SECTION 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as the “Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015”.
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015
An Act
Making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 2. Table of Contents.
The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. References.
Sec. 4. Explanatory statement.
Sec. 5. Statement of appropriations.
Sec. 6. Availability of funds.
Sec. 7. Technical allowance for estimating differences.
Sec. 8. Adjustments to compensation.
Sec. 9. Study of electric rates in the insular areas.
Sec. 10. Amendments to the Consolidated Natural Resources Act.
Sec. 11. Payments in lieu of taxes.
DIVISION A— AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Agricultural Programs
Title II— Conservation Programs
Title III— Rural Development Programs
Title IV— Domestic Food Programs
Title V— Foreign Assistance and Related Programs
Title VI— Related Agency and Food and Drug Administration
Title VII— General Provisions
Title VIII— Ebola Response and Preparedness
DIVISION B— COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of Commerce
Title II— Department of Justice
Title III— Science
Title IV— Related Agencies
Title V— General Provisions
Title VI— Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014
Title VII— Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014
DIVISION C— DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Military Personnel
Title II— Operation and Maintenance
Title III— Procurement
Title IV— Research, Development, Test and Evaluation
Title V— Revolving and Management Funds
Title VI— Other Department of Defense Programs
Title VII— Related Agencies
Title VIII— General Provisions
Title IX— Overseas Contingency Operations
Title X— Ebola Response and Preparedness
DIVISION D— ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Corps of Engineers—Civil
Title II— Department of the Interior
Title III— Department of Energy
Title IV— Independent Agencies
Title V— General Provisions
DIVISION E— FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of the Treasury
Title II— Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President
Title III— The Judiciary
Title IV— District of Columbia
Title V— Independent Agencies
Title VI— General Provisions—This Act
Title VII— General Provisions—Government-Wide
Title VIII— General Provisions—District of Columbia
DIVISION F— DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of the Interior
Title II— Environmental Protection Agency
Title III— Related Agencies
Title IV— General Provisions
DIVISION G— DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of Labor
Title II— Department of Health and Human Services
Title III— Department of Education
Title IV— Related Agencies
Title V— General Provisions
Title VI— Ebola Response and Preparedness
DIVISION H— LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Legislative Branch
Title II— General Provisions
DIVISION I— MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of Defense
Title II— Department of Veterans Affairs
Title III— Related Agencies
Title IV— Overseas Contingency Operations
Title V— General Provisions
DIVISION J— DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of State and Related Agency
Title II— United States Agency for International Development
Title III— Bilateral Economic Assistance
Title IV— International Security Assistance
Title V— Multilateral Assistance
Title VI— Export and Investment Assistance
Title VII— General Provisions
Title VIII— Overseas Contingency Operations
Title IX— Ebola Response and Preparedness
DIVISION K— TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015
Title I— Department of Transportation
Title II— Department of Housing and Urban Development
Title III— Related Agencies
Title IV— General Provisions—This Act
DIVISION L— FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS, 2015
DIVISION M— EXPATRIATE HEALTH COVERAGE CLARIFICATION ACT OF 2014
DIVISION N— OTHER MATTERS
DIVISION O— MULTIEMPLOYER PENSION REFORM
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of Contents.
TITLE I— MODIFICATIONS TO MULTIEMPLOYER PLAN RULES
Subtitle A— Amendments to Pension Protection Act of 2006
Sec. 101. Repeal of sunset of PPA funding rules.
Sec. 102. Election to be in critical status.
Sec. 103. Clarification of rule for emergence from critical status.
Sec. 104. Endangered status not applicable if no additional action is required.
Sec. 105. Correct endangered status funding improvement plan target funded percentage.
Sec. 106. Conforming endangered status and critical status rules during funding improvement and rehabilitation plan adoption periods.
Sec. 107. Corrective plan schedules when parties fail to adopt in bargaining.
Sec. 108. Repeal of reorganization rules for multiemployer plans.
Sec. 109. Disregard of certain contribution increases for withdrawal liability purposes.
Sec. 110. Guarantee for pre-retirement survivor annuities under multiemployer pension plans.
Sec. 111. Required disclosure of multiemployer plan information.
Subtitle B— Multiemployer Plan Mergers and Partitions
Sec. 121. Mergers.
Sec. 122. Partitions of eligible multiemployer plans.
Subtitle C— Strengthening the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Sec. 131. Premium increases for multiemployer plans.
TITLE II— REMEDIATION MEASURES FOR DEEPLY TROUBLED PLANS
Sec. 201. Conditions, limitations, distribution and notice requirements, and approval process for benefit suspensions under multiemployer plans in critical and declining status.
