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151 records in US in 2015
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Stop Social Security Garnishment for Student Debt Act of 2015 This bill prohibits offsetting an individual's Social Security, railroad retirement, or black lung benefits to pay a federal student loan debt.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2015
Expresses support for the designation of National School Psychology Week, and recognizes the contributions of school psychologists to the success of students in schools across the United States.
United States · United States Senate · 4 November 2015
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Global Development Lab Act of 2015 This bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the United States Global Development Lab, whose responsibilities should include: increasing the application of science, technology, innovation, and partnerships to develop new solutions to end poverty; discovering and testing innovations to increase cost effectiveness and support U.S. foreign policy and development goals; leveraging the expertise and resources of businesses, nongovernmental organizations, science and research organizations, and universities to increase program impact; and supporting USAID missions and bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Recruiting and Retaining Effective School Leaders Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to establish a student loan forgiveness program for school principals employed in schools where at least 30% of students meet federal poverty guidelines. Loans are forgiven over a seven-year period.
United States · United States Congress · 4 November 2015
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of civic education and civic involvement programs in schools. Encourages schools to test high schoool seniors on basic civic knowledge and to promote civic participation, democratic engagement, and social service.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2015
Areawide Integrated Pest Management Act of 2015 or the AIPM Act of 2015 This bill amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to expand the Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program to include grants to colleges, universities, and other entities for qualified areawide integrated pest management projects to prevent the spread of pests and invasive species. The bill establishes an areawide integrated pest management committee to consider stakeholder feedback and determine priorities for the projects. The projects must be implemented on a landscape scale or larger and include collaboration with specified federal, regional, state, and nongovernmental entities. The projects may prevent the spread of pests and invasive species through: prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression; educational programs; and physical, mechanical, cultural biologically-based, or chemical controls. A qualified project must: provide for significant benefits for the prevention, eradication, or management of pests and invasive species; provide for economic and environmental benefits to agriculture, individuals, wildlife, and the environment; address the annual priorities established by the integrated pest management committee; last no more than five years; establish a regional advisory committee to oversee the project; and involve the cooperative extension services in translating the results of research into practical information and tools to be shared. USDA must transfer to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the authority for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2015
Safe Streets and Representative Police Forces Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to include grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support criminal justice-related majors. It prioritizes grants to predominantly black institutions, historically black colleges and universities, IHEs where at least 40% of students are Latino, and IHEs where at least 40% of students are Native American.
United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2015
Commends the leadership of Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon in providing refuge and assistance to the people fleeing the conflict in Syria. Recognizes the strain that hosting such significant numbers of refugees can place on public services, particularly for education and health, and the need to mitigate the impact of these stresses on host communities. Expresses sympathy to the Syrian refugees and their families for the loss of life, displacement, and massive destruction caused by this regional conflict. Condemns the loss of innocent civilian life during the course of the conflict in Syria.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2015
Calls on the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation to: (1) consult with American Indian tribes and Alaska Native organizations, and (2) jointly develop and expeditiously adopt changes to its accreditation standards to ensure that American Indian and Alaska Native teacher candidates will not be negatively impacted by those standards.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Community College to Career Fund Act This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to eligible community colleges, four-year public institutions of higher education, tribal colleges or universities, private or nonprofit two-year institutions of higher education in specified U.S. territories, or a consortium of any of them, in partnership with employers or an employer or industry partnership representing multiple employers, in order to develop, offer, improve, and provide educational or career training programs for workers. The governor of the state in which at least one of these entities is located shall establish criteria for an educational or career training program leading to a recognized postsecondary credential for which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Community College to Career Fund Act This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Department of Labor to award competitive grants to eligible community colleges, four-year public institutions of higher education, tribal colleges or universities, public or private nonprofit two-year institutions of higher education in specified U.S. territories, or a consortium of any of them, in partnership with employers or an employer or industry partnership representing multiple employers, in order to develop, offer, improve, and provide educational or career training programs for workers. The governor of the state in which at least one of these entities is located shall establish criteria for an educational or career training program leading to a recognized postsecondary credential for which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance to include payments of qualified education loans paid to either an employee or a lender.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2015
