Records whose title is actually about this topic. Use a country filter if the list is still too broad.
Records
Bill· HRH.R. 5106 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
In the Red Act of 2016 This bill authorizes and appropriates specified funds to the Department of Education (ED) for FY2016-FY2025 and each succeeding year for grants: (1) to waive tuition and fees for eligible students at community colleges, and (2) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for low-income students at four-year historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct ED to establish a program to refinance outstanding federal student loans for borrowers of Direct Loan program loans disbursed before July 1, 2016, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) The bill modifies, for academic year 2018-2019 and succeeding years, the calculation of the mandatory add-on amount used to determine the total maximum Federal Pell Grant award. It also amends various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) expand the expenses eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit to include the amount of a Federal Pell Grant used to pay for living expenses; and (2) include, as a qualified scholarship excludible from gross income, any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant. Finally, the bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief for: (1) deep gas wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) deep water oil and gas leases in the central and western Gulf of Mexico.
Bill· SS. 2882 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program. The bill delays the implementation of the ozone NAAQS that were published in 2015. The bill extends until: (1) October 26, 2024, the deadline for states to submit designations to implement the 2015 ozone NAAQS; and (2) October 26, 2025, the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate state areas as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable areas with respect to the 2015 ozone NAAQS. States must submit a state implementation plan (SIP) by October 26, 2026, to implement, maintain, and enforce the 2015 ozone NAAQS. The bill also changes the review cycle for criteria pollutant NAAQS from a 5-year review cycle to a 10-year review cycle. The EPA may not complete its next review of ozone NAAQS before October 26, 2025. Prior to establishing or revising NAAQS, the EPA must obtain advice from its scientific advisory committee regarding potential adverse public health, welfare, social, economic, or energy effects which may result from attaining and maintaining NAAQS. The EPA must publish regulations and guidance for implementing NAAQS concurrently with the issuance of a new or revised standard. New or revised NAAQS must not apply to preconstruction permits for constructing or modifying a major emitting facility or major stationary source of air pollutants until those regulations and guidance have been published. The bill revises requirements concerning SIPs for extreme ozone nonattainment areas and particulate matter nonattainment areas.
Bill· SS. 2875 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2016
Reports Reduction Act of 2016 This bill eliminates or modifies reporting requirements for programs of: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State, the Treasury, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Executive Office of the President; the Federal Communications Commission; the Federal Trade Commission; the General Services Administration; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Science Foundation; the Office of Personnel Management; the Director of National Intelligence; and the Small Business Administration. The Andean Trade Preference Act is amended to eliminate the U.S. International Trade Commission's reports regarding the economic impact of the President's authority to proclaim duty-free treatment to beneficiary countries and the effectiveness of drug-related crop eradication. The bill eliminates a provision that required the President to report on compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act for projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 27 April 2016
Bill· HRH.R. 5077 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 April 2016
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 TITLE I--INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES This bill authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the Department of Defense (DOD); the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); the National Security Agency (NSA); the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Coast Guard; the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy, and Justice; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA); and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The ODNI, if it provides prior notice to Congress, may authorize employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for FY2017 when necessary for the performance of important intelligence functions. This title authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the Intelligence Community Management Account. Additional funds identified in a classified schedule for advanced research and development shall remain available until September 30, 2018. TITLE II--CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY RETIREMENT AND DISABILITY SYSTEM This title authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS This title authorizes FY2017 appropriations for the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Employees of the DIA, the NGA, the NRO, or the NSA assigned or detailed to a combatant command or other element of the federal government who intend to report to Congress a complaint or information regarding an urgent concern involving classified information or false statements may report the complaint or information to the DOD inspector general. Inspectors general of the CIA, the ODNI, and other elements of the intelligence community must notify Congress directly when they determine that an employee's complaint or information about an urgent concern appears credible. This title removes processes under which such inspectors general must notify the CIA Director, the Director of National Intelligence, or the head of their establishment, who then forwards the notice to Congress. DOD officials designated with overall acquisition-decision responsibilities for major defense acquisition programs must report to Congress about the costs, plans, and risks of the programs after granting each milestone approval. This title removes a provision that requires any construction or improvement to a facility with an estimated federal cost exceeding $300,000 that is used primarily by intelligence community personnel to be specifically identified as a separate item in the President's budget or specifically authorized and appropriated. The ODNI must notify Congress of any project for the repair or modification of a facility for intelligence community personnel that has an estimated cost greater than $1 million. TITLE IV--MATTERS RELATING TO ELEMENTS OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY This title amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to require the ODNI, within five days after a review or an investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) of a merger, acquisition, or takeover that could result in foreign control of any person engaged in interstate commerce in the United States, to submit to Congress the ODNI's national security threat analysis that was previously provided to the CFIUS. Within 60 days after completion of the review or investigation