for recognition of the tribal water rights and other benefits set forth in the Compact and this Act. Declares this Act repealed if Interior fails to take certain actions by January 22, 2025.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2015
National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to publish a national strategy to significantly increase the role of volunteers and partners in trail maintenance. Requires the strategy to: (1) augment and support the capabilities of federal employees to carry out or contribute to trail maintenance; (2) provide opportunities for volunteers and partners to carry out trail maintenance in each region of the Forest Service; (3) address the barriers to increased volunteerism and partnerships; (4) prioritize increased volunteerism and partnerships in those regions with the most severe trail maintenance needs, and where backlogs are jeopardizing access to national forest lands; and (5) aim to increase trail maintenance by volunteers and partners by 100% within 5 years. Directs USDA to study opportunities to improve trail maintenance by addressing opportunities to use fire crews in trail maintenance activities. Deems a volunteer with a partner organization to be considered a federal employee for the purposes of civil claims relating to damage to, or loss of, personal property of a volunteer incident to volunteer services. Sets forth provisions for the selection of priority areas for increased trail maintenance accomplishments. Directs USDA to establish a pilot program to offset all or part of the land use fee for outfitting and guiding permits.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act or the PACE Act This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and Public Health Service Act to include employers with 51 to 100 employees as large employers for purposes of health insurance markets. PPACA is amended to give states the option to treat these employers as small employers. Currently, employers with 51 to 100 employees are small employers, but before January 1, 2016, states have the option to treat them as large employers. (Under PPACA, health insurance offered in the small group market must meet certain requirements that do not apply to the large group market, including the requirement to cover the essential health benefits.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
This bill authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), upon the request of the licensee for the project numbered 12478-003 (Gibson Dam, Montana), to extend the time period during which the licensee is required to commence construction for six years beginning on the date of expiration of the previous extension issued by FERC before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, upon the request of the licensee for the project numbered 12429 (Clark Canyon Dam, Montana), to reinstate the license and extend for three years after enactment of this Act the time period during which the licensee is required to commence the construction of project works.
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2015
International Insurance Capital Standards Accountability Act of 2015 This bill establishes at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System the Insurance Policy Advisory Committee on International Capital Standards and Other Insurance Issues, a 21-member committee representing diverse expert perspectives from the U.S. insurance industry (including life insurance, property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, agents and brokers, academics, consumer advocates, or experts on issues facing underserved insurance communities and consumers). The Secretary of the Treasury and the Board Chairman shall report annually to certain congressional committees on their efforts with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners regarding global insurance regulatory or supervisory forums. The Secretary, the Board Chairman, and the Director of the Federal Insurance Office, before supporting or consenting to the adoption of any key element in any international insurance proposal or international insurance capital standard, must study its impact upon U.S. markets and consumers. The Secretary and the Board Chairman must also report, as well as testify to Congress on their efforts to increase transparency at meetings of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 April 2015
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015 Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2015
Geothermal Energy Opportunities Act or the GEO Act This bill requires the Bureau of Land Management to identify high priority areas for new geothermal development and facilitate that development. The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to allow the holder of an oil and gas lease of federal land to also apply for a noncompetitive lease for the production of geothermal energy if: (1) the holder of the oil and gas lease also has an approved drilling permit, (2) geothermal energy will be produced from a well producing or capable of producing oil and gas, (3) the geothermal lease will improve national energy security, and (4) oil and gas production is currently occurring under the existing lease. To promote the goals of new geothermal energy capacity, the Department of Energy (DOE) may conduct a federally funded program of cost-shared drilling with industry partners to: (1) explore and document new geothermal resources; and (2) develop improved tools and methods for geothermal resource identification and extraction. Certain revenues from geothermal leases must be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury to carry out that program. The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to allow the Department of the Interior to award noncompetitive leases on up to 640 acres of federal land for geothermal development under certain circumstances. Lessees must make annual rental payments equal to those required for lands that are leased competitively. The bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require DOE to establish a program of research, development, and demonstration for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2015
Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the requirement that students be tested against state academic content and achievement standards in mathematics and reading or language arts in each of grades three through eight. Requires, instead, that those tests be administered at least once during: (1) grades 3 through 5, (2) grades 6 through 9, and (3) grades 10 through 12.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover, as medical and other health services, complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) items designed or individually configured for a specific qualified individual to meet that individual's unique: (1) medical, physical, or functional needs related to a medical condition; and (2) capacities for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) designate CRT items (excluding adaptive equipment to operate motor vehicles or certain prosthetic devices and orthotics), and (2) establish eligibility criteria for them. Prescribes requirements for payments for CRT items. Directs the Secretary to establish standards for clinical conditions for CRT item payment as well as quality standards for suppliers of such items. Directs the Secretary to establish a formal process to allow submission of CRT code set modification requests by stakeholder groups for comprehensive coding changes related to entire policy groups. Requires payment for replacement of a CRT item (or any part of one), without regard to certain continuous use or useful lifetime restrictions established for items of durable medical equipment, if a qualified ordering practitioner determines that a replacement item (or part) is necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2015
Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to: (1) make permanent the reduction in the income threshold (from $10,000 to $3,000) for determining the refundable portion of the child tax credit, (2) eliminate the inflation adjustment to such amount, and (3) allow an annual inflation adjustment after 2014 to the $1,000 maximum credit amount and the adjusted gross income threshold amounts used to reduce the allowable amount of such credit. Modifies the earned income tax credit to: (1) make permanent the increase in the rate of such credit for taxpayers with three or more children, (2) increase the credit for taxpayers with no qualifying children, (3) reduce from 25 to 21 the qualifying age for such credit, (4) revise eligibility rules relating to married individuals living apart and qualifying children claimed by another family member, and (5) repeal the denial of such credit for taxpayers with excess investment income.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2015
Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or would be entitled to such pay, except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits recoupment by the Secretary of Defense of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
CLEAR Plus Act of 2015 This bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to: (1) subject a savings and loan holding company to registration requirements for securities whose issuer has total assets exceeding $10 million and a class of non-exempt equity security held of record by 2,000 or more persons; and (2) apply the automatic termination of registration, and suspension of the duty to file supplementary and periodic information, to a savings and loan holding company whose securities are found to be held by less than 1,200 persons. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to require the federal banking agencies to issue regulations allowing for a reduced reporting requirement for certain depository institutions when making the first and third report of condition for a year. These reporting requirements apply to any insured depository institution that: as of the most recent examination has a CAMELS composite rating of 1 or 2 under the Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System (or an equivalent rating under a comparable rating system) for capital adequacy, assets, management capability, earnings, liquidity or asset liability management, and sensitivity to market risk; and satisfies other appropriate criteria as such agencies determine.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2015
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act Amends the Public Health Service Act to extend the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund indefinitely and index appropriations to the medical care component of the consumer price index for urban consumers. Makes funding available for: a quality assurance program for services delivered by health care providers, the WTC Program annual report, WTC Health Program Steering Committees, and contracts with Clinical Centers of Excellence. Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to make individuals (or relatives of deceased individuals) who were injured or killed in the rescue and recovery efforts after the aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, eligible for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Allows individuals to file claims for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 anytime after regulations are updated based on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. Removes the cap on payments under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Adds the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and World Trade Center Health Program Fund to the list of accounts that are not subject to budget sequestration.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to select a VA medical center to serve as the national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the biological children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to such exposure. Requires: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the head of a federal agency to make available to the VA for review records held by DOD, an Armed Force, or that federal agency that might assist the VA in making determinations regarding individuals and descendents afflicted with a health condition as a result of such exposure; (2) the VA and DOD or such agency head to jointly establish a mechanism for the availability and review of records by the VA; and (3) the national center to employ at least one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate access of individuals to appropriate social and health care programs and to handle case management. Establishes an Advisory Board to oversee and assess the national center and to advise the VA regarding the center's work. Directs DOD to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which at least 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of an associated disability. Directs the VA to conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed toward members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on: (1) incidents of exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, health conditions resulting from such exposure, and the potential long-term effects; and (2) the national center. Requires DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the VA in implementing such campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2015
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include optometry services in primary health services for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Optometrists are eligible for the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2015
