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Bill· HRH.R. 4129 (114th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Jumpstart VA Construction Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into partnership agreements with non-federal entities for the construction of major medical construction projects authorized by law. Each selected project shall be for construction of a new facility for which: (1) Congress has appropriated funds, (2) the design and development phase is complete, and (3) construction has not begun as of the date of enactment of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4134 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Veterans Health Care Staffing Improvement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a Docs-to-Doctors Program to recruit individuals separating from the Armed Forces who served in a health care capacity in the Armed Forces. The VA shall: (1) implement a uniform credentialing process for certain health care employees of the Veterans Health Administration; and (2) provide full practice authority to advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and such other licensed VA health care professionals as consistent with their education, training, and certification.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 540 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Declares that the House of Representatives shall: support the achievement of near zero greenhouse gas emissions nationally by January 1, 2050, through policies that shift the U.S. energy supply strategy from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy, increase energy efficiency, and implement zero waste practices to end dependence on fossil fuels and to promote climate security, jobs, universal access to clean energy, national economic competitiveness, and national security; establish a national goal of deriving 50% of electricity from renewable sources by January 1, 2030; establish policies and programs to modernize the national infrastructure, transition toward full employment with new green jobs, and build a sustainable economy, focusing on historically unemployed or underemployed communities; provide educational and job training programs, transitional financial assistance, and job opportunities for displaced fossil fuel industry workers; provide retraining and re-employment opportunities in green jobs for military veterans; provide increased funding for educational, training, and job assistance programs for rural residents and for increased emergency preparation and assistance to rural communities damaged by the adverse impacts of climate change; help the people of the United States to establish resiliency to withstand the significant impacts of climate change; establish policies that capture and store carbon currently in the atmosphere by protecting forests and improving land and agricultural practices; support trade policies that maintain American labor and environmental standards; support tax incentives that promote the growth of green jobs; ensure universal access to clean energy for moderate- and low-income families; create policies or programs that result in net positive environmental and economic benefits in impacted communities, which shall receive at least 25% of revenues committed to or generated by the implementation of carbon reducing programs; phase out subsidies for fossil fuels; establish a national goal of doubling efficiency of existing buildings from 2015 levels by January 1, 2030; and support a policy to work with international organizations and other nations to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to set a goal to achieve near zero greenhouse gas emissions by January 1, 2050, through replacing fossil fuels with 100% renewable energy, conservation, and energy efficiency.
Bill· HRH.R. 4127 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 TITLE I--INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES This bill authorizes FY2016 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI); the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Defense (DOD); the Defense Intelligence Agency; the National Security Agency; the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Coast Guard; the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy (DOE), and Justice; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the National Reconnaissance Office; the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DNI, if it provides prior notification to Congress, may authorize employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for FY2016 when necessary for the performance of important intelligence functions. The bill authorizes FY2016 appropriations for the Intelligence Community Management Account. It provides for funds identified in the classified schedule for advanced research and development to remain available until September 30, 2017. The National Security Act of 1947 is amended to allow DOE, DHS, the State Department, or Treasury to appoint individuals to certain excepted service positions that the DNI determines are necessary to carry out intelligence functions. TITLE II--CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY SYSTEM The bill authorizes FY2016 appropriations for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS The bill authorizes inspectors general of the CIA and the intelligence community, subject to the concurrence of the DNI, to request information or assistance from state or local governmental agencies . The Inspector General of the Intelligence Community is included within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. The bill prohibits the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 from being construed to authorize the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to gain access to information regarding activities that the President determines may be authorized as covert actions to support identifiable U.S. foreign policy objectives that are important to national security. The DNI must direct specified executive agencies, military departments, and elements of the intelligence community to implement a program to provide enhanced security review of agency employees or contractors who have been determined eligible to access classified information or hold a sensitive position. Automated record checks under the enhanced program must be conducted at least twice every five years to ensure continued eligibility of agency employees and contractors. The DNI must implement a plan to eliminate the backlog of overdue periodic reinvestigations of such individuals under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The