Education

Doctors Helping Heroes Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2014

Doctors Helping Heroes Act of 2014 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make permanent the J-1 visa waiver program (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas). Excludes from numerical immigration limitations alien physicians who have completed national interest waiver requirements by working in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service before enactment of this Act and any of their spouses or children). Sets forth specified employment protections and contract requirements for alien physicians working in underserved areas. Increases the number of alien physicians that a state may be allocated from 30 to 35 per fiscal year in specified circumstances. Provides for additional increases or decreases based upon demand. Provides up to three visa waivers per fiscal year per state for physicians in academic medical centers. Permits dual intent for an alien coming to the United States to receive graduate medical education or training, or to take examinations required for graduate medical education or training. Exempts from specified entry limitations H-1B nonimmigrant aliens seeking to enter the United States to pursue graduate medical education or training. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize waiver of the two-year foreign residency requirement for an alien who has received graduate medical eduction or training in the United States and seeks to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent resident status if: the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines that VA facilities are not capable of furnishing covered health services to eligible veterans because they lack the required personnel or cannot provide timely and reasonable access; and the head of the appropriate state agency determines that the alien will practice medicine in a Veterans Health Administration facility, the alien physician's work is in the public interest, and such waiver would not cause the number of waivers allotted for that state for that fiscal year to exceed five.

Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014

Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to select up to 15 institutions of higher education (IHEs), systems of IHEs, or consortia of IHEs to participate in a competency-based education demonstration project that provides participants with the ability to offer competency-based education that does not meet certain statutory and regulatory requirements that would otherwise prevent them from participating in federal student aid programs. Defines "competency-based education" as an educational process that is characterized by the direct measurement of student learning instead of, or in addition to, measuring students' credit or clock hours. Deems IHEs to be eligible to participate in the project if they are eligible to participate in title IV programs and are not proprietary or foreign IHEs. Requires project applicants to provide the Secretary with a description of the statutory and regulatory requirements they would like waived and the reasons for seeking each waiver. Directs the Secretary, through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, to: (1) develop performance measures to be used by project participants in gauging their progress, (2) evaluate the implementation and impact of project activities, and (3) identify promising competency-based education practices and disseminate research on such practices. Requires the Secretary to conduct an annual evaluation of the competency-based education program offered by each demonstration project participant.

National Child Protection Training Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014

National Child Protection Training Act - Directs the Attorney General, through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to establish a program to sustain at least four regional training centers affiliated with institutions of higher education. Requires the regional training centers to: (1) develop model interdisciplinary undergraduate curricula on recognizing and responding to cases of child maltreatment that consists of at least a three-course certificate program or minor degree; (2) develop related model graduate curricula for medical schools, law schools, seminaries, and other institutions of higher education that instruct students likely to become child protection professionals or other professionals required by law to report cases of child maltreatment; (3) disseminate such curricula, upon the Attorney General's approval, to institutions of higher education; (4) develop "laboratory" training facilities that allow for simulated, interactive, and intensive training of students preparing for child protection careers as well as child protection professionals currently in the field; (5) assist communities in developing evidence-based prevention programs; and (6) assist states in developing and maintaining forensic interview training programs.

Underserved Veterans Access to Health Care Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2014

Underserved Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish medical residency programs, or ensure a sufficient number of residency positions in medical residency programs, at VA medical facilities that the Secretary determines: (1) are experiencing a shortage of physicians, and (2) are located in communities that are designated as a health professional shortage area. Requires the Secretary to determine the specialty of health care professionals that a location is experiencing a shortage of and allocate residency positions based on such determination. Directs the Secretary, during the five-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act, to establish not fewer than 2,000 graduate medical education residency positions, giving priority to VA medical facilities that: (1) do not have medical residency programs, and (2) are located in communities that have a high concentration of veterans.

Computer Science Career Education Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 20 June 2014

Computer Science Career Education Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to consortia composed of at least one local educational agency, at least one institution of higher education (IHE), and community representatives for the development and operation of four- or six-year computer science career education programs. Requires each program to include the development of computer science programs for both secondary and postsecondary education that: are aligned with rigorous computer science standards for kindergarten through grade 12 computer science education; link secondary schools and IHEs through non-duplicative sequences of courses in computer science career fields; use, if appropriate and available, work-based or worksite learning in conjunction with business; use educational technology and distance learning, as appropriate, to involve all members of the consortium more fully in the development and operation of the programs; stay current with business needs, expectations, and methods; and create innovative opportunities for students that lead to student attainment of industry-recognized credentials. Requires each program to also provide: (1) professional development for teachers, (2) career and academic counseling for students, and (3) equal access to the full range of career education programs to members of underrepresented groups and special populations.

CREATE Graduates Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Correctly Recognizing Educational Achievements To Empower Graduates Act or the CREATE Graduates Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states and, through them, subgrants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or systems of higher education to: identify current or former students who have earned at least 60 postsecondary credit hours (or the state-required minimum for earning an associate's degree) at the IHE or at an IHE within the system but have not been issued a postsecondary degree by such IHE or an associate's or bachelor's degree elsewhere; perform a degree audit on each of those students to identify those who are eligible to obtain an associate's degree and those who are eligible to obtain such a degree upon the completion of 12 or fewer postsecondary credit hours (or the equivalent); provide outreach and award an associate's degree to each of those students identified as eligible to obtain an associate's degree unless the student declines the degree; and provide outreach to those students identified as eligible to obtain such a degree upon the completion of 12 or fewer postsecondary credit hours, including guidance on the steps they can take to attain such a degree. Allows states to use up to: (1) 15% of their grant for administrative purposes, including the purchase of the technology to carry out grant requirements; and (2) 5% of their grant to create articulation agreements between 2-year and 4-year IHEs to facilitate the transfer of students between such schools.

Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene a Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force. Reauthorizes the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program through FY2019. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on the effectiveness of the program in reducing prescription drug abuse and any corresponding increase or decrease in the use of heroin. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program through FY2019. Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to: revise the 2011 Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Plan to reassess the approach to addressing prescription drug abuse in light of an increase in heroin use and to outline actions or programs to reduce and prevent such abuse, and ensure that ONDCP takes into account a specified GAO report concerning program coordination and identifies opportunities to enhance interagency coordination as part of the Plan. Requires the Secretary to advance the education and awareness of providers, patients, and stakeholders regarding the risk of abuse of prescription opioid drugs if such products are not taken as prescribed. Directs ONDCP to establish a national drug awareness campaign that: takes into account the association between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use, and emphasizes the similarities between heroin and prescription opioids and the effects of these on the human body.

