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101 records in US in 2014
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2014
Veterans Dependents' Parity Act - Extends the eligibility of a child for medical care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) until the child's 26th birthday, regardless of the child's marital status or whether the child is pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an educational institution.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to lease non-excess military property to local educational agencies or elementary or secondary schools at or below fair market value or for no consideration.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Honors Staff Sergeant Robert Henry Anderson for his decades of service and his contributions as a paratrooper, combat medic, plumber, and family member.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Servicemembers Foreclosure Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 to extend through calendar 2016 the one-year period after a servicemember's military service during which: (1) a court may stay proceedings to enforce an obligation on real or personal property owned by the servicemember before such military service; and (2) any sale, foreclosure, or seizure of such property shall be invalid without a court order or a waiver agreement signed by the servicemember. Repeals the revival, effective January 1, 2015, of the old nine-month period in place of the one-year period granted by such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Amends the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 with respect to the one-year period after a service member's military service during which: (1) a court may stay proceedings to enforce an obligation on real or personal property owned by the service member before such military service; and (2) any sale, foreclosure, or seizure of such property shall be invalid without a court order or waiver agreement signed by the service member. Repeals the revival, effective January 1, 2015, of the old nine-month period in place of the one-year period granted by such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2014
Supports the efforts by President Poroshenko and the people of Ukraine to establish a lasting peace for Ukraine that includes: full withdrawal of Russian forces from its territory, full control of its international borders, disarming of separatist and paramilitary forces in eastern Ukraine, adoption of policies to reduce the Russian Federation's ability to use energy exports and trade barriers as weapons to apply economic and political pressure, and an end to interference by the Russian Federation in Ukraine's internal affairs. Affirms the right of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and all countries to exercise their sovereign rights within their internationally recognized borders. Condemns the continuing political, economic, and military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and the continuing violation of their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. States that the military intervention by the Russian Federation in Ukraine: is in breach of its obligations under the United Nations Charter and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, and poses a threat to international peace. Calls on the Russian Federation to: reverse its illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, end its support of the separatist forces in Crimea, and remove its military forces from that region (other than those operating in strict accordance with its 1997 agreement on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet Stationing on the Territory of Ukraine); remove its military forces from Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, and end its political, military, and economic support of separatist forces; and end violations of the September 2014 cease fire. Calls on the President to provide the government of Ukraine with necessary defense articles, services, and intelligence in order to defend its territory and sovereignty. Calls on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and U.S. partners to suspend military cooperation with Russia. Calls on the President to cooperate with U.S. allies to: (1) refuse to recognize the Russian Federation's illegal annexation of Crimea; and (2) impose visa bans, asset freezes, and sanctions on the Russian Federation and its leadership to compel it to end its violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Urges the President, in consultation with Congress, to review the Treaty readiness of U.S. and NATO armed forces. Urges the President to hold the Russian Federation accountable for violations of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Calls on Ukraine, the European Union (EU), and other European countries to support energy diversification initiatives to reduce the Russian Federation's ability to use energy supplies as a means of applying political and economic pressure on other countries. Calls on the President and the Department of State to develop a strategy to produce or otherwise procure and distribute news and information in the Russian language to countries with significant Russian-speaking populations. Calls upon the Russian Federation to seek a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States based on respect for the independence and sovereignty of all countries.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2014
Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act or the Clay Hunt SAV Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to each arrange for an independent third party evaluation of, respectively, the VA and DOD mental health care and suicide prevention programs. Directs the VA Secretary to publish an Internet website that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with regularly updated information regarding all of the VA's mental health care services. Requires the VA Secretary and the DOD Secretary to enter into certain strategic relationships to facilitate: the mental health referrals of members of the reserve components who have a service-connected disability and are being discharged or released from the Armed Forces, timely behavioral health services for such members, communication when such members are at risk for behavioral health reasons, and the transfer of documentation for line-of-duty and fitness-for-duty determinations. Requires the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program to repay the education loans relating to psychiatric medicine that are incurred by individuals who: are eligible to practice psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) or are enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine, demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the VHA, and agree to a period of obligated service with the VHA in the field of psychiatric medicine in exchange for the repayment of such loans. Requires the DOD Secretary to submit to Congress a review of the staffing requirements for individual State National Guard Commands with respect to Directors of Psychological Health. Authorizes the VA Secretary to collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations to prevent suicide among veterans. Requires the collaborators to exchange training sessions, best practices, and other resources to enhance their suicide prevention efforts. Directs the Secretary to select a Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination within the VA to undertake any collaboration with nonprofit mental health organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2014