DNI must: (1) notify Congress within 15 days after learning that an electronic communication service provider that generates call detail records in the ordinary course of business has changed its retention policy to a period of less than 18 months, and (2) identify each electronic communication service provider that has a policy to retain such records for 18 months or less. The DNI must: issue a directive containing a written policy for the timely notification to Congress of the identities of individuals occupying senior level positions within the intelligence community, designate an official to manage intelligence regarding the tactical use of tunnels by state and nonstate actors, establish a formal internal reporting process for tracking requests for country clearance submitted to overseas DNI representatives by U.S. agencies, evaluate duplication in finished intelligence analysis products and submit a plan for revising standards to ensure customers are able to identify differences among intelligence products on similar topics that are produced contemporaneously, and carry out a study and report findings regarding appropriate standards to measure the damage of cyber incidents. The DNI must collaborate with DOD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop and report on a strategy for a comprehensive interagency review of policies for planning and acquiring national security satellite systems and architectures, consistent with the National Space Policy issued on June 28, 2010. TITLE IV--MATTERS RELATING TO ELEMENTS OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY The bill requires the National Counterintelligence Executive to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. (Currently, the DNI appoints such executive.) The DNI must: (1) assign the Chief of the Analytic Integrity and Standards Group to review finished CIA-produced intelligence products to assess whether the CIA's reorganization has resulted in any loss of analytic objectivity, and (2) submit review results to Congress. The bill prohibits funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or made available for the intelligence community for FY2016 from being used to initiate a transfer of funds from the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund or the Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund for intelligence activities unless the DNI or DOD: (1) notifies Congress at least 30 days in advance, or (2) waives such prohibition in an emergency situation and notifies Congress. TITLE V--MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES The DNI must: (1) notify Congress if the intelligence community receives intelligence that the Russian Federation has deployed, or is about to deploy, the Club-K container missile system through the Russian military or has transferred or sold, or intends to transfer or sell, such system to another state or nonstate actor.; and (2) update Congress regarding any intelligence community engagement with a foreign partner on such a deployment and the impacts of a deployment to any potentially impacted nation. The DNI must submit to Congress assessments of: the funding of political parties and nongovernmental organizations in former Soviet states and countries in Europe by the Russian Security Services since January 1, 2006; the use of political assassinations as a form of statecraft by the Russian Federation since January 1, 2000; and the resources used for intelligence collection efforts with regard to the South and East China Seas. The State Department must ensure that: (1) key supervisory positions at U.S. diplomatic facilities in Cuba are occupied by U.S. citizens, and (2) U.S. diplomatic facilities in Cuba that are constructed or upgraded after the enactment of this Act include a sensitive compartmented information facility. The DNI must report regarding: (1) the monetary value of any sanctions relief that Iran has received since the Joint Plan of Action first entered into effect; (2) Iran's use of such funds, including to support international terrorism or the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, to advance nuclear weapons or ballistic missile efforts, or to commit any violation of the human rights of the people of Iran; and (3) the extent to which senior Iranian officials have diverted sanctions relief funds for their personal use. TITLE VI--MATTERS RELATING TO UNITED STATES NAVAL STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA The bill prohibits funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available to an element of the intelligence community from being used through December 31, 2016, to: transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and is or was held on or after January 20, 2009, at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by DOD; construct or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions (except at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo) to house an individual located at Guantanamo, as of October 1, 2009, who is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces and is in DOD custody or control or is otherwise detained at Guantanamo, unless authorized by Congress; or transfer or release a Guantanamo detainee in DOD custody or control to the custody or control of Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. TITLE VII--REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS The DNI must report: (1) in coordination with the National Science Foundation, regarding the employment by the intelligence community of graduates of the Cyber Corps Scholarship Program; and (2) regarding the representation of certain minority-owned, women-owned, small disadvantaged, service-disabled veteran-owned, or veteran-owned businesses among the contractors awarded contracts by elements of the intelligence community. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must permit grant recipients under the Urban Area Security Initiative or the State Homeland Security Grant Program to work in conjunction with DOE's national laboratories when grant funds are used to achieve target preparedness capabilities for federal, state, local, and tribal governments to respond to acts of terrorism under guidelines required by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The bill also includes certain Hispanic-serving and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions of higher education among the minority-serving institutions eligible for DNI grants to provide programs of study for individuals to learn advanced foreign languages, to study abroad, or to develop other skills that meet the needs of the intelligence community.