Global Development Lab Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Global Development Lab Act of 2014 - 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 and scale solutions to end extreme poverty; discovering, testing, and scaling development 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; utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand solutions to development challenges; and supporting USAID Missions and Bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design.

Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 - Makes FY2015 appropriations for the Department of State (Department) for: (1) administration of foreign affairs and diplomatic and consular programs; (2) the Capital Investment Fund; (3) the Office of Inspector General; (4) educational and cultural exchange programs; (5) representation allowances; (6) protection of foreign missions and officials; (7) U.S. embassy security, construction, and maintenance; (8) emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service; (9) the repatriation loans program account; (10) the American Institute in Taiwan; (11) the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (12) international organizations and commissions; (13) the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; (14) salaries and expenses; (15) construction of authorized projects; (16) the International Joint Commission, the International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada, and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission; (17) international fisheries commissions; (18) international broadcasting operations and capital improvements; (19) the Asia Foundation; (20) the United States Institute for Peace; (21) the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund; (22) the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Incorporated; (23) the Israeli Arab Scholarship Program; (24) the East-West Center; (25) the National Endowment for Democracy; (26) the Commission for Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad; (27) the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; (28) the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; (29) the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China; and (30) the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Makes FY2015 appropriations for: (1) operating expenses of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the capital investment fund, and the Office of Inspector General; (2) expenses of the President in carrying out certain programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (3) global health and child survival; (4) specified development assistance; (5) international disaster assistance; (6) transition initiatives; (7) development credit authority; (8) the Economic Support Fund; (9) promotion of democracy; (10) the Complex Foreign Crisis Fund; (11) migration and refugee assistance; (12) the Peace Corps; (13) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; (14) the Inter-American Foundation; (15) the United States African Development Foundation; and (16) the Department of the Treasury for international affairs technical assistance activities. Makes FY2015 appropriations for: (1) international narcotics control and law enforcement; (2) nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, and demining; (3) international peacekeeping operations; (4) international military education and training; and (5) foreign military financing grants. Makes FY2015 appropriations for: (1) international organizations and programs, (2) the Global Environment Facility, (3) the International Development Association, (4) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (5) the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, (6) the Inter-American Development Bank, (7) the Asian Development Bank, (8) the Asian Development Fund, (9) the African Development Bank, (10) the African Development Fund, (11) the International Fund for Agricultural Development, (12) the Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund, and (13) international monetary programs. Sets forth limitations on callable capital subscriptions with respect to: (1) the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, (2) the Inter-American Development Bank, (3) the Asian Development Bank, and (4) the African Development Bank. Cancels certain drawing rights with respect to the International Monetary Fund loans under specified circumstances. Makes FY2015 appropriations for: (1) the Export-Import Bank of the United States, including the Office of Inspector General and administrative expenses; (2) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) credit and insurance programs, including administrative expenses; and (3) the Trade and Development Agency. Sets forth certain limits and prohibitions on the use of appropriations for specified activities.

Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2014 - Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to rename part D (Achievement through Technology and Innovation) as the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act of 2014 or the ATTAIN Act and to reauthorize it through FY2020. Requires states to use a portion of their allotted funds under subpart 1 (State and Local Grants) of part D to develop challenging academic content and achievement standards to ensure that students are technologically literate before the end of grade eight. Specifies that such standards are only for tracking technological literacy and not for assessing adequate yearly progress (AYP) under title I. Permits technological literacy testing to be embedded in other state tests or performance-based assessments portfolios, or made through other valid and reliable means. Requires states to use the bulk of their allotment for two new subgrant programs for local educational agencies (LEAs), devoting: (1) 60% for formula subgrants to improve teaching and learning through technology, and (2) 40% for competitive subgrants for systemic school redesign through technology integration. Requires LEAs to: (1) include a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan in their applications, (2) use a specified percentage of each subgrant for teacher training, and (3) use each subgrant to acquire and apply technology to identify individual student learning needs and support personalized learning. Allows LEAs that receive funds for both programs to use all the funds for systemic school redesign through technology integration program activities. Creates a new subpart 2 (State Competitive Grants) program to which all funding is to be directed if part D appropriations fall below a specified amount, otherwise all funding is to be made available for subpart 1 programs. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants under subpart 2 to states and consortia of states to support LEAs' enhanced use of technology, including online and blended learning for systemic education transformation, curricula redesign, and new instructional strategies to personalize learning.

Permanent Families for All Children Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Permanent Families for All Children Act - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to: limit to 36 the number of months for which foster care maintenance payments made on behalf of a child not in a legal guardianship or kinship guardian arrangement may be reimbursed; limit to 12 the number of months for which foster care maintenance payments made to child-care institutions on behalf of a child residing in the institution may be reimbursed; eliminate the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) income eligibility requirement for foster care maintenance payments; replace the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP, or federal matching rate) for foster care maintenance payments and related costs in a state with a foster care partnership rate for the quarter determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and make children in residential treatment programs eligible for 50% of regular foster care maintenance payments. Directs the Secretary to increase the proportion of the amounts expended by a state for caseworker training on child-focused recruitment and retention. Increases the amount of spending for child welfare programs by the unused savings resulting from this Act. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the cancellation of Federal Direct Student Loans for a social worker employed in a public child or family service agency after the social worker has made 60 monthly payments on the eligible loan after the enactment of this Act.

Middle Class CHANCE Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically Act or the Middle Class CHANCE Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the maximum Federal Pell Grant for award year 2014-2015 and adjust it each subsequent award year to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index. Directs the Secretary of Education to award an additional Pell Grant to an eligible student who: (1) has received a Pell Grant for an award year, and (2) is enrolled in a program of study for one or more additional payment periods during the same award year that are not otherwise covered by the Pell Grant. Limits the total amount of the Pell Grants awarded to such student for the award year to 150% of the maximum Pell Grant for such award year. Raises, from 12 semesters to 15 semesters, the period during which a student may receive Federal Pell Grants.