Overseas Security Personnel Fairness Act - Amends the Defense Base Act with respect to payment of death benefits otherwise due a widow, widower, or surviving child of an individual employed at a military, air, or naval base outside of the United States who dies as a result of a war-risk hazard or act of terrorism occurring on or after September 11, 2001, when there is no person eligible for a death benefit under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. Requires payment in such a case to: a beneficiary designated by the deceased, or the next of kin or the estate of the deceased under applicable state law if there is no designated beneficiary. Requires benefits to be paid from the Employees' Compensation Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2014
Sanction Iran, Safeguard America Act of 2014 or the SISA Act - Amends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, and the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 to eliminate authority to waive sanctions relating to: transportation of crude oil from Iran; financial institutions that engage in certain transactions; the financial sector of Iran; persons that support or conduct certain transactions with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and other sanctioned persons; the sale, supply, or transfer of certain materials to or from Iran; the provision of underwriting services or insurance or reinsurance for activities or persons with respect to which sanctions have been imposed; and foreign financial institutions that facilitate financial transactions on behalf of specially designated nationals. Amends the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 to direct the President to prohibit any correspondent account or a payable-through account opened and maintained in the United States by a foreign financial institution that has knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant financial transaction, on or after July 31, 2012, for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum, petroleum products, or petrochemical products from Iran. Requires the imposition on violators of specified sanctions under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. Requires the President to block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property in or that enter the United States (or the possession or control of a U.S. person) of any person that has, on or after July 31, 2012, materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial support or related goods or services for the National Iranian Oil Company, the Naftiran Intertrade Company, or the Central Bank of Iran. Requires the President also to block and prohibit similar transactions involving the purchase or acquisition of U.S. bank notes or precious metals by the government of Iran. Amends the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 to direct the President to block and prohibit similar transactions involving any Iranian person included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury. Directs the President to impose specified sanctions with respect to: (1) a person that has, on or after June 1, 2013, knowingly engaged in a significant financial transaction in connection with the automotive sector of Iran; (2) any related correspondent account or a payable-through account held by a foreign financial institution that has knowingly facilitated such a transaction; and (3) any foreign financial institution that has knowingly facilitated a significant financial transaction on behalf of any blocked person or specially designated Iranian national. Requires revision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require a certification from each prospective federal contractor that is part of the automotive sector of any foreign country, that the prospective contractor (and any person owned or controlled by it): (1) does not have a business relationship with the government of Iran; and (2) has not, in the previous 90 days, conducted any transaction with an Iranian person or any entity owned or controlled by one. Amends the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 to prohibit importation into the United States of refined petroleum products made using Iranian origin crude oil regardless of whether the crude oil was commingled with crude oil not of Iranian origin. Prohibits any regulatory exception to the prohibition on direct or indirect imports from Iran. Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 with respect to sanctions on petroleum transactions. Directs the President to block and prohibit all activities or transactions that contribute materially, or pose a risk of material contribution, to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or the means to deliver them. Prohibits any obligation or expenditure of authorized appropriations for negotiations with Iran until a join resolution has been enacted making specified certifications.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2014
Veterans Care Financial Protection Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) work with federal agencies, states, and such experts as the Secretary considers appropriate to develop and implement federal and state standards that protect individuals who are eligible for increased pension for a non-service-connected disability or death or for service on the basis of need for regular aid and attendance from dishonest, predatory, or otherwise unlawful practices; and (2) submit such standards to specified congressional committees not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO): (1) within one year after enactment of this Act, to report standards that would be effective in protecting such individuals if the Secretary fails to submit such standards within such 180 days; and (2) not later than 540 days after enactment of this Act, to complete a study on standards implemented under this Act and report the findings to such committees.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2014
Calls on the government of Iran to abide by its international and domestic obligations regarding human rights and civil liberties, including freedoms of assembly, speech, and press. Deplores: (1) the dramatic rise in executions of Iranian citizens by authorities since the election of President Hassan Rouhani in June 2013, and (2) Iran's mistreatment of its religious minorities. Condemns: (1) the recent execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari, a woman convicted of killing a man she said she stabbed in self-defense during a sexual assault; (2) the relentless persecution of the Baha'i minority; and (3) the undemocratic elections process that denies Iranians the ability to freely choose their own government. Calls on Iran to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Notes that the Administration has designated only one Iranian person for the commission of serious human rights abuses under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act since May 30, 2013. Urges the President to increase the utilization of all available authorities, including the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, to impose sanctions on Iranian officials and others responsible for serious human rights abuses, including by freezing assets and barring U.S. entry. Urges the U.S. government to adopt and implement the following recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom regarding Iran: to seek that violations of freedom of religion and related human rights are part of discussions with Iran, and to work with allies to apply pressure through advocacy, diplomacy, and targeted sanctions; to speak out at the highest levels about the severe religious freedom abuses in Iran, to work for the release of all prisoners of conscience, and to highlight the need for the international community to hold authorities accountable; and to call on Iran to cooperate fully with and allow the United Nations (U.N.) Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran to visit Iran. Stands with the people of Iran who seek the opportunity to freely elect a government of their choosing.
