Agriculture

Healthy Forest Management and Wildfire Prevention Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015

Healthy Forest Management and Wildfire Prevention Act Declares that the bark beetle epidemic, drought, and deteriorating forest health conditions on National Forest System land and public lands, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires, is an imminent threat within the meaning of roadless area management regulations applicable to a state. Allows a state governor or the Department of Agriculture, with respect the National Forest System, or the Department of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to designate high-risk areas of the national forests and public lands in the state for purposes of addressing: (1) deteriorating forest health conditions due to the bark beetle epidemic or drought, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires; and (2) the future risk of insect infestations or disease outbreaks through preventative treatments to improve forest health conditions. Excludes wilderness areas and national monuments from designation as high-risk areas. Establishes a 20-year period for such high-risk area designation. Allows a governor or the department concerned, upon designation of a high-risk area, to provide for the development of proposed emergency hazardous fuels reduction projects for the area. Applies the administrative and judicial review processes of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, with modifications, to such projects. Amends the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 to extend the duration of contracts to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests and public lands that meet local and rural community needs.

Protect Interstate Commerce Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015

Protect Interstate Commerce Act This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing a standard or condition on the production or manufacture of agricultural products sold or offered for sale in interstate commerce if: (1) the production or manufacture occurs in another state, and (2) the standard or condition adds to standards or conditions applicable under federal law and the laws of the state or locality in which the production or manufacture occurs.

A bill to limit the level of premium subsidy provided by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to agricultural producers.

United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2015

This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to limit federal crop insurance premium subsidies provided to agricultural producers to $50,000. The limit applies to the total amount of premiums paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on behalf of a person or legal entity for all policies issued for a crop year.

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015

Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2015 Prohibits the President from restricting direct transfers from a Cuban depository institution to a U.S. depository institution in payment for a product authorized for sale under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to U.S. agricultural producers, cooperative organizations, or state agencies to promote U.S. agricultural exports products to Cuba. Authorizes the issuance of temporary entry visas to Cuban nationals to facilitate purchase of U.S. agricultural products. Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to repeal the prohibition on enforcement of rights to certain U.S. intellectual properties and such properties' transfer. Prohibits the regulation or prohibition of travel to or from Cuba by U.S. citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions ordinarily incident to such travel if such travel would be lawful in the United States. Directs the President to rescind all regulations in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act that regulate or prohibit such travel or transactions. Includes in such transactions: (1) accompanied personal baggage; (2) payment of living expenses and the acquisition of personal-use goods or services; (3) travel arrangements; (4) nonscheduled air, sea, or land voyage transactions, (such provision does not permit the carriage of articles other than accompanied baggage into Cuba or the United States); and (5) normal banking transactions. States that such provision shall not apply in time of war or armed hostilities between the United States and Cuba, or of imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. citizens or legal residents. Amends the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 to repeal the requirement for onsite verification of certain medical exports to Cuba. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the airport ticket tax for transportation between the United States and Cuba by $1, and (2) establish in the Treasury the Agricultural Export Promotion Trust Fund.

Lesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015

Lesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2015 This bill removes the Department of the Interior's listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and prohibits further treatment of the species as threatened or endangered before January 31, 2020. Interior must monitor and submit an annual report on progress in the conservation of the lesser prairie chicken under: the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Conservation Plan of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, all related Candidate Conservation Agreements (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species), Candidate Conservation Agreements With Assurances (agreements to voluntarily undertake measures to conserve a covered species with assurances that additional measures will not be imposed if the species becomes listed in the future), conservation programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), state conservation programs, and private conservation efforts. The lesser prairie chicken may not be treated as threatened or endangered beginning on January 31, 2020, unless Interior publishes a determination that conservation efforts under the Range-Wide Plan, agreements, programs, and efforts have not achieved the Plan's conservation goals.

Providing amounts for the expenses of the Committee on Agriculture in the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress.

United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2015

Provides amounts for the expenses of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 114th Congress.