Bill· SS. 2334 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 November 2015
Biological Implant Tracking and Veteran Safety Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: adopt the unique device identification system developed for medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or implement a comparable standard identification system, for identifying biological implants intended for use in VA medical facilities; permit a vendor to use any of the accredited entities identified by the FDA as an issuing agency; implement a compatible system for tracking implants from human donor or animal source to implantation; and implement inventory controls compatible with such tracking system so that patients who have received a biological implant in a VA medical facility subject to FDA recall can be appropriately notified. The bill also prescribes requirements for vendors from which the VA may procure biological implants of human origin, and for vendors from which the VA may procure biological implants of non-human origin. Such a vendor must: use the standard identification system adopted or implemented by VA under this Act; be registered as required by FDA procedures; consent to periodic VA inspections and audits regarding records and product handling; agree to cooperate with all biological implant recalls conducted on the vendor's own initiative, on the initiative of the original product manufacturer used by the vendor, or by FDA request or statutory order; agree to notify the VA within 60 days of any adverse event report it provides to the FDA, or of any FDA warning letter issued to the vendor; and agree to retain all records associated with the procurement of a biological implant by the VA for at least 10 years. The VA shall: (1) procure such implants under General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedules if they are available under such Schedules, (2) accommodate reasonable vendor requests to undertake specified outreach efforts to educate VA medical professionals about the use and efficacy of implants, and (3) procure biological implants that are unavailable under such Schedules using competitive procedures in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Any VA procurement employee responsible for a biological implant procurement transaction with intent to avoid, or with reckless disregard of, the requirements of this Act shall be ineligible to hold a certificate of appointment as a contracting officer or to serve as the representative of an ordering officer, contracting officer, or purchase card holder. Certain biological implants may be temporarily procured by the VA without relabeling under the standard identification system.
Record· NominationPN946 (114th)open
United States · United States Senate · 19 November 2015
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 19 November 2015
Bill· SS. 2316 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reissue veterans benefits to a beneficiary in all cases of fiduciary misuse. The VA shall pay the beneficiary or the successor fiduciary an amount equal to the misused benefits. VA access to fiduciary-held financial accounts shall be increased by requiring any fiduciary to authorize the VA to obtain any financial record held by an institution regarding the fiduciary or the beneficiary whenever the VA determines that such record is necessary: for the administration of a VA program; or to safeguard the beneficiary's benefits against neglect, misappropriation, embezzlement, or fraud.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 320 (114th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Congratulates the people of Burma for embracing democracy through their participation in the November 8, 2015, general elections and for their efforts in developing a democratic society. Recognizes the National League for Democracy's victory as a reflection of the will of the Burmese people. Calls on the Union Solidarity Development Party to undertake a peaceful transfer of power to a new government. Encourages all parties to pursue national reconciliation talks. Recognizes that important impediments remain to the realization of full democratic and civilian government, including the reservation of unelected seats for the military and the disenfranchisement of groups including the Rohingya. Calls on the government of Burma to support meaningful efforts to reform the 2008 Constitution of Burma. Supports negotiations between the government of Burma and ethnic-based peoples and organizations. Encourages the President to take further steps toward normalization of relations with Burma.
Bill· SS. 2331 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to make any predispute arbitration agreement invalid or unenforceable against a servicemember, or a servicemember and the servicemember's spouse jointly, with respect to any controversy subject to such Act. A servicemember's waiver of any SCRA rights and protections shall be effective only if made after a specific dispute has arisen and the dispute is identified in the waiver. A representative of members of an aggrieved class, or a member of such class, may bring a private civil action for a violation of any SCRA rights or protections.
