United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act or the CECIL Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to apply the Act's prohibitions on importing or exporting species listed as threatened or endangered to species proposed to be listed as well. The Government Accountability Office must conduct and submit a report on the results of a study of the effectiveness of trophy hunting in supporting international wildlife conservation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2015
Supports the designation of Special Operations Forces Appreciation Month to honor members of U.S. Special Operations Forces for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2015
Protect Law Enforcement Armor Act or the PLEA Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to: (1) prohibit the manufacture or importation of projectiles that may be used in a handgun and that are determined by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to be capable of penetrating body armor; and (2) require DOJ to promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against the Body Armor Exemplar (concerning the protection of law enforcement officers), taking into account variations in performance related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel, the amount and kind of powder used to propel the projectile, and the projectile's design. It prohibits the manufacture, sale, possession, or transfer of any handgun that uses armor piercing ammunition, except: (1) where manufactured and sold exclusively to U.S. military, law enforcement, or intelligence agencies; and (2) by a licensed manufacturer or contractor for the purpose of examining and testing to determine whether such prohibition applies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Gun Trafficking Prevention Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to make trafficking in firearms a crime. Specifically, it prohibits: purchasing or transferring a firearm with the intent to deliver it to a prohibited person; providing false or misleading material information in connection with a firearm purchase or transfer; and directing, promoting, or facilitating such prohibited conduct. The prohibition does not apply to a firearm lawfully acquired to give as a gift or lawfully received as a gift. A person who commits a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 20 years (or 25 years if such person also acted as an organizer). A person who conspires to commit a gun trafficking offense is subject to a prison term of up to 10 years. The U.S. Sentencing Commission must review and, if appropriate, amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements that apply to persons convicted of trafficking in firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2015 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support to collect the medical specimens and information of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer to improve the understanding of these cancers and of the effects of treatment. The national childhood cancer registry is reauthorized through FY2020 and revised to require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to states to improve tracking of childhood cancers. This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require manufacturers and distributors of investigational drugs to publish policies for compassionate use of the drugs. The Department of Health and Human Services must: (1) support pilot programs to develop or study models for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, (2) convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer Survivors, (3) establish a task force on standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care, and (4) carry out a demonstration project to improve care coordination as childhood cancer survivors transition to adult care. The NIH must support research on: (1) outcomes for, and barriers faced by, pediatric cancer survivors within minority or medically underserved populations; and (2) follow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors, including research on the late effects of cancer treatment and long-term complications. The Government Accountability Office must make recommendations to address barriers to childhood cancer survivors obtaining and paying for adequate medical care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015 This bill amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to revise an eligibility condition for a state to receive a grant under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program and a waiver of the grant match requirement under the National Criminal History Improvement Program. Specifically, it directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a four-year state implementation plan, including benchmarks, to maximize the automation and submission of mental health and criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Back Check System (NICS). DOJ must reduce the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) Program funding for a state that fails to comply with benchmarks. The bill amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to require each federal agency and department, including a federal court, to certify whether it has provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation disqualifying records of persons prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. It amends the federal criminal code and the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to define the terms "adjudicated as a mental defective" and "committed to a mental institution." The bill extends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act background check requirements to a transfer of a firearm between private parties by prohibiting such a transfer unless a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of submitting a background check. A gun owner must report a lost or stolen firearm to DOJ and local law enforcement authorities within 48 hours of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Quiet Communities Act of 2015 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reestablish an Office of Noise Abatement and Control and reauthorizes the Office's activities through FY2020. The responsibilities of the Office must include: (1) promoting the development of effective state and local noise control programs, (2) carrying out a national noise control research program, (3) carrying out a national noise environmental assessment program, (4) establishing regional technical assistance centers to assist state and local noise control programs, (5) assessing the effectiveness of the Noise Control Act of 1972, and (6) conducting related outreach and educational activities. The Office must emphasize noise abatement approaches that rely on local and state activities, market incentives, and coordination with other agencies. Using funds made available to the Office, the EPA must carry out a study of airport noise. The bill amends the Noise Control Act of 1972 to expand the quiet communities grant program to include grants for establishing and implementing training programs on use of noise abatement equipment and implementing noise abatement plans.