SAVE Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015

Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency Act of 2015 or the SAVE Act TITLE I--SAVE I Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency I Act or the SAVE I Act Requires, every two years: (1) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish a national strategy for managing excess and underutilized federal real property; and (2) the Administrator of the General Services Administration to implement a plan to improve the Federal Real Property Profile that ensures the data collected is complete, accurate, and consistent. Requires the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy to issue guidance to federal agencies for reinvigorating the role of the competition advocate. Requires the OMB to issue government-wide savings goals for the strategic sourcing of goods and services by executive agencies. Requires each executive agency to develop and report on a policy for evaluating the effectiveness of information technology investments. Rescinds unobligated budget authority for the Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on efforts to finalize plans and schedules for fully implementing and expanding the use of the Integrated Data Repository and on actions taken to plan, schedule, and conduct training on the One Program Integrity System. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report on the adequacy of agricultural quarantine and inspection fees. Amends the USEC Privatization Act to expand the definition of "uranium" for purposes of transfers and sales to include depleted uranium and any byproduct of uranium processing. Requires the OMB to develop a strategy to assess the collective results of federal funding for the reduction of mobile source diesel emissions and to identify and eliminate any unnecessary duplication, overlap, and fragmentation of such activities. TITLE II--SAVE II Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency II Act or SAVE II Act Requires the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Task Force to examine the entire UAS portfolio of the Department of Defense (DOD), including UAS requirements, platforms, payloads, and ground control stations, to develop strategies for improved interoperability of existing systems. Directs DOD to: (1) identify areas in which commonality with other unmanned aircraft systems across the UAS portfolio will be achieved, (2) request a federally-funded research and development center to study UAS interoperability and overlap issues, (3) report to Congress on the examination of the UAS portfolio and the UAS study, and (4) issue revised excess inventory management guidance. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport or passport card for individuals with a seriously delinquent tax debt in excess of $50,000. Prohibits the Department of State from issuing a passport to an individual with a seriously delinquent tax debt and requires State to revoke the passport of such an individual, with an exception for emergency circumstances or humanitarian reasons. Allows disclosure of tax return information to State for purposes of processing passports of individuals with a seriously delinquent tax debt. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report on the merits and feasibility of converting from a retrospective antidumping and countervailing duty collection system to a prospective one, including an estimate of resulting costs and cost savings. Requires the Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to report on the effectiveness of each USAID foreign assistance program and project. Directs the Department of Justice to convert all X-ray systems in federal prisons from analog, film-based systems to digital, filmless systems by 2015. Prohibits the Department of the Treasury from minting or issuing any coin, or engraving or printing any U.S. currency, that costs more to produce than the denomination of such coin or currency. Requires the Director of the Government Publishing Office to make any document of the House of Representatives or Senate available only in an electronic format accessible through the Internet and prohibits the printing or distribution of a printed copy of any such document, with a limited exception for requests by any person for whom the Director would have been required to provide a printed copy. TITLE III--SAVE III Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency III Act Requires the OMB to issue software licensing policies for federal agencies. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to expand the definition of "energy or water conservation measure" to include, in the case of a contract in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is a party: (1) the purchase or lease of low emission and fuel efficient vehicles; (2) the upgrade of USPS vehicles to increase average fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions; or (3) the construction of infrastructure to support such vehicles, including electric vehicle charging stations. Directs the Postmaster General to develop guidelines for USPS vehicles that provide for specified carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy standards. Requires the head of each federal agency to ensure that agency desktop computers are shut down for at least 4 hours out of each 24-hour time period, except for certain computers that are in use for 16 or more hours per day. Denies payment of civil service retirement benefits and requires forfeiture of thrift saving plan agency contributions for federal employees who are convicted of certain public corruption offenses. Requires DOD to implement specified criteria in requests for overseas contingency operations. Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to direct each federal facility energy manager, not later than two years after completion of a comprehensive energy evaluation of a federal agency's facilities, to consider: (1) implementing any energy-saving or conservation measure identified in the evaluation that is life cycle cost-effective, and (2) bundling individual measures of varying paybacks together into combined projects. Directs HHS to examine and report on which payments may be made under both the Medicare Advantage Program and the veterans health care system or the TRICARE program for health care furnished to individuals eligible under such programs. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare beneficiaries with an option to receive statements of benefits in a electronic format. TITLE IV--SAVE IV Savings, Accountability, Value, & Efficiency IV Act or the SAVE Act IV Sets forth reporting requirements for: (1) the Department of Treasury on the challenges that identity theft poses for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), especially the ability of IRS to identify false tax returns before fraudulent refunds are issued; (2) HHS on whether the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for Medicare is more cost effective than the rental of such equipment and supplies; and (3) DOD on streamlining the management of contracts for DOD foreign language support programs. Requires: (1) DOD to award a contract to a private auditor to perform an audit of DOD financial statements for FY2018, and (2) the Secretaries of the military departments to enter into contracts for the performance of maintenance and administrative functions at military installations under their jurisdiction with a proximately-located local or state government.

Safe Food Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015

Safe Food Act of 2015 This bill establishes the Food Safety Administration (FSA) as an independent agency to administer and enforce food safety laws. The functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws are transferred to the FSA. The FSA is directed to: promulgate regulations to protect the food supply from contamination; implement federal food safety inspection, labeling, enforcement, and research efforts to protect the public health; develop consistent and science-based standards for safe food; prioritize federal food safety efforts and deployment of resources to achieve the greatest benefit in reducing foodborne illness; administer a national food safety program based on an analysis of the hazards associated with different foods and the processing of different foods; require that all food and feed facilities register before operation or importation of food, feed, or ingredients; establish an accreditation system for foreign governments seeking to certify food for importation to the United States; establish requirements for tracing food and animals from point of origin to retail sale; establish and administer a food safety technology program to foster innovations with the potential to improve food safety; maintain or access an active surveillance system of food and epidemiological evidence; establish a sampling system to monitor contaminants in food; rank categories of food based on their health hazard; establish a national public education campaign on food safety; and conduct research relating to food safety. This bill includes provisions regarding prohibited acts, recall authority, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistle-blower protection, and civil actions.

Safe Food Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015

Safe Food Act of 2015 This bill establishes the Food Safety Administration (FSA) as an independent agency to administer and enforce food safety laws. The functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws are transferred to the FSA. The FSA is directed to: promulgate regulations to protect the food supply from contamination; implement federal food safety inspection, labeling, enforcement, and research efforts to protect the public health; develop consistent and science-based standards for safe food; prioritize federal food safety efforts and deployment of resources to achieve the greatest benefit in reducing foodborne illness; administer a national food safety program based on an analysis of the hazards associated with different foods and the processing of different foods; require that all food and feed facilities register before operation or importation of food, feed, or ingredients; establish an accreditation system for foreign governments seeking to certify food for importation to the United States; establish requirements for tracing food and animals from point of origin to retail sale; establish and administer a food safety technology program to foster innovations with the potential to improve food safety; maintain or access an active surveillance system of food and epidemiological evidence; establish a sampling system to monitor contaminants in food; rank categories of food based on their health hazard; establish a national public education campaign on food safety; and conduct research relating to food safety. This bill includes provisions regarding prohibited acts, recall authority, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistle-blower protection, and civil actions.

An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2015

Authorizes expenditures by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry for the 114th Congress.

Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 26 January 2015

Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015 Amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of "marihuana." Defines "industrial hemp" to mean the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Deems Cannabis sativa L. to meet that concentration limit if a person grows or processes it for purposes of making industrial hemp in accordance with state law.

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2015 Authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell or exchange any or all interest of the United States in 30 tracts of National Forest System land in Georgia totaling approximately 3,841 acres. Authorizes USDA to reserve any rights-of-way or other rights or interests in land sold or exchanged under this Act that is considered necessary for management purposes or to protect the public interest. Prohibits USDA from selling or exchanging land under this Act for less than market value, as determined by an appraisal or through a competitive bid. Requires proceeds to be used for the acquisition of land for national forest purposes in Georgia.

Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2015

Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015 This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2016-FY2025 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.

Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015

Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2015 Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to direct the Department of the Interior to provide Indian tribes with technical assistance in planning their energy resource development programs. Makes intertribal organizations eligible for Department of Energy (DOE) Indian energy education planning and management assistance program grants. Makes tribal energy development organizations eligible for DOE energy development loan guarantees. Allows leases and business agreements that pool, unitize, or communitize a tribe's energy resources with other energy resources. Requires an energy-related tribal lease, business agreement, or grant of a right-of-way made without Interior's approval to comply with a tribal energy resource agreement between the tribe and Interior, unless it is a lease with a tribal energy development organization that Interior has certified. Alters the process and conditions for Interior's approval of tribal energy resource agreements. Alters the process for determining whether an interested party has a valid claim to be suffering an adverse environmental impact due to a tribe's noncompliance with such agreement. Directs DOE to collaborate with the Directors of the National Laboratories in making the full array of DOE technical and scientific resources available for tribal energy activities and projects. Amends the Federal Power Act to include Indian tribes, along with states and municipalities, as having preference for the receipt of preliminary hydroelectric licenses. Amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct Interior, for land under Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction, or the Department of Agriculture, for land under Forest Service jurisdiction, to enter into agreements with Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations for the conduct of demonstration projects to promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing them with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to prescribe requirements for direct home weatherization grants to Indian tribes upon request when low-income Indian beneficiaries would not be better served if the grant went to their state. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allow Interior, an affected Indian tribe, or a certified third-party appraiser under contract with the Indian tribe to appraise Indian mineral or energy resources involved in a transaction requiring Interior's approval. Amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to authorize the Navajo Nation to enter into commercial or agricultural leases of up to 99 years on their restricted lands without Interior approval. Allows the Navajo Nation to enter into 25-year (renewable) mineral resource leases on its restricted lands without Interior's approval if they are executed under approved tribal regulations. Limits oil and gas leases to terms of up to 10 years if oil or gas is being produced in a paying quantity. Allows the Crow Tribe of Montana to enter into leases on its restricted land for a term of up to 99 years. Requires that any advance payments, bid deposits, or other earnest money received by Interior, subject to a certain restriction, in connection with the review and approval of a sale, lease, permit, or any other conveyance of any interest in any trust or restricted land of any Indian tribe or individual Indian, upon request by the tribe or individual Indian, to be held in the trust fund system, upon receipt and before contract or instrument approval, for the benefit of the Indian tribe and individual Indian from whose land the funds were generated.

Planning for American Energy Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015

Planning for American Energy Act of 2015 Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) and the Secretary of Agriculture to publish every four years a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy to direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation in order to promote the energy and national security of the United States in accordance with the Bureau of Land Management mission to promote the multiple use of federal lands. Instructs the Secretary to consult with the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration on the projected energy demands of the United States for the next 30 years and on how energy derived from federal onshore lands can put the United States on a trajectory that meets such demand during the next four years, with a goal for increasing energy independence and production. Requires the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from such lands. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy. Grants the relevant Secretary all necessary authority to make determinations regarding which additional federal lands available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs will be available to meet the production objectives established by the strategies. Directs the Secretary also to take all necessary actions to achieve such objectives unless the President determines that it is not in U.S. national security and economic interests to increase federal domestic energy production and to further decrease dependence upon foreign energy sources. Requires the Secretary, within 12 months of this Act's enactment, to complete a programmatic environmental impact statement in accordance with certain requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Deems such statement sufficient to be in compliance with NEPA requirements for all necessary resource management and land use plans associated with implementation of the Strategy. Requires the Secretary to submit to: (1) the President and Congress, each proposed strategy, together with comments received from the affected states, federally recognized tribes, and local governments prior to publishing it; and (2) Congress the first Strategy within 18 months of enactment.

Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015

Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of the Interior to offer for disposal by competitive sale certain federal lands in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, previously identified as suitable for disposal in the report submitted to Congress on May 27, 1997, pursuant to the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996.