Honors the 50th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Acknowledges those whose support and efforts led to passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Recognizes the significant investment the Higher Education Act of 1965 has made in the lives of American students, families, and this nation as a whole. Encourages all Americans to recognize and celebrate the important historical milestone represented by the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and its ideals of improving educational access and affordability.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 27 October 2015
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
GEAR UP for Counseling This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase requirements for grant recipients under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Specifically, it requires state and partnership GEAR UP grantees to also provide academic and mental health counseling services to participating students. The bill reauthorizes GEAR UP for FY2017-FY2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2015
Recognizes the contributions of the Department of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University to the educational excellence, quality of life, and economic competitiveness of the United States. Congratulates the students, faculty, and alumni of the Department on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its establishment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop policies on the prevention of and response to sexual harassment or assaults involving its employees, NOAA's commissioned officer corps, and individuals who work with or conduct business on behalf of NOAA. Those policies must include procedures for reporting incidents, including those occurring after-hours, at sea, or in remote locations. NOAA must: (1) ensure that at least one of its employees who handle matters relating to equal employment opportunity or sexual harassment is stationed in each of its regions of operation and in each of its marine and aviation centers, (2) establish victim advocates to aid victims of sexual assault, and (3) submit an annual report on sexual assaults. The bill establishes protections for victims, including through a change of duty station of an alleged perpetrator. The bill revises the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002. The bill sets forth new requirements under that Act concerning obligated service requirements, training and physical fitness, education loan assistance, recruitment, hiring and promotions, and other workforce issues. NOAA must develop and implement a charter vessel safety policy applicable to the acquisition by NOAA of charter vessel services. The bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2020 the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
This bill requires: the Department of State and the Department of Defense to develop jointly and submit to Congress a five-year strategy to help Nigeria, members of the Multinational Joint Task Force to Combat Boko Haram, and relevant partners to counter Boko Haram, and to assist Nigeria and its neighbors to address legitimate grievances of vulnerable populations in areas affected by Boko Haram; and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the willingness and capability Nigeria and regional partners to implement such strategy. It is the sense of Congress that lack of economic opportunity and access to education, justice, and other social services contributes to Boko Haram's ability to radicalize and recruit individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2015
Land-Grant Opportunity Act This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to modify the formula that the Department of Agriculture uses to distribute funds for land-grant colleges and universities to provide additional funding for certain historically black colleges and universities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2015
Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reduce the amount apportioned for a surface transportation program, project, or activity for FY2016 by amounts apportioned or allocated pursuant to the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 for the period from October 1, 2015, through October 29, 2015. Amends the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 to continue from October 1, 2015, through November 20, 2015, and authorizes appropriations through that period for, specified federal-aid highway programs under: the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Technical Corrections Act of 2008, SAFETEA-LU, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), and other specified law. Subjects funding for such programs generally to the same manner of distribution, administration, limitation, and availability for obligation, but at a specified pro rata of the total amount, as funds authorized for appropriation out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for such programs and activities for FY2014. Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to authorize appropriations out of the general fund of the Treasury for the Tribal High Priority Projects program for the same period. Prescribes an obligation ceiling of $5,595,839,851 for federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for the same period. Authorizes appropriations from the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for administrative expenses of the federal-aid highway program for the same period. Extends for the same period the authorization of appropriations for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety programs, including: highway safety research and development, national priority safety programs, the National Driver Register, the High Visibility Enforcement Program, and NHTSA administrative expenses. Amends SAFETEA-LU to extend for the same period high-visibility traffic safety law enforcement campaigns under the High Visibility Enforcement Program. Sets aside a specified amount of the total apportionment to states for highway safety programs for a cooperative program to research and evaluate priority highway safety countermeasures for the same period. Extends for the same period the authorization of appropriations for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) programs, including: motor carrier safety grants, FMCSA administrative expenses, commercial driver's license program improvement grants, border enforcement grants, performance and registration information system management grants, commercial vehicle information systems and networks deployment grants, safety data improvement grants, a set-aside for high priority activities that improve commercial motor vehicle safety and compliance with