Advancing Conservation and Education Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Advancing Conservation and Education Act of 2014 - Allows Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming (western states) to relinquish state land grant parcels wholly or primarily within federal conservation areas and to select, in exchange, unappropriated public land within the state. Defines "federal conservation areas" as lands within the outer boundaries of units of the National Park, National Wilderness Preservation, National Wildlife Refuge, or National Landscape Conservation Systems and certain designated lands within the National Forest System. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to create a process for the relinquishment of such parcels. Allows a western state to select, and the Secretary to convey, lands that are mineral in character. Requires the overall value of the state land grant parcels and the unappropriated public land to be conveyed to be equal. Sets forth requirements regarding records of hazardous materials on land conveyed, water rights, and grazing permits.

Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act - Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person who: (1) is subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student, or from intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court; or (2) has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of stalking under federal, state, territorial, or tribal law or of a crime that involves conduct that would be proscribed by prohibitions against stalking if committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Global Development Lab Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2014

Global Development Lab Act of 2014 - 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 and scale solutions to end extreme poverty; discovering, testing, and scaling development 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; utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand solutions to development challenges; and supporting USAID Missions and Bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design.

Transparency in Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Transparency in Education Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Education from issuing a final rule or implementing a proposed rule affecting the determination as to whether a postsecondary career education program provides training that leads to gainful employment in a recognized occupation, which is required if it is to participate in a program under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), until 90 days after: the Secretary publishes a complete data analysis on the impact of such proposed rule on all postsecondary education programs and students at all categories of institutions of higher education that participate in a program under title IV of the HEA, that analysis is published in a format similar to the Gainful Employment 2012 Informational Rate Calculations published by the Department of Education, and the Comptroller General (GAO) issues a report that reviews such data analysis for accuracy and completeness.

Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2014 - Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. Excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, such compensation paid to injured or ill veterans. Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces. Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.

Expanding Care for Veterans Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Expanding Care for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan to expand the scope of the VA's research and education on, and delivery and integration of, complementary and alternative medicine services. Requires the Secretary to carry out, through the VA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, a three-year program to: (1) assess the feasibility and advisability of integrating the delivery of complementary and alternative medicine services selected by the Secretary with other VA health care services for veterans, and (2) identify and resolve barriers to providing such services and integrating them with other VA health services. Requires such program to be conducted, at not fewer than 15 VA medical centers, by integrating the provision of complementary and alternative medicine services with other VA health care services provided to veterans who have a mental health condition, experience chronic pain, or have a chronic condition. Requires veterans' participation to be voluntary. Directs the Secretary to contract with a qualified independent entity for comprehensive studies of the barriers encountered by veterans in receiving, and by administrators and clinicians in providing, complementary and alternative medicine services through the VA. Provides for the conduct of such studies through surveys of veterans and VA administrators and clinicians. Requires the Secretary to carry out a three-year program awarding grants to public or private nonprofit entities to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members who are eligible for readjustment counseling from the VA.

Recognizing the benefits and importance of music making as an essential form of creative expression and expressing support for designating the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2014, as Make Music Day.

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2014

Supports the designation of Make Music Day (the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2014) to celebrate the national commitment to making music and the importance of access to music education for all children. Recognizes Make Music Day organizers and volunteers across the United States for promoting such Day and for their efforts in promoting awareness of the benefits of making music and the importance of access to music education.

Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014

Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act - Amends federal firearms provisions to expand the definition of: (1) "intimate partner" to include a dating partner or former dating partner; and (2) "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include a misdemeanor offense that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, by a dating partner or former dating partner against the victim. Prohibits the sale or other disposition of a firearm or ammunition to, or the possession or receipt of a firearm by, a person subject to a court order, or an ex parte order, that restrains such person from: (1) harassing, stalking, threatening, or engaging in other conduct that would put an individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury, including an order issued at the request of an employer on behalf of its employee or at the request of an institution of higher education on behalf of its student; or (2) intimidating or dissuading a witness from testifying in court.

Children in Families First Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014

Children in Families First Act of 2014 - Establishes within the Department of State the Office of Vulnerable Children and Family Security which shall: (1) support the implementation in foreign countries of child welfare laws and policies; and (2) address the gap in U.S. diplomacy, policy, and operations with respect to promoting appropriate, protective, and permanent family care for children living without families. States that the Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large who shall: (1) serve as a primary advisor to the Secretary of State and the President in all matters related to vulnerable children and family security in foreign countries; and (2) represent the United States in matters relevant to international child welfare, family preservation and reunification, and provision of permanent, safe parental care through kinship and domestic and intercountry adoption. Amends the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to carry out the functions prescribed by the Convention regarding the accreditation of U.S. adoption services providers. Establishes databases for internationally adopted children and adoption service providers. Transfers from the Secretary of State to the Field Operations Directorate of USCIS specified adoption-related functions, including accreditation of agencies and approval of persons to provide adoption services and oversight of provider investigations. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, through USCIS, to: (1) be responsible for processing and case-specific decision making on all intercountry adoption cases, (2) ensure that all intercountry adoption suitability and eligibility determinations of prospective adoptive parents are made in compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention, (3) ensure that all non-Convention adoption cases undergo specified preprocessing, and (4) be responsible for all case processing steps in Convention and non-Convention adoption petitions on behalf of children whom U.S. parents propose to immigrate to the United States. Establishes within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Center of Excellence on Children in Adversity. Authorizes the President to provide assistance for programs in developing countries for nutrition, education, care, and protection of children. Requires: (1) the President to establish a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. aid to children in adversity, and (2) USAID to carry out a priority country demonstration program implementing the (December 2012) Action Plan for Children in Adversity over a period of five years in at least six countries.

A resolution designating June 20, 2014, as "American Eagle Day", and celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2014

Designates June 20, 2014, as American Eagle Day. Applauds the issuance of bald eagle commemorative coins by the Secretary of the Treasury as a means by which to generate critical funds for the protection of bald eagles. Encourages entities with a shared interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate and develop educational tools for use in the public schools.