that concludes the CFIUS's action, the ODNI must also determine whether the transaction will have an operational impact on the intelligence community, and, if so, report on such impact to Congress. The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive is redesignated as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, with a director to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The ODNI must publish on a public website a list of all logos, symbols, and markings associated with foreign terrorist organizations. The CIA may: (1) pay death benefits substantially similar to those authorized for Foreign Service members, and (2) adjust eligibility requirements for such benefits. The CIA inspector general may designate officers or employees as law enforcement officers for purposes of pay and retirement benefits if they are appointed to a position that investigates suspected criminal offenses. This title removes the DOD Chief Information Officer's authority and control over the NSA's Information Assurance Directorate. No DIA civilian employee assigned to a directorate of a geographic combatant command headquartered outside of the United States may receive a living quarters allowance. The NRO shall develop a plan to carry out space-based environmental monitoring missions with acquisition programs to meet the national security requirements for cloud characterization and theater weather imagery. The ODNI must support DOD's efforts to modernize the technology systems for security clearance information. TITLE V--MATTERS RELATING TO UNITED STATES NAVAL STATION, GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA The ODNI must complete a declassification review of intelligence reports prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center prior to Periodic Review Board sessions or detainee transfers on the past terrorist activities of individuals detained at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who were transferred or released after the signing of Executive Order 13492. The ODNI must make declassified information available to the public and provide a justification to Congress about why any information subject to review was not declassified. TITLE VI--REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS This title sets forth reporting requirements for the ODNI, DHS, and the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.
Bill· SS. 2848 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 25 April 2016
Water Resources Development Act of 2016 This bill authorizes, deauthorizes, and revises various U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources development and conservation projects, feasibility studies, and relationships with nonfederal project sponsors. It revises and sets forth requirements for reservoirs operations, flood risks, water supply, droughts, flood gate operations, harbor deepening, dredging, harbors of refuge, emerging harbors, donor ports, energy transfer ports, hurricane and storm damage reduction projects and safety restorations, a recovery plan for Gulf Coast oyster beds, ecosystem restoration projects, sediment management, and soil moisture and snowpack monitoring. The Corps of Engineers may carry out final feasibility studies for projects in Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Additional assistance is provided to states with emergency public health threats associated with lead or other contaminants in a public drinking water supply system. The Department of Justice and the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must report on the status of any ongoing investigations into the government's response to the drinking water contamination in Flint, Michigan. The Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) are amended to set forth funding priorities and make additional subsidization available to projects that use state revolving loan funds for innovative water technologies. The EPA must establish grant programs for: (1) community water systems serving disadvantaged communities, (2) reduction of lead in water for human consumption, (3) voluntary school and child care lead testing, and (4) innovations that address water challenges. Public water systems must notify their customers of lead levels in drinking water that exceed limits under national primary drinking water regulations. The bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2021: the Water Desalination Act of 1996, with a list of funding priorities; the Department of the Interior program for making grants to state water resources research and technology institutes; the EPA's grants to states for sewer overflow control grants to municipalities, which may be used for stormwater or subsurface drainage water projects; the EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; and the Long Island Sound Restoration Program. The U.S. Forest Service's administration of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is revised and reauthorized for a period of 10 fiscal years after enactment of this bill.
Bill· SS. 2841 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil or gas exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."
Bill· HRH.R. 5040 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2016
Solar Expansion of Distributed Generation Exponentially Act or the Solar EDGE Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase for two years tax credits that apply to solar property with a nameplate capacity of less than 20 kilowatts. The increases apply to the investment tax credit and the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures.
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 20 April 2016
Bill· HRH.R. 4998 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2016
Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2016 This bill amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensee to submit to the NRC a post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) regarding the shutdown of a nuclear facility. In the state where the nuclear facility is located, the NRC is required to: (1) solicit public comments on a proposed PSDAR; (2) conduct at least two public hearings; and (3) invite the state to file a statement of support, nonsupport, or conditional support for the proposed PSDAR with specific recommendations that could lead to support. The bill prescribes the criteria for determining whether a proposed PSDAR is permissible if a host state files a statement of conditional support. The NRC must determine the adequacy or inadequacy of a proposed PSDAR and issue a decision document accordingly. The NRC must not approve a proposed PSDAR unless the proposed PSDAR requires compliance with applicable state law relating to air, water, soil quality, or radiological standards if the state law is more restrictive than its federal counterpart. The NRC must notify: (1) each licensee of the opportunity to develop a revised PSDAR for any facility for which a PSDAR has been submitted but for which decontamination and dismantling activities have either not been commenced, or have been commenced for less than one year; and (2) each state within 50 miles of such facility that they have the opportunity to consult with the licensee who submitted the PSDAR.
Bill· SS. 2816 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2016
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2016 This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2021 a diesel emissions reduction program. The program authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants, rebates, or loans for reducing diesel emissions from certain diesel vehicles or fleets by retrofitting or replacing their engines.