commercial motor vehicle safety regulations, a set-aside for new entrant motor carrier audit grants, FMCSA outreach and education, and the commercial motor vehicle operators grant program. Amends the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to continue, for the same period, the authorized distribution of funds for coastal wetlands, recreational boating safety, projects under the Clean Vessel Act of 19921, boating infrastructure projects, and the National Outreach and Communications Program. Extends for the same period the apportionment of nonurbanized (rural) area formula grants for competitive grants and formula grants for public transportation on Indian reservations. Extends the apportionment of urbanized area formula grants for passenger ferry projects for the same period. Extends for the same period the authorization of appropriations from the HTF Mass Transit Account for: formula grants for public transportation, including allocations for specified projects; research, development demonstration, and deployment projects; the transit cooperative research program; technical assistance and standards development grants; human resources and training grants; capital investment grants; and administrative expenses. Allocates, for the same period, certain amounts to states and territories for formula bus and bus facilities grants. Authorizes appropriations for the same period for hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation safety projects. Authorizes DOT to make certain expenditures, including an amount for hazmat training grants, from the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund for the same period. Positive Train Control Enforcement and Implementation Act of 2015 Revises positive train control systems requirements. Extends from December 31, 2015, to December 31, 2018, the deadline for submission to DOT by each Class I railroad carrier and each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation of a revised plan for implementing a positive train control (PTC) system on certain of its tracks. Permits such carrier or other entity to provide for an alternative schedule and sequence for implementing a PTC system, subject to DOT review. Requires DOT to amend federal regulations relating to equipping locomotives for Class II and Class III railroads operating in PTC territory to extend each deadline under the regulations by three years. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through November 20, 2015, the authority for expenditures from: (1) the HTF Highway and Mass Transit Accounts, (2) the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and (3) the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2015
Student Loan Opportunity Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt private activity bond financing, to: (1) eliminate the restriction on nonprofit corporations that acquire student loan notes to notes incurred under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (thus allowing such corporations to access tax-exempt financing for other types of student loans), and (2) expand the operations of such corporations to include performing student assistance related activities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2015
Congratulates Texas Southern University on the 88th anniversary of its founding. Recognizes the commitment of Texas Southern University to academic excellence, quality instruction, innovative research, and enduring contributions to its community, state, nation, and the world.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2015
Nutrition Education Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Charter School Accountability Act of 2015 This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to replace the charter school grant program, through which states receive formula-based grants, with a competitive grant program. The Department of Education (ED) shall award grants to: (1) support the start up of charter schools that have been thoroughly vetted for quality and local impact, and (2) replicate or expand high-quality charter schools. To be eligible to receive grant funding, a state must: have legally binding rules related to fiduciary duties and conflicts of interest of charter school officers, directors, managers, and employees; require all charter schools to annually conduct and publicly disclose independent audits; provide that charter schools are covered by the state's open meetings and open records laws to the same extent as public schools are covered by those laws; have policies in effect that hold charter school authorizers accountable for monitoring a charter school's educational performance and financial operations; and require a charter school to make certain public disclosures related to its operation and funding. The bill also revises the per-pupil facilities aid program, through which ED makes competitive matching grants to states to provide per-pupil financing to charter schools for facility acquisition, construction, and renovation. Specifically, a state may: (1) partner with one or more organizations to provide up to half of the state share of program funding, and (2) receive more than one program grant under specified circumstances. ED must conduct specified national activities, including awarding competitive grants directly to charter school developers in states that have not applied for or received charter school grants.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Diversity in Science Technology and Nurturing Capable Educators Act or the DISTANCE Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive merit-based scholarships to students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with concurrent certification as kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers. It requires scholarship recipients to work for at least five academic years as a full-time STEM teacher at a public or private kindergarten or elementary or secondary school during the seven-year period beginning within one year after they complete their studies. It awards scholarships for one academic year of study at a time, but makes them renewable on an annual basis if their recipients meet certain measures of academic progress. Scholarship recipients may enter into agreements with ED that provide them with a bonus in exchange for performing their service in a high-need local educational agency for a period equivalent to the period for which they receive the bonus. This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize ED to award competitive matching grants to up to 50 institutions of higher education to establish, strengthen, and operate four-year undergraduate degree programs that enable students to concurrently: (1) earn a STEM bachelor's degree; and (2) be certified to teach kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school. It awards those grants one fiscal year at a time, but makes them renewable on an annual basis for up to five years.