Bill· HRH.R. 4087 (114th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Fair Treatment for Families of Veterans Act This bill revises the effective date for reductions or discontinuances of Department of Veterans Affairs compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions by reason of marriage, remarriage, or death. The effective date is changed from the last day of the month before a marriage, remarriage, or death occurs to the last day of the month during which the event occurs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4109 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act This bill amends the Higher Education Opportunity Act to prohibit an institution of higher education (IHE) or postsecondary educational institution from using revenues derived from federal educational assistance funds for recruiting or marketing activities. Federal educational assistance funds include federal student aid under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, education benefits for military personnel and veterans, and grants for workforce development programs. An IHE or postsecondary educational institution must annually certify compliance with this requirement to retain eligibility to participate in title IV federal student aid programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4101 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers Act of 2015 or the POST Act of 2015 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to modify requirements for a proprietary (i.e., for-profit) institution of higher education (IHE) to participate in title IV (Student Assistance) federal student aid programs. Current law requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 10% of its revenue from sources other than title IV federal student aid. This legislation requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds (i.e., it replaces the so-called 90/10 rule with an 85/15 rule). It defines federal funds to mean title IV federal student aid, as well as education benefits for military personnel and veterans. Additionally, the bill limits what a proprietary institution may treat as revenue to the school in calculating whether it derives at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds. Finally, the bill moves the 85/15 rule from title IV to title I (General Provisions) of the HEA, making compliance a condition of institutional eligibility to participate in title IV federal student aid programs (i.e., failure to comply results in immediate loss of institutional eligibility). Currently, a proprietary IHE must violate the rule for two consecutive years before losing eligibility for title IV programs.
Bill· HRH.R. 4124 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Support America's Armed Forces Reserve Component Retirees Act of 2015 This bill authorizes a retiring National Guard member who first enters a uniformed service on or after January 1, 2018, to receive retirement pay after 20 years of service. Computation of the high-three year retired pay base average for such a member shall only include the 36 months for which he or she was entitled to monthly basic pay.
Bill· HRH.R. 4118 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Veterans Legal Support Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide support, including financial support, to one or more university law school programs to provide veterans with legal assistance.
Bill· HRH.R. 4103 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Critical Access Hospitals for Veterans Act or the CAHV Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide eligible requesting veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system with hospital care and medical services at critical access hospitals pursuant to an agreement between the VA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bill· HRH.R. 4080 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act This bill makes any veteran who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during specified conflicts eligible for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for any mental illness through the Department of Veterans Affairs, notwithstanding insufficient medical evidence to conclude that the mental illness is attributable to such service. The conflicts specified include World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam era, the Persian Gulf War, Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, or any other period of war after the Persian Gulf War, or in combat against a hostile force during any period of hostilities.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 99 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses the sense of Congress that: the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) continues to train the next generation of military leaders who are well equipped to defeat today's and future enemies, Congress is encouraged by the quality of leaders that Army ROTC has and will continue to produce, and Army ROTC produces more Army officers than any other source.
Bill· HRH.R. 4126 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Guantanamo Transfer Prevention Act This bill prohibits the President from using Department of Defense (DOD) funds to transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any other detainee who is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces and is or was held on or after January 20, 2009, at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by DOD. Any contravening action by the President shall be without legal effect. No amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for DOD for FY2016 may be used to: (1) close or abandon Guantanamo, (2) relinquish control of Guantanamo to Cuba, or (3) implement a material modification to the Treaty Between the United States of America and Cuba signed at Washington, DC, on May 29, 1934, that constructively closes Guantanamo.
Bill· HRH.R. 4125 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the feasibility of entering into covered public-private partnerships to improve the access of veterans to VA medical facilities in densely populated communities and rural communities.
Bill· HRH.R. 4108 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
This bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds available to the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, any other U.S. agency or entity involved in intelligence activities, or the National Security Council to provide assistance (including training, equipment, supplies, stipends, construction of training and associated facilities, and sustainment) to any element of the Syrian opposition or to any other Syrian group or individual seeking to overthrow the government of the Syrian Arab Republic unless the funds are specifically authorized to be appropriated and appropriated for such purpose.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 537 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any transfer to the United States of the 107 detainees imprisoned for reasons of national security at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, would violate federal law and the appropriations powers enumerated to Congress in article 1 of the Constitution, and may result in the President's committing illegal actions.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 535 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2015
Condemns the November 12, 2015, terrorist attacks in Beirut, Lebanon, that resulted in the loss of at least 43 lives. Expresses condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed or injured in the attacks and expresses sympathies to those injured. Supports the government of Lebanon's efforts to bring to justice those involved in these terrorist attacks. Expresses readiness to continue assisting the Lebanese Armed Forces and people of Lebanon to respond to the growing terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and to provide continued support to refugee populations within Lebanon.
