8 New Laws Signed In 2015, And What They Mean For You

The 2015 Congressional session is over. As the calendar year also comes to a close, Patch looked back at some of the laws passed and signed by President Barack Obama and what they mean for you.

Transportation funding

After several short-term patches throughout the year, Congress finally passed a long-term funding bill for the country’s highway and transit spending.

The five-year bill is worth $305 billion, about $205 billion of which will go toward highways, and is the first transportation funding bill since 2005 that spans more than two years.

The bill was funded without increasing the gas tax, and the president signed it just hours before transportation funding was set to expire.

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: Highway construction can continue around the country, and longer-term projects can be set into motion with the assurance of funding for the near-future. One study estimated that the bill would spur $13 billion in economic activity while creating 4,000 jobs.

‘Every Student Succeeds’

The Every Student Succeeds Act gave power over education reform back to states and local school districts, effectively reversing the power given to the federal government under No Child Left Behind.

The bill was notable for its bipartisan support, as both Democrats and Republicans agreed that No Child Left Behind forced schools to spend too much time and energy on testing or face increasing penalties.

“This is a Christmas miracle,” Obama said at the December 10 signing. “A bipartisan bill signing right here.”

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: The testing standards from No Child Left Behind remain in place, but states and local districts now have more control over how to handle failing schools. States are also not required to adopt Common Core standards.

NSA reform

The USA Freedom Act changed the way the federal government collects and monitors phone data, a result of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection.

The new law requires that phone metadata will be stored in databases maintained by phone companies, not kept by the government.

“Enactment of this legislation will strengthen civil liberty safeguards and provide greater public confidence in these programs,” Obama said before signing the legislation.

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: Your personal data is no longer directly in the government’s hands. Now, the government can only collect data to the “greatest extent reasonably practical.” The bill’s critics, though, say it still gives the government too much surveillance power.

“This bill is an improvement over the USA Patriot Act but there are still too many opportunities for the government to collect information on innocent people,” Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said.

Healthcare reform

The biggest healthcare bill passed since Obamacare changed the way doctors are paid for treating Medicare patients, which officials on both sides said would emphasize quality over quantity.

“We’re moving away from the old model, which incentivized more treatment over better treatment — something that cost a lot more money,” Obama said when the bill was signed. “From now on, we’re going to compensate doctors based more on how well they help their patients get healthy and stay healthy.”

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act also extended Children’s Health Insurance Program, a popular children’s healthcare program.

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: For patients, it’s an assurance from the federal government that the care people receive under Medicare will be high quality. For doctors, it allows them to keep accepting Medicare funding, which was scheduled to decrease by 21 percent before the bill’s passing, a move that would have forced many doctors to stop accepting Medicare all together. For more information on healthcare coverage for 2016, click here, or call 1-800-318-2596.

Microbead-free waters

Those little plastic balls that companies put in their soap, toothpaste and lotion will eventually be no more.

The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 bans “the manufacture and introduction into interstate commerce of rinse-off cosmetics containing intentionally-added plastic microbeads.”

The plastic beads have polluted waters, especially in the Great Lakes, and could harm natural wildlife.

In effect: The manufacturing ban on microbeads goes into effect July 2017, and a ban on manufacturing over-the-counter products containing microbeads starts July 2018. A ban on the sale of those products begins in July 2019.

What it means for you: Cleaner waters and healthier wildlife. One expert estimated that 11 billion microbeads make their way into U.S. waters every day. The plastic beads attract harmful chemicals that are eventually eaten by fish and other animals.

Combatting human trafficking

The Justice For Human Trafficking Victims Act created funds for state and local grants to prevent human trafficking and provide funds for victims, which will be paid for by fines from people convicted of trafficking and sexual abuse.

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: Further efforts to reduce the thousands of human trafficking cases in the United States each year. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center reported 5,043 cases in 2014 and 4,168 cases in 2015 through September 30. You can call the center’s hotline phone number at 1-888-373-7888 to report a case or visit their website for more information.

ID cards for veterans

Some military veterans have no way of identifying themselves as such outside of their Department of Defense discharge papers, which they don’t carry around every day to take advantage of discounts and other veteran benefits.

The Veterans Identification Card Act will create an easy way for U.S. veterans to go online and receive a practical ID card for a small fee.

In effect: 2017 (estimated)

What it means for you: If you are a veteran, you will have an easy and streamlined way to prove that you served your country. The Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that the identification card program will be implemented in 2017.

Suicide prevention for veterans

Named after an Iraq and Afghanistan Marine Corps veteran who took his own life in 2011, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act created a series of Veterans Administration mandates to prevent suicide among U.S. veterans.

The law requires and independent evaluation of VA mental health programs and suicide preventions practices. It calls for a one-stop VA website that details all available resources available veterans.

And it creates a student-loan repayment program for mental health professionals who work in VA systems, designed to address a shortage of mental health experts.

In effect: Immediately.

What it means for you: A 2012 VA study estimated that 22 veterans commit suicide every day. This bill aims to provide better care to veterans who previously weren’t getting adequate mental health care from the Veterans Administration. For more information, visit the VA’s health benefits website here.