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2015 Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation. Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds. Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance. Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds. Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee. Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance. Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs. Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank from state or local government taxation. Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes. Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Protecting Honest Fishermen Act of 2015 This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ensure that its seafood inspection activities are coordinated with the national sea grant college program to provide outreach on seafood safety to states, local health agencies, consumers, and the seafood industry. The Department of Commerce and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must ensure that seafood inspections and tests collect information for seafood fraud detection and prevention. "Seafood fraud" is defined as the mislabeling or misrepresentation of seafood information. Seafood imported into the United States or distributed or offered for sale in interstate commerce must display (on its packaging or otherwise accompanying the seafood) through processing, distribution, and final sale: (1) the market and scientific species names, (2) whether the seafood was harvested wild or was farm-raised, (3) the harvest method and date of the catch, and (4) the weight or number of product for an individual fish or lot. Additional information is required for seafood that was: (1) previously frozen, treated with substances affecting weight, or processed in a country other than that in which it was landed or harvested; or (2) farm-raised. The bill exempts importers, processors, distributors, or retailers from violations for unknowingly selling a product that was already mislabeled upon receipt, provided that such entities can produce the appropriate product traceability documentation. As an alternative to the disclosure requirements for certain categories of information, an importer, processor, distributor, or retailer (including a restaurant) may make the information available upon request to federal, state, or local officials authorized to conduct inspections of: (1) seafood, or (2) any facility that processes or sells seafood. Persons engaging in fishing on a U.S. vessel in the exclusive economic zone under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are deemed to be in compliance with traceability requirements if they disclose data required for a fishery management plan. Seafood imports from an exporter shall be refused admission if any shipment of such seafood appears to be in violation of such seafood traceability requirements or other applicable federal laws or regulations. An exception is provided for individual shipments if the exporter presents evidence of compliance from an accredited laboratory. HHS and Commerce must post on their public websites a list that: (1) includes, by country, each exporter whose seafood is imported or offered for import into the United States; and (2) tracks, for each exporter, the timing, type, and frequency of violations. Commerce is required to: (1) increase the number of shipments inspected for seafood fraud by NOAA inspectors and authorized officers, (2) prevent the percentage of seafood shipments inspected from declining in a subsequent year, and (3) ensure that inspections for fraud prevention also collect seafood safety information. The bill also authorizes states to bring civil actions for seafood fraud violations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress with respect to jurisdiction of courts in the United States over foreign manufacturers that import products into the United States. Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (with respect to drugs, devices, cosmetics, and biological products), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (with respect to consumer products), and the Environmental Protection Agency (with respect to chemical substances, new chemical substances, and pesticides) to require foreign manufacturers and producers of such products (or components used to manufacture them), in excess of a minimum value or quantity, to establish a registered agent in the United States authorized to accept service of process on their behalf for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court. Deems a foreign manufacturer or producer of products covered under this Act that registers an agent to consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of the state in which the agent is located for the purpose of any civil or regulatory proceeding. Requires any person who imports into the United States a covered product manufactured or produced outside the United States to provide to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a declaration that to the best of the person's knowledge, with respect to the importation of each covered product, the foreign manufacturer or producer of the product has registered an agent in the United States. Directs the CBP Commissioner to prescribe related regulations. Subjects an importer who fails to provide or files a false declaration to certain penalties. Requires the Department of Agriculture and the FDA jointly to study the feasibility and advisability of requiring foreign producers of food distributed in commerce to establish a registered agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of such producers for the purpose of all civil and regulatory actions in state and federal courts. Requires the head of each agency cited in this Act similarly to study feasible and advisable methods of requiring foreign manufacturers or producers of component parts of covered products distributed in U.S. commerce to establish registered agents in the United States for purposes of such service of process.