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Student Loan Fair Prepayment Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require a student loan borrower's prepayment amount on a Federal Family Education Loan, Federal Direct Loan, or Federal Perkins Loan to be applied first toward outstanding fees and then, unless a borrower requests otherwise, in the following order: (1) toward the principle due on the loan with the highest interest rate, if multiple loans have different interest rates; and (2) toward the principle due on the loan with the highest balance, if multiple loans have the same interest rate. Additionally, it amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a borrower's prepayment amount on a private education loan to be applied first toward outstanding fees and then, unless a borrower requests otherwise, in the following order: (1) toward the principle due on the loan with the highest interest rate, if multiple loans have different interest rates; and (2) toward the principle due on the loan with the highest balance, if multiple loans have the same interest rate.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
America First Act This bill increases discretionary spending limits, repeals sequestration for direct spending, and includes offsets that change direct spending programs and tax provisions. The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase the discretionary spending limits for FY2016-FY2025 and to eliminate the sequestration for direct spending that is required under current law. The bill permanently extends two expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, limits tax deductions for high-income individuals, and repeals the medical device tax included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In the health care area, the bill expands means-testing for Medicare, changes certain Medicare cost-sharing requirements and benefits, reduces the Medicaid provider tax threshold, and changes procedures for medical malpractice cases. The bill changes the measure of inflation that is used for tax provisions and benefits under spending programs such as Social Security to the Chained Consumer Price Index. It also indexes several user fees for inflation, including customs user fees and Transportation Security Administration fees. The bill decreases the dividend payment that the Federal Reserve pays on stocks held by member banks to participate in the Federal Reserve System. Federal Employees Retirement System contributions are increased for some current federal employees. The Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended to consolidate and make several changes to income-based student loan repayment programs. The Federal Crop Insurance Act is amended to reduce federal payments for crop insurance premium subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Young Adults Driving Safety Act of 2015 This bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to award competitive grants of up to $100,000 to non-profit organizations, tribal governments, or educational institutions to develop model programs to assist young adults with obtaining or regaining driver's licenses. A recipient may use grant funds to: conduct a comprehensive assessment of the driver's licensing status of young adults in the neighborhoods to be served; develop and implement strategies to address licensing deficits and barriers faced by young adults and disconnected youth (low-income young adults who are homeless, are in foster care, have come into contact with the juvenile justice or criminal justice system, are not employed and not enrolled in school, or are at risk of dropping out of an educational institution) in obtaining a driver's license; study the impact of state and local driver's license suspensions and revocation policies on young adults in the areas to be served; identify potential sources of funding for high school driver's education programs; develop innovative and cost-effective strategies for preparing young adults for legal driving; and evaluate the effectiveness of the funded grant activities in achieving the program goals. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall give priority to entities proposing programs to assist low-income young adults with obtaining or regaining driver's licenses. Statewide efforts to improve traffic safety for teen drivers, for which states may use DOT-approved highway safety program funds, shall include peer-to-peer education and prevention strategies in schools and communities designed to support teen driving education and driving skills improvement.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Promoting Access and Retention Through New Efforts to Require Shared Higher Investments in Postsecondary Success Act or the PARTNERSHIPS Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a state-federal partnership to promote state investment in public higher education. The bill directs the Department of Education to award annual block grants to states that increase public higher education operating support on a per student basis, using a specified formula. As a condition of receiving grants, states must use grant funds to reduce tuition costs and support the enrollment of low-income students in state public educational institutions. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) expand and make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit; (2) increase the amount of the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance programs and make such exclusion available to the spouses and dependents of employees; (3) allow tax exclusions for the discharge of certain public interest student loans, repayments of student loans by tax-exempt organizations, and student loans subject to an income-based or income contingent repayment plan; (4) allow a full exclusion from gross income of Federal Pell Grants; and (5) repeal the requirement that distributions from a qualified tuition plan (529 plan) be aggregated for purposes of determining the amount includible in taxpayer income.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2015