Bill· SS. 2819 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2016
Healthy Housing Council Act of 2016 This bill establishes in the executive branch an independent Interagency Council on Healthy Housing. The Council shall: review federal programs and services that provide housing, health, energy, or environmental services to families and individuals; monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in programs and services administered, funded, or financed by federal, state, and local agencies; recommend ways to reduce duplication among federal programs and services; and ensure collaboration among and within agencies in the provision and availability of such programs and services.
Bill· SS. 2818 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2016
Title X Amendments Act of 2016 This bill reauthorizes the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 and revises the purpose for grants for lead-based paint hazard reduction in target housing. Such grants shall be made instead for reduction of lead-based paint hazards and correction of other housing-related hazards, including any condition of residential real property that poses a risk of biological, physical, radiological, or chemical exposure that can adversely affect human health. The Department of Housing and Urban Development may establish a process by which, in order to verify a family's income level, a grantee may first obtain and use income and program participation information from an entity administering: the HOME Investment Partnerships program under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children established under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; reduced price or free lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; the weatherization assistance program for low-income persons established under the Energy Conservation and Production Act; the temporary assistance for needy families program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct); the supplemental security income program under SSAct title XVI; or any other program consistent with the family income requirements of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. An Indian tribe and a private nonprofit organization shall be eligible to apply for such a grant, in addition to certain state or local governments, for specified activities relating to lead-based paint hazards. A private nonprofit organization shall also be eligible to apply for a grant to reduce housing-related health hazards. The bill revises grantee selection criteria for a grant to carry out activities relating to lead-based paint hazards, and prescribes criteria for activities relating to housing-related hazards. The bill also prescribes an allocation of funds for grants to assess and correct housing-related health hazards and evaluate the effectiveness of such assessments and corrections.
Record· NominationPN1372 (114th)open
United States · United States Senate · 18 April 2016
Bill· HRH.R. 4979 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2016
Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enter into a memorandum of understanding to: ensure that DOE has sufficient technical expertise to support the civilian nuclear industry's timely development and commercial deployment of safe, innovative advanced reactor technology; ensure that the NRC has sufficient technical expertise to support the evaluation of requests for regulatory approval for advanced reactors; use computers and software codes to calculate the behavior and performance of advanced reactors based on mathematical models of their physical behavior; and ensure that the DOE maintains and develops the facilities to support the civilian nuclear industry's timely development and commercial deployment of safe, innovative reactor technology and ensuring that the NRC has access to such facilities, as needed. DOE must submit a report to Congress within 180 days evaluating activities intended to facilitate the testing and demonstration of advanced reactors on DOE land and facilities and the potential for DOE to test and demonstrate on private land. In addition, the NRC is required to develop a regulatory framework for licensing advanced nuclear reactors. This bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to require that the aggregate amount of fees collected by the NRC from licensees and certificate holders in a fiscal year be decreased by the amount of appropriations for activities related to the development of regulatory infrastructure for advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
Bill· HRH.R. 4964 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
Directed Energy Weapon Systems Acquisition Act of 2016 This bill amends the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 to state that, if supplies or support services are urgently needed to eliminate a deficiency in directed energy weapon systems, the Department of Defense (DOD) may use specified rapid acquisition procedures to acquire and deploy needed offensive or defensive directed energy weapon systems capabilities, supplies, and associated support services. "Directed energy weapon system" means military action using highly focused sound, electromagnetic, or particle-beam energy to incapacitate, damage, or destroy enemy equipment, facilities, or personnel. The bill redesignates DOD's High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office as the Joint Directed Energy Program Office. The Office shall: (1) develop a strategic plan for development and transition of directed energy weapons capabilities, and (2) use new and revised DOD policies to accelerate the development and transition of directed energy capabilities toward fielding.
Bill· HRH.R. 4958 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2016
This bill directs the Department of Energy to update its report on the energy and environmental benefits of re-refining used lubricating oil and submit to Congress a strategic plan to increase the beneficial reuse of lubricating oil.
Law· HRH.R. 4939 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2016
United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of State to submit to Congress a multi-year strategy for U.S. engagement with the Caribbean region that: identifies State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to prioritize U.S. policy towards the Caribbean region; broadens State Department and USAID outreach to the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States to promote their involvement in Caribbean economic development and citizen security; outlines an approach to partner with Caribbean governments to improve citizen security, reduce illicit drug trafficking, strengthen the rule of law, and improve the effectiveness of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI); encourages efforts of the region to implement regional and national strategies that improve Caribbean energy security; improves diplomatic engagement with Caribbean governments; and assists Caribbean countries in diversifying their economies, reducing free trade and investment barriers, and supporting the training and employment of persons in marginalized communities. The Government Accountability Office shall submit reports to Congress regarding: (1) the CBSI; and (2) diplomatic outreach from the U.S. embassy in Barbados to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, and the Grenadines.