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to expand Medicare coverage to include eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dental care.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: all efforts to improve Medicare and Medicaid under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act must support and build upon President Johnson's vision "to assure the availability of and accessibility to the best health care to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status"; Medicare should not be transformed into a voucher program, leaving seniors and people with disabilities vulnerable to higher out-of-pocket costs; and Medicaid should not be dismantled by policies that slash funding, shift costs to states, reduce benefits, and erode the safety net relied on by over millions of individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2015 or the PAST Act This bill amends the Horse Protection Act to establish a new system for inspecting horses for soring, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures. The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions to detect and diagnose sore horses. A license may not be issued to a person with conflicts of interest, and USDA must give preference to veterinarians. USDA may revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. USDA must assign licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors. An inspector must issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of violations. USDA must publish information on violations of this bill and disqualify a horse that is sore. The bill prohibits a person in any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning the horse. The bill prohibits the use of specified devices on a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction. The bill increases the maximum criminal and civil liability penalties for certain violations. USDA may disqualify violators from specified activities related to horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Bringing Postpartum Depression Out of the Shadows Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to make grants to states to establish, expand, or maintain culturally competent programs for screening and treatment of women who are pregnant, or who have given birth within the preceding 12 months, for maternal depression. The HRSA shall make such grants to at least three states and give priority to states proposing to expand or enhance screening for maternal depression in primary care settings. Activities eligible for funding: (1) shall include providing appropriate training and relevant resources, including information on maternal depression screening, treatment, follow-up support, and linkages to community-based resources, to health care providers; and (2) may include enabling health care providers to provide or receive real-time psychiatric consultation to aid in the treatment of pregnant and postpartum women, conducting a public awareness campaign, funding start-up costs, and establishing linkages with and among community-based resources.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Homeless and Foster Youth Achievement Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require a state to include additional information in its annual state report card. Under current law, a state must include data regarding student achievement on state academic assessments, both in the aggregate and disaggregated by race, ethnicity, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and status as disadvantaged. For purposes of a state's annual report card, the bill expands those categories to include homeless status and status as a child in foster care. Graduation rates for secondary school students must be reported by the same categories by which student achievement data is reported.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Equality Act Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation. Defines: "sex" to include a sex stereotype, sexual orientation or gender identity, and pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality; and "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or characteristics, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth. Expands the categories of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide: exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; goods, services, or programs, including a store, a shopping center, an online retailer or service provider, a salon, a bank, a gas station, a food bank, a service or care center, a shelter, a travel agency, a funeral parlor, or a health care, accounting, or legal service; or transportation services. Prohibits "establishment" from being construed to be limited to a physical facility or place. Authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring a civil action if it receives a complaint from an individual who claims to be: denied equal utilization of a public facility owned, operated, or managed by a state (other than public schools or colleges) on account of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; or denied admission to, or not permitted to continue attending, a public college by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity, thereby expanding DOJ's existing authority to bring such actions for complaints based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Revises public school desegregation standards to provide for the assignment of students without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Prohibits programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from denying benefits to, or discriminating against, persons based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, subject to the same exceptions and conditions that currently apply to unlawful employment practices based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Requires employers to recognize individuals in accordance with their gender identity if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification that is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. Provides government employees with protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Authorizes DOJ to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. Requires protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to include protections against discrimination based on: (1) an association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; or (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class. Prohibits the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 from providing a claim, defense, or basis for challenging such protections. Prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity. Amends the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and jury selection standards to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination under such laws.