PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

S. 616: Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015

Before you vote › Federal bills

S. 616: Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-02-27 · Taxation · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1203)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-02-27 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1203) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015

Plain summary

Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow sponsors of certain deferred compensation plans to elect to include length of service award plans for bona fide volunteers providing firefighting and fire prevention services, emergency medical services, ambulance services, and emergency rescue services. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue guidance clarifying that a length of service award program is not an employee pension benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] reported raising $22.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-s616 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114