Bill· HRH.R. 4063 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Promoting Responsible Opioid Management and Incorporating Scientific Expertise Act or the Jason Simcakoski PROMISE Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to jointly update the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, including guidelines regarding: prescribing opioids for outpatient treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain; contraindications for opioid therapy; treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatric disorders, or a history of substance abuse or addiction; case management for patients transitioning between inpatient and outpatient health care and between DOD and non-DOD health care; routine and random urine drug tests to help prevent substance abuse; and options to augment opioid therapy with other clinical and complementary and integrative health services to minimize opioid dependence. The VA shall: expand the opioid safety initiative to include all VA medical facilities, including providing employees with pain management training, and establishment of pain management teams; track and monitor opioid use, including through the use of state program information; increase the availability of Food and Drug Administration-approved opioid receptor antagonists; modify the computerized patient record system to ensure that any health care provider that accesses a veteran's record will be immediately notified whether the veteran is receiving opioid therapy and has a history of substance use disorder or opioid abuse; establish standard protocols for the designation of pain management teams at each VA medical facility; carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility of using wellness programs to complement pain management and related health care services to veterans; carry out a program of internal audits to improve health care services to veterans and their families; and provide to the medical board of each state in which a VA health care provider is licensed information about such provider's medical license violations. The Creating Options for Veterans' Expedited Recovery Commission is established to examine the evidence-based therapy treatment model used by the VA for treating mental health conditions of veterans and the potential benefits of incorporating complementary alternative treatments available in non-VA facilities. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the VA's opioid safety initiative and patient advocacy program. The VA shall request from the medical board of each state in which a prospective health care provider has a medical license information on: (1) medical license violations during the past 20 years, and (2) any settlement agreements for a medical-related disciplinary charge.
Law· HRH.R. 4056 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to convey to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs all right, title, and interest of the United States in the property known as "The Community Living Center" at the Lake Baldwin Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Orlando, Florida.
Bill· HRH.R. 4071 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Give our Seniors and Veterans the COLA they Deserve Act This bill directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to sell buildings owned by the federal government that are not utilized. GSA must identify all such buildings and sell them not later than five years after they have been identified. The bill exempts buildings that have been set aside for preservation or historic purposes. The bill requires the net revenues from the sale of such buildings to be made available to increase the cost-of-living adjustments to: (1) social security retirement benefits, and (2) retirement benefits for members and former members of the Armed Forces.
Bill· SS. 2303 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt national security agencies from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. The exemption applies to the Department of Defense, each element of the intelligence community, the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Bill· SS. 2302 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015 This bill prohibits the U.S. refugee admission of an alien who is a national of, has habitually resided in, or is claiming refugee status due to events in any country containing terrorist-controlled territory (Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and any other Department of State-designated country). Such an alien may be admitted to the United States as a refugee if the alien: satisfies refugee admission requirements; is a member of a group that has been designated by the State Department or by an Act of Congress as a victim of genocide (and such group does not pose a risk to U.S. security); has undergone the highest level of security screening of any category of traveler to the United States, including full multi-modal biometrics; and the State Department, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) certify that such alien is not a threat to U.S. national security. These requirements shall not apply to the U.S. refugee admission of an alien who: (1) provided substantial assistance to the United States, and (2) would face a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury because of that assistance if not admitted to the United States. The State Department may designate as a country containing terrorist-controlled territory any country containing territory that is controlled, in substantial part, by a foreign terrorist organization to the exclusion of that country's recognized government. The State Department shall maintain and continually update a list of: (1) the countries containing terrorist-controlled territory, and (2) groups identified as victims of genocide. An alien may not be admitted into the United States under this Act solely based on his or her assertions, and DHS shall substantiate any such assertions with the State Department, DOD, the FBI, and the DNI.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 73 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2015
Declares that a state of war, which has been thrust upon the United States, exists between the United States and the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Authorizes and directs the President to use the Armed Forces to carry on war against the Islamic State. Pledges all of the resources of the United States to successfully terminate the conflict.
Report· HearingS.Hrg.114-391published
United States · United States Senate · 17 November 2015
Bill· HRH.R. 4054 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Ensuring Quality Education for Veterans Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require proprietary institutions of higher education to derive not less than 10% of their revenue from sources other than title IV or the educational assistance programs of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, or become ineligible for title IV funding and participation in those programs. (Currently, this 90/10 rule requires these schools to derive not less than 10% of their revenue from sources other than title IV or become ineligible for title IV funding.)