Rural Educator Support and Training Act or the REST Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 to: (1) establish several new grant programs for students training to become educators in rural schools, and (2) enhance federal student loan forgiveness for rural educators. The Department of Education (ED) shall award undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to students who are studying to become educators in rural schools. To be eligible, a recipient must maintain acceptable academic standing and shall agree to fulfill a service obligation of three or more years, depending on the number of years for which funding is provided. ED may also award grants to eligible educational agencies for the purpose of: (1) reimbursing eligible rural educators for out-of-pocket costs associated with obtaining national board certification, and (2) increasing annual compensation for eligible rural educators who have become certified. Rural educators shall also be eligible for additional student loan forgiveness. Specifically, a teacher who is employed for five consecutive years in a rural school shall be eligible for up to $17,500 in federal student loan forgiveness. (Under current law, a highly qualified teacher who is employed for five consecutive years in a high-poverty school is eligible for up to $5,000 in federal student loan forgiveness; such a teacher who teaches mathematics, science, or special education is eligible for up to $17,500.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2015
ADA Education and Reform Act of 2015 This bill requires the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice to develop a program to educate state and local governments and property owners on strategies for promoting access to public accommodations for persons with a disability. The program may include training for professionals to provide a guidance of remediation for potential violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The bill prohibits persons from, and subjects violators to a criminal fine for, sending demand letters or other pre-suit notifications alleging a violation of ADA public accommodation requirements if the notification does not specify the circumstances under which an individual was actually denied access. The notification must specify: (1) the address of property, (2) the specific ADA sections alleged to have been violated, (3) whether a request for assistance in removing an architectural barrier was made, and (4) whether the barrier was permanent or temporary. The bill also prohibits commencement of civil action based on the failure to remove an architectural barrier to access into an existing public accommodation unless: (1) the aggrieved person has provided to the owners or operators a written notice specific enough to identify the barrier, and (2) the owners or operators fail to provide the person with a written description outlining improvements that will be made to improve the barrier or they fail to remove the barrier or make substantial progress after providing such a description. The Judicial Conference of the United States must develop a model program to promote alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve such claims. The model program should include an expedited method for determining relevant facts related to such barriers and steps to resolve accessibility issues before litigation.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2015
Stop Obesity in Schools Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategy to reduce childhood obesity that: (1) provides for the reduction of childhood obesity rates by 10% by the year 2020; (2) addresses short-term and long-term solutions; (3) identifies how the federal government can work effectively with entities to implement the strategy; and (4) includes measures to identify and overcome obstacles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must: (1) make matching grants to local educational agencies and tribal governments to reduce childhood obesity by adopting wellness policies and anti-obesity initiatives; (2) arrange for the evaluation of a wide variety of existing programs designed to prevent obesity in children and adolescents to determine their effectiveness, factors contributing to their effectiveness, and the feasibility of replicating the programs in other locations; and (3) make matching grants to state, local, or tribal governments, and consortia of such governments to reduce childhood obesity through establishing or expanding healthy living and wellness coordinating councils (that are charged to increase healthy living and reduce obesity in elementary and secondary schools) and supporting regional workshops.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2015
Investing in Student Success Act of 2015 This bill authorizes an individual (i.e., a student) and another person (i.e., an investor) to enter an income-share agreement (ISA) in which the student agrees to pay a percentage of future income, for a specified period of time, in exchange for funds to pay for postsecondary education, workforce development, or other purposes. An ISA that complies with specified terms and conditions and meets certain disclosure requirements is a valid, binding, and enforceable contract and is not subject to state laws that limit interest rates or regulate assignments of future income. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to include an ISA as a qualified education loan (a qualified education loan is not dischargeable in bankruptcy), but it prohibits a tax deduction for interest paid on an ISA (interest paid on a qualified education loan is tax deductible). Payments to a student under an ISA are not includible as: (1) gross income for tax purposes, or (2) income or assets for federal financial aid eligibility purposes under the Higher Education Act of 1965. The bill amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exclude as an investment company any person whose business substantially consists of making ISAs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2015
Welcomes Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on his official visit to the United States in October 2015. Expresses solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against terrorism. Reaffirms friendship and strategic partnership with a democratic Pakistan. Supports cooperation between the United States and Pakistan in a range of areas, including security, economic development, strengthening of democratic institutions, education, and trade.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Mining Schools Enhancement Act This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement of the Department of the Interior to ensure that at least 70% of specified amounts available for projects relating to the environmental impacts of surface coal mining is expended to fund activities of mining and mineral engineering programs at mining schools in the United States. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement shall ensure that such activities relate to conventional fuel resource development and production.