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2015 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers (covered persons) to develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster. The plan must: identify situations that the covered person might experience that would trigger the need to implement the measures identified in the plan; outline tasks to be carried out in response to emergencies or disasters; establish a chain of command and identify the individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks; and address how response and recovery will be handled in terms of materials, resources, and training needed. Covered persons must review their plan at least annually, train personnel in their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the plan, and provide training when the plan changes. The bill does not preempt state law that provides equal or greater protection for animals.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 Amends the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to revise provisions concerning the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program to direct the Attorney General: (1) through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations to assist in paying for the costs of planning, designing, establishing, and operating locally based, proactive programs to protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias; and (2) in awarding grants, to give preference to national nonprofit organizations that have experience working with patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and their families. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY2016-FY2020.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
This bill directs the United States Postal Service to issue and sell an Alzheimer's Disease Research Semipostal Stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamp must be transferred to the National Institutes of Health. The stamp must be made available to the public for six years.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants to public and nonprofit private health care providers to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Restore Honor to Service Members Act Requires appropriate military record correction boards or discharge review boards to review the discharge characterization of any former members of the Armed Forces requesting a review who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Permits such boards to change a characterization to honorable if such characterization is any characterization except honorable. Directs the Department of Defense to ensure that any such changes are carried out consistently and uniformly across the military departments using specified criteria, including that: (1) the original discharge was based on the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell (as in effect before it was repealed pursuant to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010) or a similar earlier policy; and (2) the discharge characterization will be changed if, with respect to the original discharge, there were no aggravating circumstances, such as misconduct, that would have independently led to any discharge characterization except honorable. Prohibits "aggravating circumstances" from including: (1) an offense of sodomy committed by the member against a consenting person of the same sex; or (2) statements, consensual sexual conduct, or consensual acts relating to sexual orientation or identity, or the disclosure of such statements, conduct, or acts, that were prohibited at the time of discharge but that became permitted after such discharge. Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that oral historians of the department: (1) review discharges between World War II and September 2011 based on sexual orientation, and (2) receive oral testimony of individuals who personally experienced discrimination and discharge because of actual or perceived sexual orientation so that such testimony may serve as an official record of such discriminatory policies and their impact on American lives. Requires the reissuance of specified military personnel records and discharge forms in a manner that shall not reflect the sexual orientation of the member. Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to remove from the offense of sodomy specified activity referred to as unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015
Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to Medicare part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors and MedicareAdvantage (MA) organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a PDP or under an MA-Prescription Drug plan.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015
Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop guidelines for use, by the Secretaries of the military departments and the Department of Veterans Affairs, of unofficial sources of information, including eyewitness statements, to determine the eligibility of a member or former member of the Armed Forces for benefits and decorations when the member's service records are incomplete because of damage to the records as a result of the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, or any subsequent incident while the records were in DOD's possession.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015
Reducing the Effects of the Cyberattack on OPM Victims Emergency Response Act of 2015 or the RECOVER Act Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to provide each individual whose personally identifiable information was compromised during data breaches of personnel records of federal employees in a network maintained by the Department of the Interior or in OPM systems containing federal employee background investigations with comprehensive identity protection coverage that is effective for the life of the individual and that includes not less than $5 million in identity theft insurance.