United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2014
Honors the commitment, courage, and sacrifices made by medical professionals, health care workers, government officials, military personnel, nongovernmental organizations, members of civil society, faith leaders, and volunteers engaged in the effort to combat Ebola. Calls on: (1) research and development groups and medical device companies to develop better ways to protect health workers from Ebola infection; and (2) the international community to increase its commitments of resources, services, and personnel to assist affected nations in addressing Ebola. Remains committed to mobilizing the resources and personnel necessary to fight the spread of Ebola and to protect U.S. national security and global health interests. Recognizes the need to address long-term solutions to Ebola, including by helping to build resilient public health systems.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 13 November 2014
United States · United States Senate · 13 November 2014
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
Designates the community based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) located at 310 Home Boulevard in Galesburg, Illinois, as the "Lane A. Evans VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
Reports Reduction Act of 2014 - Eliminates or modifies reporting requirements for programs of the: (1) Department of Agriculture (USDA), (2) Department of Defense (DOD), (3) Department of Education, (4) Department of Homeland Security (DHS), (5) U.S. Coast Guard, (6) Department of State, (7) Executive Office of the President, (8) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and (9) National Science Foundation (NSF). Amends the Children's Health Act of 2000 to eliminate the report on blood lead screening tests received by children. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the annual reporting requirement on disbursements from the Oil Pollution Fund and the biennial report on the oil pollution research and development program. Eliminates the annual report of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the number of federally-assisted housing units under lease and their per unit cost to HUD. Amends the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act to eliminate the reporting requirement on labor obligations. Eliminates the annual report on investigations of travel costs of federal employees on official business. Eliminates the requirement that the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States be compiled and published in printed form.
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
Designates the community based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) located at 310 Home Boulevard in Galesburg, Illinois, as the "Lane A. Evans VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic."
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act - Directs the President to appoint a White House Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection who shall coordinate and promote federal agency efforts to address international cultural property protection activities. Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary in this Act), the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Attorney General (DOJ), and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to the Coordinator information on efforts to protect international cultural property. Authorizes the Department of State, DOD, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), DOJ, the Department of the Interior, the National Archives, the National Science Foundation, and any other appropriate agency to enter into agreements with the Smithsonian Institution to engage temporarily Smithsonian personnel to assist in international cultural property protection activities. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to private individuals or organizations for international cultural property protection activities in areas at risk of destruction due to political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other disasters. Directs the President to apply specified import restrictions with respect to any archaeological or ethnological material of Syria as if Syria were a State Party to the Convention on prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property (adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).
United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2014
Ebola Response Act of 2014 - Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit any individual from entering the United States for 30 days following the individual's presence in a country experiencing an Ebola outbreak. Directs DHS and HHS to ensure that individuals who are nationals of or have recently been in a country experiencing an Ebola outbreak are certified by a medical professional as testing negative for Ebola and having a normal body temperature before they enter the United States and submit to 21 days of monitoring for Ebola symptoms. Allows the President to exempt officials, employees, and contractors of the Department of State and the Department of Defense (DOD) from the requirements of this Act if there are sufficient measures in place to protect against the transmission of Ebola by these individuals.
United States · United States Senate · 12 November 2014
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Authorizes a Senator, officer, or employee of the Senate to: (1) collect from another such individual, within Senate buildings, nonmonetary donations of clothing, toys, food, and housewares for charitable purposes related to serving persons in need or members of the Armed Forces and their families during the holiday season; and (2) work with a nonprofit organization for delivery of such donations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Allows specified amendments to the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes to be brought into effect as if all requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for congressional consideration of those amendments had been satisfied. Subjects such amendments, upon coming into effect, to the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, and any other applicable U.S. law, as if they had come into effect in accordance with those requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to use the Secretary's authority to employ certain personnel without regard to civil service or classification laws, rules, or regulations to employ physicians on a without compensation basis in any practice area or specialty for which: (1) the average waiting time for veterans seeking an appointment with a physician exceeds the VA's waiting time goals, or (2) the VA facility where the physician will be employed has demonstrated staffing shortages. Requires each VA medical facility to have a volunteer coordinator who: (1) seeks to establish relationships with medical associations serving the area, (2) recruits physicians for uncompensated employment at the facility, and (3) serves as the initial point of contact for physicians seeking uncompensated employment at the facility. Conditions an uncompensated physician's receipt of a credential or privilege to practice medicine in a VA facility on the physician's commitment to serve at least 40 hours in the facility during the ensuing 12-month period. Requires the Secretary to decide whether to grant an uncompensated physician's request for a credential or privilege to practice medicine in the VA facility within 60 days. Requires the director of a VA medical facility to approve, and accept the uncompensated services of, any physician who has made the requisite service commitment and receives a credential or privilege to practice medicine in such facility.