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Earnings Contingent Education Loans Act of 2015 or the ExCEL Act of 2015 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace several existing federal student loan programs with a single repayment plan that caps annual debt repayments based on the borrower's income. The bill terminates the authority of the Department of Education (ED) to make federal Direct Stafford Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and Direct PLUS loans, subject to exceptions for existing student borrowers, PLUS loans made to parents of undergraduates, and Direct Consolidation Loans. To replace the programs, the bill establishes the Income Dependent Education Assistance (IDEA) Loan Program and the IDEA Loan Repayment Program, which limit annual repayments based on the borrower's income and prohibit the accrual of interest on loans for active duty service members. Loans under the program are not eligible for the federal public service loan forgiveness program. The bill amends the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require ED and the Department of Health and Human Services to exchange information necessary to use the National Directory of New Hires to assist in the collection of student loans. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the Department of the Treasury to disclose to ED tax return information necessary to carry out the IDEA Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers that received loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (DL) or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program on or after July 1, 2006, to consolidate those loans as Federal Direct Consolidation Loans. It directs the Department of Education (ED) to consolidate DLs, and send a completed loan consolidation application to FFEL borrowers, within 90 days of this bill's enactment. It gives FFEL borrowers six months after their receipt of such application to endorse it and submit it to ED if they wish to consolidate their loans. The bill sets the interest rate on Federal Direct Consolidation Loans at 4% or, if the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans being consolidated is less than 4%, the lesser of: (1) that weighted average, or (2) an interest rate equal to 0.4% of the principal balance of the consolidation loan at the time of consolidation. It adds an origination fee equal to 0.4% of the principal balance of the consolidation loan at the time of consolidation if an FFEL is being consolidated. It reduces the interest rate on a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan by 0.25% if one or more of the loans being consolidated is an FFEL held by an eligible lender. The bill prohibits any benefit a borrower is receiving or earning when issued a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan from being affected by the consolidation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Social Security Garnishment Modernization Act of 2015 This bill limits the amount offset (i.e., withheld) from an individual's Social Security benefit payments to repay a defaulted federal student loan to the amount by which such Social Security benefit payments exceed $9,000 annually (i.e., $750 monthly), adjusted for inflation. Currently, the federal government may offset certain Social Security, railroad retirement, or black lung benefit payments to repay an individual's nontax federal debts, but the amount offset is limited to the amount of federal benefit payments that exceeds $9,000 annually, unadjusted for inflation.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise provisions related to graduate medical education (GME) residency positions and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Under current law, for purposes of calculating Medicare payments for hospitals, certain limitations apply regarding the total number of GME residency positions in a hospital's training program. The bill specifies that these limitations shall not apply to any residency position that counts towards meeting the VA's obligation under the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to increase by 1,500 the number of GME residency positions at VA medical facilities. The bill also extends by five years the period over which the VA must increase the number of GME residency positions at its medical facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 October 2015
Commends and celebrates the 150th anniversary of Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, as it inspires its students to lead with competence and character.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Affordable College Textbook Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to make competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support pilot programs that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students. It requires the full and complete digital content of the educational resources created or adopted using grant funds to be made available free of charge to the public: (1) on an easily accessible and interoperable website; and (2) in a machine readable, digital format that anyone can directly download, edit with attribution, and redistribute. ED must give special consideration to grant applicants that demonstrate the greatest potential to: achieve the highest level of savings for students; expand the use of open textbooks at other IHEs; and produce open textbooks that are of the highest quality, that can be most easily utilized and adapted by faculty members, that correspond to the highest enrollment courses, and that are created or adopted in partnership with entities that will assist in their marketing and distribution. The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include any educational material developed to accompany a college textbook as supplemental material that is subject to college textbook information disclosure requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Expresses support for: (1) the goals and ideals of American Diabetes Month, including encouraging individuals to fight diabetes through public awareness about prevention and treatment options and enhancing education about the disease; and (2) decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes in the United States through increased research, treatment, and prevention. Recognizes the importance of early detection, awareness of the symptoms, and the risk factors that often lead to the development of diabetes.