Report· HearingS.Hrg.114-359published
United States · United States Senate · 13 April 2016
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 13 April 2016
Bill· SS. 2795 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act This bill revises the functions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by establishing new transparency and accountability measures on the commission's budget and fee structure and developing the regulatory framework necessary to enable the licensing of advanced nuclear reactors. The bill amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to remove amounts appropriated for the Advanced Reactor Program from the NRC's fee recovery requirement. The NRC must ensure that the collection of fees is equal to their budget authority. The NRC may collect fees through: (1) fees for services that specifically benefit a particular person or entity, and (2) annual fees to fund regulatory costs. The bill places a cap on the amount of the annual fee that may be charged to an operating reactor. The NRC must also establish stages within the licensing process for reactors and implement risk-informed performance-based licensing evaluation techniques and guidance. Research and test reactor licensing must also be developed. In addition, the NRC must complete a rulemaking by the end of 2023 to establish a technology-inclusive regulatory framework for licensing advanced nuclear reactors. The Department of Energy must establish the Advanced Nuclear Energy Cost-Share Grant Program to make cost-share grants to applicants for the purpose of funding a portion of the NRC pre-application and application review fees.
Bill· HRH.R. 4929 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2016
Biennial Commission on Energy Policy Act of 2016 This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Biennial Commission on Energy Policy. The commission must be composed of 15 members from a diverse group of industries and political party affiliations with no federal, state, or local officers or employees. The commission must: carry out specific analytical and research tasks related to a broad range of energy issues; and report to Congress on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for legislative and administrative actions to create an integrated and comprehensive national energy policy for the United States. This bill replaces provisions requiring the President to submit a biennial National Energy Policy Plan.
Bill· SS. 2779 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2016
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Improvement Act of 2016 This bill amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to direct the Department of Commerce, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to convert the current program for creation and support of regional centers for the transfer of manufacturing technology into one for creation and support of manufacturing extension centers for the transfer of manufacturing technology and best business practices, to be known as the Hollings Manufacturing Extension (HME) Partnership, and reauthorized for FY2017-FY2020. Each Hollings Manufacturing Extension Center may be affiliated with an institution of higher education or a state or local government, as well as with a U.S.-based nonprofit institution (or consortium of such institutions) as under current law. Authorized Center activities that currently include selective, short-term loans of advanced manufacturing equipment to small manufacturing firms shall be replaced by facilitation of collaborations and partnerships between small and medium-sized manufacturing companies and community colleges and area career and technical education schools. The bill repeals the current six-year limit on federal financial assistance to a Center, allowing open-ended assistance through a cooperative agreement. Commerce shall appoint a panel to review and evaluate each Center receiving financial assistance during its third and eighth years of operation, but the Department shall review a Center directly during its fifth year of operation. Each Center shall establish a board to oversee its operations. The bill establishes a Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board. The NIST shall establish within the HME Partnership: a program of competitive awards for a participating Center, or a consortium of Centers, to develop projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems; and an innovation services initiative to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers in improving profitability through the reduction of energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental waste.
Bill· SS. 2778 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2016
Directed Energy Weapon Systems Acquisition Act of 2016 This bill amends the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 to state that, if supplies or support services are urgently needed to eliminate a deficiency in directed energy weapon systems, the Department of Defense (DOD) may use specified rapid acquisition procedures to acquire and deploy needed offensive or defensive directed energy weapon systems capabilities, supplies, and associated support services. "Directed energy weapon system" means military action using highly focused sound, electromagnetic, or particle-beam energy to incapacitate, damage, or destroy enemy equipment, facilities, or personnel. The bill redesignates DOD's High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office as the Joint Directed Energy Program Office. The Office shall: (1) develop a strategic plan for development and transition of directed energy weapons capabilities, and (2) use new and revised DOD policies to accelerate the development and transition of directed energy capabilities toward fielding.
Bill· HRH.R. 4896 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2016
Dairy Margin Insurance Location Calculation Act of 2016 or the Dairy MILC Act of 2016 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to calculate the average feed cost for the Dairy Margin Protection Program using data from each state rather than the national average. USDA must also take into consideration costs for energy, transportation, and labor. (The Dairy Margin Protection Program makes payments to participating farmers when actual dairy production margins fall below a farmer-selected insured margin. Average feed costs are part of the formula used to calculate actual dairy production margins.)