Protecting Students from Failing Institutions Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Protecting Students from Failing Institutions Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to discharge a borrower's liability on a loan under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program if the student borrower, or the student on whose behalf a parent borrowed, is unable to complete the program in which such student is enrolled due to the closing of a campus or branch of the institution of higher education (IHE). Prohibits a student's period of attendance at a campus or branch that closed and prevented the student from completing the student's course of study from: (1) being considered in calculating the student's period of eligibility for additional assistance under title IV, or (2) counting towards the student's duration limit for Federal Pell Grants. Provides such liability discharge and eligibility protections to borrowers who withdraw from an IHE no more than 120 days before the closure of the campus or branch of the IHE at which they are enrolled if that closure would have prevented them from completing the program in which they were enrolled. Allows a borrower who receives a Federal Pell Grant for an academic year for enrollment in a program at an IHE campus or branch that closes to use the remaining amount of the Federal Pell Grant for such academic year at another IHE even if the borrower is considered able to complete the program in which the borrower is enrolled.

Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2014 - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to establish a grant program to provide assistance to states that require compliant carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in dwelling units. Defines "compliant carbon monoxide alarm" as an alarm that complies with the American National Standard for Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms as well as the American National Standard for Gas and Vapor Detectors and Sensors. Permits states receiving grants to use such funds to: (1) purchase and install such alarms in dwelling units of low-income families or elderly persons, childcare facilities, public schools, senior centers, or student dwelling units owned by public universities; (2) train state or local fire code enforcement officials regarding compliance and installation; and (3) educate the public about the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Recognizing the importance of dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities and promoting research, education, and awareness.

United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2014

Recognizes the importance of conducting research, education, and awareness on dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. Recognizes the importance of acknowledging the struggles and successes of those who live with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. Commends the excellent work of organizations dedicated to dyslexia research to educate, support, and provide hope for people with dyslexia and their families.

INDIAN EDUCATION SERIES: EXAMINING HIGHER EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS

United States · United States Senate · 11 June 2014

Safeguarding Classrooms Hurt by ObamaCare's Obligatory Levies

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

Safeguarding Classrooms Hurt by ObamaCare's Obligatory Levies - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude any elementary or secondary school, state or local educational agency, and institution of higher education from the definition of "applicable large employer" for purposes of the employer mandate to provide health care coverage for employees.

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2014

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.

Christopher's Law

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act or Christopher's Law - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require lenders of private education loans to: describe clearly and conspicuously, in writing, the cosigners' obligations regarding such loans, including the effect a borrower's or cosigner's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on such obligations; require the borrower to designate an individual to have the legal authority to act on behalf of the borrower in the event of the borrower's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity; and ensure that the borrower, and any cosigner, receives comprehensive information on the loan's terms and conditions and the borrower's responsibilities with respect to such loan. Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to publish a model form for describing a cosigner's obligations regarding private education loans. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require institutions of higher education to provide borrowers of federal education loans information at their entrance counseling on: the effect their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on their federal and private education loans; any repayment, refinance, deferment, forbearance, or forgiveness opportunities available to the borrower, or cosigner, in the event of either individual's death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity; and the effect their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity would have on their obligations and any cosigner's obligations with respect to the loan. Requires students applying for federal education loans to designate an individual who is to have the legal authority to act on their behalf with respect to such a loan in the event of their death, disability, or inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity.

Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide pre-loan counseling at or prior to the first disbursement of a new loan to a student borrower under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program. (Currently, such counseling is limited to students who are first-time borrowers of such loans.) Adds to the information to be provided to students as part of such counseling: an estimate of their projected loan debt-to-income ratio upon graduation and their estimated total student loan debt, calculated for their particular program of study; a statement that they should borrow the minimum amount necessary to cover expenses; information about the default risk of having a projected loan debt-to-income ratio greater than 12%; options for reducing borrowing through scholarships, reduced expenses, work-study, or other work opportunities; and an explanation of the importance of graduating on time and of how adding an additional year of study impacts total indebtedness. Requires each IHE, prior to certifying a Federal Direct Loan for disbursement to a student borrower, to ensure that the student manually enters, either in writing or through electronic means, the exact dollar amount of such loan that the student desires to borrow.

American Indian Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

American Indian Teacher Loan Forgiveness Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide up to $17,500 of loan forgiveness to borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan program or the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program who: (1) are a member of an Indian tribe, and (2) have been employed as a full-time teacher for five consecutive complete school years in an Indian school or in a local educational agency that serves at least 10 Indian students or whose schools have an enrollment of students at least 25% of which are Indians.

Strong Start for America's Children Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Strong Start for America's Children Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families. Allots grants to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level. Defines "high-quality prekindergarten programs" as those that: serve children who are 3 or 4 by the eligibility determination date or have attained the legal age for state-funded prekindergarten; require staff to have high qualifications, which for teachers include specified alternative requirements that all involve possessing a bachelor's degree; maintain a maximum class size of 20 children and a child-to-instructional staff ratio that does not exceed 10 to 1; offer a full-day program; provide developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curricula and learning environments that are aligned with state early learning and development standards; offer teachers salaries comparable to those earned by kindergarten through grade 12 teachers; provide for ongoing monitoring and program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; offer accessible comprehensive services for children, including specified minimum services; provide high-quality professional development for all staff; meet education performance standards under the Head Start Act; and maintain evidence-based health and safety standards. Conditions grant eligibility on states demonstrating to the Secretary that they: (1) have or will establish early learning and development standards, (2) have or will develop the ability to link prekindergarten data with their elementary and secondary school data, (3) offer kindergarten for eligible children, and (4) have established or designated, or will establish or designate, a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. Allows states to reserve up to 20% of their grant funds over the first four years of their grant for prekindergarten quality improvement activities, including support for teachers seeking a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or a closely-related field. Authorizes states to apply to the appropriate Secretary to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level. Requires state to develop, implement, and make publicly available performance measures and targets for their grant activities. Prohibits state grantees from requiring any child to participate in any federal, state, local, or private early childhood education program. Limits the use of assessments funded by the grant program. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a process to provide Head Start program services to children who are younger than age four in states or regions that provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs. Directs the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to states, LEAs, or other local government entities to increase their capacity to offer high-quality prekindergarten programs. Requires state recipients to assure the Secretary that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. Amends the Head Start Act to direct the Secretary of HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA), to assist those providers in meeting applicable Head Start and Early Head Start program performance standards. Authorizes those partnerships to serve children through age three. Directs the Secretary of HHS to give Early Head Start program grant priority to Early Head Start agencies that agree to enter into such partnerships with center-based or family child care providers. Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding the need for Congress to continue providing resources to the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program to support the work of states in helping at-risk families voluntarily receive home visits from nurses and social workers.

Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the responsibility for education resides with the states and the local educational agencies (LEAs) to which they have delegated authority; and (2) the Secretary of Education should only issue those regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements that are specifically needed to implement federal legislation and are within LEAs' educational, operational, and financial capacity. Prohibits the Secretary, unless specifically authorized by federal law, from issuing regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs that: conflict with the authority of LEAs delegated to them by their state; result in additional costs to LEAs for reporting, grant administration, and general operations that are not fully covered by the federal government; conflict with the authority of LEAs to determine how to engage or act upon community participation and advice; impose requirements on LEAs or state educational agencies (SEAs) that would adversely affect their authority to function as legislative, executive, or quasi-judicial agencies; conflict with states' authority to determine the appropriate governance structure of their SEA or LEAs, or their SEA's or LEAs' authority to determine how schools are governed or managed; establish SEA or LEA reporting requirements that duplicate existing federal requirements or are issued without first conducting a fiscal impact statement; or place conditions or requirements on grants to states or LEAs that do not directly relate to, or do not directly support, the intent of the grants or legislation authorizing the grants. Directs the Secretary during each fiscal year to provide LEAs and the major national education organizations at least 60 days to provide written comments regarding the local impact of implementing federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements for any applicable program or activity of the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to review existing LEA reporting requirements to identify and eliminate those that are duplicative. Prohibits the Secretary from promulgating federal regulations, rules, guidance materials, grant conditions, or other requirements pertaining to states or LEAs without first: requesting data and recommendations from SEAs, LEAs, and the major national education organizations regarding the educational, financial, and operational costs involved in implementing them; verifying that LEAs will have the financial resources and technical assistance they may need to successfully implement the requirements; giving SEAs, LEAs, and national educational organizations at least 60 days' notice to respond to such requirements before they are issued, except in certain emergencies; and giving SEAs and LEAs maximum flexibility in implementing the requirements. Provides that if an LEA or major national education organization provides the Secretary with a written statement demonstrating that a regulation, rule, guidance material, grant condition, or other requirement does not meet the substantive or procedural requirements of this Act, the Secretary must review the merits of the statement, issue a written response within 60 days, and post that response on the Department of Education's website.

Education for Jobs Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Education for Jobs Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make an individual eligible to apply for a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program if that individual: (1) is carrying at least three credit hours or the equivalent coursework for the course of study the individual is pursuing, (2) is enrolled in an educational program leading to a degree or certificate, and (3) was employed on a full-time basis for at least 10 years. Makes those students eligible for interest subsidies. Requires the repayment period for such a loan to begin the day after six months after the student ceases to meet the loan eligibility requirements.

Twenty-First Century Manufacturing Skills and Jobs Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Twenty-First Century Manufacturing Skills and Jobs Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, on a quarterly basis, to make payments to an eligible community college in an amount equal to the aggregate new manufacturing job withholding matches for qualified training provided to job trainees who are U.S. citizens. Defines "qualified training" as education or training to provide an individual with the education or skills necessary to perform the job for which such individual will be employed or with licenses or certificates necessary for such employment. Requires that any job for which a trainee is hired be a new job. Defines "eligible community college" as a public institution of higher education: (1) at which the majority of degrees awarded are two-year associate's degrees that are acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, (2) that is located in a state that has a state new manufacturing jobs tax credit program in effect, and (3) that participates in such program by having in effect a contract that meets requirements of such program.

I-STEM Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Innovative STEM Networks Act or the I-STEM Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states or local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) innovation networks in partnership with nonprofit organizations, businesses, institutions of higher education (IHEs), educational service agencies, or other entities to prepare students for postsecondary education and careers in the STEM fields. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) award no less than 5 and no more than 10 of those grants each fiscal year, and (2) give priority to grantees that include or serve a high-need LEA. Requires the grants to be used to: increase student awareness about STEM career pathways that reflect STEM workforce needs in the area, develop statewide plans that integrate and align workforce needs with STEM education and training programs that provide students with STEM-specific skills and credentials, and identify the strengths and weaknesses in state STEM education efforts and prioritize strategies to address those weaknesses. Authorizes the grants to be used to: promote and develop in-school and out-of-school curricular tools and professional development for STEM educators at the elementary and secondary school level; provide induction and mentoring services to new teachers in STEM subjects; promote and develop rigorous undergraduate pre-service teacher programs at IHEs that emphasize STEM content; support the participation of elementary and secondary school students in STEM-related competitions, out-of-school activities, and field experiences; assist in the implementation and assessment of rigorous career and college ready standards in STEM education for students in prekindergarten through grade 12; and develop STEM-related education and workforce training programs in secondary schools and community colleges that reflect local community needs.

Youth Access to American Jobs Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Youth Access to American Jobs Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to 10 eligible entities (partnerships among a local educational agency (LEA), a community college, and a state apprentice program or a joint-labor management training program) to carry out a program for students to: (1) take science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses and other courses during grades 11 and 12 at a secondary school served by the LEA that prepare them for community college; (2) enroll in a course of study related to the manufacturing field at the community college upon graduating from the secondary school; and (3) enroll, for a two-year period, in the state apprenticeship program or the joint-labor management training program upon receiving an associate's degree from the community college.

SMART Jobs Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

School Modernization and Revitalization Through Jobs Act, the SMART Jobs Act, or the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act - Requires the Secretary of Education to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among states on the basis of the relative portion of school improvement funds provided to local educational agencies (LEAs) in each state under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Reserves 1% of the grant funds for assistance to outlying areas and Indian schools. Requires states to reallocate such grant funds to LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of school improvement funds received by LEAs in the state for the previous fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to make grants to LEAs that serve areas in which the President, during the preceding 10 fiscal years, has determined that a major disaster exists for the construction, modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Allocates grant funds among such LEAs on the basis of each LEA's share of infrastructure damage inflicted on public school facilities in such areas. Requires the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded under this Act to have been produced in this country, subject to specified exceptions.

Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), acting through the Human Resources Directorate and not less than one research directorate of the NSF, to award competitive grants to eligible entities to enable them to carry out the activities specified below in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Requires an eligible entity that receives a grant to use those grant funds to carry out the following activities designed to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields: (1) online workshops, (2) mentoring programs that partner STEM professionals with students, (3) internships for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM, and (4) conducting outreach programs providing elementary and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to STEM.

Midshipmen Education Certainty Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Midshipmen Education Certainty Act - Makes appropriations available each fiscal year for operations of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy for any period during which interim or full-year appropriations for the Academy are not in effect. Requires funds made available for a fiscal year under this Act to remain available until the enactment of: (1) an appropriation for such fiscal year (including a continuing appropriation) for such operations; or (2) an applicable regular appropriation for the Maritime Administration for such fiscal year, or continuing appropriations resolution for such fiscal year, without any appropriation for such operations.

Presidential Make it in America Awards Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Presidential Make it in America Awards Act of 2014 - Establishes the following presidential awards: the Presidential Reshoring Award, for the best example of a U.S. company that returns manufacturing jobs and operations from overseas to the United States; the Presidential Invest in America Award, for the best example of a U.S. company that invests in significant new domestic manufacturing jobs and operations, and the Presidential Foreign Direct Investment Award, for the best example of a foreign company that invests in U.S. manufacturing jobs and operations. Authorizes the awards, subject to modification, in the categories of: (1) small business, (2) company or its subsidiary, (3) company which primarily provides services, (4) health care provider, (5) education provider, and (6) nonprofit organization. Limits the awards to one of each in any year to a qualified organization in each eligible category. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to publish on the departmental website information on the successful strategies and programs of organizations that receive these awards.

Condemning the abduction of female students by armed militants from the terrorist group known as Boko Haram in northeastern provinces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Supports the people of Nigeria, especially the parents and families of the girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state, and calls for their immediate and safe return. Condemns Boko Haram for its attacks on civilian targets, including schools, mosques, churches, villages, and agricultural centers. Encourages the government of Nigeria to strengthen efforts to protect children seeking an education and to hold those who conduct such attacks accountable. Commends U.S. efforts to hold terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram accountable, and supports U.S. offers to assist in the search for the abducted girls. Recognizes that every individual, regardless of gender, should have the opportunity to pursue an education without fear of discrimination. Encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USDA) to continue supporting initiatives that promote the human rights of women and girls in Nigeria. Urges the President to strengthen U.S. security, law enforcement, and intelligence cooperation with Nigeria. Calls on the President to provide Congress with a comprehensive strategy to counter the growing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups in West Africa, the Sahel, and North Africa.

Strongly supporting the quality and value of diversity and innovation in the Nation's higher education institutions, and strongly disagreeing with the President's proposal to create and administer a Postsecondary Institution Ratings System.

United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2014

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: students and families should maintain the right and responsibility of determining where to enroll for postsecondary education; the federal government, in conjunction with states and accreditors, has a responsibility and the tools to ensure that the significant taxpayer funds that are invested in student aid each year are appropriately spent; the federal government could play a positive role in making information regarding postsecondary education available to prospective students; the Administration should work collaboratively with the higher education community to make that information more consumer friendly and accessible to students and their families; and the Administration's proposal to rate postsecondary institutions through an oversimplified federal rating system will lead to less choice, diversity, and innovation and should be rejected.

Autism CARES Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act of 2014 or the Autism CARES Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate an official to oversee national autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, services, and support activities. Directs the official to implement such activities taking into account the strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (the Interagency Committee) and ensure that duplication of activities by federal agencies is minimized. Extends through FY2019: (1) the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program; (2) the autism education, early detection, and intervention program; and (3) the Interagency Committee. Includes support for regional centers of excellence in ASD and other developmental disabilities epidemiology as a purpose of grants or cooperative agreements. Requires information and education activities to be culturally competent. Allows a lead agency coordinating activities at the state level to include respite care for caregivers. Allows the use of research centers or networks for the provision of training in respite care and for research to determine practices for interventions to improve the health of individuals with ASD. Revises responsibilities of the Interagency Committee concerning: inclusion of school- and community-based interventions in the Committee summary of advances, monitoring of ASD research and federal services and support activities, recommendations to the Director of the National Institutes of Health regarding the strategic plan, recommendations regarding the process by which public feedback can be better integrated into ASD decisions, strategic plan updates and recommendations to minimize duplication, and reports to the President and Congress. Revises Interagency Committee membership requirements to specify additional federal agencies that might be represented and to modify the non-federal membership. Modifies requirements for reports by the Secretary on ASD activities. Adds a requirement for a report to Congress concerning young adults with ASD and the challenges related to the transition from existing school-based services to those available during adulthood. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the developmental disabilities surveillance and research program, the education, early detection, and intervention program, and the Interagency Committee for FY2015-FY2019.