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act or the SOAR Reauthorization Act This bill amends the District of Columbia Code to prohibit the Department of Education from limiting the number of eligible students receiving District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) scholarships, and from preventing otherwise eligible students from participating in the OSP because of: whether or not the student attended a private school for pre-elementary education in the previous school year; or whether or not the individual previously received a scholarship or participated in OSP, or was a member of the control group used by the Institute of Education Sciences to carry out previous OSP evaluations. An eligible nonprofit organization's application for an OSP grant must include how it will ensure that it utilizes internal fiscal and quality controls. Priorities for the award of scholarships to eligible students are modified to give priority to students who, in the preceding school year, attended a school identified as low-achieving according to the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) (currently certain elementary or secondary schools identified for improvements, corrective action, or restructuring). OSP-participating schools must: conduct criminal background checks on school employees who have direct and unsupervised interactions with students, and comply with all requests for data and information regarding certain reporting requirements. Participating private schools must be provisionally or fully accredited or in the process of seeking accreditation. The Department must make OSP funds available to eligible entities receiving a grant for administrative expenses and parental education and assistance, including streamlining of the application process. Previously unobligated OSP funds must be used to award new scholarships to students. The current OSP evaluation procedures under the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (SOAR) are terminated and replaced with those specified in this Act. The Department may withhold specified OSP funds provided to the DC Mayor for DC public and charter schools for noncompliance with SOAR requirements. Funds provided under this Act to support DC public charter schools may be directed to the OSSE, which may transfer them to subgrantees that are: specific DC public charter schools in good standing or networks of such schools, or DC-based non-profit organizations with experience in successfully providing support or assistance to such schools or networks. The Department and the Mayor shall revise the memorandum of understanding in effect to address the need to ensure that participating schools meet fire code standards and maintain certificates of occupancy. The OSP is reauthorized through FY2021.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
This bill makes E-3 nonimmigrant visas (specialty occupation) for Australian nationals that are unused during a fiscal year available on the same basis in the subsequent fiscal year to nationals of Ireland residing in Ireland. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to make eligible for an E-3 visa an alien who is a national of Ireland coming to the United States to perform services as an employee who has at least a high school education or its equivalent, or has, within five years, at least two years of work experience in an occupation classified as Zone 2 or higher by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Affordable College Textbook Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to make competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support pilot programs that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students. It requires the full and complete digital content of the educational resources created or adopted using grant funds to be made available free of charge to the public: (1) on an easily accessible and interoperable website; and (2) in a machine readable, digital format that anyone can directly download, edit with attribution, and redistribute. ED must give special consideration to grant applicants that demonstrate the greatest potential to: achieve the highest level of savings for students; expand the use of open textbooks at other IHEs; and produce open textbooks that are of the highest quality, that can be most easily utilized and adapted by faculty members, that correspond to the highest enrollment courses, and that are created or adopted in partnership with entities that will assist in their marketing and distribution. The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include any educational material developed to accompany a college textbook as supplemental material that is subject to college textbook information disclosure requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Creating Quality Technical Educators Act of 2015 This bill amends title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants under the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program to be used for secondary school career and technical education teacher preparation programs. The grant program provides funds to partnerships of high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools or early education programs, and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to train current and prospective teachers and school leaders. The bill requires the career and technical education teacher preparation programs to: be available to mid-career professionals or recent graduates of an IHE who have expertise in a program area in which there is a career and technical education teacher shortage; allow individuals to obtain initial licensure and the basic skills required for entry into the education profession, with the option of earning a bachelor's or master's degree; and allow teachers who do not have subject matter expertise in a career and technical education field that is in demand in the local or regional economy to receive the technical skills training they need to teach those skills in a classroom setting. It directs the Department of Education to establish performance measures for the career and technical education teacher preparation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2015
Supports the designation of Earth Science Week. Expresses strong support for the goals and ideals of Earth Science Week and its aims to increase understanding of and interest in earth science at the local, state, national, and international levels. Recognizes the importance of education and public outreach efforts to ensure the U.S. public gains a better understanding and appreciation for the impact of the earth sciences on their daily lives. Encourages K-12 students to participate in local, state, and national events in connection with Earth Science Week and to get involved in the celebration by exploring artistic and academic applications of earth science.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 7 October 2015
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2015
Groundwork USA Trust Act of 2015 Establishes the Groundwork USA Trust Program. Authorizes the Department of the Interior to award grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to: (1) facilitate the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation; (2) reclaim vacant and derelict lands; (3) cleanup and care for neglected areas; (4) return brownfields to productive use; (5) integrate environmental education, food security, health and fitness, resource management, and job training; (6) encourage and support business, local government, nonprofit, and community cooperation in sustainable environmental care and enhancement; (7) acquire, rehabilitate, and improve real property and buildings; and (8) develop programs that encourage partnering with other environmental organizations.