Bill· HRH.R. 4865 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities Act This bill directs the Department of Commerce, if $100 million is made available from the private sector for establishing a Nanomanufacturing Investment Partnership, to establish such a Partnership to provide funding for precommercial nanomanufacturing research and development projects. The Partnership may provide funding through direct investments in specified mechanisms designed to advance nanomanufacturing. Commerce shall establish an advisory board to assist it in carrying out the Partnership. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to allow a tax credit for the purchase of qualified nanotechnology developer stock. Commerce may establish within the Technology Administration a grant program to support the establishment and development of incubators (entities affiliated with or housed in degree-granting institutions that provide space and coordinated and specialized services to certain entrepreneurial businesses). Commerce shall establish a Nanotechnology Startup Advisory Council. The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall establish a Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for the development of computer aided design tools for nanotechnology applications. The bill requires the establishment of nanotechnology research grant programs by: (1) the Department of Energy (DOE) to address the need for clean, cheap, renewable energy; (2) the Environmental Protection Agency to address technologies for remediation of pollution and other environmental protection technologies; (3) the Department of Homeland Security to address the need for sensors and other materials related to homeland security needs; and (4) the Department of Health and Human Services to address health-related applications of nanotechnology. The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall transmit a nanotechnology research strategy establishing priorities for the federal government and industry. The bill amends the IRC to: (1) allow a tax credit for nanotechnology education and training program expenses; and (2) revise, for purposes of Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits, the definition of "eligible educational institution" to include commercial nanotechnology training providers. The NSF shall establish: (1) a grant program for the development of curriculum materials for interdisciplinary nanotechnology courses at institutions of higher education, and (2) a program to encourage manufacturing companies to enter into partnerships with occupational training centers for the development of training to support nanotechnology manufacturing. DOE shall transmit to Congress a strategy for increasing interaction on nanotechnology issues between scientists and engineers at DOE national laboratories and in the informal science education community.
Bill· HRH.R. 4851 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Electronic Warfare Capabilities Enhancement Act of 2016 This bill permits the use of appropriations authorized for electromagnetic spectrum warfare systems and electronic warfare in order to develop and field electromagnetic spectrum warfare systems and electronic warfare capabilities. The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 is amended to include electronic warfare programs in the rapid acquisition authority program. Electronic warfare is military action involving the use of electromagnetic and directed energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum or to attack the enemy. The Department of Defense shall delegate to the senior electronic warfare executive the authority to review and validate all Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System documents for electronic warfare acquisition programs. The Electronic Warfare Executive Committee shall submit to the congressional defense committees a strategic plan with measurable and timely objectives to achieve its mission according to specified metrics.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 125 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2016
Establishes the congressional budget for the federal government for FY2017 and sets forth budgetary levels for FY2018-FY2026. Recommends levels and amounts for FY2017-FY2026 for federal revenues, new budget authority, budget outlays, deficits (on-budget), debt subject to limit, debt held by the public, and the major functional categories of spending. Includes reconciliation instructions directing 12 House authorizing committees to submit deficit reduction legislation to the House Budget Committee within 90 days of adoption of the budget resolution. Sets forth budget enforcement procedures addressing: long-term direct spending; allocations for Overseas Contingency Operations/ Global War on Terrorism; changes in mandatory programs; estimates of debt service costs, credit programs, direct spending legislation, macroeconomic effects, land conveyances, and energy saving performance contracts; adjustments of spending levels; advance appropriations; transfers to the Highway Trust Fund; Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) guarantee fees; and Federal Reserve System surpluses. Establishes reserve funds for legislation relating to: poverty reduction, repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, health care reform, graduate medical education, trade agreements, tax reform, revenue measures, federal retirement reform, coal miner pension and health care funds, and the commercialization of air traffic control. Provides estimates for the rate of growth in direct spending and proposes changes to specified programs. Includes policy statements on mandatory savings outside of the reconciliation process, mandatory spending controls, budget process reform, and several public policy issues.
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 22 March 2016
Bill· HRH.R. 4826 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2016
Energy and American Security Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should take appropriate actions to prohibit energy production by the Islamic State and its ability to profit from energy production revenues, and (2) U.S. national energy policy should include consideration of national security. The Department of Energy may provide technical assistance to the Armed Forces regarding Armed Forces activities to address Islamic State energy resources. Such assistance may include identifying: (1) energy resources and related revenue streams; and (2) methods to hinder, destroy, or discourage the development, transportation, and sale of such energy resources. "Islamic State" means the Islamic State, any affiliate, or any immediate successor organization.