DIVISION P— OTHER RETIREMENT-RELATED MODIFICATIONS
Sec. 1. Substantial cessation of operations.
Sec. 2. Clarification of the normal retirement age.
Sec. 3. Application of cooperative and small employer charity pension plan rules to certain charitable employers whose primary exempt purpose is providing services with respect to children.
DIVISION Q— BUDGETARY EFFECTS
Sec. 1. Budgetary Effects.
SEC. 3. References.
Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to “this Act” contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.
SEC. 4. Explanatory Statement.
The explanatory statement regarding this Act, printed in the House of Representatives section of the Congressional Record on or about December 11, 2014 by the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House, shall have the same effect with respect to the allocation of funds and implementation of divisions A through K of this Act as if it were a joint explanatory statement of a committee of conference.
SEC. 5. Statement of Appropriations.
The following sums in this Act are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015.
SEC. 6. Availability of Funds.
Each amount designated in this Act by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall be available only if the President subsequently so designates all such amounts and transmits such designations to the Congress.
Each amount designated in this Act by the Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall be available (or rescinded, if applicable) only if the President subsequently so designates all such amounts and transmits such designations to the Congress.
SEC. 7. Technical Allowance for Estimating Differences.
If, for fiscal year 2015, new budget authority provided in appropriations Acts exceeds the discretionary spending limit for any category set forth in section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 due to estimating differences with the Congressional Budget Office, an adjustment to the discretionary spending limit in such category for fiscal year 2015 shall be made by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the amount of the excess but the total of all such adjustments shall not exceed 0.2 percent of the sum of the adjusted discretionary spending limits for all categories for that fiscal year.
SEC. 8. Adjustments to Compensation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no adjustment shall be made under section 610(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) (relating to cost of living adjustments for Members of Congress) during fiscal year 2015.
SEC. 9. Study of Electric Rates in the Insular Areas.
Definitions.— In this section:
Comprehensive energy plan.— The term “comprehensive energy plan” means a comprehensive energy plan prepared and updated under subsections (c) and (e) of section 604 of the Act entitled “An Act to authorize appropriations for certain insular areas of the United States, and for other purposes”, approved December 24, 1980 (48 U.S.C. 1492).
Energy action plan.— The term “energy action plan” means the plan required by subsection (d).
Freely associated states.— The term “Freely Associated States” means the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
Insular areas.— The term “insular areas” means American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Secretary.— The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.
Team.— The term “team” means the team established by the Secretary under subsection (b).
Establishment.— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, within the Empowering Insular Communities activity, establish a team of technical, policy, and financial experts—
to develop an energy action plan addressing the energy needs of each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States; and
to assist each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States in implementing such plan.
Participation of Regional Utility Organizations.— In establishing the team, the Secretary shall consider including regional utility organizations.
Energy Action Plan.— In accordance with subsection (b), the energy action plan shall include—
recommendations, based on the comprehensive energy plan where applicable, to—
reduce reliance and expenditures on fuel shipped to the insular areas and Freely Associated States from ports outside the United States;
develop and utilize domestic fuel energy sources; and
improve performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency;
a schedule for implementation of such recommendations and identification and prioritization of specific projects;
a financial and engineering plan for implementing and sustaining projects; and
benchmarks for measuring progress toward implementation.
Reports to Secretary.— Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary establishes the team and annually thereafter, the team shall submit to the Secretary a report detailing progress made in fulfilling its charge and in implementing the energy action plan.
Annual Reports to Congress.— Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives a report submitted by the team under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a summary of the report of the team.
Approval of Secretary Required.— The energy action plan shall not be implemented until the Secretary approves the energy action plan.
SEC. 10. Amendments to the Consolidated Natural Resources Act.
Section 6 of Public Law 94–241 (90 Stat. 263; 122 Stat. 854) is amended—
in subsection (a)(2), by striking “ December 31, 2014, except as provided in subsections (b) and (d)” and inserting “ December 31, 2019”; and
in subsection (d)—
in the third sentence of paragraph (2), by striking “ not to extend beyond December 31, 2014, unless extended pursuant to paragraph 5 of this subsection” and inserting “ ‘ending on December 31, 2019’ ”;
by striking paragraph (5); and
by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (5).
SEC. 11. Payments in Lieu of Taxes.
For payments in lieu of taxes under chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code, for fiscal year 2015, $372,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior.
The amount made available in subsection (a) shall be in addition to amounts made available for payments in lieu of taxes by the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.