Bill· HRH.R. 4053 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants for structural repairs and remodeling to community centers, clinics, and hospitals that serve veterans.
Bill· SS. 2291 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
VA Patient Protection Act of 2015 This bill establishes an additional method for filing whistle blower complaints in which a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee may file such complaints with his or her immediate and next-level supervisors, and ultimately with the VA after having properly filed a complaint at each supervisory level. If a supervisor makes a positive determination regarding such complaint the VA shall: (1) inform the employee of the ability to volunteer for a transfer, and (2) give preference to such transfer. The VA may not exempt any employee from such whistle blower coverage. The central whistle blower office shall be responsible for investigating all VA whistle blower complaints, regardless of whether such complaints are made by or against an employee who is not a Senior Executive Service member. The VA shall carry out specified adverse actions against a supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action relating to a whistle blower complaint. A supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action shall not be paid any award or bonus for a one-year period, and any award or bonus paid during that period shall be recouped. VA employees shall receive annual whistle blower complaint training. Congressional testimony by a VA employee in his or her official capacity shall be considered official duty, and the VA shall provide any such employee with travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, during the period when the employee is so testifying.
Bill· SS. 2295 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Liberty Through Strength Act This bill amends the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 to postpone amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) that: (1) require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use specific selection terms when applying for FISA court orders requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities; (2) establish additional requirements for production on an ongoing basis of call detail records relating to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism; and (3) authorize the Department of Justice to require the emergency production of tangible things without first obtaining a court order. The bill postpones the effective date of these amendments, which are currently scheduled to take effect 180 days after the USA FREEDOM Act was enacted on June 2, 2015, to: (1) January 31, 2017; or (2) the date that the President certifies to Congress that such amendments will have no operational impacts on the intelligence community. The bill also amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to make permanent expiring FISA authorities concerning: (1) roving electronic surveillance orders, and (2) a revised definition of "agent of a foreign power" that includes any non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or preparatory activities (commonly referred to as the "lone wolf" provision).
Bill· HRH.R. 4039 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2015
Veteran Small Business Tax Credit Act of 2015 This bill allows a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. The credit is allowed to any individual (or the surviving spouse of such individual) who: (1) has served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, and (2) has not been discharged or released from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.
Bill· HRH.R. 4011 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Delivering Opportunities for Care and Services for Veterans Act of 2015 or the DOCs for Veterans Act of 2015 This bill amends the Social Security Act with respect to determining the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) residents for payments to hospitals for direct graduate medical education (GME) costs, in particular the limitation on the total number of FTE residents in the field of allopathic or osteopathic medicine in a hospital's approved medical residency training program. In applying this limitation, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall not take into account any such resident that is filling a GME residency position that counts towards meeting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) obligation under the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to increase the number of GME residency positions at VA medical facilities by up to 1,500 positions. The period for increasing GME residency positions at VA medical facilities is extended to 10 years. The VA and HHS shall jointly conduct a six-year pilot program to establish at least three graduate behavioral medicine residency programs in underserved areas in the United States. Education and training of marriage and family therapists and licensed professional mental health counselors shall be included in VA health personnel education and training programs. Persons with a doctoral degree in mental health counseling are eligible for appointment to a VA mental health counselor position. Physician assistants in VA facilities must receive pay competitive with pay for similar positions in non-VA facilities in the same labor market. Not less than 30% of debt reduction payments paid under the education debt reduction program each year shall be paid to individuals who practice medicine in a rural or highly rural area. The positions (and pay) of Directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks are established. The VA shall conduct a two-year pilot program to assess the feasibility of implementing in rural and highly rural areas with a large percentage of veterans a nurse advice line to provide veterans with medical advice, appointment and cancellation services, and information on the availability of VA benefits.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 528 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations should be declared an existential threat to the human rights and security of the Nigerian people and their regional neighbors; the global strategy for ending the suffering and creating solutions for displaced persons in Africa includes a Victims of Terror Protection Fund, which should provide humanitarian assistance to Boko Haram victims; military technical assistance be provided to Nigeria and its neighbors; and the Victims of Terror Support Fund should be modeled after the cases of Khazakhstan and Equatorial Guinea where prior kleptocracy initiatives have been created to benefit communities and victims in need of support.