Secure the Border First Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015

Secure the Border First Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit Border Security Verification Commission (BSVC) and Government Accountability Office reports, at specified intervals, that assess and describe the state of situational awareness and operational control along the northern and southern U.S. borders. Defines "situational awareness" as knowledge and an understanding of current unlawful cross-border activity, the ability to forecast future shifts in such threats and trends, and the operational capability to conduct continuous and integrated surveillance of such borders. Directs DHS to: (1) submit and implement an operational plan to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas within two years after enactment of this Act and operational control and situational awareness along the southern land border of the United States within five years; and (2) notify Congress that such objectives have been obtained and maintained, which notification shall be certified by the BSVC. Specifies: (1) additional capabilities to be deployed to the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors and the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean and Gulf Maritime regions to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the southern border; (2) fencing to be constructed or replaced in the Border Patrol's San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Rio Grande Valley, El Centro, Yuma, El Paso, and Big Bend sectors; (3) road construction or maintenance projects to be completed in the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Big Bend, El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (4) boat ramps to be constructed in the Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (5) access gates to be constructed in the Rio Grande Valley sector; and (6) forward operating bases to be constructed in the El Paso, Tucson, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande sectors. Directs the Border Patrol to coordinate with the heads of each relevant federal and state agency to eradicate the Carrizo cane plant along the Rio Grande River. Requires the Border Patrol to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at ports of entry, (2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at ports of entry, (3) the Coast Guard and the CBP to jointly implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the maritime environment, and (4) the CBP to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the aviation environment. Requires the BSVC to assess and the Comptroller General to report on the statistical validity of the data and methodology used to develop such metrics. Establishes the BSVC and a special congressional commission on border security to determine the criteria for recommending the three presidential appointees to the BSVC. Terminates the BSVC after determining the accuracy of the tenth annual metrics submission required under this Act. Directs the Border Patrol to impose a consequence for each alien apprehended pursuant to the Border Patrol's Consequence Delivery System. Authorizes the Border Patrol to alter the capability deployment requirements of this Act upon determining that the principal border security threats require alteration. Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to allocate additional DOD aviation assets to the southern border to assist DHS in achieving situational awareness and operational control. Sets personnel levels for the Border Patrol's active duty agents, CBP's Office of Field Operations officers, and CBP's Office of Air and Marine agents. Requires: (1) DHS to ensure a minimum of not fewer than 130,000 annual flight hours of the Office of Air and Marine, and (2) the Office of Air and Marine to operate unmanned aerial systems not less than 16 hours per day, seven days per week. Requires the Office of Air and Marine to assign the greatest prioritization to support Border Patrol requests to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas and operational control and situational awareness along the southern border. Authorizes the Border Patrol to transfer its agents, on a voluntary basis, to high traffic areas and to provide an incentive bonus for any such transfer. Prohibits the Departments of the Interior or Agriculture (USDA) from impeding, prohibiting, or restricting CBP activities on federal land located within 100 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico to execute search and rescue operations, and to prevent all unlawful entries into the United States. Directs DHS: (1) to submit an implementation plan to establish a biometric exit data system to complete the integrated biometric entry and exit data system; (2) within two years after enactment of this Act, to establish a biometric exit data system at the 15 U.S. airports and the 15 U.S. seaports that support the highest volume of international air and sea travel and the 15 U.S. land ports of entry that support the highest volume of pedestrian crossings; and (3) within five years, to expand such system to all land, air, and sea ports of entry. Prohibits travel, training, bonuses, or salary increases for DHS political appointees if the metrics requirements, the objectives relating to the achievement of situational awareness and operational control, or the biometric exit data system requirements are not met. Directs DHS to submit a northern border threat analysis. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS a program known as Operation Stonegarden, under which DHS shall make grants to eligible law enforcement agencies to enhance border security. Authorizes the sale or donation of certain excess personal property of DOD for border security activities. Directs DOD to reimburse states for the cost of the deployment of any National Guard units or personnel to perform operations and missions under State Active Duty status in support of a southern border mission, subject to a specified cap. Directs DHS to hire, train, and assign to duty, by September 30, 2019: (1) 5,000 full-time CBP officers to serve on all inspection lanes and enforcement teams at U.S. land ports of entry on the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico; and (2) 350 full-time support staff for all U.S. ports of entry. Directs DHS to submit: (1) a report on a plan for ensuring the placement of sufficient CBP officers on outbound inspections, and adequate outbound infrastructure, at all land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border; (2) a report on a plan for each of DHS, USDA, and the Department of Health and Human Services for ensuring the placement of sufficient CBP agriculture specialists, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service entomologist identifier specialists, Food and Drug Administration consumer safety officers, and other relevant and related personnel at all land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border; and (3) an annual report that details the implementation plan for required staff enhancements. Directs DHS to ensure that each CBP officer is equipped with a secure two-way communication and satellite-enabled device that allows CBP officers to communicate between ports of entry and inspection stations and with law enforcement entities. Requires DHS to establish a program for awarding grants for the purchase of: (1) identification and detection equipment; and (2) mobile, hand-held, two-way communication devices for law enforcement officers serving on the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorizes CBP to aid in the enforcement of federal customs, immigration, and agriculture laws by: (1) designing, constructing, and modifying U.S. ports of entry, living quarters for personnel, technology and equipment, and other structures and facilities; (2) acquiring land necessary to carry out CBP's duties; (3) implementing a biometric exit data system; and (4) constructing additional ports of entry along the U.S.borders with Mexico and Canada. Directs CBP, in coordination with the General Services Administration (GSA), to give priority consideration to projects that will substantially: reduce commercial and passenger vehicle and pedestrian crossing wait times at ports of entry; increase trade, travel efficiency, and the projected total annual volume at ports of entry; enhance safety and security at border facilities; reduce the flow of cross-border threats; and substantially reduce passenger vehicle and pedestrian crossing wait times by upgrading or expanding existing ports of entry. Requires DHS to consult with Interior, USDA, the Secretary of State, the International Boundary and Water Commission, the International Joint Commission, and appropriate representatives of states, Indian tribes, local governments, and property owners to: (1) determine locations for new ports of entry; and (2) minimize adverse impacts from such ports on the environment, historic and cultural resources, commerce, and the quality of life of the communities and residents located near such ports. Permits DHS, upon determining that the acquisition of a leasehold interest in real property and the construction or modification of any facility on the leased property is necessary to facilitate the implementation of this Act, to acquire such interest and construct or modify such facility. Allows CBP and GSA, over a 10-year period, to: (1) enter into cost-sharing or reimbursement agreements or accept donations of real or personal property to facilitate the construction, alteration, operation, or maintenance of a facility or other infrastructure at a port of entry; and (2) transfer property or services between the CBP and GSA for activities related to a port of entry. Directs CBP to: (1) consider the impact of a proposal submitted for such an agreement on reducing wait times at that and other ports of entry, the proposal's potential to increase trade and travel efficiency through added capacity, and the proposal's potential to enhance the security of the port of entry; and (2) report annually on agreements entered into. Directs DHS to: (1) develop a strategic plan for standardized collection of vehicle wait times at land ports of entry; (2) develop a standardized model for the allocation of CBP officers and support staff at land ports of entry that utilizes current and future operational priorities and threats, historical staffing levels and patterns, and anticipated traffic flows; and (3) identify and adopt not less than two new outcome-based performance measures that support the trade facilitation goals of CBP, which measures shall include the extent to which trusted traveler and shipper program participants experience decreased annual percentage wait time, and an annual reduction in percentage of referrals to secondary inspection facilities, compared to nonparticipants. Authorizes CBP, for a 10-year period, to enter into a partnership with a requesting person under which CBP will provide, and the person will pay a fee to reimburse CBP for the cost of providing, services related to customs, agricultural processing, border security, or immigration inspection-related matters at land border ports of entry.

Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2015

Elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Agriculture; (2) the Budget; (3) House Administration; (4) Natural Resources; (5) Oversight and Government Reform; (6) Science, Space, and Technology; (7) Small Business; and (8) Veterans' Affairs.

Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2015

Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the importation of any seafood from a foreign country unless the country complies with U.S. standards for seafood manufacturing, processing, and holding. Requires an annual inspection of each foreign facility that exports seafood to the United States to ensure compliance with U.S. standards. Requires periodic follow-up inspections of foreign facilities as determined necessary by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Requires the FDA to inspect and test not less than 20% of all imported seafood each year and the first 15 shipments of seafood imported from a new exporter. Sets forth procedures in the event an exporter fails to meet inspection or test requirements. Directs the FDA to refuse entry of all seafood shipments from a country that repeatedly fails to meet inspection or testing requirements and establish exporter fees as necessary. Requires the detention or destruction of imported seafood that fails to meet safety standards unless the shipment meets criteria for re-export. Allows importation of seafood at only those U.S. ports of entry that have the personnel trained to conduct the applicable testing and inspections. Prohibits making a knowingly false statement with respect to a test or inspection under this Act or knowingly misbranding any seafood imported under this Act. Establishes a civil penalty for violations. Authorizes the FDA to establish a program under which a state may conduct inspection, testing, and certification of U.S. seafood imports.