United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2014
Ebola Prevention Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of State to designate all passports as restricted for travel to or for use in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, except for travel for diplomatic, health care, humanitarian, journalistic, or military reasons.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
Veterans' Toxic Wounds Research Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a master registry of veterans who experienced toxic exposures while serving in the Armed Forces. Includes in the master registry the registries for: Agent Orange; exposure to toxins relating to a deployment during the Persian Gulf War; exposure to toxins relating to a deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, or the Global War on Terror; exposure to toxins relating to a deployment to Bosnia, Somalia, or the Philippines; and exposure to toxins relating to being stationed at a military installation potentially contaminated by toxic substances. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review published scientific information and studies, and make recommendations for future research, on the health effects: (1) of the toxic exposures covered in those registries, and (2) on the children and grandchildren of veterans who had a toxic exposure covered in those registries. Requires those reviews to inform the Secretary's selection of research to be conducted or funded by the VA. Establishes a presumption of a service connection, for the purpose of veterans' disability and survivor benefits, for an illness that: the Secretary determines warrants such a presumption by reason of having a positive association with exposure to a toxic substance covered in the master registry; and becomes manifest, within the period the Secretary prescribes, in a veteran who experienced such exposure while serving in the Armed Forces. Requires the Secretary's service connection determinations to be based on sound medical and scientific evidence that a positive association exists between: (1) the exposure of humans or animals to a toxic substance covered in the master registry, and (2) the occurrence of a diagnosed or undiagnosed illness in humans or animals. Directs the Secretary, in implementing the VA's electronic health record system, to include specified information in each individual's electronic health record, including whether the individual served in the Armed Forces and, if so, the locations and dates of such service.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
Guard and Reserve Academic Protection Act - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that institutions of higher learning provide members of the National Guard or Armed Forces Reserves who are receiving educational assistance from the VA or the military with a reasonable opportunity to complete educational assignments, tests, and other requirements that occur while they are performing: (1) inactive duty training, or (2) active duty training for less than 30 days.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
States that crude oil produced within the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq shall, upon entering U.S. jurisdiction, be deemed to be owned exclusively by the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq or by any person that purchased such crude oil from the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. Authorizes the President to provide defense articles and defense services directly to the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2014
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against ISIL Resolution - Expresses the sense of Congress that: the President has rightly committed limited forces in Iraq to protect U.S. diplomatic and military personnel against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); the President should be commended for authorizing military operations to protect ethnic and religious minorities from ISIL and for providing assistance to prevent a humanitarian disaster; the President should be commended for working with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to form a coordinated response to ISIL; the President should seek United Nations (U.N.) Security Council consensus prior to pursuing a multilateral military campaign against ISIL, and should endeavor to form a broad coalition of allies, including members of the Arab League; and a negotiated political solution among ethnic groups is the only sure solution to end sectarian violence and reach permanent peace. Authorizes the President to use the Armed Forces to: defend U.S. national security against ISIL, and enforce a Security Council resolution adopted on or after the date of the enactment of this joint resolution that provides for multilateral action against ISIL and authorizes a coalition military force under Security Council auspices to degrade ISIL's capacities to commit terrorist acts and destabilize peaceful governments. Authorizes the President, in the absence of a requested Security Council resolution, to use the Armed Forces to defend U.S. national security against ISIL, other than in direct ground combat operations, upon a certification to Congress and enactment of a joint resolution. Requires expedited congressional consideration of such a joint resolution. Directs the President to report to Congress at least every 60 days on matters relevant to this joint resolution. States that: the authorization to use military force under this joint resolution is intended to constitute specific authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution, nothing in this joint resolution is intended to limit the President's authority to use military force in self-defense pursuant to the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution, and this joint resolution (with a specified exception) shall expire two years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act - Revises the authority the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to transfer excess DOD property, including small arms and ammunition, to federal and state agencies for law enforcement activities to: repeal provisions authorizing the transfer of property the Secretary determines is suitable for use in counter-drug and counter-terrorism activities; repeal provisions directing the Secretary to carry out such transfers in consultation with the Director of National Drug Control Policy; condition such a transfer on the recipient certifying that it has the personnel and technical capacity to operate the property and will return property determined to be surplus to its needs; prohibit the transfer of specified weapons, materials, and equipment, including explosive ordnance, drones, and assault vehicles; and condition continuation of such program on the Secretary certifying that, for the prior fiscal year, recipients demonstrated 100% accountability for transferred property and complied with program requirements or were suspended or terminated from the program. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress and obtain prior approval by law before transferring any DOD property not previously made available for transfer; and (2) submit an annual written certification that a recipient has accounted for, and met transfer conditions for, any such transferred property. Requires the Defense Logistics Agency to maintain an Internet website on such transfers, unaccounted-for property, and suspended or terminated recipients. Prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from permitting awards under a preparedness grant program to be used to buy, maintain, alter, deploy, or provide training in the use of specified tactical, surveillance, or explosives equipment, vehicles, or canines. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to prohibit the use of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds for the purchase, maintenance, alteration, or operation of lethal weapons or less-lethal weapons.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Manufacturing Skills Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, Education, and Defense (DOD) and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to jointly establish a Manufacturing Skills Partnership to administer and carry out a program to award compeititve, three-year grants to enable up to five states and five metropolitan areas to carry out proposals to promote reforms in workforce education and skill training for manufacturing. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): (1) acting through the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, to conduct an audit of all federal education and skills training programs related to manufacturing to ensure that states and metropolitan areas are able to align federal resources with the labor demands of their primary manufacturing industries; and (2) to work with states and metropolitan areas to determine how federal funds can be more tailored to meet their different needs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
National Guard Investigations Transparency and Improvement Act of 2014 - Codifies the establishment of the Office of Complex Administrative Investigations (the Office) in the Office of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. Requires the Office to undertake complex administrative investigations of matters relating to members of the National Guard when in state status, including investigations of sexual assault, upon the request of: (1) the Chief; (2) an adjutant general of a state, a territory, or the District of Columbia; (3) a governor of a state or territory; or (4) the Commanding General of the National Guard of the District of Columbia. Defines "complex administrative investigation" as any investigation specified by the Chief involving factors giving rise to unusual complexity, including: (1) questions of jurisdiction between the United States and a state or territory, (2) matters requiring specialized training among investigating officers, or (3) matters raising the need for an independent investigation to ensure fairness and impartiality. Requires the Chief to treat any final report of the Office relating to such matters as if it were the report of an inspector general of the Department of Defense (DOD) or a military department. Directs the Chief to submit to Members of Congress from the state or territory concerned the final report adopted by the Office regarding such an investigation. Requires the Chief to submit to Congress an annual report regarding all investigations undertaken by the Office during the preceding year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Promoting Healthy Minds for Safer Communities Act of 2014 - Title I: Strengthening and Improving Intervention Efforts - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program to award grants to states, political subdivisions, or nonprofit private entities for the expansion of mental health crisis assistance programs. Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist local communities and schools in applying a public health approach to mental health services, including by: (1) revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement; and (2) providing for comprehensive school mental health programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, and age appropriate. Requires a comprehensive school mental health program funded under this Act to assist children in dealing with trauma and violence. Makes only a partnership between a local educational agency and at least one community program or agency that is involved in mental health eligible for such funding. Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one relevant community-based entity that clearly states how school-employed mental health professionals will be utilized and the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. Requires grantees to comply with the health information privacy requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures. Amends the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 to: (1) expand the assistance provided under such Act, and (2) reauthorize appropriations for FY2015-FY2019. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to establish or expand: (1) veterans treatment court programs, which involve collaboration among criminal justice, veterans, and mental health and substance abuse agencies to provide qualified veterans (preliminarily qualified offenders who were discharged from the armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable) with intensive judicial supervision and case management, treatment services, alternatives to incarceration, and other appropriate services, including housing, transportation, job training, education, and assistance in obtaining benefits; (2) peer to peer services or programs to assist such veterans in obtaining treatment, recovery, stabilization, or rehabilitation; (3) practices that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal, transitional, and other appropriate services to such veterans who have been incarcerated; and (4) training programs to teach criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections, mental health, and substance abuse personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving such veterans. Revises the definition of "preliminarily qualified offender" to include, for purposes of a veterans treatment court program, an adult or juvenile accused of an offense who has been diagnosed with, or manifests obvious signs of, mental illness or a substance abuse disorder or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder. Removes a requirement that the adult or juvenile be accused of a nonviolent offense. Requires preliminarily qualified offenders to be unanimously approved for participation in a collaboration program by, when appropriate, the relevant prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, probation or corrections official, judge, and representative from the relevant mental health agency. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to enhance the capabilities of a correctional facility to: (1) identify and screen for mentally ill inmates; (2) plan and provide assessments of the clinical, medical, and social needs of inmates and appropriate treatment and services that address mental health and substance abuse needs; (3) develop, implement, and enhance post-release transition plans that coordinate services and public benefits, the availability of mental health care and substance abuse treatment services, alternatives to solitary confinement and segregated housing, and mental health screening and treatment for inmates placed in solitary confinement or segregated housing; and (4) train employees in identifying and responding to incidents involving inmates with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) award not more than six grants per year to applicants for the purpose of reducing the use of public services by mentally ill individuals who consume a significantly disproportionate quantity of public resources, and (2) make grants to provide support for programs that teach law enforcement personnel how to identify and respond to incidents involving persons with such disorders. Directs the Attorney General to give priority in awarding grants for adult or juvenile collaboration programs to applications that: (1) propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism, and (2) use validated assessment tools to target preliminarily qualified offenders with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a need for treatment and services. Title II: Improving Mental Health Research - Directs the Secretary to expand research on self-directed and other-directed violence associated with mental illness. Title III: Understanding the Epidemic of Gun Violence - Requires the Secretary to expand: (1) the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states, and (2) research and grants of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address gun violence. Authorizes FY2015-FY2019 appropriations for CDC research and grants. Title IV: Mental Health and Access to Firearms - Amends federal criminal code prohibitions on the sale, purchase, transport, or possession of firearms or ammunition to specify that prohibitions with respect to persons committed to a mental institution apply to persons committed on an involuntary inpatient or involuntary outpatient basis. Authorizes the Attorney General to reserve not more than 5% of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds for grants to states that: (1) give state and local law enforcement officers the authority to seize firearms or ammunition from an individual pursuant to a warrant, if there is probable cause to believe the individual poses an elevated risk of harm to himself or herself or to another individual; or (2) temporarily prohibit an individual involuntarily hospitalized for mental illness on an emergency basis from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Directs the Attorney General to establish a system for the prompt notification of state and local enforcement agencies when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) notifies a licensed dealer that an individual attempting to obtain a firearm is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal or state law. Title V: Restoration - Amends the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to set forth procedures for persons adjudicated to have a mental disorder or committed to a mental institution to apply for relief (restoration of firearm ownership rights) after one year by submitting an opinion of a psychiatrist or licensed clinical psychologist in order to seek a determination by the adjudicating agency that the person no longer manifests the symptoms that elevate the risk of harm. Title VI: Submission of Mental Health Records to National Instant Criminal Background Check System - Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to report annually to Congress regarding the number of persons reported by each state to NICS who are prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm based on a conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Reauthorizes the national criminal history improvement program for FY2015-FY2018. Requires the Attorney General to establish a four-year implementation plan for each state or Indian tribal government desiring a grant to improve the automation and transmittal to federal and state repositories of: (1) mental health records and criminal history dispositions, (2) records relevant to determining whether a person has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, (3) court orders, and (4) mental health adjudications or commitments. Requires each federal agency in possession of records relevant to a determination of whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm under specified circumstances to make such records, updated at least quarterly, available to the Attorney General for use in NICS background checks. Directs HHS, under HIPAA, to allow states to make information concerning persons adjudicated as a mental defective or those committed to mental institutions available for NICS.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Congratulates sailors of the U.S. Submarine Force upon the completion of 4,000 ballistic missile submarine deterrent patrols. Honors and thanks the crews and their families for their dedication and sacrifice.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: Vietnam is an important emerging partner with which the United States increasingly shares strategic and economic interests; the government of Vietnam has recently taken modest but encouraging steps to improve its human rights record; the President, with congressional consultation, should begin a process to ease the U.S. prohibition on the sale of lethal military equipment to Vietnam; easing such prohibition with regard to maritime and coastal defense would further U.S. national security interests, but steps beyond this would require Vietnam to take significant steps to protect human rights; and the United States should support civil society in Vietnam, and specify what human rights steps Vietnam should take to continue strengthening the bilateral relationship.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Manufacturing Skills Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, Education, and Defense (DOD) and the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to jointly establish a Manufacturing Skills Partnership to administer and carry out a program to award compeititve, three-year grants to enable up to five states and five metropolitan areas to carry out proposals to promote reforms in workforce education and skill training for manufacturing. Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): (1) acting through the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, to conduct an audit of all federal education and skills training programs related to manufacturing to ensure that states and metropolitan areas are able to align federal resources with the labor demands of their primary manufacturing industries; and (2) to work with states and metropolitan areas to determine how federal funds can be more tailored to meet their different needs.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Terrorist Nationality Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include among the grounds for loss of U.S. nationality by a native-born or naturalized citizen: taking an oath or making a declaration of allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization after attaining the age of 18; entering or serving in a foreign terrorist organization or the armed forces of a foreign state if such armed forces or foreign terrorist organizations are engaged in hostilities or acts of terror against the United States or U.S. nationals; and becoming a member of or providing training or material assistance to any foreign terrorist organization that such person knows, or has reason to know, will engage in hostilities against the United States or will commit acts of terror against the United States or U.S. nationals. (Eliminates the grounds for loss of U.S. nationality by entering or serving in the armed forces of a foreign state if such armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the United States, or by serving as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in such armed forces.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Fairness in Student Loan Repayment Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to make available to borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) the following loan repayment options and benefits that are made available to borrowers of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs): standard repayment plans, graduated repayment plans, extended repayment plans, income contingent repayment plans, income-based repayment plans, or alternative repayment plans that the Secretary deems appropriate; the loan deferments that are made available to certain borrowers who are still in school, unemployed, performing specified military service, or facing an economic hardship; payments of interest on behalf of military personnel; the repayment plan for public service employees; and the non-accrual of interest on the loans of active duty military personnel. Directs the Secretary to pay to FFEL holders the principal, interest, or special allowance payments needed to apply these options and benefits to FFEL borrowers.