Bill· HRH.R. 4815 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2016
Iran Ballistic Missile Sanctions Act of 2016 This bill amends the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 to cover ballistic missile or related technology. The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 is amended to: (1) extend the Act through December 31, 2031, and (2) require sanctions on Iran and related entities and persons for actions to acquire or develop ballistic missiles and launch technology. The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 is amended to direct the President to report to Congress biannually on: (1) identified persons that have knowingly aided Iran in developing its ballistic missile program, and (2) Iran-North Korea ballistic missile cooperation. The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests in the United States of any identified person. An identified person, with certain exceptions, shall be excluded from U.S. entry. The President shall prohibit the opening and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates a significant financial transaction for an identified person. The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests in the United States of: any entity owned in part by the Aerospace Industries Organization, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, or the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, or collectively by a group of individual investors in such groups; or any person that controls or is a board member of such an entity. The Department of the Treasury shall submit to Congress a list of entities (and their officers) in which the Aerospace Industries Organization, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, or any agent or affiliate has a specified minimum ownership interest. The President shall: certify to Congress biannually that each person listed in an annex of certain United Nations Security Council Resolutions is not involved with the development of or transfer to Iran of ballistic missiles, related technology, or components; but issue sanctions on any persons involved in those activities and prohibit associated financial transactions in the United States. The President shall report to Congress: (1) biannually a list of sectors of the Iranian economy involved with the development of or transfer to Iran of ballistic missiles or technology; and (2) annually a list of all foreign persons involved with the development of ballistic missiles, technology, or components in those sectors, namely: automotive, chemical, computer science, construction, electronic, energy, metallurgy, mining, petrochemical, research (including universities and research institutions), and telecommunications. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is amended to cover the acquisition or development of ballistic missiles, capabilities, and launch technology. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to require each issuer of securities to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission whether it knowingly engaged in any activity involving sectors of Iran that support its ballistic missile program for which sanctions may be imposed.
Bill· HRH.R. 4790 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Recreation Not Red-Tape Act This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to adopt a consistent and uniform special recreation permitting process with respect to outfitters and guides. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall sell National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes entrance and recreation fees through federal websites. Interior and USDA should: work with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans have access to outdoor programs, and increase programs focused on improving education about and access to outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands for individuals age 55 or older. Interior and USDA shall make available, free of charge, a certain quantity of America the Beautiful passes for use by specified schools or their students and their families. Interior and USDA shall study the overall impact that recreation on federal recreational land and water has on the U.S. economy and labor market. The Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service may develop respective management plans for extending the recreation season or increasing recreation use during the offseason. The Forest Service and BLM shall include metrics on recreation use in specified evaluations of lands under their jurisdictions. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shall consider how land and water management decisions can enhance recreation opportunities and the recreation economy. The bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to prescribe requirements for deposit, administration, and distribution of revenues collected from rental charges for certain ski area permits issued on National Forest System lands. The bill establishes: (1) a National Recreation Area System, (2) a private sector volunteer enhancement program, and (3) a priority trail maintenance program. Interior and USDA shall establish an interagency trail management plan under which federal land management agencies shall coordinate so that trails that cross jurisdictional boundaries between those agencies are uniformly managed and maintained. The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is amended to conform to this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 4775 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016 This bill amends the Clean Air Act by revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program. The bill delays the implementation of the ozone NAAQS that were published in 2015. The bill extends until: (1) October 26, 2024, the deadline for states to submit designations to implement the 2015 ozone NAAQS; and (2) October 26, 2025, the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate state areas as attainment, nonattainment, or unclassifiable areas with respect to the 2015 ozone NAAQS. States must submit a state implementation plan (SIP) by October 26, 2026, to implement, maintain, and enforce the 2015 ozone NAAQS. The bill also changes the review cycle for criteria pollutant NAAQS from a 5-year review cycle to a 10-year review cycle. The EPA may not complete its next review of ozone NAAQS before October 26, 2025. The EPA may consider, as a secondary consideration, likely technological feasibility in establishing and revising NAAQS for a pollutant if a range of air quality levels for such pollutant are requisite to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety. Prior to establishing or revising NAAQS, the EPA must obtain advice from its scientific advisory committee regarding potential adverse public health, welfare, social, economic, or energy effects which may result from attaining and maintaining NAAQS. The EPA must publish regulations and guidance for implementing NAAQS concurrently with the issuance of a new or revised standard. New or revised NAAQS shall not apply to preconstruction permits for constructing or modifying a major emitting facility or major stationary source of air pollutants until those regulations and guidance have been published. The bill provides that in Extreme Ozone Nonattainment Areas, contingency measures are not required to be included in nonattainment plans. Technological achievability and economic feasibility must be taken into consideration in plan revisions for milestones for particulate matter nonattainment areas.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 650 (114th)reported
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Condemns the attacks against the residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya in Iraq. Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) bring to justice those responsible for the attacks; and (2) ensure access to food, clean water, medical assistance, electricity and other necessary supplies and equipment. Calls on the United States to work with Iraq to: (1) bring Camp Liberty/Hurriya to the same level of protection as that of the Baghdad International Airport to ensure the security of the residents, and (2) facilitate the residents' ability to sell their property and assets in order to fund their costs of living and resettlement out of Iraq. Urges the United States to work with Iraq and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents, without exception, are safely resettled outside of Iraq and Iran according to the terms of the December 2011 Memorandum of Understanding. Calls on the United States to work with Albania and UNHCR to provide suitable housing for the remaining Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents in Albania.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 403 (114th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Designates the week beginning April 24, 2016, as National Industrial Assessment Center Week. (Those centers are university-led programs funded by the Department of Energy that provide energy efficiency assessments to small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises for improving energy efficiency and reducing water usage and waste.)