Bill· SS. 2279 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Veterans Health Care Staffing Improvement Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a Docs-to-Doctors Program to recruit individuals separating from the Armed Forces who served in a health care capacity in the Armed Forces. The VA shall: (1) implement a uniform credentialing process for certain health care employees of the Veterans Health Administration; and (2) provide full practice authority to advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and such other licensed VA health care professionals as consistent with their education, training, and certification.
Bill· SS. 2277 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Veterans Homebuyer Accessibility Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, to: (1) allow a veteran of the Armed Forces a tax credit for 10% of the purchase price of a principal residence purchased prior to January 1, 2018; (2) allow an additional tax credit for the cost, not exceeding $8,000 in a taxable year, of installing special fixtures or movable facilities in a residence to accommodate a disability of the veteran; and (3) require a recapture of credit amounts if the veteran sells such residence within 36 months after purchasing it.
Bill· SS. 2273 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Strengthening Technical Assistance, Resources, and Training to Unleash the Potential of Veterans Act of 2015 or the STARTUP Vets Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make two-year renewable grants to create and operate incubators and accelerators that provide technical assistance and training to covered individuals on how to become successful entrepreneurs and form small business concerns. Such program shall be considered an SBA management and technical assistance training program. Program outreach materials shall be made available at local Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. "Covered individual" means: a member of the Armed Forces, without regard to whether he or she participates in the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense; an individual who is participating in the Transition Assistance Program; an individual who served on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable; and a spouse or dependent.
Bill· SS. 2272 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers Act of 2015 or the POST Act of 2015 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to modify requirements for a proprietary (i.e., for-profit) institution of higher education (IHE) to participate in title IV (Student Assistance) federal student aid programs. Current law requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 10% of its revenue from sources other than title IV federal student aid. This legislation requires a proprietary IHE to derive at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds (i.e., it replaces the so-called 90/10 rule with an 85/15 rule). It defines federal funds to mean title IV federal student aid, as well as education benefits for military personnel and veterans. Additionally, the bill limits what a proprietary institution may treat as revenue to the school in calculating whether it derives at least 15% of its revenue from sources other than federal funds. Finally, the bill moves the 85/15 rule from title IV to title I (General Provisions) of the HEA, making compliance a condition of institutional eligibility to participate in title IV federal student aid programs (i.e., failure to comply results in immediate loss of institutional eligibility). Currently, a proprietary IHE must violate the rule for two consecutive years before losing eligibility for title IV programs.
Bill· SS. 2268 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Dust Off Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation of a single gold medal in honor of the Dust Off crews (helicopter air ambulance crews) of the Vietnam War in recognition of their heroic military service. It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should also make such medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with the Vietnam War, and that preference should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian.
Bill· SS. 2265 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Rural Veterans Improvement Act of 2015 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall provide mental health care to a veteran who: has a mental health issue resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other health condition incurred or aggravated on active duty; and lives in a rural or highly rural area. Such care may be provided by contracting with or providing payments to mental health care providers that are not VA-affiliated. Care shall be provided if: a VA-affiliated mental health care provider is not available at the nearest VA medical facility and in-person and telehealth VA mental health care services are not available, or travel to a regional VA medical center is impractical or severely detrimental to the veteran's health; and a VA-affiliated mental health care provider has recommended a complementary and alternative therapy to a veteran who is a member of an Indian tribe or a Native Hawaiian who requests a healing method that is part of his or her cultural tradition. The VA may: award grants to state veterans agencies, veterans service organizations, and tribal organizations to provide transportation to and from medical centers to veterans in rural and highly rural areas who would otherwise be eligible for payment of travel expenses by the VA; and carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing a housing allowance to health care providers who become VA employees and accept assignment at rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinics. The VA shall establish a program to train health care professionals for assignment at community-based outpatient clinics that predominantly serve veterans who live in rural and highly rural areas. The VA and the Department of Defense shall jointly establish a program to encourage members of the Armed Forces with a health care-related military occupational specialty to seek post-service employment with the Veterans Health Administration. The VA shall: periodically assess rural community-based outpatient clinics to determine whether their expansion and improvement are feasible or advisable, and report on the feasibility of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site in each area in which the nearest such center or site is more than 300 miles away.