United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015
Veterans Residential Care Choice Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), at the request of an eligible veteran for whom the VA is required to provide domiciliary, nursing home, adult day health, or hospital care, or who is determined to be in need of such care, to place the veteran (at the expense of the United States) in a state licensed or certified residential care facility that meets VA standards if the cost of providing such care through the facility is less than the cost of providing the care through any other available option. An eligible veteran is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 70% or more disabling.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Safer Communities Act of 2015 This bill provides grants to expand mental health crisis assistance programs, to support comprehensive school mental health programs, and to enhance mental health and substance abuse needs of prison inmates. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to expand research on violence associated with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. It requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states and to research the causes, mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of injuries from gun violence. The bill states that no provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits physicians from asking patients about guns in their homes, speaking to a patient about gun safety, or reporting a patient's threat of violence. It amends the Gun Control Act of 1968 to specify that the term "committed to a mental institution" applies to involuntary inpatient or outpatient treatment. The bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to permit the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to states to remove firearms from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. DOJ must promptly notify law enforcement agencies when a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm. The bill replaces statutory references to persons "adjudicated as a mental defective" with persons "adjudicated as ineligible due to disqualifying mental status." It amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to: establish procedures to restore firearm ownership rights after a mental health adjudication or commitment, require an annual report on record submissions due to domestic violence misdemeanor convictions, authorize state grants to improve the automation and transmittal of mental health and criminal history records, and require quarterly updates to federal agency record submissions. The bill reauthorizes the National Criminal History Records Improvement Program for FY2016-FY2019.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Fair Ratepayer Accountability, Transparency, and Efficiency Standards Act or the Fair RATES Act This bill amends the Federal Power Act to permit a party to seek a rehearing and subsequent judicial review of any rate change filed by a public utility that takes effect without the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issuing an order making such change effective. (Public utilities must give FERC and the public a 60-day notice before a proposed rate change can take effect.)
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Justice for Victims of Confidential Informant Crime Act of 2015 Amends the federal judicial code to extend to three years and six months the period within which a tort claim against the United States must be presented in writing to a federal agency when the claim arises out of a government employee's conduct with respect to the criminal misconduct of a government informant. (Current law bars all tort claims against the United States that are not presented within two years after the claim accrues.) Applies the amendment retroactively to any such claim that: (1) accrued on or after May 1, 1981; and (2) in the case of a claim accrued before the date of enactment of this Act, is presented within one year after such date. Prohibits the government from asserting a defense or a bar, based on the doctrine of res judicata or collateral estoppel, to a claim that accrued before enactment of this Act and to which this Act applies.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Confidential Informant Accountability Act of 2015 Directs the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury to report biannually to Congress on: (1) all serious crimes, authorized and unauthorized, committed by informants maintained by their respective law enforcement agencies (i.e., the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives); and (2) the amounts expended by each of such agencies on payments to such informants. Defines a "serious crime" as any serious violent felony or drug offense or any offense of racketeering, bribery, child pornography, obstruction of justice, or perjury that an agent or employee of the relevant law enforcement agency has reasonable grounds to believe an informant has committed.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Military Consumer Protection Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act to extend Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and protection to provisions under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act concerning: future financial transactions, excluding insurance; default judgments, excluding child custody proceedings; interest rates on pre-service debts; evictions; purchase or lease installment contracts; mortgages and trusts; motor vehicle leases; telephone service contracts; and waiver of rights pursuant to a written agreement, excluding bailments.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act Directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue the following coins in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution: up to 250,000 $50 bi-metallic platinum and gold coins, up to 250,000 $20 gold coins, and up to 500,000 $1 silver coins. Requires such coins to be considered legal tender and numismatic items. Permits Treasury to issue such coins only during the one-year period beginning January 1 of the issuance year, except that sales may be initiated, without issuance, before such date. Requires specified surcharges that Treasury receives from the sale of such coins to be paid to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Directs Treasury to ensure that: (1) the minting and issuing of such coins will not result in any net cost to the U.S. government; and (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to the Museum until the total cost of designing and issuing all such coins is recovered by the Treasury.