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 - Title I: Improvement of Scheduling System for Health Care Appointments - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract for an independent assessment of: the process at each VA medical facility for scheduling appointments for veterans; the staffing level and productivity of each VA medical facility; the organization, processes, and tools used by the VA to support clinical documentation and the subsequent coding of inpatient services; the VA's purchasing, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical supplies, and medical devices; and the VA's performance in paying amounts owed to third parties and collecting amounts it is owed. Directs the Secretary: (1) through a technology task force, to review the VA's needs regarding its system and software for scheduling veterans' medical appointments; and (2) to implement task force recommendations the Secretary considers feasible, advisable, and cost-effective. Title II: Training and Hiring of Health Care Staff - Requires the Inspector General of the VA to annually determine the five health care occupations for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary, upon a determination by the Inspector General that there is such a staffing shortage regarding a particular health care occupation, to recruit and directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to serve in that particular occupation for the VA. Directs the Secretary, under the VA's Health Professionals Educational Assistance program, to give scholarship priority to applicants pursuing education or training towards a career in a health care occupation that represents one of the five largest staffing shortages in the VA. Requires the Secretary to submit a biennial report to Congress, until 2024, assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility. Directs the Secretary to establish a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities. Terminates the program after two years. Requires the Secretary, thereafter, to provide health care management training materials to specified VA employees upon the commencement of their employment. Makes specified appropriations to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that remain unobligated at the end of FY2014 and FY2015 available to the Secretary to hire additional health care providers for the VHA, particularly in VA medical facilities and areas experiencing the greatest shortages. Title III: Improvement of Access to Care from Non-Department of Veterans Affairs Providers - Requires hospital care and medical services to be furnished to veterans through contracts with specified non-VA facilities if the veterans: have been unable to schedule an appointment at a VA medical facility within the VHA's wait-time goals for hospital care or medical services and such veterans opt for non-VA care or services; reside more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility; or reside in a state without a VA medical facility that provides hospital care, emergency medical services, and surgical care and such veterans reside more than 20 miles from such a facility. Provides for such care through contracts with any health care provider participating in the Medicare program, any federally-qualified health center, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Indian Health Service (IHS). Directs the Secretary to provide veterans with information about the availability of care and services at non-VA facilities: (1) when they enroll in the VA patient enrollment system, and (2) when they attempt to schedule an appointment for VA hospital care or medical services but are unable to do so within the VHA's wait time goals. Terminates this Act's requirement that the Secretary furnish care and services through contracts with non-VA facilities two years after the Secretary publishes interim final regulations implementing the program. Requires the Secretary to transfer the authority to pay for health care through non-VA facilities from the VA's Veterans Integrated Service Networks and medical centers to the VHA's Chief Business Office. Directs the Secretary to conduct outreach to each Indian medical facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization through a contract or compact with the IHS to raise awareness of the ability of such facilities, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to enter into agreements with the VA for reimbursement for providing veterans with health care at such facilities. Requires the Secretary to establish performance metrics for assessing the performance of the VA and IHS under a memorandum of understanding to increase access to, and the quality and coordination of, health care services. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the reimbursement of direct care services provided to veterans with Native Hawaiian health care systems that are in receipt of funds from grants awarded, or contracts entered into, under the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary must comply with the prompt payment rule or any similar regulation or ruling in paying for health care under contracts with non-VA providers. Title IV: Health Care Administrative Matters - Directs the Secretary to improve veterans' access to telemedicine and other health care through the use of VA mobile vet centers by establishing standardized requirements for the operation of such centers. Includes among those requirements: (1) the number of days each center is expected to travel each year, (2) the number of locations each center is expected to visit each year, (3) the number of appointments each center is expected to conduct each year, and (4) the method and timing of notification given by each center to individuals in the area to which such center is traveling. Requires each mobile vet center to have the capability to provide telemedicine services. Establishes an Independent Commission on Department of Veterans Affairs Construction Projects to review the VA's current construction and maintenance projects and medical facility leasing program to identify any problems the VA experienced in carrying out such projects and program. Establishes the Commission on Access to Care to examine veterans' access to VA health care and strategically examine how best to organize the VHA, locate health care resources, and deliver health care to veterans over the next 10 to 20 years. Directs the President to require the Secretary and the heads of other relevant federal agencies to implement each recommendation that the President considers feasible and advisable and determines can be implemented without further legislative action. Requires the Secretary to ensure that scheduling and wait-time metrics or goals are not used as factors in determining the performance of: (1) directors, associate directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, and clinical leads of VA medical centers; and (2) directors, assistant directors, and quality management officers of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to modify the performance plans of the directors of the VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure that such plans are based on the quality of care received by veterans at the health care facilities under their jurisdictions. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the performance goals of any VISN or VA medical center employee any goal that might disincentivize the payment of VA amounts to provide health care through a non-VA provider. Requires the Secretary to publish: (1) within 90 days after this Act's enactment, the VA's wait time goals for the scheduling of a veterans' appointment for health care; and (2) within one year after this Act's enactment, the current wait times for an appointment for primary care and specialty care at each VA medical center. Directs the Secretary to develop, update, and make publicly available a comprehensive database containing all applicable patient safety, quality of care, and outcome measures for VA health care that are tracked by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the HHS Secretary with the information needed to make VA medical center patient quality and outcome information publicly available through the HHS's Hospital Compare website. Requires: (1) the VA website to include a link to the VA's health care providers database that provides veterans with the location of each VA physician's residency training, and (2) each veteran who is to undergo a surgical procedure by or through the VA to be provided information on the credentials of the surgeon who is to perform the procedure. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit an assessment to Congress of: (1) the manner in which contractors under the VA's Patient-Centered Community Care initiative oversee the credentials of physicians within their networks, (2) the VA's oversight of the contracts under the Patient-Centered Community Care initiative, and (3) the VA's verification of the credentials and licenses of health care providers furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans in non-VA facilities. Requires the Secretary to implement a plan to address the Comptroller General's findings and recommendations. Requires the annual budget that the President submits to Congress to include specified information regarding: (1) the cost of providing, and the number of veterans receiving, medical care through contracts with non-VA facilities; and (2) the number of VA employees on paid administrative leave during the preceding fiscal year. Directs the Secretary to establish policies penalizing VA employees who knowingly submit, or knowingly require another VA employee to submit, false data concerning health care wait times or quality measures to another VA employee. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) remove any individual from the VA Senior Executive Service if the Secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal, and (2) remove such individual from the civil service or transfer the individual to a General Schedule position at any appropriate grade for which the individual is qualified. Gives an individual seven days to appeal such a removal or transfer to the Merit Systems Protection Board (Board). Requires the Board to conduct an expedited review process that results in a final decision on such an appeal within 21 days after it was submitted. Title V: Health Care Related to Sexual Trauma - Expands eligibility for counseling and treatment for sexual trauma to veterans who were on inactive duty training when they experienced sexual assault or harassment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such counseling and treatment to active-duty members of the Armed Forces who experienced sexual assault or harassment while serving on active duty or active or inactive duty training. (Under current law, such services are provided only to veterans.) Prohibits such a member from being required to obtain a referral before receiving such services. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the treatment and services available from the VA for male veterans who experience military sexual trauma compared to such treatment and services available to female veterans who experience such trauma. Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee to submit reports to Congress on the transition of military sexual abuse treatment from the DOD to the VA. Title VI: Major Medical Facility Leases - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out certain major medical facility leases at specified locations for up to specified amounts. Directs the Secretary, in exercising the authority to enter into such leases, to record as the full cost of the contractual obligation at the time a contract is executed either: (1) the amount of total payments under the full lease term, or (2) the first-year payments plus the specified cancellation costs if the lease is terminated before its full term. Requires the funding prospectus of a proposed lease to include a detailed analysis of how the lease is expected to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 and the Anti-Deficiency Act, including an analysis of: (1) the classification of the lease as a lease-purchase, capital lease, or operating lease; (2) the obligation of budgetary resources associated with the lease; and (3) the methodology used in determining the asset cost, fair market value, and cancellation costs of the lease. Directs the Secretary, at least 30 days before entering into a lease, to submit to Congress: (1) notice of the intention to enter into, and a detailed summary of, such lease; (2) a description and analysis of any differences between the lease prospectus submitted and the proposed lease; and (3) a scoring analysis demonstrating that the proposed lease fully complies with OMB Circular A-11. Requires the Secretary, no more than 30 days after entering into a lease, to report any material differences between the proposed lease and the lease entered. Title VII: Veterans Benefits Matters - Expands the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship to include surviving spouses (currently, children) of service members who die in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. Requires a surviving spouse entitled to such assistance and also to veterans' educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill to elect a single coverage. Directs the Secretary to disapprove, for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs, courses of education provided by a public educational institution of higher education (IHE) that charges veterans living in the state higher tuition and fees than it charges in-state residents, regardless of the veteran's state of residence. Makes this provision applicable to: (1) veterans who were discharged or released from at least 90 days of active service less than three years before their date of enrollment in the applicable course, (2) family members eligible for such assistance due to their relationship to such veterans, and (3) courses that commence on or after July 1, 2015. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a public IHE's course on the grounds that the IHE conditions a veteran's receipt of in-state tuition rates on such veteran: (1) demonstrating an intent, by means other than physical presence, to establish residency in the state; or (2) satisfying other requirements not related to the establishment of residency. Title VIII: Appropriation and Emergency Designations - Authorizes and appropriates such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for FY2014-FY2016. Treats such funding as emergency funding that is not subject to pay-as-you-go spending constraints.