Designates the first week of April 2015 as National Asbestos Awareness Week. Urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about asbestos exposure, which may be hazardous to their health.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Energy Productivity Innovation Challenge Act of 2015 or the EPIC Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a voluntary electric and thermal energy productivity challenge grant program for providing support to states for: advancing industrial energy efficiency, waste heat recovery, combined heat and power, and waste heat-to-power utilization; advancing energy efficiency construction and retrofits for commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and residential buildings; expanding residential policies and programs designed to implement best practice policies and tools for residential retrofit programs that reduce administrative and delivery costs for energy efficiency projects, encourage streamlining and automation to support contractor engagement, and implement systems that encourage private investment and market innovation; establishing or expanding incentives in the electric utility sector to enhance demand response and energy efficiency; and promoting state activities involving both facilities and vehicle fleets than can be a model for other action to promote energy efficiency. DOE must: (1) provide subsequent grants for activities to assist energy policy innovation in the states and to promote the goal of doubling electric and thermal energy productivity by January 1, 2030, and (2) invite Indian tribes to participate in the productivity challenge grant program. As an offset to the cost of this bill, the bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce the authorized amount of appropriations for FY2016-FY2017 for the Zero Net Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Servicemember and Veteran Protection Act of 2015 Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow members of the Armed Forces and National Guard to defer payments of principal on their Federal Family Education Loans, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans for the period (up to 180 days) beginning on the date they receive a call or order to duty in connection with a war, military operation, or national emergency and ending on their first day of service. (Currently, the payment of principal on those loans is also deferred during their period of service and for the 180-day period after their demobilization date.) Allows individuals whose call to duty is cancelled before their first day of service: (1) due to a service training injury, to defer payments of principal on those loans through what would have been their period of service; and (2) for a reason other than a service training injury, to defer payments of principal on those loans for 14 days after that cancellation. Directs the Secretary of Defense, each fiscal year, to provide an increase in the rates of educational assistance payable to certain members of the Selected Reserve, which shall be not less than the percentage by which the average cost of undergraduate tuition in the United States for the last academic year exceeds the average cost of such tuition for the year before that academic year. (Currently, such percentage increase is based on increases in the Consumer Price Index over such period.) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require a consumer reporting agency, upon the request of an active duty military consumer or an individual acting on that consumer's behalf, to: include an active duty freeze alert in the file of that consumer and also provide that alert along with any credit score generated in using that file for at least 12 months, exclude the consumer for 2 years from any list of consumers prepared by the agency and provided to any third party to offer credit or insurance to the consumer as part of a transaction that was not initiated by the consumer, and refer the active duty freeze alert information to each of the other consumer reporting agencies that compile and maintain files on consumers on a nationwide basis. Requires each active duty freeze alert to notify prospective users of the consumer's credit report that the consumer does not authorize: (1) the establishment of any new credit plan or extension of credit in the consumer's name, (2) the issuance of an additional card on an existing credit account requested by a consumer, or (3) any increase in the credit limit on an existing credit account requested by a consumer. Prohibits prospective users of the credit report from taking such actions. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the effect on the privacy of veterans of the use of social security numbers to uniquely identify veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2015
Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act of 2015 Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to make permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund(LWCF). Permits funds deposited into the LWCF to be spent without being subject to the appropriations process. Provides that the funds are in addition to amounts made available by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 or otherwise appropriated from the LWCF. Directs the President to submit to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds provided by this bill. Permits Congress to provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures. Requires at least 1.5% of the annual authorized funds to be used for projects that secure recreational public access to existing federal public land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act of 2015 or the PRIME Act of 2015 Amends part D (Prescription Drug Benefits) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit sponsors of prescription drug plans from paying claims for prescription drugs that do not include the valid National Provider Identifier for the drug's prescriber. Requires the Secretary's annual report to Congress on the use of recovery audit contractors under the Medicare Integrity Program to: (1) describe the types and financial cost of improper payment vulnerabilities identified by recovery audit contractors and how the Secretary is addressing them, and (2) assess the effectiveness of changes made to Medicare payment policies and procedures in order to address those vulnerabilities. Requires the Secretary to address improper payment vulnerabilities in a timely manner, prioritized based on the risk to the Medicare program. Authorizes the Secretary, under recovery audit contracts under both Medicare and Medicaid (SSAct title XIX), to retain a certain portion of the recovered amounts for a program management account for activities addressing problems that contribute to improper payments and fraud. Requires the Secretary, under such contracts, to retain an additional 5% of the recovered amounts to be made available to the HHS Inspector General to investigate improper payments or audit internal controls associated with Medicare or Medicaid payments. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to revise the incentive program under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 for the reporting of fraud and abuse to encourage greater participation by individuals reporting Medicare fraud and abuse. Requires the plan to include certain recommendations for: (1) ways to enhance rewards for individuals reporting, and (2) extension of the incentive program to the Medicaid program. Amends SSAct title XIX to cover the costs of equipment, salaries and benefits, and travel and training in appropriations for the Medicaid Integrity Program. Allows the Secretary to increase Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) staff whose duties consist solely of protecting the integrity of the Medicare program by a number determined necessary to carry out the Program (currently, by 100). Directs the Secretary to provide incentives for Medicare administrative contractors to reduce the improper payment error rates in their jurisdictions. Requires imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000 ($1 million in the case of a corporation), or both, for knowingly, intentionally, and with the intent to defraud purchasing, selling, distributing, or arranging for the purchase, sale, or