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify: (1) VA mental health care and suicide prevention programs that are most effective for women veterans, and (2) such programs with the highest satisfaction rates among women veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from, school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. LEAs shall also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics shall collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Enforce Existing Gun Laws Act This bill amends several appropriations laws to remove limitations on the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to conduct activities related to the administration of federal firearms laws. The amended appropriations laws include: the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012; the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010; the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008; the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005; and the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003. The bill removes provisions from these laws that: prohibit the consolidation or centralization within the Department of Justice of firearms acquisition and disposition records maintained by federal firearms licensees; prohibit the imposition of a requirement that firearms dealers conduct a physical inventory; require instant background check records to be destroyed within 24 hours; limit the use of firearms tracing data; limit the processing of Freedom of Information Act requests in connection with arson or explosive incidents or firearm traces; limit denials of applications to import "curios or relics" firearms, parts, or ammunition; and prohibit denials of federal firearms licenses due to lack of business activity.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met. A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Requirements are revised for determining which states and political subdivisions are or are not covered by criteria for declaratory judgments that they have not used devices to deny or abridge the right to vote. Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to such requirements for a 10-year period if: 15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). Any specific political subdivision of a state shall also be subject to those requirements for a 10-year period if 3 or more violations occurred in it during the previous 25 calendar years. A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless new violations occur after the declaratory judgment was issued. Each state and each political subdivision shall: (1) identify any newly enacted or adopted law, regulation, or policy that includes a voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or a voting-related standard, practice, or procedure (covered practice); and (2) ensure that no such covered practice is implemented unless or until the state or political subdivision complies with certain preclearance requirements. This bill prescribes transparency requirements, including reasonable public notice, regarding any changes to: (1) voting prerequisites, standards, or procedures; (2) polling place resources; or (3) demographics and electoral districts. Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions, including authority to assign observers to enforce bilingual election requirements. Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Constitutional Amendment Prohibits construction of the Constitution as forbidding Congress or the states from: (1) imposing reasonable content-neutral limitations on private campaign contributions or independent election expenditures; or (2) enacting systems of public campaign financing, including those designed to restrict the influence of private wealth by offsetting campaign spending or independent expenditures with increased public funding.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Senior and Retired Volunteers Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals who have attained age 60 or are disabled an exemption from income and employment taxes for real property tax abatements received under a state or local program in which such individuals have provided services in exchange for such abatements.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Humane Cosmetics Act This bill prohibits testing cosmetics on animals, effective on the date that is one year after enactment of this Act. No cosmetic may be sold or transported if the final product or any component was developed or manufactured using animal testing after such date, effective three years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to revise the list of permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained: (1) from a licensed dealer, (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements, (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat or owned it for not less than one year, or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Department of Agriculture. The requirements pertaining to sources apply to dogs and cats obtained through sales, donations, or offers. Monetary penalties are established for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Children's Act for Responsible Employment of 2015 or the CARE Act of 2015 Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to define "oppressive child labor," for purposes of the Act's child labor prohibitions, as the employment of any employee who is: 16 or 17 in any occupation found by the Department of Labor to be particularly hazardous for their employment or detrimental to their health or well-being; 14 or 15, unless the employment is confined to periods which do not interfere with the employee's schooling, health, or well-being; or under 14. Revises the Act's exemptions to make the restrictions on oppressive child labor inapplicable to the following: employment in agriculture of an employee under age 18 by his or her parent, or by a person standing in the place of the parent, on a farm owned by the parent or person (current law uses an age- and consent-based scheme); and employment of an employee under age 16 by a parent, or a person standing in place of a parent, other than in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, or any other employment the Department finds to be particularly hazardous for the employment of children age 16 or 17 or detrimental to their health or well-being. (Current law applies the child labor restrictions to particularly hazardous agricultural employment, except where the child is employed by a parent or a person standing in place of the parent on a farm owned or operated by such person). Eliminates any waiver of such prohibitions for hand-harvesting of certain crops. Increases civil and establishes criminal penalties for child labor violations. Directs the Department to revise federal child labor regulations to prohibit the employment of children under age 18 in duties involving the handling of pesticides.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend through FY2020 nursing programs, including programs for advanced education nursing, loan repayment and scholarships for nurses, loans for nursing faculty, geriatric care education, and nurse retention. The advanced education nursing grant program is revised to include clinical nurse leaders as advanced education nurses, thereby making clinical nurse leader education programs eligible for grants. (Clinical nurse leaders are advanced generalist clinicians who apply research and coordinate care in order to improve outcomes for patients.) To be eligible for advanced education nursing grants, clinical nurse specialist programs must provide registered nurses with full-time clinical nurse specialist education that qualifies the nurses to provide a full range of care.