Bill· SS. 2263 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 November 2015
Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2015 or the HIRE Vets Act This bill directs the Department of Labor to establish a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to solicit voluntary information from employers for purposes of recognizing, by the award of a HIRE Vets Medallion, verified efforts by these employers to: (1) recruit, employ, and retain veterans; and (2) provide community and charitable services supporting the veteran community.
Bill· SS. 2258 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2015
Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program Improvement Act This bill revises requirements for any written agreement under the surface transportation project delivery program that a state makes with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assume responsibilities assigned by DOT with respect to one or more highway projects within the state under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Such an agreement shall emphasize that the state is solely responsible and liable for carrying out DOT responsibilities, including the defense of any civil action, without further DOT approval, under the program. DOT shall: audit a participating state annually (currently, semiannually) for the first two as well as the last two years of the first four years of a state's particiaption; meet with the state to review implementation of its assignment agreement, and discuss plans for the first annual audit, within 180 days after execution of the agreement; and ensure that the time period for completing an annual audit, from initiation to completion (including public comment and responses to those comments), does not exceed 180 days. DOT shall also determine the team to carry out an audit, which shall include at least one member the state designates (who may have relevant expertise and experience and not be an employee of either the state or DOT). In cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, DOT shall carry out education, training, peer exchange, and other initiatives to: assist states in developing the capacity to participate in the assignment program, and promote information sharing and collaboration among states participating in the program.
Report· HearingS.Hrg.114-527published
United States · United States Senate · 5 November 2015
Bill· HRH.R. 3989 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Support Our Military Caregivers Act This bill permits an individual to elect to have an independent contractor perform an external clinical review of any of the following: a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denial of an individual's application to be a caregiver or family caregiver eligible for VA benefits; with respect to an approved application, a VA determination of the level or amount of personal care services that a veteran requires; a request by a caregiver or family caregiver for a reconsideration of the level or amount of personal care services that a veteran requires based on post-application changes; and a revocation of benefits by the VA. The VA shall ensure that each external clinical review is completed and the individual is notified in writing of the results within 120 days of the election.
Bill· SS. 2256 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Co-Prescribing Saves Lives Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) to: (1) establish training guidelines for federal health care facilities and federally qualified health centers; and (2) train certain health care providers at federal health care facilities on best practices for prescribing pain medications, principles of pain management, the misuse potential of controlled substances, identification of potential substance use disorders and referral to further evaluation and treatment, and disposal of controlled substances. HHS, the VA, and DOD must establish, for certain health care facilities, guidelines for the prescription of naloxone to individuals at an elevated risk of overdose. (Naloxone is a prescription drug used to rapidly reverse an overdose of opioids, which are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as heroin and certain pain medications.) HHS must award grants to state departments of health for the development and application of guidelines for the prescription of opioid overdose reversal drugs and to increase access to naloxone. Grants may be used to: establish a program for purchasing, prescribing, and distributing opioid overdose reversal drugs; expand innovative models of naloxone distribution; train and provide resources to health care providers and pharmacists on prescribing opioid overdose reversal drugs; offset individuals' cost-sharing for opioid overdose reversal drugs; conduct community outreach to raise awareness of the availability of opioid overdose reversal drugs; and establish protocols to connect patients who have experienced a drug overdose with treatment.
Bill· HRH.R. 3988 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Military and Veterans Education Protection Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require proprietary institutions of higher education to derive at least 10% of their revenue from sources other than federal educational assistance, or risk becoming ineligible for title IV funding. Federal educational assistance includes title IV federal student aid and federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans. Currently, this so-called 90/10 rule requires proprietary institutions to derive at least 10% of their revenue from sources other than title IV federal student aid, but it allows federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans to count toward the 10%.
Bill· HRH.R. 3991 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Restoration Act of 2015 This bill declares that, if a veteran is forced to discontinue a course as a result of a a permanent school closure and did not receive credit or lost training time toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance payments shall not, for a specified period of time, be: charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided. The bill applies to courses and programs of education discontinued beginning with FY2015. The VA may continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses for up to 4 weeks in any 12-month period when schools are temporarily closed under an established policy based on an executive order of the President or due to an emergency situation. The VA may also continue to pay a monthly housing stipend following a permanent school closure, but only until the earlier of: (1) the date of the end of the term, quarter, or semester during which the school closure occurred; and (2) the date that is four months after the school closure.