Family Farmer Bankruptcy Clarification Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2015

Family Farmer Bankruptcy Clarification Act of 2015 Amends chapter 12 of federal bankruptcy law (Debt Adjustment of a Family Farmer or Fisherman with Regular Annual Income) with respect to discharge of governmental claims based upon the disposition of property used in a farming operation. Treats any unsecured claim of a governmental unit against the debtor or debtor's estate as an unsecured debt (hence, not entitled to priority payment), if it results from the sale, transfer, exchange, or other disposition of any property used in the debtor's farming operation and it arises either: (1) before the petition in bankruptcy is filed, or (2) after such filing but before the debtor's discharge. Authorizes a governmental unit to file a proof for a claim that arises after the date on which the petition is filed. Requires such debt to be discharged in accordance with specified discharge procedures. States that, for purposes of applying procedures governing plan confirmation, discharge, and modification after plan confirmation, the amount that would be paid on the claim if the estate were liquidated under chapter 7 shall be the amount that would be paid by the estate in a chapter 7 case if the claim were an unsecured claim arising before the date on which the petition was filed and not entitled to priority payment status.

Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2015

Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit Border Security Verification Commission (BSVC) and Government Accountability Office reports, at specified intervals, that assess the state of situational awareness and operational control along the northern and southern U.S. borders. Defines "situational awareness" as knowledge and an understanding of current unlawful cross-border activity, the ability to forecast future shifts in such threats and trends, and the operational capability to conduct continuous and integrated surveillance of such borders. Directs DHS to: (1) submit and implement an operational plan to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas within two years after enactment of this Act and operational control and situational awareness along the southern land border of the United States within five years; and (2) notify Congress that such objectives have been obtained and maintained, which notification shall be certified by the BSVC. Specifies: (1) additional capabilities to be deployed to the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors and the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean and Gulf Maritime regions to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the southern border; (2) fencing to be constructed or replaced in the Border Patrol's San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Rio Grande Valley, El Centro, Yuma, El Paso, and Big Bend sectors; (3) road construction or maintenance projects to be completed in the San Diego, El Centro, Yuma, Tucson, Big Bend, El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (4) boat ramps to be constructed in the Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande Valley sectors; (5) access gates to be constructed in the Rio Grande Valley sector; and (6) forward operating bases to be constructed in the El Paso, Tucson, Big Bend, Del Rio, Laredo, and Rio Grande sectors. Directs the Border Patrol to coordinate with the heads of each relevant federal and state agency to eradicate the Carrizo cane plant along the Rio Grande River. Requires: (1) the Border Patrol to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security between ports of entry, (2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of security at ports of entry, (3) the Coast Guard and the CBP to jointly implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the maritime environment, and (4) the CBP to implement metrics to measure the effectiveness of security in the aviation environment. Requires the BSVC to assess and the Comptroller General to report on the statistical validity of the data and methodology used to develop such metrics. Establishes the BSVC and a special congressional commission on border security to determine the criteria for recommending the three presidential appointees to the BSVC. Terminates the BSVC after determining the accuracy of the seventh annual metrics submission required under this Act. Directs the Border Patrol to impose a consequence for each alien apprehended pursuant to the Border Patrol's Consequence Delivery System. Authorizes the Border Patrol to alter the capability deployment requirements of this Act upon determining that the principal border security threats require alteration. Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to allocate additional DOD aviation assets to the southern border to assist DHS in achieving situational awareness and operational control. Sets personnel levels for Border Patrol active duty agents, CBP's Office of Field Operations officers, and CBP's Office of Air and Marine agents. Requires: (1) DHS to ensure not fewer than 130,000 annual flight hours of the Office of Air and Marine, and (2) the Office of Air and Marine to operate unmanned aerial systems not less than 16 hours per day, seven days per week. Requires the Office of Air and Marine to assign the greatest prioritization to support Border Patrol requests to gain and maintain situational awareness and operational control of high traffic areas and operational control and situational awareness along the southern border. Authorizes the Border Patrol to transfer its agents, on a voluntary basis, to high traffic areas and to provide an incentive bonus for any such transfer. Prohibits the Departments of the Interior or Agriculture from impeding, prohibiting, or restricting CBP activities on federal land located within 100 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico to execute search and rescue operations and to prevent all unlawful entries into the United States. Directs DHS: (1) to submit an implementation plan to establish a biometric exit data system to complete the integrated biometric entry and exit data system; (2) within two years after enactment of this Act, to establish a biometric exit data system at the 15 U.S. airports and the 15 U.S. seaports that support the highest volume of international air and sea travel and the 15 U.S. land ports of entry that support the highest volume of pedestrian crossings; and (3) within five years, to expand such system to all land, air, and sea ports of entry. Prohibits travel, training, bonuses, or salary increases for DHS political appointees if the metrics requirements, the objectives relating to the achievement of situational awareness and operational control, or the biometric exit data system requirements are not met. Directs DHS to submit a northern border threat analysis. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in DHS a program known as Operation Stonegarden, under which DHS shall make grants to eligible law enforcement agencies to enhance border security. Authorizes the sale or donation of certain excess personal property of DOD for border security activities. Directs DOD to reimburse states for the cost of the deployment of any National Guard units or personnel to perform operations and missions under State Active Duty status in support of a southern border mission, subject to a specified cap.

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act Directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a process to provide eligible organizations and individuals expedited access to federal land to conduct good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, which are searches for one or more missing individuals believed to be deceased at the time that the search is initiated. Sets forth procedures for the approval or denial of requests made by eligible organizations or individuals to carry out a good Samaritan search-and-recovery mission. Requires Interior and USDA to develop search-and-recovery focused partnerships with search-and-recovery organizations to coordinate good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and expedite and accelerate mission efforts for missing individuals.

To resolve title issues involving real property and equipment acquired using funds provided under the Alaska Kiln Drying Grant Program.

United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015

Vests title to real property and equipment acquired using funds provided under the Alaska Kiln Drying Grant Program in the grant recipient in accordance with the compensation provisions in this Act.

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require labeling of genetically engineered fish.

United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2015

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale of food that contains genetically-engineered fish unless the food bears a label stating that it contains genetically-engineered fish.