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. The Treasury shall: select the design for the coins based upon the winning design from a juried, compensated design competition following certain specifications; and issue the coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2018. All such coin sales must include the following surcharges: $35 per $5 gold coin, $10 per $1 dollar silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin. The Treasury shall pay received surcharges promptly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation according to a specified distribution formula.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Rare Cats and Canids Act of 2015 This bill establishes a Rare Cats and Canids Conservation Fund as a separate account within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. The Department of the Interior must use amounts in the fund to provide assistance for the conservation of rare felids and rare canids. Grant amounts may not be used for captive breeding unless it is a part of an accredited reintroduction or restoration program. Rare felids or rare canids are any population in the family Felidae (cats) or Canidae (dogs), respectively, that are listed in the Red List of Threatened Species Maintained by the World Conservation Union as near-threatened, vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, excluding any population native to the United States or Canada. Tigers are not considered to be rare felids. Interior may convene an advisory group of individuals representing organizations actively involved in the conservation of felids and canids.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (3) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Community Lender Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act with respect to the presumption of a mortgagor's ability to pay a qualified residential mortgage loan and the insured depository institutions or insured credit unions meeting specified criteria that may be its creditors. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is amended to exempt from its requirement of annual written privacy notices certain financial institutions. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to: (1) increase from $500 million to $1 billion the size of certain small insured depository institutions eligible for an 18-month on-site examination cycle, and (2) require private deposit insurers of credit unions to give the Federal Housing Finance Agency copies of independent audit reports within 7 days after the audit is completed. The Federal Home Loan Bank Act is amended to require the treatment of a state-chartered credit union as an insured depository institution even though it is not federally insured if it has applied for membership in a federal home loan bank and has met specified conditions, including insurance application eligibility requirements under the Federal Credit Union Act. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the adequacy of insurance reserves held by the private deposit insurer of privately insured credit unions, including the level of compliance with federal regulations regarding disclosure of a lack of federal deposit insurance. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to extend securities registration requirements to savings and loan holding companies. The S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 is amended to: establish a transitional period during which a state, while examining the applicant's submitted background information, may permit a covered registered loan originator applying for a state license as a loan originator to act as one under the supervision of a non-depository firm that engages in loan origination in that state, and grant confidentiality to information shared with state and federal regulatory officials with financial services industry oversight authority. The Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 is amended to cover specified sections of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act as "enumerated consumer laws." The expiration of the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 is repealed, and the Act is restored and revived as it was in effect on December 31, 2014.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act This bill establishes the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission to carry out activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the date the U.S. Virgin Islands became an unincorporated U.S. territory.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Prioritizing Online Threat Enforcement Act of 2015 Directs the Attorney General to ensure: that there are at least 10 additional operational agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) designated to support the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the investigation and coordination of cybercrimes against persons; that each office of a U.S. Attorney designates at least one Assistant U.S. Attorney as responsible for investigating and prosecuting cybercrimes against persons; and the implementation of a regular and comprehensive training program to train FBI agents in the investigation and prosecution of, and the enforcement of laws related to, cybercrimes against persons, including relevant forensic training related to investigating and prosecuting such crimes. Makes additional funding available to the FBI, the Attorney General, and DOJ's Criminal Division for FY2016-FY2020 to: (1) hire and train law enforcement officers to investigate cybercrimes against person and assist in the prosecution of such crimes; and (2) enable relevant DOJ units to procure advanced tools of forensic science and expert computer forensic assistance to investigate, prosecute, and study such crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) gun violence is a public health issue; and (2) Congress should expand enforceable background checks for all commercial gun sales, improve the mental health system, and make gun trafficking and straw purchasing a federal crime.
![Official portrait of Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6a46604a8b827ec333b929fe_200.jpg)