distribution of a Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP beneficiary identification number or billing privileges under SSAct titles XVIII, title XIX, or title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program) (CHIP). Amends SSAct title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) with respect to the Federal Parent Locator Service to give the CMS Administrator access to information in the National Directory of New Hires to determine the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Requires the Secretary to disclose to the HHS Inspector General information on individuals and their employers in the National Directory of New Hires if the HHS Inspector General gives the Secretary their names and Social Security account numbers. Restricts the use of such information to: (1) determining the eligibility of an applicant for, or enrollee in, the Medicare program or an applicable state health subsidy program; or (2) evaluating the integrity of such programs. Sets forth rules for the use and disclosure of such information by state agencies. Directs the Secretary to establish a plan to encourage and facilitate the participation of states in the Medicare-Medicaid Data Match Program (Medi-Medi Program). Revises Medi-Medi Data Match Program purposes. Amends SSAct title XIX, as amended by PPACA, and SSAct XXI with respect to claims processing and detection of fraud within the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Paycheck Fairness Act Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages. Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience. States that the bona fide factor defense shall apply only if the employer demonstrates that such factor: (1) is not based upon or derived from a sex-based differential in compensation, (2) is job-related with respect to the position in question, (3) is consistent with business necessity, and (4) accounts for the deferential in compensation at issue. Makes such defense inapplicable where the employee demonstrates that: (1) an alternative employment practice exists that would serve the same business purpose without producing such differential, and (2) the employer has refused to adopt such alternative practice. Revises the prohibition against employer retaliation for employee complaints. Prohibits retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee or another employee in response to a complaint or charge, or in furtherance of a sex discrimination investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, or an investigation conducted by the employer. Makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or (except for the federal government) punitive damages. States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to seek additional compensatory or punitive damages in a sex discrimination action. Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train EEOC employees and affected individuals and entities on matters involving wage discrimination. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to issue regulations or policy guidance to integrate such training into certain programs under their Departments. Directs the Secretary to conduct studies and provide information to employers, labor organizations, and the general public regarding the means available to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to require the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation data and other employment-related data as anaylzed by the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting pay discrimination. Directs: (1) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to continue to collect data on woman workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey, (2) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to use specified types of methods in investigating compensation discrimination and in enforcing pay equity, and (3) the Secretary to make accurate information on compensation discrimination readily available to the public. Directs the Secretary and the Commissioner [ sic ] of the EEOC jointly to develop technical assistance material to assist small businesses to comply with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Ruth Moore Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in any case in which a veteran claims that a covered mental health condition was incurred in or aggravated by military sexual trauma during active duty, to: (1) accept as sufficient proof of service-connection a diagnosis by a mental health professional together with satisfactory lay or other evidence of such trauma and an opinion by the mental health professional that such condition is related to such trauma if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service; and (2) resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows such service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Includes as a "covered mental health condition" post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health diagnosis that the Secretary determines to be related to military sexual trauma. Requires the Secretary to report annually to Congress in each of 2016 through 2020 on covered claims submitted.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2015
Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover comprehensive Alzheimer's disease care planning services.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2015
Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2015 Prohibits a state or local jurisdiction from imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on the sale or use of a digital good or service delivered or transferred electronically to a customer. Excludes from the definition of "digital service" a service that is predominantly attributable to the direct, contemporaneous expenditure of live human effort, skill, or expertise, a telecommunications service, an ancillary service, an Internet access service, an audio or video programming service, or a hotel intermediary service. Restricts taxation of a digital good or service to taxation by a state or local jurisdiction whose territorial limits encompass a customer tax address, as defined by this Act. Makes the seller of digital goods or services responsible for obtaining and maintaining such address. Provides for the taxation of digital goods and services transactions that are aggregated and not separately stated.
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2015
Care and Readiness Enhancement for Reservists Act of 2015 or the CARE for Reservists Act of 2015 Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide care for behavioral health conditions to any member of the Selected Reserve for whom such Secretary determines, based on the member's most recent medical exam or mental health assessment, that the receipt of such care will ensure that the member meets applicable standards of medical readiness. Provides funding for such care through the Defense Health Program. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish counseling, which may include a comprehensive individual assessment, to any member of the Selected Reserve who has a behavioral health condition or psychological trauma. States that such counseling or assessment shall not require a prior referral.
![Official portrait of Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/t000464_200.jpg)