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act Directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a process to provide eligible organizations and individuals expedited access to federal land to conduct good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, which are searches for one or more missing individuals believed to be deceased at the time that the search is initiated. Sets forth procedures for the approval or denial of requests made by eligible organizations or individuals to carry out a good Samaritan search-and-recovery mission. Requires Interior and USDA to develop search-and-recovery focused partnerships with search-and-recovery organizations to coordinate good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, and expedite and accelerate mission efforts for missing individuals.

Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015

Elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Appropriations; (2) Agriculture; (3) Armed Services; (4) the Budget; (5) Education and the Workforce; (6) Ethics; (7) Foreign Affairs; (8) Homeland Security; (9) the Judiciary; (10) Natural Resources; (11) Oversight and Government Reform; (12) Science, Space, and Technology; (13) Small Business; (14) Transportation and Infrastructure; and (15) Veterans' Affairs.

Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2015

Elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Agriculture; (2) Appropriations; (3) Armed Services; (4) Education and the Workforce; (5) Energy and Commerce; (6) Financial Services; (7) Foreign Affairs; (8) Homeland Security; (9) the Judiciary; (10) Natural Resources; (11) Oversight and Government Reform; (12) Science, Space, and Technology; (13) Small Business; (14) Transportation and Infrastructure; (15) Veterans' Affairs; and (16) Ways and Means.

Public Access to Public Land Guarantee Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2015

Public Access to Public Land Guarantee Act Directs the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture, with respect to land under their respective jurisdictions, pursuant to a state or local government offer, to enter into an agreement under which the United States may accept funds from the state or local government to reopen any unit of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, or the National Forest System within the state or local government during any period in which there is a lapse in appropriations for that unit. Makes such authority effective only during a period in which the department is unable to operate and manage covered units at normal levels. Requires the appropriate department to refund to the state or local government all amounts it provided to the United States under such an agreement: (1) upon enactment of an Act retroactively appropriating amounts sufficient to maintain normal operating levels at the reopened covered unit, or (2) on the date on which the state or local government establishes that the department collected entrance or user fees for the covered units during the period in which the agreement was in effect. Allows the appropriate department, if such refund requirements are not met, to reimburse the state or local government voluntarily for any amounts it provided to the United States under such an agreement.

Recognizing the anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives, and expressing continued solidarity with the Haitian people.

United States · United States Congress · 9 January 2015

Honors: (1) those who lost their lives due to the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010; and (2) the sacrifice of the men and women of the government of Haiti, the U.S. government, the United Nations (U.N.), and the international community for their response to the calamity. Expresses solidarity with the people of Haiti as they work to rebuild their neighborhoods, livelihoods, and country. Reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to support long-term Haitian reconstruction. Supports the Administration's efforts to: (1) increase food security in Haiti through sustainable agriculture programs; (2) shore up housing initiatives; (3) prevent the spread of cholera, treat persons who contract the disease, and provide technical assistance to the Haitian Ministry of Public Health; and (4) improve water, sanitation, and health systems. Urges the President and the international community to: (1) focus assistance on Haiti's public sector capacity to provide basic services, (2) develop and improve communications and participatory mechanisms to more substantially involve Haitian civil society at all stages of the cholera and post-earthquake responses, and (3) give priority to programs that protect vulnerable populations. Urges the President to: (1) make necessary resources available to U.S. and U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private volunteer organizations, and regional institutions; (2) support U.N. efforts to eliminate cholera from the island of Hispaniola; (3) lead humanitarian and development efforts with the government of Haiti, the Haitian Diaspora, and international actors; (4) improve the monitoring of U.S. government-funded aid programs; and (5) work with Haitian authorities and private landowners to prevent evictions of internally displaced person communities.

Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015

Klamath Basin Water Recovery and Economic Restoration Act of 2015 Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Hydroelectric Settlement (Settlement), the Klamath River Basin Restoration Agreement for the Sustainability of Public and Trust Resources and Affected Communities (Restoration Agreement), and the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement (Upper Basin Agreement) and any amendments that are executed to make them consistent with this Act. Directs: (1) the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Agriculture to promptly execute and implement the Restoration Agreement; (2) the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce to promptly execute and implement the Upper Basin Agreement; and (3) the Secretary, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to implement the Settlement to the extent that it does not conflict with this Act. Includes in the Klamath Reclamation Project's purposes irrigation, reclamation, flood control, municipal uses, industrial uses, power, fish and wildlife purposes, and National Wildlife Refuge purposes. Prohibits water allocations for fish and wildlife and National Wildlife Refuge purposes from adversely affecting water allocations for irrigation purposes, with the exception of allocations to refuges as provided for in the Restoration Agreement. Provides for the disposition of net revenues from the leasing of refuge land within the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Authorizes the Klamath Tribes, and the United States acting as trustee for such Tribes, to make the commitments set forth in the Restoration Agreement and Upper Basin Agreement in consideration of: (1) the benefits those Agreements provide to the Tribes, and (2) the resolution of any contest or exception the Klamath Project Water Users and Off-Project Irrigators had to the Tribes' water rights claims. Authorizes the Karuk Tribe and Yurok Tribe to make the commitments set forth in the Restoration Agreement in consideration for the commitments of the Klamath Project Water Users described in that Agreement and the other benefits provided in that Agreement and this Act. Authorizes the Klamath Tribes, Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, and any other federally recognized tribes of the Klamath Basin that become party to the Restoration Agreement after this Act's enactment to relinquish and release certain claims against the United States. Amends the Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary, consistent with the Agreements, to carry out any activities to: (1) align water supplies with demand; (2) limit the net costs of power used to manage water for the Klamath Project, the On-Project Power Users, irrigators in the Off-Project Area, and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex; and (3) restore any ecosystem and otherwise protect fish and wildlife in the Klamath Basin watershed. Establishes in the Treasury the Klamath Tribes Tribal Resource Fund to be administered by the Secretary for the benefit of the Klamath Tribes in accordance with the Upper Basin Agreement. Authorizes the Klamath Tribes to submit a tribal investment plan for funds disbursed to the Tribes. Requires the Klamath Tribes to submit for the Secretary's approval an economic development plan for the use of the Fund. Requires that plan to include a resource acquisition and enhancement plan that requires at least 50% of the amount appropriated each fiscal year for the Fund to be used to enhance, restore, and utilize the natural resources of the Tribes in a manner that also provides for the Tribes' economic development and benefits adjacent non-Indian communities. Prohibits any amount in the Fund or revenue from any water use contract from being distributed to any member of the Klamath Tribes on a per capita basis. Requires the Tribes to make the commitments set forth in the Agreements and to be in substantial compliance with those commitments before amounts in the Fund are disbursed. Directs the Governors of Oregon and California and the Secretary, in accordance with the Settlement, to jointly: (1) determine whether to proceed with the removal of the Iron Gate Dam, the Copco No. 1 Dam, the Copco No. 2 Dam, and the J.C. Boyle Dam on the Klamath River based on factors identified in the Settlement; and (2) designate a dam removal entity if they decide to proceed. Requires the Secretary to accept title to the Keno Dam in Klamath County, Oregon, upon receiving notice that the dam removal entity is ready to remove the J.C. Boyle Dam. Terminates FERC's jurisdiction over the Keno Dam and makes it part of the Klamath Reclamation Project upon the Secretary's acceptance of title to it. Requires FERC to: (1) issue an order approving partial surrender of the license for the East Side and West Side Developments associated with the Link River Dam upon PacifiCorp's filing of an application for such surrender; and (2) resume timely consideration of the pending licensing application for the Fall Creek Development within 60 days after title to the Iron Gate Dam is transferred to the dam removal entity, regardless of whether PacifiCorp retains ownership of the Development. Transfers title to PacifiCorp's California hatchery facilities to California when the dam removal entity takes title to the Iron Gate Dam or such other time as may be agreed to by the Settlement parties. Authorizes the Secretary, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with state, tribal, and local governments and private entities to implement the Act, the Settlement, and the Agreements. Requires priority to be given to the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, the Klamath Tribes, and any other federally recognized tribes of the Klamath Basin that become party to the Restoration Agreement in awarding grants or contracts to implement the fisheries programs in that Agreement.

Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2015

Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015 Amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of "marihuana." Defines "industrial hemp" to mean the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Deems Cannabis sativa L. to meet that concentration limit if a person grows or processes it for purposes of making industrial hemp in accordance with state law, unless the Attorney General determines that the state law is not reasonably calculated to comply with such definition.

Kisatchie National Forest Land Conveyance Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015

Kisatchie National Forest Land Conveyance Act Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to sell specified federal land in Winn Parish, Louisiana. Requires USDA to sell a portion of that land to Collins Camp Properties for the Collins Campsites. Requires sale proceeds to be used for the acquisition of lands and interests in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana.

TIME Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015

Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act or the TIME Act Directs the Secretary of Labor to discontinue issuing to any new profit or non-profit or governmental entity special wage certificates (which permit individuals with disabilities, including individuals employed in agriculture, to be paid at lower than minimum wages). Prescribes requirements for a three-year phase-out of all certificates. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to repeal authority and requirements for the issuance of such certificates three years after enactment of this Act. Requires revocation of any certificates remaining at that time.

Farmers Against Crippling Taxes Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015

Farmers Against Crippling Taxes Act Repeals the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes.

Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015

Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act of 2013 This bill amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow an agricultural producer, or a hunter with the producer's permission, to take migratory game birds by the aid of baiting, if: (1) the manipulation occurs on the producer's land on which a crop was not harvestable during the current or immediately preceding crop year due to a natural disaster, and (2) a local representative of the Department of Agriculture confirms that the crop has been destroyed and that it would not be economically practicable to harvest the crop.

Food Stamp Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2015

Food Stamp Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to disqualify from the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) any person who has been found to have intentionally used an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card issued to a household of which the person is not a member. Requires an EBT card to include a list of the members of a household eligible to use the card, if a state agency does not require the card to include a photograph. Requires a member of a household using an EBT card to show photographic identification at the point of sale.

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 2017

United States · United States House of Representatives · 6 January 2015

Wildfire Disaster Funding Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Wildfire Disaster Funding Act This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2015-FY2022 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior. If USDA or Interior determines that supplemental appropriations are necessary for wildfire suppression operations, the bill requires the relevant department to submit to Congress a request for the funding and a plan for obligating the funds. The bill also requires the President's budget to include the average costs for wildfire suppression over the previous 10 years.

Securing the Assistance of Victims of Exploitation Act of 2015 (SAVE Act)

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Securing the Assistance of Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 (SAVE Act) Prohibits funds made available to carry out the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 from being used in contravention of provisions of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 expanding the eligibility of human trafficking victims to receive services and benefits under certain federal or state programs, such as the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).

Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2015 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide increased protections and eligibility for family-sponsored immigrants. Directs the Secretary of State to establish a Board of Family-based Visa Appeals within the Department of State. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary in the rest of this bill) to deny a family-based immigration petition by a U.S. petitioner for an alien spouse or child if: (1) the petitioner is on the national sex offender registry for a conviction that resulted in more than one year's imprisonment, (2) the petitioner has failed to rebut such information within 90 days, and (3) granting the petition would put a spouse or child beneficiary in danger of sexual abuse. Directs the Secretary to establish the Task Force to Rescue Immigrant Victims of American Sex Offenders. Authorizes the Secretary to adjust the status of aliens who would otherwise be inadmissible (due to unlawful presence, document fraud, or other specified grounds of inadmissibility) if such aliens have been in the United States for at least five years and meet other requirements. Authorizes the emergency deployment of Border Patrol agents to a requesting border state. Sets forth provisions for Border Patrol acquisition and use of specified equipment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for additional detention space for illegal aliens; (2) increase Border Patrol agents, airport and land border immigration inspectors, immigration enforcement officers, and fraud and document fraud investigators; (3) enhance Border Patrol training and operational facilities; (4) establish immigration, customs, and agriculture inspector occupations within the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection; (5) reestablish the Border Patrol anti-smuggling unit; (6) establish criminal investigator occupations within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); (7) increase Border Patrol agent and investigator pay; (8) require foreign language training for appropriate DHS employees; and (9) establish the Fraudulent Documents Task Force. Redefines the term "law enforcement officer" under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm, and (2) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. Authorizes S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant status for aliens in possession of critical reliable information concerning commercial alien smuggling or trafficking in immigration documents. Establishes a reward program to assist in eliminating immigration-related commercial document fraud operations. Sets forth unfair immigration-related employment practices. Requires petitioners for nonimmigrant labor to describe their efforts to recruit lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens. Makes permanent an INA provision allowing adjustment of status of certain aliens for whom family-sponsored or employment-based applications or petitions were filed by a specified date. Lessens immigration consequences for minor criminal offenses. Eliminates retroactive changes in grounds of inadmissibility and removal. Amends criminal offense removal-related provisions. Increases the worldwide level of diversity immigrants. Authorizes adjustment of status for certain nationals or citizens of Haiti. Eliminates mandatory detention in expedited removal proceedings. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) waive document fraud as a ground of inadmissibility, and (2) address determinations with respect to children. Eliminates the one-year filing requirement for asylum applicants. Includes gender persecution within the particular social group category of persecution. Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain temporary protected status persons. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to eliminate a provision prohibiting restrictions on the communication of immigration status information by a government entity. Replaces the existing fashion model H-1B visa classification with an O-visa classification.

Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Reserve Act to require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) to consider specified economic impacts of any regulation before issuing it. Directs the Board, in deciding whether and how to regulate, to assess the costs and benefits of regulatory alternatives, including the alternative of not regulating, and choose the approach that maximizes net benefits. Prescribes forth additional considerations, including market liquidity in the securities markets and global competitiveness. Requires the Board, whenever it adopts or amends a regulation designated as a"major rule," to make a post-adoption impact assessment, including intended and unintended consequences of the regulation. Requires a one-week blackout period before each meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, until midnight of the day after the meeting, during which restrictions are imposed upon public communications by Board members and staff, with specified exceptions, regarding macroeconomic or financial developments or current or prospective monetary policy issues. Applies to Board members and staff the ethics standards that apply to Securities and Exchange commission (SEC) employees with respect to financial interests and transactions. Prescribes requirements for disclosure of brokerage accounts. Directs the Board to make publicly available on its website staff salaries and financial information. Directs the Comptroller General to study the employee pay and pay scale used by the Board. Requires the Vice Chairman for Supervision to testify to Congress on the status of all pending and anticipated Board rulemakings. Revises requirements for Board communications with Congress. Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to require the Board to: (1) issue regulations for nonbank financial company stress test conditions, and (2) disclose and update publicly the aggregate number of supervisory letters sent to bank holding companies. Requires the Board to: (1) submit audits and performance reviews to certain congressional committees, and (2) designate as chairman of the board of directors of the Federal reserve bank and as Federal reserve agent one of either class A or class B directors with tested banking experience. Eliminates Class C Directors who are required to represent the public with due but not exclusive consideration to the interests of agriculture, commerce, industry, services, labor, and consumers. Requires the Board to choose its chairman instead of the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Revises requirements for: (1) the terms of Board Directors, and (2) the filling of vacancies. Prohibits Board members and employees from international travel for purposes of performing any Board function. Requires the Board to notify Congress and the public before entering into negotiations with either a foreign or multinational entity. Amends the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act of 1978, and the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require the Financial Institutions Examination Council and the Financial Stability Oversight Council, before issuing any regulation, to: (1) identify and assess the nature and source of the problem to be addressed, (2) assess the costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives, and (3) make a post-adoption impact assessment of any major rule. Subjects members and employeees of both Councils to the same ethics standards and outside employment and activity requirements as govern SEC employees.

Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Agriculture; (2) Appropriations; (3) Armed Services; (4) the Budget; (5) Education and the Workforce; (6) Energy and Commerce; (7) Ethics; (8) Financial Services; (9) Foreign Affairs; (10) Homeland Security; (11) House Administration; (12) the Judiciary; (13) Natural Resources; (14) Oversight and Government Reform; (15) Rules; (16) Science, Space, and Technology; (17) Small Business; (18) Transportation and Infrastructure; (19) Veterans' Affairs; and (20) Ways and Means.

Electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Elects specified Members to the House Committees on: (1) Agriculture; (2) Appropriations; (3) Armed Services; (4) the Budget; (5) Education and the Workforce; (6) Energy and Commerce; (7) Ethics; (8) Financial Services; (9) Foreign Affairs; (10) Homeland Security; (11) House Administration; (12) the Judiciary; (13) Natural Resources; (14) Oversight and Government Reform; (15) Rules; (16) Science, Space, and Technology; (17) Small Business; (18) Transportation and Infrastructure; (19) Veterans' Affairs; and (20) Ways and Means.

Small Business Export Growth Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 6 January 2015

Small Business Export Growth Act of 2015 Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to revise the duties of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). Requires the TPCC to: (1) identify opportunities to consolidate or co-locate offices of federal agencies involved in export promotion and export financing activities; (2) assess the use and coordination of electronic databases among federal agencies in support of such activities; and (3) provide a detailed listing of current and future federal and state-led trade missions, trade fairs, and related activities to ensure better delivery of services to U.S. businesses. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to make available information on federal and state-led trade missions, trade fairs, and related activities on the Export.gov website. Requires the governmentwide strategic plan for federal trade promotion efforts to: (1) clearly identify and explain the role, goals, and objectives of each agency represented on the TPCC with respect its export promotion and export financing activities; (2) include any recommendations of the Comptroller General relating to coordination of the agencies represented on the TPCC; and (3) reflect the recommendations of the U.S. Travel Association (currently, U.S. National Tourism Organization) to the degree considered appropriate by the TPCC. Directs the President to establish a State and Federal Export Promotion Coordination Working Group as a subcommittee of the TPCC to develop a strategy for improving coordination of federal and state resources for small business export promotion and export financing activities. Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce to report annually to Congress on the extent to which the TPCC is successfully carrying out its duties. Requires the Associate Administrator for International Trade of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to report to Congress on recommendations for improving the experience of the Export.gov website as a comprehensive export information resource and a single website for exporters to submit all federally required information on the exportation of articles from the United States. Amends the Small Business Act to require that the nationwide marketing effort of the Associate Administrator, in promoting sales opportunities for the export of small business goods and services, to conduct at least one outreach event each fiscal year in each state. Directs the SBA Administrator, the Secretary of Agriculture, the U.S. Export-Import Bank, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to establish jointly a Small Business Inter-Agency Task Force on Export Financing.

Michelle Obama Nutritional Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 January 2015

Michelle Obama Nutritional Act - Requires the nutrition and calorie standards for food purchased under the National School Lunch Program to be the same as the nutrition and calorie standards for food purchased under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program).