Bill· SS. 2713 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Advancing Precision Medicine Act of 2016 This bill permits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out an initiative to address disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that may include collecting from a diverse cohort of individuals information that can be used to better understand health and disease. HHS may carry out specified activities relating to the initiative, including coordinating with the Department of Energy to address supercomputing needs. In implementing the initiative, HHS must: (1) collaborate with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; (2) implement secure data sharing; and (3) ensure inclusion of a broad range of participants, considering factors that contribute to health disparities.
Bill· HRH.R. 4810 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
U.S.-Israel Security Cooperation Act This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out research, development, test, and evaluation activities on a joint basis with Israel to establish directed energy capabilities to detect and defeat ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, mortars, and improvised explosive devices. Activities carried out pursuant to such authority shall be conducted in a manner that protects sensitive information and U.S. and Israeli national security interests. DOD's Missile Defense Agency shall be lead agency in carrying out these activities.
Bill· SS. 2729 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to make certain amounts in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund available, without appropriation, for expenditures to pay: 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs of specified portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway as well as those assigned to commercial navigation of all U.S. harbors and inland harbors; rebates of certain tolls or charges on the Seaway; and all expenses of administration relating to harbor maintenance tax incurred by the Department of the Treasury, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Commerce. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 is amended to: require allocation to certain donor ports and energy transfer ports of at least 20% of amounts made available each fiscal year from the Trust Fund, and authorize the Department of the Army to make the allocations equally between these kinds of ports. A "donor port" is a port, subject to the harbor maintenance fee, located in a state in which more than 2 million cargo containers were unloaded from or loaded on to vessels in FY2012, whose total amount of collected harbor maintenance taxes comes to less than $15 million annually, and which received less than 25% of the total amount of harbor maintenance taxes collected at that port in the previous five fiscal years. An "energy transfer port" is one, also subject to the harbor maintenance fee, through which more than 40 million tons of cargo were transported in FY2012, and at which energy commodities constituted more than 25% of all commercial activity by tonnage in that fiscal year.
Bill· SS. 2725 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Iran Ballistic Missile Sanctions Act of 2016 This bill amends the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 to cover ballistic missile or related technology. The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 is amended to: (1) extend the Act through December 31, 2031, and (2) require sanctions on Iran and related entities and persons for actions to acquire or develop ballistic missiles and launch technology. The Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 is amended to direct the President to report to Congress biannually on: (1) identified persons that have knowingly aided Iran in developing its ballistic missile program, and (2) Iran-North Korea ballistic missile cooperation. The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests in the United States of any identified person. An identified person, with certain exceptions, shall be excluded from U.S. entry. The President shall prohibit the opening and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates a significant financial transaction for an identified person. The President shall block and prohibit all transactions in property and property interests in the United States of: any entity owned in part by the Aerospace Industries Organization, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, or the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, or collectively by a group of individual investors in such groups; or any person that controls or is a board member of such an entity. The Department of the Treasury shall submit to Congress a list of entities (and their officers) in which the Aerospace Industries Organization, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, or any agent or affiliate has a specified minimum ownership interest. The President shall: certify to Congress biannually that each person listed in an annex of certain United Nations Security Council Resolutions is not involved with the development of or transfer to Iran of ballistic missiles, related technology, or components; but issue sanctions on any persons involved in those activities and prohibit associated financial transactions in the United States. The President shall report to Congress: (1) biannually a list of sectors of the Iranian economy involved with the development of or transfer to Iran of ballistic missiles or technology; and (2) annually a list of all foreign persons involved with the development of ballistic missiles, technology, or components in those sectors, namely: automotive, chemical, computer science, construction, electronic, energy, metallurgy, mining, petrochemical, research (including universities and research institutions), and telecommunications. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 is amended to cover the acquisition or development of ballistic missiles, capabilities, and launch technology. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to require each issuer of securities to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission whether it knowingly engaged in any activity involving sectors of Iran that support its ballistic missile program for which sanctions may be imposed.