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Veteran Education Empowerment Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award four-year grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish, maintain, and improve a veteran student center. Requires grantees to be IHEs that: have a population of at least 15,000 students, of which at least 1% are veterans or members of the Armed Forces; are located in a region or community that has a significant veteran population; carry out programs or activities that assist veterans in the local community; and present a sustainability plan demonstrating that their veteran student center will be maintained and will continue to operate after the grant ends. Defines a "veteran student center" as a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with: (1) a lounge or meeting space for such students and veterans in the community, and (2) a centralized office for veteran services that is staffed by trained employees and volunteers. Requires that office to provide such students with assistance in: transitioning from the military to student life, transitioning from the military to the civilian workforce, networking with other students, understanding and obtaining the federal and state benefits for which they may be eligible, and understanding how to succeed in the IHE.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
B-On-Time Student Loan Relief Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award interest-free loans to students who meet any prerequisites that the Secretary requires. Requires eligible students, at a minimum, to: have either graduated on or after the 2013-2014 school year from a secondary school in the United States, one operated by the Department of Defense (DOD), or its equivalent or earned an associate's degree from an institution of higher education (IHE) on or after May 1, 2013; have not earned a bachelor's degree; be enrolled on a full-time basis in an IHE undergraduate degree or certificate program; and have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and met the eligibility requirements for title IV assistance. Directs the Secretary to forgive students' outstanding principal on such interest-free loans if they: receive a bachelor's degree within a set timeframe, determined by the Secretary; maintained a certain grade point average or majored in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field while enrolled in the IHE; and meet any other requirements established by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to award such loans and grant such loan forgiveness on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the availability of appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Honoring the Hiring of Heroes Act - Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) jointly establish a program to award nonmonetary Employment Salute Awards to employers for veteran-friendly employment practices; and (2) establish criteria, in coordination with the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Commerce, for determining award recipients. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) establish different categories of employers eligible for the awards based on the number of employees they have, and (2) publicize the award recipients by listing them in a separate section of the Department of Labor's website. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to assess a reasonable application fee on employers seeking such an award. Establishes an Employment Salute Award Fund into which those fees are to be deposited for use in carrying out the award program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Veterans Health Administration Management Improvement Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) conduct a five-year management review of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and (2) submit annual reports to Congress on the matters reviewed, including recommendations for improving the VHA's management. Directs the Secretary of the VA to establish a five-year pilot program to improve the VHA's management and accountability that: gives VHA employees an opportunity to learn, implement, and identify successful means of advancing the VHA's management and the delivery of care and services; and improves the management and delivery of care and services at VA medical facilities by implementing the GAO's recommendations, and any other appropriate recommendations, regarding the VHA's planning and evaluation capabilities. Requires the Secretary, during such pilot program, to: (1) establish an annual performance plan that uses logic modeling and risk assessment to coordinate the VA's operations with its goals; and (2) prepare an annual organization evaluation plan for the VHA that is informed by the GAO's recommendations. Establishes an Office of the Management and Accountability Ombudsman within the VA to: assist the Secretary in conducting the pilot program; conduct inspections of VHA medical facilities, including non-VA facilities that provide VA contract care; and work with the Secretary and VHA employees in identifying and resolving problems with the VHA's management, administration, and delivery of care. Directs the GAO to review each budget the President submits to Congress during 2015-2020 to evaluate the proposed budget for VA health care. Establishes a Veterans' Bill of Rights regarding health care, which is to be prominently displayed in each VA medical facility and about which the Secretary shall conduct outreach to veterans and ensure that VA employees receive training.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Federal Property Low Hanging Fruit Act - Authorizes the head of each executive department to convey real and related property under the department's ownership and control and retain the net proceeds in an account within the Treasury. Makes such proceeds available to the department head to pay necessary and incidental costs for the department's property management activities, including acquisition, improvements, maintenance, reconstruction or construction needs. Directs the head of each of the Departments of Defense (DOD), Agriculture, and Energy (DOE) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and carry out a plan to enter into agreements with a nongovernmental person to: (1) lease at least 5, but not more than 10, federal real properties that are underutilized or excess; and (2) develop, rehabilitate, or renovate facilities on such leased properties. Requires such agreements to provide a lease option to the United States and indemnity for any actions, debts, or liability of the nongovernmental person. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit reports to Congress on the effectiveness of the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Military Corridor Transportation Improvement Act of 2014 - Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, as amended, to declare as high priority corridors on the National Highway System as well as segments of the Interstate System: (1) U.S. Route 117/Interstate Route 795 from U.S. Route 70 in Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, to Interstate Route 40 west of Faison, Sampson County, North Carolina; and (2) U.S. Route 70 from its intersection with Interstate Route 40 in Garner, Wake County, North Carolina, to the Port at Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2014 - Expresses the sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is fully consistent with U. S. security and foreign policy interests and the objectives of world peace and security. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to include Jordan among the countries eligible for certain streamlined defense sales. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include Jordan among the countries not required to be included in the annual foreign military training report submitted by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State to Congress. Authorizes the Secretary of State to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan to increase military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, support for international peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic dialogue. Makes specified funds for the foreign military financing funds program available for Jordan, subject to certain requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Foreign Investment and Economic Security Act of 2014 - Amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to provide for: (1) national security reviews of transactions involving the construction of a new facility in the United States by any foreign person (currently, national security reviews are conducted only for certain mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers by or with a foreign person); and (2) net benefit reviews of new construction, mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers by or with a foreign person to determine whether the transaction is of net benefit to the United States. Makes net benefit reviews mandatory for transactions that meet specified requirements under the Clayton Act. Directs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, for purposes of carrying out net benefit determinations, to consider the effect of the proposed or pending transaction on: (1) employment, resource processing, the utilization of parts and services produced in or imported into the United States, and U.S. exports; (2) industrial efficiency, technological development, technology transfers, and product innovation in the United States; (3) competition within any U.S. industry or between the United States and other countries; (4) compatibility with national industrial, economic, and cultural policies; and (5) public health, safety, and well-being of U.S. consumers. Requires the Committee, in the case of a net benefit determination concerning a foreign government-influenced transaction, to consider additional factors including: the governance and commercial orientation of the foreign person engaging in such transaction; the extent to which the foreign person is owned, controlled, or influenced by the foreign government; and adherence to U.S. law and corporate governance standards, engagement of the foreign country with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the likelihood of operation on a commercial basis. Requires final determinations of the Committee to be certified to Congress. Requires the Committee to refer to the President any of the Committee's final determinations that a transaction will not be of net benefit to the United States. Requires the President to announce the determination regarding such transactions. Prohibits transactions that the President determines are not of net benefit to the United States. Requires the President to direct the Attorney General (DOJ) to seek appropriate relief in U.S. district courts to implement and enforce this Act. Bars judicial review of such determinations. Revises, for purposes of carrying out net benefit determinations, the composition of the Committee.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Abolishes the Army Chemical Corps and transfers its functions to the Army Ordnance Corps. Directs the Secretary of the Army to reassign to the Ordnance Corps all members and officers of the Army who were assigned to the Chemical Corps.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Preventing Improper Foreclosures Act of 2014 - Amends the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 with respect to the prohibition against exercise of a due-on-sale contract requirement upon certain transfers of property subject to a real property loan. Requires the lender, in the case of such a transfer, to provide the successor homeowner with information about the mortgage loan, including the availability of loan modification options. Requires a lender, with respect to any such transfer not involving a reverse mortgage, to: (1) evaluate the successor homeowner promptly for a loan modification on the same terms as if the successor homeowner had been the original borrower and mortgagor, and (2) perform this evaluation and offer any available loss mitigation before any assumption by the successor homeowner of the obligations under the note. Allows the failure of a lender to comply with such requirements to be asserted as a defense to any judicial or non-judicial foreclosure. Entitles the homeowner to recover statutory damages not to exceed $1,000 per violation, actual damages, costs, and attorney's fees in any successful action the homeowner brings. Amends the National Housing Act with respect to insurance of home equity conversion mortgages (reverse mortgages) for elderly homeowners. Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from insuring a reverse mortgage unless the mortgage provides that the maturity of the loan obligation (currently, the homeowner's obligation to satisfy the loan obligation) is deferred until the death of the homeowner (as under current law) and the homeowner's spouse or the permanent relocation of the homeowner and homeowner's spouse, in addition to sale of the home or other occurrences specified by the Secretary as under current law. Adds new sales terms for a reverse mortgage to be eligible for insurance. Denies any liability of the mortgagor (as under current law) or the mortgagor's estate or the heirs for any difference between the amount of indebtedness under the mortgage and the amount recovered by the mortgagee from the net sales proceeds or the insurance benefits paid. Requires a reverse mortgage, to be eligible for mortgage insurance, to allow: (1) sale of the dwelling subject to the mortgage for at least the lesser of the remaining mortgage balance or the dwelling's appraised value (or 5% less than the dwelling's appraised value, if the loan is due and payable); and (2) satisfaction of the loan obligation by the mortgagor's estate or heirs, upon the mortgagor's death, for the lesser of the remaining mortgage balance or 5% less than the appraised value.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Recognizes that members of the Armed Forces face changing battlefield threats and unique enemy challenges that call for proven equipment tested at the Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Supports the long term viability of Fort Huachuca and its Electronic Proving Ground. Expresses appreciation to soldiers and civilians for their 60 years of work at the Electronic Proving Ground and their service to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Calls for the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Admiral Ben Moreell.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2014
Congratulates sailors of the U.S. Submarine Force upon the completion of 4,000 ballistic missile submarine deterrent patrols. Honors and thanks the crews and their families for their dedication and sacrifice.