American Manufacturing Jobs for Students Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

American Manufacturing Jobs for Students Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education, when awarding grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school counseling programs, to give special consideration to coordinated efforts to significantly engage students in manufacturing careers. Requires such programs to provide students in grades 7-12 with: (1) information on career and educational pathways leading to jobs and career opportunities in the LEA's geographic area, particularly in the manufacturing field; and (2) opportunities to interact with employers in the LEA's geographic area, with preference given to employers in the manufacturing field.

Stamp Out Violence In Our Communities Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Stamp Out Violence In Our Communities Act - Directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue a special postage stamp to provide funding for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Gang Resistance Education and Training Program.

Military Spouse Career Advancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Military Spouse Career Advancement Act - Requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish programs to provide education and training opportunities for military spouses to expand employment and portable career opportunities. Directs the Secretary to continue to carry out the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program, under which the spouse of a member of the armed forces who is serving on active duty may receive up to the amount that the Secretary determines is equal to the average amount of in-state tuition at public four-year colleges and universities located in the state in which the spouse resides in tuition assistance for education and training courses and licensing and credentialing fees. Requires financial assistance provided under the program to be available to cover the costs of: state certifications for teachers, medical professionals, and other occupations; licensing exams and related preparation courses; continuing education classes; degree programs leading to employment in portable careers; and secondary education completion courses, GED tests, and English as a Second Language classes. Prohibits the Secretary from restricting participation in the program to spouses of members serving in particular grades.

Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: select a medical center in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to serve as the national center (Center) for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of descendants (i.e., a biological child, grandchild, or great-grandchild) of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to that exposure; establish an advisory board to advise the center, to determine which health conditions result from exposure to toxic substances, and to study and evaluate cases of exposure of current and former members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances; and establish an Office of Extramural Research to conduct research on wounds, illnesses, injuries, and other conditions suffered by active members of the Armed Forces resulting from exposure to toxic substances and to assist the Advisory Board in considering claims of exposure to toxic substances. Requires the Center, in coordination with the National Birth Defect Registry, to track and research the genetic link between individuals who are exposed to Agent Orange and the medical conditions of their children. Extends eligibility for medical care and caregiver assistance to descendants of a veteran who was exposed to toxic substances while serving as a member of the Armed Forces if: (1) the descendant has a health condition resulting from exposure to toxic substances and is homebound due to such condition, and (2) the veteran has or had the same health condition. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which not less than 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of disability. Directs the VA Secretary, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the DOD Secretary to jointly conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed at members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on incidents of exposure to toxic substances, health conditions resulting form such exposure, and the potential long-term effects of such exposure.

Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014

United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2014

Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise Medicare payments for dialysis services provided to individuals with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and acute kidney injury. Extends the time period when a private health insurer, in determining benefits, cannot consider a group health insurance enrollee's ESRD or entitlement to Medicare coverage due to ESRD. Makes individuals with ESRD eligible for Medicare Advantage. Allows dialysis facilities to provide kidney disease education services and allows physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists to refer individuals to those services. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ESRD Care Coordination program to provide higher Medicare payments to nephrologists, dialysis facilities, and other providers that reduce spending on ESRD by being part of a coordinated care organization. Amends the Public Health Service Act to include dialysis as a service provided by the National Health Service Corps in health professional shortage areas. Makes nephrologists and non-physician practitioners who provide dialysis eligible for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and Loan Repayment Program. Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to submit a report identifying gaps in chronic kidney disease research and comparing research funding to expenditures on disease treatment. Requires HHS to study the causes of kidney disease and efforts to treat kidney disease in disproportionately affected minority populations.