Bill· SS. 2706 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2016
Recreation Not Red-Tape Act This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service to adopt a consistent and uniform special recreation permitting process with respect to outfitters and guides. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall sell National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes entrance and recreation fees through federal websites. Interior and USDA should: work with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans have access to outdoor programs, and increase programs focused on improving education about and access to outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands for individuals age 55 or older. Interior and USDA shall make available, free of charge, a certain quantity of America the Beautiful passes for use by specified schools or their students and their families. Interior and USDA shall study the overall impact that recreation on federal recreational land and water has on the U.S. economy and labor market. The Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service may develop respective management plans for extending the recreation season or increasing recreation use during the offseason. The Forest Service and BLM shall include metrics on recreation use in specified evaluations of lands under their jurisdictions. The Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shall consider how land and water management decisions can enhance recreation opportunities and the recreation economy. The bill amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to prescribe requirements for deposit, administration, and distribution of revenues collected from rental charges for certain ski area permits issued on National Forest System lands. The bill establishes: (1) a National Recreation Area System, (2) a private sector volunteer enhancement program, and (3) a priority trail maintenance program. Interior and USDA shall establish an interagency trail management plan under which federal land management agencies shall coordinate so that trails that cross jurisdictional boundaries between those agencies are uniformly managed and maintained. The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 is amended to conform to this Act.
Report· HearingS.Hrg.114-800published
United States · United States Senate · 16 March 2016
Bill· HRH.R. 4769 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2016
This bill prohibits the Department of Energy (DOE) from making any additional awards or loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Upon the repayment, in accordance with loan agreement terms, of all loans made before enactment of this Act, DOE authority and requirements for the entire program shall be repealed.
Bill· HRH.R. 4749 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2016
North Carolina Opening Fossil Fuels Safely and Harnessing Opportunities for Robust Employment Act or the NC OFFSHORE Act This bill requires the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to conduct one oil and gas lease sale off North Carolina's coast every year for five years. In addition, it protects military operations by allowing BOEM and the Department of Defense to mutually make certain areas off limits to exploration and allows coastal states to receive revenue from offshore energy projects. This mandate shall take effect not later than two years after enactment of this bill.
Bill· HRH.R. 4745 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
Interim Consolidated Storage Act of 2016 This bill amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to authorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to enter into new contracts (or modify existing contracts) with the licensee of an interim consolidated storage facility in order to take title to and store in it either high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel of domestic origin. The bill defines: "interim consolidated storage facility" as a facility licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the storage of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel received from DOE or from two or more persons that generate or hold title to such fuel generated at a civilian nuclear power reactor, and "high-level radioactive waste" as including Greater than Class C waste. The bill assigns priority to storage of such waste and spent fuel located on sites without an operating nuclear reactor.
Bill· SS. 2684 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
UAVs for Energy Infrastructure Act This bill amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to direct the Department of Transportation to establish a process by which a covered person may operate an unmanned aircraft system to conduct the following activities beyond the visual line of sight of the individual operating the system without any restriction on the time of the operation: activities for which compliance with current law can be accomplished by the use of manned aircraft, including activities to ensure compliance with federal or state regulatory, permit, or other requirements (including surveys for permits for construction or maintenance of pipelines) and activities relating to ensuring compliance with federal requirements for the transportation of natural gas, other gas, or hazardous substances by pipeline; activities to inspect, repair, or respond to critical infrastructure, including to respond to a pipeline incident, natural or man-made disaster, severe weather event, or other incident beyond the control of such person that may cause material damage to such infrastructure; and other activities if the covered person notifies the local Flight Standards District Office before the operation of the unmanned aircraft system. A "covered person" is a person who owns or operates a pipeline or other critical infrastructure, is an agent of such person, or is the sponsor of a pipeline project.
Bill· SS. 2677 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2016
In the Red Act of 2016 This bill authorizes and appropriates specified funds to the Department of Education (ED) for FY2016-FY2025 and each succeeding year for grants: (1) to waive tuition and fees for eligible students at community colleges, and (2) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for low-income students at four-year historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct ED to establish a program to refinance outstanding federal student loans for borrowers of Direct Loan program loans disbursed before July 1, 2016, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) The bill modifies, for academic year 2018-2019 and succeeding years, the calculation of the mandatory add-on amount used to determine the total maximum Federal Pell Grant award. It also amends various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) expand the expenses eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit to include the amount of a Federal Pell Grant used to pay for living expenses; and (2) include, as a qualified scholarship excludible from gross income, any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant. Finally, the bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief for: (1) deep gas wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) deep water oil and gas leases in the central and western Gulf of Mexico.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 640 (114th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2016
Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4596) to ensure that small business providers of broadband Internet access service can devote resources to broadband deployment rather than compliance with cumbersome regulatory requirements, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3797) to establish the bases by which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall issue, implement, and enforce certain emission limitations and allocations for existing electric utility steam generating units that convert coal refuse into energy.
Bill· HRH.R. 4727 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2016
This bill directs the Department of Energy to submit a report to Congress, within six months, identifying engineering designs for fusion energy systems that are capable of producing net energy within 15 years after the onset of system construction. The report must also identify any budget requirements necessary to accelerate the development of such systems.
Report· HearingS.Hrg.114-800published
United States · United States Senate · 9 March 2016
Report· HearingH.Hrg.114published
United States · United States House of Representatives · 3 March 2016